| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Tuesday morning! You might get snow and you might have a 2-hour delay (congrats). I’ve included quite aa lot of stories in this newsletter over the years about political falls from grace. Redemption stories are less common. Sure, we’ve seen some of those stories, like when a U.S. senator survived a corruption trial only to be reelected a year later by 11 points. But Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez’s story is probably the most dramatic of all. Suarez was among the dozens of politicians, operatives and rabbis arrested in “Operation Bid Rig” back in 2009 for allegedly taking money from FBI informant Solomon Dwek in exchange for a development approval. But Suarez was acquitted in 2010, breaking a long stream of federal corruption convictions in New Jersey. It wasn't on a technicality. To say the case against him was weak is an understatement. Suarez also resisted pressure from then-Gov. Jon Corzine to resign and in 2010 survived a rare recall election. He later wrote a book about the whole thing, in which he accused former Gov. Chris Christie, who was U.S. Attorney at the inception of the operation, of using his prosecutorial perch for political gain. (Of course, he was far from the only person to ever make that accusation.) Yesterday, Suarez’s nomination to a Superior Court judgeship breezed through the Senate Judiciary Committee, passing unanimously. And with the exception of the tiniest hint from Senate President Scutari (below), nobody even mentioned his past. He'll almost certainly be confirmed by the full Senate. I’ve seen some politicians come back from scandal, but how many of them get to be officially call themselves “honorable”? The committee, by the way, approved five other Superior Court nominees, but there are 67 vacancies. Here’s a fun question to ponder: If Chris Christie today decided that he didn’t want to be president and would instead settle for being a state Superior Court judge, would he get there? TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Certainly you’ve had some trials and tribulations related to your political office, but certainly never any questions as to your legal acumen.” — Senate President Nicholas Scutari during Suarez’s confirmation hearing — the only reference to Suarez’s arrest and acquittal. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Anthony Campisi, Brian McGovern WHERE’S MURPHY? In New York City for a 9 a.m. speech at a construction industry breakfast, then Atlantic City for a 4:45 p.m. speech at a business summit |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
BANK STUFF — Murphy: Relief coming for New Jersey businesses after SVB, Signature Bank failures, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: The state plans to move forward with $25 million in emergency assistance to New Jersey-based companies impacted by the collapse of two failed lenders, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday morning. The comments from Murphy at an unrelated event came the morning after federal authorities announced that they would backstop all depositors at Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, allowing them to access their money and trying to mitigate runs at other financial institutions. “These supports will include, or total I should say, at least for now, $25 million,” Murphy said in Newark. “And that number could climb.” … EDA initially proposed a $10 million program providing loans up to $500,000 to companies that had over $250,000 at SVB. In an interview mid-Monday, however, EDA CEO Tim Sullivan said it was unlikely the state would move forward with the $10 million program because of the action from federal authorities, which guarantees depositors would have access to their money.
WORKING STIFFS SHELL OUT $600 A MONTH FOR PARKING TO GET TO THE FACTORY IN MANHATTAN — “Why is Josh Gottheimer pushing hard against NJ congestion pricing? Look to 2025” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-Wyckoff, is relying on a high-octane blend of populism in his longshot bid to block the proposed congestion pricing tolls facing New Jersey's Manhattan-bound car commuters. He is now the champion of the beleaguered fates of nurses and laborers who may have to shell out between $9 and $23 extra a day — just to cross the Hudson to get to work. Populism often requires a Big Government enemy to resent, and Gottheimer has one at the ready: a broken and poorly managed Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates New York City's buses, some of its commuter rail and its subway trains. And he’s wrapped it around a narrative that pushes on an eternal sore point for Garden State residents — that New Jersey is once again getting screwed by the powerful interests on the other side of the river. … Of course, some transit advocates paint a counternarrative packed with caveats. For one, the vast majority of Manhattan-bound commuters from Gottheimer’s district get to work by bus and train. Transit advocates say most of the car commuters do so more out of choice than necessity”
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | SKIPPING A JOKE HERE — “Enforce sex ed curriculum, advocates implore Gov. Murphy and the department of education,” by NJ Advance Media’s Tina Kelley: “Citing a recent School Ethics Commission opinion, the New Jersey Public Education Coalition wrote to the officials, asking them to tell districts that ‘attempts to remove the curriculum and make it opt-in will result in discipline and potentially, reduce state aid.’ … School districts are required to use the standards as guides when they choose their local lesson plans, but some districts have subverted the standards, either by voting to reject them outright, as in Garwood; asking for revisions to them, as in Sussex-Wantage, Montague, and Jackson; teaching all sex ed classes on the last day of school, as in East Hanover; or requiring parts of the curriculum to be taught at home, as in Millstone. Parents have been able to opt their children out of sex education classes since 1981, but boards in Lakewood and Middletown have required parents to request that their students participate in sex ed, a move the Ethics Commission also said would violate education laws and regulations.” ANATOMY OF A BURDURR — “Durr versus Burzichelli – Piney echoes of JFK, amid Trump atmospherics,” by InsiderNJ’s Max Pizarro: “The piney woods and bogs hold the howls of buried ages, mythologies entangled with the bark and vines of time, as suspended television sets fill bars with the boyish shriek of Tucker Carlson, and district politics navigates virtual unseen somewhere between lurid national atmospherics and mysterious nature. Even with all that, the collision of Republican state Senator Ed Durr and former Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-3) now appears all but inevitable, a spark in the South Jersey woods where Durr two years ago felled the mighty rooted tree otherwise known as Steve Sweeney, adjacent to the district where state Senator Fred Madden (D-4) finally tapped out on an organization-reinforcing legislative career … Now, Sweeney – the inner lamplight of gubernatorial politics apparently undimmed – wants another crack at Drumthwacket. Phil Murphy, a liberal Dem with deep Wall Street pockets, beat him in the pre-primary season of 2017, leaving Sweeney, wounded and embittered by his own 2021 district loss – to nurse continuing statewide designs. That leaves his old running mate, Burzichelli, to take on Durr. Burr versus Durr.” PERIOD. FULL STOP — “Apple called out by New Jersey AG over period-tracking apps,” by Bloomberg’s Erik Larson: “Apple Inc. has been “delinquent” in confirming to state officials that the company is protecting the privacy of women who use period-tracking apps, New Jersey’s top law enforcement officer said. Concern about such data has been mounting since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion — and the risk that data captured by menstrual cycle-tracking apps could be used to prosecute women who seek the procedure in states where it is illegal, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a meeting with Bloomberg News on Friday.” YOU, YOU, YOU OUGHTA KNOW ABOUT THIS — “Halsey, Demi Lovato coming to music and tech event North to Shore Jersey Festival,” by The Record’s Katie Sobko: “Gov. Phil Murphy announced a Jersey-style response to the annual South by Southwest Festival on Monday. The North to Shore Jersey Festival will be a music and technology event taking place over the course of three consecutive weekends at three cities across the state. Events will happen in Atlantic City from June 7 to 11, in Asbury Park from June 14 to 18, and in Newark from June 21 to 25. There will be a variety of entertainment events, including concerts, comedy shows and movies, as well as presentations from tech and business entrepreneurs. In addition to local artists, headliners including Halsey, Santana, Bill Burr, Jay Wheeler, Stephen Colbert, Alanis Morissette, Marisa Monte, Demi Lovato, Daymond John, Natalie Merchant, The Smithereens and Southside Johnny will be on hand.” —“License plate readers can track car thieves across NJ. Why that worries privacy advocates” —“N.J. police chiefs: The law must prohibit officers from using marijuana | Opinion” —“E-ZPass users will know what they can expect to pay in other states, thanks to N.J. law” —“New rape kit guidelines may not significantly improve things for victims” —“Testa says Ostrum should drop out of Senate primary” —“Carabelli drops out of 14th District Assembly race” —“Hundreds rally demanding more state funding for NJCU” | | BIDEN TIME | |
DESANTIS TO MURPHY: I DON’T THINK ABOUT YOU AT ALL — “A Trip to Ukraine. A Jab at Ron DeSantis. What Is Phil Murphy Up To?” by The New York Times’ Tracey Tully: “March 11, 2023 It was a whirlwind few days for New Jersey’s term-limited governor, Philip D. Murphy. On a Tuesday in mid-February he publicly chided Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, by name, calling his education policies ‘shameful.’ The next day at noon, he proposed requiring all new cars sold after 2035 to be electric, following California’s lead. By early Thursday, Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, had made an unannounced stop in Ukraine en route to a security conference in Germany. Back home in Jersey, the message was clear: The governor’s slow-windup romance with Washington was now a full-boil courtship, though his primary audience might have trouble finding Trenton on a map … appears as intent as ever at cultivating a national image, aware, perhaps, that there are often consolation prizes … Close associates say Mr. Murphy, who declined to comment for this article, is genuinely unsure about the job he might want next, but they speculate that he could be interested in again being an ambassador or perhaps even secretary of state.”
THAT’S A NICE CAMPAIGN YOU’VE GOT THERE. SHAME IF AN SUV CRASHED INTO IT — “Eyeing showdown with Menendez, Signorello comes to Jersey City for progressive candidates,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “Eyeing a showdown with U.S. Senator Bob Menendez next June, Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello decided to wade into enemy waters on Saturday when he attended a Jersey City fundraiser for progressive Hudson County challengers. ‘Hudson County politics I’ve only seen from the outside in Union County. As a Democrat, I don’t fully understand how the Hudson County Democrats operate: from my understanding, it’s not the most transparent process to get the party line here,’ Signorello said in an interview. ‘So I wanted to see what the opposition party is doing to A. try and change that and B. organize on the face of that.’ …While Hudson will be just about impossible to win off the line, something Signorello acknowledged, he said forging alliances with the progressive wing of the party could pay dividends in closing the gap … As far as policy goes, he came out against the $10.6 billion New Jersey Turnpike expansion effort that has the support of Gov. Phil Murphy (D).”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | PASCRELL SHOULD THREATEN TO PULL A ‘SAM THOMPSON’ AND BECOME A REPUBLICAN — “Bill Pascrell, Who Turns 87 Next Year, Will Seek Another Term In Congress,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Bill Pascrell, Jr., an 86-year-old Democratic congressman from Paterson, announced tonight that he will definitely seek re-election to a fifteenth term in 2024. ‘No question about it,’ Pascrell told a crowd at his annual St. Patrick’s Day event at the Brownstone. The announcement was expected, since Pascrell has not signaled any intention to retire. But he suggested that he was hearing murmurs that he was too old to run again, and used tonight’s speech to make his intentions clear.” —“Nearly 300K in N.J. could lose Medicaid coverage as pandemic emergency ends” —“Helmy has lasted longer as the governor’s chief of staff than anyone in N.J. history” | | LOCAL | |
THE BELEAGUER OF MUNICIPALITIES — “Towns ponder tax increases amid rise in health care benefits cost,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Bill Barlow and Eric Conklin: “A rise in state health benefits program costs is forcing municipalities to make tough choice as they prepare their budgets for the upcoming year. ‘You’re going to see a lot of bad numbers this year,’ said Leon Costello the township's auditor, who is also holds the same position in several other Cape May municipalities. ‘It’s a year like no other with all the increases that we have.’ Towns are looking at increased costs for the State Health Benefits Program in addition to increases in other cost related to inflation. Participating municipalities and counties are being hit with a 24% increase for their state benefits package, officials have said.”
—“This is how Paterson teachers could get huge raises over 5 years” —“School funding cuts + inflation = crisis for some districts” SO NASTY THEY’RE CALLING IT ‘BLOOD BANK’ — “Red Bank split by bitter politics. See who wants control in new kind of election,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Olivia Liu: :”Can the borough free its governing council from claims of divisiveness and factionalism with its first nonpartisan municipal election on May 9? Although the borough removed municipal candidates from under the headings of political parties, two rival groups of candidates have formed to compete with each other. The two groups, Red Bank Together and Red Bank’s Ready, along with independent candidate Sue Viscomi, are asking voters to choose between two mayoral candidates and 13 council candidates. Voters in November approved a nonpartisan election system endorsed by the Red Bank Charter Study Commission, which means they will vote for a mayor and six council seats all at the same time” —“Democrats pick Bergenfield councilman to fill vacancy on Bergen County commissioners board” —“Bergen County corrections officers to wear body cams. Inmate privacy issue raised” —“Here's how the tiny Indiana bat pushed Wayne development project to the finish line” —“Judge lets ruling on Lakewood dormitory construction stand” —“[Bordentown] special ed teacher fired after complaining about understaffing in classroom, lawsuit says” — “Why did this Wayne pet store sue Teaneck after a Change.org petition?” —“Correa hits the go button on [Dover] mayoral run” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
WHERE ARE THE HISTORIC PRESERVATIONS?’ — “Liberty Village, N.J.’s original outlet mall, prepares for demolition as last tenants leave,” by NJ Advance Media’s Camille Furst: “The nation’s first major outdoor outlet mall has closed for good. The last remaining stores in Flemington’s Liberty Village shopping center have shut down and moved out, according to George Vallone, the developer preparing to transform the site into mixed-income housing units. … Liberty Village was founded in the 1980s and quickly became a destination spot. It drew shoppers from across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania to bargain-hunt in its outlets in the years before internet shopping began to change the retail industry.’
— “Acres of N.J. wetlands were illegally cleared during state project, conservation groups allege” — Former Rep. Pat Schroeder, who taught at Princeton University, dies at 82 | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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