| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | | Good Thursday morning! How much political mileage can a candidate get over an elected attending a drag time story hour a couple years ago? Quite a bit, thinks Morris County Commissioner Thomas Mastrangelo, who’s running a Republican primary campaign against state Sen. Joe Pennacchio. Last year, Mastrangelo defeated former Mendham Mayor Sarah Neibart in the Republican commissioner primary after going after her for attending a drag queen story hour in her town 2021. Now, according to InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack, Mastrangelo is attacking Pennacchio because he supported Neibart’s campaign.. “Joe Pennacchio endorses candidates that support drag queen story hour for young children,” a recent Mastrangelo text message says, according to Snowflack, who notes that Neibart had the support of the entire Morris County Republican Committee. Twenty years ago, it would have been controversial in most races — especially Republican ones — for a candidate to even accept that gay people should have the right to marry. The public mood has shifted so overwhelmingly in favor of gay rights that even Ocean County commissioners, who famously fought a terminally ill gay cop’s attempt to give her pension benefits to her domestic partner, now welcome Pride festivals. But now you see the same kind of political rhetoric attacking trans people — or, in this case, drag queens, which isn’t the same thing but is painted with the same brush by many politicians. It’s pretty much the same playbook, with the same insinuation: That it's about “indoctrinating” kids. Pennacchio, for his part, has been among the more vocal Republicans against school standards that include teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation, including calling it ‘indoctrination.” To quote my favorite line from Jimmy McNulty of “The Wire”: “You play in the dirt, you get dirty.” TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m here for them, they need attention and there’s nothing more attention-grabbing than a drag queen.” — Drag queen “Elizabeth, New Jersey,” who led a strike demonstration at Rutgers New Brunswick HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Kim Guadagno WHERE’S MURPHY? In Philadelphia with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at 2 p.m. to tour the Finishing Trades Institute and to make an announcement.
| | A message from Alibaba: New Jersey businesses are thriving with Alibaba. Sales from U.S. brands on Alibaba added $1.2 billion to the state’s GDP and supported 10,000 jobs and $694 million in wages for local workers, according to a new study by NDP Analytics. Learn more about Alibaba’s impact on the U.S. economy. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
MURPHY: CALL IN THE PINKOTONS — “Rutgers strike forces union-loving governor onto ‘tightrope’ of competing interests,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Dana DiFilippo: “Gov. Phil Murphy’s love of labor unions is famous. He’s made TikToks and trumpeted support for unionizing efforts everywhere from Starbucks to Amazon to Medieval Times. He’s relied on unions for funding and campaign door-knocking. He’s even joined picket lines. Now, Rutgers University faculty’s first-ever strike is putting that devotion to the test. After 9,000 public workers walked off the job at New Jersey’s largest state university Monday, Murphy’s fans and foes alike are watching to see how the governor navigates the stalemate between the three striking unions and the university, where half of the governing body are gubernatorial appointees and state funding comprises a fifth of its $5.1 billion budget.”
—“Striking Rutgers unions 'guardedly optimistic' about reaching deal as Murphy steps in,” by The Record’s Mary Ann Koruth: “Rutgers University faculty union leaders said on Wednesday that they were "guardedly optimistic" to reach a new contract deal after their strike entered a third day and negotiations continued in Gov. Phil Murphy's offices in Trenton, but they did not specify a timeline. The faculty strike is the first in the state university's 257-year history to shut down most classes at Rutgers' three New Jersey campuses. ‘I am guardedly optimistic,’ Bryan Sacks, vice president of the Adjunct Faculty Union and an adjunct in the philosophy department at Rutgers-Camden, told NorthJersey.com. But ‘the greatest difficulty was simply the volume’ of issues on the table, he said. Both economic and non-economic proposals were being discussed, and the governor's staff was helping ‘categorize them and break them down,’ he said.” AN AFFAIR TO MISREMEMBER — ”Retired Howell police chief charged criminally, accused of lying about extramarital affair,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Ken Serrano: “Andrew Kudrick, the retired chief of the Howell Police Department, has been charged with official misconduct and other offenses for allegedly lying about an extramarital affair with a woman who was his subordinate in the police department. Kudrick, 49, of Farmingdale is also accused of covering up the sexual affair and threatening a captain in his department who had evidence of it with an internal affairs investigation as he was about to be interviewed a second time by special counsel hired by the township to investigate the complaint against Kudrick. The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General announced the charges Wednesday afternoon. Kudrick retired suddenly in March 2022, more than two years before his contract expired. … Kudrick's salary at the end of 2021 was $234,092.” —“2 N.J. police chiefs charged in separate sexual misconduct cases”
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | KASPER GHOSTS — “Nia Gill’s running mate drops out,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Citing personal issues, Frank Kasper has dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination for State Assembly in the 27th district. Kasper’s exit leaves State Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair) with one less running mate as she mounts an off-the-line campaign for re-election. Redistricting placed two longtime senators, Gill and former Gov. Richard Codey (D-Roseland), in the same legislative district. It’s too late for Gill to replace Kasper on the ballot, leaving former Montclair school board member Eve Robinson as her sole legislative running mate.” WOODCOCK NEWS — “State targets its own after regulators slash forest,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Tom Johnson: “New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection slapped one of its own bureaus with violations for disturbing and clearing vegetation in an area of “exceptional freshwater wetlands” at the Glassboro Wildlife Management Area. The unauthorized activities occurred in February when the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Bureau of Land Management cut down thousands of trees and cleared more than 14 acres of wetlands during a project to create habitat for American woodcock. The clearing of aging mature upland forest and destruction of wetlands riled numerous conservation organizations. Their protests led the agency to halt the project and to investigate whether any violations of wetland regulations occurred. The public was given no advance notice of the project.” FULOP. FULL STOP — “Intent on 2025, Fulop promises a return to his political roots,” by InsiderNJ’s Max Pizarro: “By starting early, the mayor intends to build multi-disciplinary political structures that show depth — and connectivity to real people and organizations — not merely the bosses and their handfuls of slack-jawed underlings in a display of the kind of campaigning he undertook to great effect in his home city. ‘I am committed to doing this and building a proper organization,’ Fulop told InsiderNJ. Specifically, the mayor — three times elected mayor of Jersey City — addressed how he will do it differently from 2017, when he lost the pre-Democratic Primary contest to Phil Murphy.” —“Fulop is running for N.J. governor. Here’s who else could be in the 2025 race to succeed Murphy” —“Gov. Murphy defends signing controversial N.J. campaign money law, admits it’s ‘not perfect’” —Opinion: “Wait for what? New Jersey needs pay transparency now”
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Read how American businesses are succeeding with Alibaba. | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
—Kelly: “What can we learn from the North Jersey Proud Boy sentenced for Jan. 6?”
—“Ocean County college student indicted in U.S. Capitol attack” —Urban areas like Newark could get more trees under federal inflation law
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LYNDHURST — “Retired cop claims he faced retaliation for refusing to back longtime Bergen mayor,” by The Record’s Kaitlyn Kanzler: “A retired Lyndhurst police officer has accused the township and Mayor Robert Giangeruso of withholding two years of back pay because he refused to support the mayor's political campaign. Alexander Anthony filed a lawsuit against Lyndhurst and Giangeruso in state Superior Court on March 31. … Anthony said he was being subjected to retaliation for his refusal to support the mayor and that he was forced to pay 30% toward his medical coverage while other retired officers who had supported Giangeruso in the past paid ‘substantially less.’ … Other officers in the Police Department told Anthony he "should have played the game" and supported Giangeruso's political campaigns, the suit says.”
WHY SO CROSS? — “Controversial cross-shaped pier at Jersey Shore opens to the public this weekend,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jackie Roman: “A controversial cross-shaped pier on the Jersey Shore will open to the public ahead of schedule, the local religious organization behind its reconstruction announced. Visitors will be able to walk on the rebuilt Ocean Grove fishing pier as early as Saturday, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association said in its announcement Monday. … Some residents objected to the shape of the pier when its cross-shaped design was unveiled in July 2022 at a groundbreaking in the Monmouth County resort town. Critics, including the nonpartisan advocacy group Neptune United, raised concerns about putting a religious symbol in a public space on the beach. SADDLE RIVER’S AVERAGE HOME VALUE IS $1.8 MILLION — “Saddle River residents challenge borough's purchase of home for affordable housing use,” by The Record’s Marsha A. Stoltz: “Residents surrounding 333 Mill Road have filed a verified complaint that challenges the borough's proposed purchase of a single-family home on 2 acres on its southeast border, saying it might become a future affordable multi-unit housing site. … As explained over the course of the March 20 hearing, the Borough Council is faced with two upcoming affordable housing events: a 2025 Fourth Round declaration of new affordable housing mandates the state will impose on each municipality, and the timing-out of its first affordable housing project on Boroline Road.” UNHARMONIOUS —“Middletown school board member accused of threat to student. He says his kid was bullied,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Suzanne Cervenka: “A township school board member was publicly admonished last month after allegedly telling an administrator he would personally confront a student he believed was bullying his child, emails acquired by the Asbury Park Press reveal. Harmony ‘Barry’ Heffernan was censured by the Middletown Township Public Schools Board of Education on March 28 for engaging "with building administration in a manner which was unbecoming of a board member."
| | | | 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. | | | | | —“Jersey City unveils public safety headquarters; will it boost Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood?” —“Off-the-line Toms River slates descend into legal battle over ballot slogan” —“Hoboken tenants may see rent hike relief after banding together and getting city officials involved” —“Newton moves a step closer to legal marijuana sales and production in town” —“[Robbinsville] municipal judge inappropriately touched employee, complaint alleges” —“Op-Ed: Jersey City has left over a $100M for affordable housing on the table” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
MALLS ARE THE FUTURE – “American Dream mall lenders owed $389 million can collect, judge says,” by Bloomberg’s Erin Hudson, Elise Young and Martin Z Braun: “A group of junior lenders to the troubled American Dream mall won the right to collect on at least $389 million of defaulted debt after a judge ruled in their favor on Monday. Judge Andrew Borrok granted the lenders’ request for summary judgment against an entity used to finance the $5 billion mall and entertainment complex in New Jersey’s Meadowlands, according to a court order.”
MEMORIES OF DAVID SAMSON SCANDALS — “Second implosion set to take out B.L. England landmark,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Bill Barlow: “A Cape May County landmark is set to go away soon, with the coming demolition of the smokestack and the boiler structure at the former B.L. England power plant on the banks of the Great Egg Harbor Bay. Plans are to demolish the structures by implosion at 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 21. ‘Great care, preparation and notification has been taken leading up to the event to assure local and state compliance as well as safety of the community,’ reads a statement released Tuesday from the Beesely’s Point Development Group LLC, which plans to develop the site of the former coal fired plant.” PINELANDS — “‘Wall of fire with 200-foot flames’: Pinelands wildfire grows to 3,859 acres but crews make progress,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Frank Kummer: “A wildfire fanned by warm, breezy, dry conditions shot flames hundreds of feet into the air Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday in Ocean County near Lakehurst, racing through 3,859 acres and threatening buildings and people. The fire began Tuesday afternoon in Manchester Township, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, and has been dubbed “Jimmy’s Waterhole Fire” because of its proximity to a location firefighters had focused on while initially trying to contain the blaze. Area communities fall within a nearly 1-million acre area of protection in South Jersey under the Pinelands Commission and are surrounded by thick woods. As a result, crews went door to door starting about 11 p.m. Tuesday asking people to evacuate” PLEASE HELP THESE ANIMALS — “Animals rescued from Sussex pickup truck faced 'unimaginable' conditions, shelters say,” by The Record’s Kyle Morel: “Animal rescue groups scrambled to respond Wednesday to the "unimaginable situation" discovered in Sussex County earlier in the week, when almost 100 cats and dogs — some living, some dead — were found packed into a filthy pickup truck in a strip-mall parking lot. A total of 46 live animals — 38 dogs and eight cats — were discovered in the vehicle parked near the Marshalls department store in Hampton Township late Monday afternoon, along with at least 40 more that were dead, according to rescue groups. … ‘The dogs and cats inside the truck were terrified, huddled in all corners,’ the Bergen shelter said in a statement. ‘It was painful to see the fear in the faces of these innocent animals.’ … Eleventh Hour and RBARI posted donation links on Facebook, which raised more than $4,800 combined as of Wednesday afternoon. Eleventh Hour also included its online application to foster an animal during its recovery period.” —“Is phony Derek Jeter autograph part of murder plot by South Jersey bowling alley arsonist?” —“New 'Springsteen Liberty Hall' photo book gives rare glimpse of pre-fame E Street Band”
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