| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | | Good Monday morning! Thank you to Daniel Han for handling Playbook on Friday. I had to take two days off last week, so I haven’t had a chance to give credit to NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan for writing about what so many were thinking when we saw the neck tattoo on State Trooper Jason Dare on missing person photos of him. After Dare was found safe, Sullivan asked about that large tattoo on his neck that said “Blood Honor.” If you’re not familiar with the main connotation of those words, go ahead and Google it. Now, according to the State Police, there’s an internal investigation and Dare is on administrative leave. Could there be a more innocent explanation? Of course. Maybe Dare’s just a huge Dungeons & Dragons fan. But Dare has several other tattoos — including one that to my eyes and many others looks identical to the symbol of a Pennylsvania-based hate group — that, taken together, make it a lot harder to ignore. As authorities investigate Dare, I hope they also look into what, if anything, people inside the State Police knew about these tattoos. It’s hard to imagine they all went unseen. Because this gets down to an important question about what’s tolerated in law enforcement. If the tattoo means what many fear it does, is this just a case of a “bad apple” on the force? And if it is, I’d like to know how an apple that was so obviously rotten was allowed to stay in the bunch for so long. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Like seeing Pearl Jam in Seattle — he’s home.” — Queens resident Maggie McManus on watching a Bruce Springsteen show in …. Manhattan. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Alea Couch, Everett Falt and POLITICO NJ abandoner Katherine Landergan WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule.
| | A message from Alibaba: New Jersey businesses, like local beauty brand Nuria, are among thousands of American companies that sell their products to one billion consumers in China on Alibaba. These sales added $1.2 billion to the state’s GDP and supported over 10,000 jobs and $694 million in wages for New Jersey residents. “We’re very excited about the results we’re seeing in China,” said Josh Ghaim, CEO of Nuria. Learn more about Alibaba’s impact on the U.S. economy. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
LESS TRANSPARENCY IN NJ GOVERNMENT — “Some NJ officials will no longer have to disclose their addresses. This is why,” by The Record’s Katie Sobko: “Legislation removing address disclosure requirements for New Jersey local elected officials cleared its second major hurdle Thursday. What the legislation says: The bill would no longer require local elected officials — and some non-elected public workers, including zoning officials, members of independent municipal authorities and certain high-ranking local government officials — to list their home addresses in annual financial disclosure forms they are required to file. Awaiting governor's signature: The legislation was approved by the state Senate on Thursday and is now on its way to the governor’s desk. It’s up to Gov. Phil Murphy to decide if it’s worth signing.”
—“Overarching bill to shield politicians’ addresses remains in purgatory” MILLER SWEARS REPORT IS A GENUINE DRAFT — “Report dings N.J. for no long-range plan on funding repairs at low-income schools,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Dana DiFilippo: “State officials who have been court-ordered to fix crumbling, overcrowded schools in the state’s poorest and most segregated districts have repeatedly failed to detail those costs or secure long-term funding to complete them, according to a report filed this week with the New Jersey Supreme Court. The report comes 13 months after the Education Law Center filed a motion in Abbott v. Burke. … to compel Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration to comply with prior Abbott rulings ordering the state to fund building fixes in 31 districts scattered around the state from Garfield to Pleasantville. … In response to the center’s February 2021 motion, the Supreme Court in December 2021 appointed retired Judge Thomas Miller as a “special master” to investigate why the state didn’t provide detailed cost estimates, as requested, for capital projects prioritized in the Schools Development Authority’s 2016 strategic plan.” MUOIO MONEY MUOIO PROBLEMS — Treasurer: Deal to lower state worker health care premiums was $25 million, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio on Thursday said the deal with state workers to mitigate their double-digit health care premium increases last fall came at a price tag of approximately $25 million. The eight-figure number — mentioned during a tense Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing — marks the first time Treasury has publicly acknowledged how much the deal with state workers cost to lower their almost 20-percent premium increases to 3 percent on the state-run public workers health insurance program. Local governments and their employees were not privy to such a deal and have been left paying approximately 20 percent more in health care costs for this year.
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | WHERE YOU GO NUTS, YOU GO ALONE — “GOP Senate candidate challenges petitions of her running mate, a QAnon follower,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Republican State Senate candidate Dierdre Paul is headed to court. … in a bid to force her running mate, QAnon supporter Robert Bedoya, off of the ballot. Bedoya filed with 126 signatures — 26 more than the number required — but Paul says that just 39 of them are invalid. A review of Bedoya’s petitions by the New Jersey Globe shows that he is vulnerable to a challenge. … A Republican source in Bergen County said that Paul is mounting the unusual petition challenge to her running mate because she is taking a principled position in refusing to run with Bedoya.” — “N.J. legal weed dispensaries pay fines for slighting medical marijuana patients” —“N.J. could require some reserved parking spaces for families with young kids and older adults” —“N.J. expands program offering $500 bonus for unemployed workers who return to labor force” —“New N.J. website aims to help transgender and non-binary residents” —“Gov. Murphy joins the cast of ‘Jersey Shore’ — in an April Fools Day joke” | | BIDEN TIME | |
—Stile: “Trump indictment: The circus is here to stay. What it will mean for NJ GOP”
—Snowflack: “GOP candidates rush to denounce Trump-targeting ‘witch hunt’” —“Jeff Van Drew, others make call to 'save the whales' in Ventnor” —“Dead dolphin found on N.J. beach is 24th to wash ashore recently, officials say”
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | LOCAL | |
TOOTHLESS ADVISORY BOARD TO SOLVE MASSIVE STRUCTURAL ISSUES “Paterson will implement CompStat, Civilian Advisory Board,” by Mayor Andre Sayegh for NorthJersey.com: “Last month my administration began a dialogue with the School on Policing at Rutgers University to work with the institution to identify and ultimately adopt best practices in public safety. Additionally, we have hired a data analyst to study our police data and to implement the CompStat model, which will increase police accountability. Moreover, officers who violated their oath before I took office were brought to justice by our own department and I am pursuing legal action to take back the salaries they did not earn. In deepening existing partnerships, for the last three weeks I have been in discussion with members of the clergy and community-based organizations in Paterson about the creation of a Citizens Advisory Board. The board will afford residents an opportunity to regularly meet with police command and review policies as well as voice their concerns and opinions on policing in the community.”
THEY’RE AFRAID OF VALDES LEAKING — “Murphy protects rogue prosecutor, putting Paterson cop fix at risk,” by The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “The state’s takeover of the Paterson Police Department was a gutsy move by Attorney General Matt Platkin, one that offers at least some hope that the brutality and corruption will finally stop. But the plan has a fatal flaw, and her name is Camelia Valdes, the shockingly incompetent prosecutor in Passaic County. Prosecutors in New Jersey are legally responsible for overseeing police in their jurisdictions, and during the last dirty decade, Valdes has not only failed to fix this department, but has sabotaged efforts by clean cops in Paterson who were at least trying.” POLLAN-DOH! — “Former Sayreville Democratic chairman, family members indicted on 14 counts,” by MyCentralJersey’s Susan Loyer and Suzanne Russell: “The former Sayreville Democratic Party chairman, his son and daughter-in-law have been named in a 14-count indictment by a Middlesex County grand jury. Thomas Pollando, 73, David Pollando, 42, and Lizmarie Pollando, 29, all of Sayreville, are facing various charges ranging from bribery to witness tampering, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone announced Thursday. Thomas Pollando was charged with three counts of bribery, acceptance of an unlawful benefit by a public official, official misconduct, and pattern of official misconduct, all second-degree offenses. … During an investigation in July and August 2022, detectives from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office were conducting electronic surveillance of a business in Sayreville and allegedly observed Thomas Pollando accept several thousands of dollars in cash and allegedly heard him claiming that he would attempt to use his political clout to influence an ongoing criminal case.” STACKTOWN — “Union City attorney claims he was fired after reporting improprieties to AG’s Office,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “In a lawsuit with a number of salacious allegations, a former Union City Tenant’s Advocacy attorney claims he was fired about two months after meeting with detectives from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office."
| | A message from Alibaba: Alibaba helps American businesses succeed globally. In 2022, $66 billion worth of U.S. products were sold on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms, a nearly 10% increase over 2021. From household names to emerging small businesses, thousands of American companies sell products to over one billion consumers in China on Alibaba.
Read how American businesses are succeeding with Alibaba. | | | MILLIONAIRES DEPRIVED OF SLIGHTLY BETTER GOLFING VIEW OF MANHATTAN — “Fulop says he opposes big developments in Liberty State Park, calls for Caven Point protection,” by The Jersey Journal’s Mark Koosau: “During an interview with NJ Spotlight News, which aired Thursday night, Fulop said that major park proposals such as a concert venue or a sports stadium would not be appropriate, but he left the door open to smaller amenities in the park such as a community center, a pool, and an ice rink. ‘I think a healthy conversation is a good thing here,’ said the mayor, who called himself a ‘fierce protector’ of the park. ‘Let the process play out. I think that the park is a huge asset for Jersey City and I’m not looking to do anything that undermines that.’ He also said that Caven Point, a migratory bird habitat that has been caught in the crosshairs of privatization, should also be protected. ASBESTOS-FILLED FIG NEWTONS TURNED OUT TO BE A MISTAKE — “Nabisco implosion update: Glen Rock will close schools in 'an abundance of caution',” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “Glen Rock plans to close all of its public schools for at least a day after the nearby Nabisco cookie plant is imploded. The district said it would act out of ‘an abundance of caution" over potential pollution. In an email posted on the borough website this past week, schools Superintendent Brett Charleston said the entire district would shut down after the tower on Route 208 is demolished The 65-year-old factory is scheduled to be imploded on Saturday, April 15, to make way for a warehouse.’” FAKE COUNTRIES: SO HOT RIGHT NOW — “Newark fashionistas — including the mayor — strut their stuff on city’s first Fashion Forward Tour,” by NJ Advance Media’s Steve Strunsky: “Newark may not be Paris or Milan, but Brick City does have its own fashion community, and it was strutting its stuff on the runway this weekend. On Friday night, the inaugural citywide, “Newark Fashion Forward Tour,” stopped at the Marbella Lounge on Broadway in the city’s North Ward for the latest in a series of events showcasing local designers, venues and related people and places. … Baraka himself was among the models and designers taking in Friday’s show, strolling down the runway in a camel-colored ¾-length overcoat and black shirt, pants, baseball cap and rubber-soled shoes. His accoutrements included a pair of similarly black-clad women, Joyce Hancock-Williams and Griselle Ponce, who strode down the runway arm-in-arm with the mayor.”
| | | | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | —“Toms River school budget cuts 20 teaching jobs, raises taxes” —“Vernon schools could lose 40 employees as officials grapple with reduced state aid” —“Union rep claims hostile work environment, more issues at [Emerson] police department” —“Nine running for four seats in Passaic's May Council race” —“Former Atlantic City public defender honored, then threatens to sue city over back sick pay” —“Two Democrats running for mayor of Highland Park” —“Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi to close for good at end of June”
| | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
ELEVEN YEARS OLD — “ll-year-old died by suicide at N.J. school, cops say. Mom says her daughter was bullied,” by NJ Advance Media’s Nyah Marshall: “An 11-year-old girl that officials say died by suicide at a Mount Holly middle school earlier this year was getting bullied and emailed school officials about it a week before her death, the girl’s mother said Saturday. Mount Holly resident Elaina LoAlbo said her daughter Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez died two days after she was found unresponsive on Feb. 6 at her middle school … Felicia —whose death came less than two weeks after her father, NJ Transit Detective Alexis Melendez, died from cancer— was getting bullied at the school, according to her mother. A week before her death, Felicia emailed F. W. Holbein School administration and told them that she and her friends were being bullied and that the school was ‘breaking the laws’ by not taking action, according to LoAlbo.”
TAP WATER: NOW WITH NEW FLAVORS! — “Companies have discharged millions of pounds of toxic chemicals in the Delaware River the last five years, records show,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Frank Kummer and Chris A. Williams: “On the Delaware River, between Trenton and Pennsylvania’s southern border, 11 industrial plants have released toxic chemicals into the water in legally permitted amounts over the last five years, according to reports they must file to federal officials. Of the 62 manufacturers, petroleum facilities, and chemical makers within a mile of the river’s edges, two have reported releasing millions of pounds of toxic discharges — again, within legal limits, according to an analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records.” —“North Jersey lawyer, New York federal court clerk accused in 11-year bribery scheme” —“N.J. ranks 11th in U.S. for income inequality. Here’s why that’s a concern” —“N.J. weather: 4 tornadoes touched down in N.J. during powerful storms, weather service says”
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