News: The feds drop their veterans home report on Trenton

Friday, September 8, 2023

The feds drop their veterans home report on Trenton

Sep 08, 2023

Presented by OxyChem

Yesterday was something of an overwhelming news day in New Jersey politics and government.

Board of Public Utilities president Joe Fiordaliso died suddenly Wednesday. It’s a big loss of a long-time public servant. You can read his obituary below.

And Secretary of State Tahesha Way will be sworn in today as the state’s third lieutenant governor. I know, that would normally top this newsletter, right? More on that below also.

But arguably the biggest piece of news from Thursday: The federal government finally released the results of its investigation into New Jersey’s veterans homes at Paramus and Menlo Park where Covid ran rampant and hundreds died.

As you can imagine by all the reporting and lawsuit settlements that have come out of that, the report is not pretty. One worker at Menlo Park is quoted in the report calling it “pure hell.”

“Even by the standards of the pandemic’s difficult early days, the facilities were unprepared to keep their residents safe,” reads the report, which contends that the homes violated the constitution, that problems continue today and that facility management at times impeded the investigation.

Legislative leaders are already promising to take unspecified action.

TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The United States Department of Justice finds reasonable cause to believe that the State of New Jersey has systematically violated the Fourteenth Amendment rights of the residents of the Veterans Memorial Homes at Menlo Park and Paramus, two state-run nursing facilities for veterans and their families. Those violations continue.” — The first two lines of the report’s summary of findings.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Nancy Munoz and Brandon Umba. Saturday for Derek Harper, Paul Mulshine, Benjamin Steltzer, Henrique Ferreira, Joseph “Rudy” Rullo. Sunday for Mahen Gunaratna, Jorge Santos, Lexie Norcross, Nick Repici, Lynn Olanoff, Ian Allen.

WHERE’S MURPHY? In Trenton for a “major announcement” at 10 a.m., presumably about Tahesha Way as lieutenant governor.

A message from OxyChem:

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

THE WAY IT IS — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy chooses Tahesha Way, state’s elections chief, as next lieutenant governor, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman and Mia McCarthy: Gov. Phil Murphy has chosen Secretary of State Tahesha Way to be New Jersey’s third lieutenant governor following the death of Sheila Oliver last month. Two officials with knowledge of the pick, who were granted anonymity in advance of a formal announcement, said Way, 51, is Murphy’s choice. She is expected to be sworn in Friday. One of the sources confirmed that the choice came down to Way and Nina Mitchell Wells, who served as secretary of state under former Gov. Jon Corzine. Murphy had a 45-day constitutional deadline following Oliver’s death to choose her replacement. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation. Way is a former Passaic County freeholder and served as an administrative law judge before being sworn in as secretary of state in 2018.

R.I.P. — New Jersey BPU President Joe Fiordaliso, who helped lead state’s shift to clean energy, has died, by POLITICO’s Dustin Racioppi: Joseph Fiordaliso, the longtime state utilities commissioner who helped lead the Murphy administration’s ambitious shift to clean energy, died suddenly Wednesday night. He was 78. He is the second Cabinet member to die in office the last two months. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who also served as the Department of Community Affairs commissioner, died Aug. 1 after a brief hospitalization in her capacity as acting governor. The governor’s office did not give a cause of death. “Joe Fiordaliso was a consummate public servant, a trusted colleague, and a good friend,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. He added that, “Joe skillfully led our work to responsibly transition to a clean energy economy while always putting the needs of consumers first.” Fiordaliso was one of the longest-serving members of Murphy’s cabinet.

—New Jersey mourns BPU President Joe Fiordaliso following his unexpected death

‘EXTREMISM IN DEFENSE OF MOMS FOR LIBERTY IS NO VICE!’ — “National right-wing groups enter NJ's legal battles with schools over parental rights,” by The Record’s Mary Ann Koruth: “National conservative groups — including an Arizona-based think tank — are the latest players to enter the fray in a legal standoff between New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and a handful of school districts over policies that affect transgender students. The Goldwater Institute, a libertarian and conservative public policy think tank based in Arizona, is intervening on behalf of a Marlboro Township mother, Angela Tycenski, arguing that Platkin’s lawsuit against the township school district is unconstitutional … The Pacific Justice Institute, a California-based legal nonprofit, tried to intervene in Platkin’s case against Hanover Township, but it was denied permission by a state Superior Court judge in Morris County. On its website, the institute describes as its mission defending 'the religious freedoms, parental rights, and other civil liberties of people who cannot defend themselves.' It has been designated an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

—“Amid culture wars, school board elections grow more partisan”

HE’S RUNNING JUST FOR THE JOKES (ABOUT OTHER GOVERNORS) — “Steven Fulop wants to be the first Jewish governor of New Jersey,” by JewishInsider’s Matthew Kassel: “ The 46-year-old Democrat was raised in a secular household in Edison, N.J., but studied at an Orthodox Jewish day school until the eighth grade, an experience he credits with strongly influencing his ’moral compass’ and commitment to ‘service.’ In 2019, Fulop was among the first state officials to publicly describe a deadly shooting at a kosher market in Jersey City as an antisemitic hate crime, a conclusion he drew while invoking his personal history as the grandson of Holocaust survivors. ‘I know enough to call it what this is,’ he said at the time. The mayor literally wears his Jewish identity on his sleeve: His son’s Hebrew name, Yosef, the same as Fulop’s late brother, is tattooed on his right forearm — a testament to ‘the circle of life,’ he has written. Now that he is running for the Garden State’s top job, Fulop recognizes that his Judaism may carry broader significance — if elected, he would become New Jersey’s first Jewish governor. In an interview with Jewish Insider last month, Fulop said he was surprised to learn recently that New Jersey has never elected a Jewish chief executive, given its long history and sizable Jewish population. 'But there’s always room for a first,' he reasoned, sounding a note of optimism. 'That’s the good thing.'”

ARRIVAL — “Program pairing police with mental health pros sees success in Newark and across NJ” by The Record’s Nicholas Katzban: “In mid-July, ARRIVE, which stands for Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence & Escalation, began a pilot program in Newark, pairing a 'screener' from Rutgers' University Behavioral Health Care with a plainclothes officer on patrol in an unmarked car every Monday evening for one shift, responding to reports of people in emotional distress … A report by the Brookings Institution published in March showed that the program, which Attorney General Matthew Platkin had already rolled out in Cumberland, Union and Atlantic counties, has yielded promising results. Rashawn Ray, a senior fellow at Brookings, who penned the March report, found that only 2% of 342 calls for service involving an ARRIVE team across three agencies ended with an arrest.”

TIME FOR SOME LESSONS FROM FORT LEE — “Road Warrior: 10 years later, this is what I've learned from the mistakes of Bridgegate,” by The Record’s John Chichowski: “I kicked myself for nearly seven years for not acting sooner in September 2013 when readers insisted that heavy traffic on the George Washington Bridge was far more serious than the routine non-news commuter heartbreak there. With some digging, my Road Warrior column finally got the Port Authority to remove the illicit cause of the trouble by the fifth morning of this disgraceful affair. But I was a bit slow to act. I didn’t recognize the serious dangers of these emotionally draining four-hour setbacks — or the abuse of power they represented — until the third day of what later became known as the Bridgegate scandal. What might have happened if I’d dug deeper sooner? If the delays had lasted only a day or two, would there have been enough public sentiment to spur a legislative investigation? Without investigators brandishing subpoenas, would the breadth of the Bridgegate scandal have been uncovered? Without a scandal that conferred guilt on three of Gov. Chris Christie’s allies for faking a traffic study simply to embarrass the Fort Lee mayor, would his 2016 presidential campaign have continued to gain momentum? And bear with me here: If that momentum had grown sufficiently, might it have denied Donald Trump the Republican nomination — and the presidency?”

ALL THAT FOR JUST ONE RAIL? — “Newark airport’s train-project cost to balloon beyond $2 billion,” by Bloomberg’s Skylar Woodhouse and Martin Z Braun: “The long-awaited project to replace Newark Liberty International Airport’s train system has gotten even more expensive than its original $2 billion price tag. The AirTrain EWR project, which is designed to replace the existing system that shuttles about 30,000 passengers every day at the airport, is facing ‘significant increases over the original $2.05 billion estimate,’ according to preliminary bond documents provided by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ahead of a $1.1 billion debt sale. The bi-state agency that runs much of New York City’s air and seaports has offset the cost increases ‘through value engineering efforts, by reducing project scope or otherwise deferring or reducing spending on other capital projects,’ the documents say, without specifying by how much the project will be over budget.”

NO SUCH THING — “Advocates call on New Jersey lawmakers to make school meals free for all students,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Sophie Nieto-Munoz: “About 26,000 new students became eligible for the free breakfast and lunch program this school year thanks to a bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law last September. That’s in addition to the more than 395,000 children who received free or reduced breakfast and lunch between 2019 and 2020, the most recently available data. The law, known as the Working Class Families’ Anti-Hunger Act, expanded eligibility to families who earn 200% of the federal poverty level … While experts applauded the new law, signed soon after pandemic-era federal programs providing free lunches expired, nutrition experts and food hunger advocates want to see more action from state lawmakers … The Assembly passed a bill (A5684) in June that would further expand eligibility for free and reduced school meals for the 2024-25 school year … The bill still needs to advance in the state Senate, where it has yet to be heard in committee. It is expected to cost the state about $57 million.”

—“Ex-Christie aide charged with child rape is out of jail and back at mother’s house”

—“Parents should be punished if kids find their weed stash, N.J. lawmaker says”

—“Where are the key players in the Bridgegate scandal now 10 years later?”

—Snowflack: “The great LD 23 guessing game”

—Steinberg: “The NJ Supreme Court’s supreme opportunity: Relegalize fusion voting”

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BIDEN TIME

THE FIRST THING WE DO, LET'S HIRE ALL THE LAWYERS — “Bob Menendez continues to spend money on legal services as federal inquiry looms,” by The Record’s Kate Sobko: “Legal bills appear to continue to mount for Sen. Bob Menendez, as New Jersey's senior senator prepares to gird for battle with lawyers from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Federal campaign finance records show that from April 1 to June 30, Menendez spent more than $11,000 on legal services. Menendez paid the Washington, D.C.-based Elias Law Group $11,434 during the second quarter of 2023 as he remains under federal investigation. In addition to his payments to Elias, Menendez paid HaystackID, a digital consulting service, more than $47,000 in the second quarter. In the first quarter of the year, from January to March, Menendez paid Haystack ID more than $55,000.”

A message from OxyChem:

LOCAL

—“Atlantic City Housing Authority consultant exits New Brunswick job”

—“Ocean City’s response to teens gets good marks from merchants”

—“Despite ‘sweltering’ temps, NJ’s largest district resists early dismissals”

—“Paterson charter school teacher's aide accused of sending student sexually explicit photo”

JOIN US ON 9/12 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW AGE OF TRAVELING: In this new era of American travel, trending preferences like wellness tourism, alternative lodging and work-from-anywhere culture provide new but challenging opportunities for industry and policy leaders alike. Join POLITICO on Sept. 12 for an expert discussion examining how the resilience of the tourism and travel industries is driving post-pandemic recovery. REGISTER HERE.

EVERYTHING ELSE

JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE HOSPITAL’S NAMESAKE WAS NOT A JOKE ABOUT NUDITY — “N.J. hospital fired CEO over naked art exhibition, lawsuit says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Spencer Kent: “The former CEO of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton is suing the facility, alleging he was wrongfully terminated over a living art body painting exhibition displayed during a fundraising event. Richard Freeman, who filed the lawsuit late last month in New Jersey federal court, was fired in late June for ‘allegedly intentionally violating the (hospital’s) sexual harassment policy,’ according to the suit. The hospital, according to the suit, claimed Freeman didn’t stop the living art body painting exhibition — in which women had works of art painted on their naked bodies — from taking place at the hospital foundation’s fundraising event on June 3. It was the foundation’s seventh annual We v. C ‘Under the Italian Sky’-themed event held at Glenmore Farm in Hopewell, the suit says. Freeman, however, disputes that claim … Instead, Freeman claims that the hospital terminated him to avoid paying him compensation. Freeman was receiving a yearly salary of $650,000 in addition to performance-based incentives, the suit says”

PEPTIC DISMAL NEWS — “Springsteen ‘heartbroken’ to postpone a month of shows for illness,” by NJ Advance Media’s Amy Kuperinsky: “Bruce Springsteen held out to play Jersey, but now he’s taking medical advice and postponing the next dates on his tour. A message shared on his social media accounts announced that Springsteen is suffering from peptic ulcer disease and will postpone the remainder of his September performances with the E Street Band. The announcement (see post below) comes after Springsteen postponed two August shows in Philadelphia shortly before he performed at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford for the first time in seven years .. The statement said the decision was made with guidance from Springsteen’s medical advisers.”

POSTING THIS AS A BELATED QUID PRO QUO BECAUSE HE INVITED ME ON HIS PODCAST 2 YEARS AGO — “N.J. comedian Chris Gethard’s new thing: tell jokes in every Jersey county,” by NJ Marty Lipp for NJ Advance Media: “The hard-working comedian and actor from West Orange has appeared across the nation, but he is currently on a “New Jersey is the World” tour where he is performing in venues in every Jersey county along with comics from those areas. ‘Jersey’s always shown up for me,’ he said, ‘I want to go meet people where they’re at.’ So when he performed in Hunterdon County last month, he joked about how the Northlandz indoor train attraction embarrasses parents into ponying up additional bucks for a train that basically just takes their kids around the parking lot. And he recalled his grandfather’s story about discovering the frozen corpse of a local pedophile who had fled into the woods.”

—“Party City gets a reprieve: Judge OKs bankruptcy plans. What happens to the stores?”

—“Where are the top stars born? NJ ranks sixth among states in new study”

A message from OxyChem:

Since the 1890s, the tremendous industrial and economic growth on the Passaic River has come at a great environmental cost. For decades, companies regularly used disposal practices on the Passaic’s shoreline that are no longer acceptable. The EPA declared a 17-mile stretch of the Passaic part of a federal Superfund site, selected a remedy, and identified more than 100 companies as potentially responsible for the clean-up. OxyChem, which EPA acknowledges did not pollute the river, is leading the clean-up.

The EPA identified eight chemicals of concern in the river – Lead, DDT, Dioxin, Mercury, PCBs, Copper, Dieldrin, and PAHs – six of which are not associated with OxyChem or its predecessors. Nevertheless, OxyChem is dedicated to cleaning up the Passaic. But if the other responsible companies don’t step up, New Jersey taxpayers could end up footing the bill. Tell the EPA to hold all 100+ polluting companies accountable.

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