| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman and Matt Friedman | Good Monday morning! First, thank you to my POLITICO New Jersey colleagues for filling in for me while I took a break. I tried to disconnect as much as possible during my time off, but the report by the British tabloid The Sun that Texas, not New Jersey, will host the World Cup Final — still as far as I can tell not corroborated by other sources — caught my attention. It’s got to feel like a big personal blow to Gov. Murphy. Not just because Murphy and his family love soccer to the point of owning a team, but in part because of the effort the state put in to woo FIFA to host the final in Jersey, even removing seats at MetLife Stadium. But I think the real blow is that the apparent winner is Texas, a state whose political leadership is the ideological opposite of Murphy, and whose leaders are busing migrants to New Jersey to put them on trains to New York. I know there have been efforts, at least with other sports, to discourage leagues from hosting events in states with anti-abortion or anti-LBGTA+ policies on the books. But I doubt that pressure would work on an organization that voted to put the last World Cup in an authoritarian state with a poor human rights record. I did think FIFA and New Jersey politicians would share an affinity, given that they both have a rich history of graft. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The same kind of regime that had protected that kind of sleazeball Menendez” — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman on New Jersey’s primary ballot design HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Dana Burley, Amber Lee, Brady O’Connor, Arlene Quinones Perez, Jim Saxton WHERE’S MURPHY? — No public schedule.
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MY TAKE: MURPHY MUST REFANG BOARD BY APPOINTING WEREWOLVES, VAMPIRES — “Legislators tried to give NJ Transit board more teeth. But it seems largely defanged,” by The Record’s Colleen Wilson: “The NJ Transit that Gov. Phil Murphy inherited in 2018 had experienced a deadly train crash a few years earlier. Meanwhile, a depleted roster of locomotive engineers had caused an unprecedented number of trains to be canceled. The clock was ticking on a federally mandated safety braking system. And customers had grown more frustrated after facing two fare hikes of 22% and 9% during the prior administration — even as performance declined. Yet key players who enacted a law five years ago to reform the agency and provide more oversight have widely divergent opinions about how successful it has been. The primary author of the NJ Transit Reform Law of 2018, Loretta Weinberg, didn’t give a glowing review. … ‘The board doesn’t seem to be as independent as we’d hoped it would be, and the voices of independence are no longer there, which is a result of not wanting them there,’ Weinberg said. ‘And that’s a disappointment to me.’ Murphy doesn’t see it that way.”
I'VE BEEN FIGHTING SCHOOL KIDS FOR 40 YEARS — “He’s been fighting for school kids for 50 years. His latest battle is in Lakewood,” by NJ Advance Media: “Attorney Paul Tractenberg was arguing another school funding case before the New Jersey Supreme Court several years ago when one of the justices had some questions. ‘’One, how many times is it that you’ve now argued in this court in this case?’’ asked the justice, as related by Tractenberg recently. ‘To which I said, ‘14.’’ ‘And the second question was, ‘And when do you plan to send your first bill for professional services rendered?’ Knowing that I’d been doing it pro bono all that time.’ His advocacy for underserved students extends to Robinson v. Cahill, the landmark 1973 state Supreme Court decision that struck down the inherently unequal reliance on a town’s property tax base to support school districts in New Jersey and ushered in the state income tax. His work continues to this day in Lakewood, where an overwhelming number of private school students has resulted in a chronic funding struggle for the public schools. In between, his influence has grown exponentially as founder of the Education Law Center.” R.I.P. — “Funeral services announced for former Morris GOP chairman Ron DeFilippis,” by The Daily Record’s William Westhoven: “Services will be held [this[ week for former Morris County Republican Committee Chairman Ronald De Filippis, who died Thursday. A longtime resident of Roxbury, DeFilippis, 72, also served as a former commissioner and chairman of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. ‘Ron was an astute political operative,’ said state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, who represents much of Morris County in New Jersey's 26th district. … Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Norman Dean Funeral Home, 16 Righter Ave., Denville. A mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 61 Main Street, Flanders.” MIGRANTS — The state does not plan to use an abandoned Hunterdon County psychiatric hospital to shelter migrants coming from the southern border, according to the State Police. A Hunterdon County commissioner claimed the state was considering using the abandoned Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital for such purposes — which drew pushback from GOP officials. But State Police Sgt. Charles Marchan said that the state does not plan to do so. “Hagedorn was previously identified as a potential state site should the need arise to shelter a mass group of individuals, not limited to migrants, but also including weather-related events or large-scale emergencies,” Marchan said. “We don’t anticipate the need to use this facility at this time given the low number of migrants that have settled in New Jersey over the past few weeks. Nearly all of these individuals who have arrived in New Jersey have continued in transit to New York City.”— Daniel Han —“Jewish groups urge NJ elected officials to boycott sponsored trip to Israel” R.I.P. — “Domenick DiCicco, Former GOP Assemblyman, Dies At 60” —“Weinberg: The story of OPRA reform proves we need real OPRA reform” —“Jersey Freedom lawyer asks judge to toss lawsuit, unfreeze bank account” —“Cops didn’t need warrant to open suitcase left behind by fleeing man, N.J. Supreme Court rules”
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DONE QUIXOTE — “Whistling in the wind Christie kept trashing Trump. Republicans really hated it,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Arco: “Suffice to say things did not go as planned for Chris Christie’s upstart quest to take down Donald Trump. Derided as a Jersey Don Quixote (tilting at oil refineries?), Christie had insisted this was no impossible dream. He kept saying New Hampshire voters don’t start thinking about the primary until after the holidays, that he had plenty of time to build momentum and convince voters that he, not Nikki Haley, was the best alternative to ‘criminal’ Trump. … I asked a Christie confidant early in his campaign, in essence, “What’s going on here? He can’t think there’s a path, can he?” And the response, in part, was: “Hey, he’s having a good time. People like him again.” And I saw it at airports when I bumped into him on the way to debates. People encouraged him to keep sticking it to Trump. They wanted selfies. I never heard anyone hurl a slur. … It’s just that having a good time doesn’t necessarily translate into actual votes. And that, even though Christie figured the stars had to align, nothing went according to his longshot plan.”
— “No joke: Feds discourage humorous electronic messages on highways,” by The AP: “A federal agency is discouraging humorous and quirky messages that could distract or confuse drivers on highways and freeways across the country. The Federal Highway Administration recently released an updated 1,100-page manual that spells out how signs and other traffic control devices are regulated. In it, the agency strongly recommends against overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny. Rather, signs should be ‘simple, direct, brief, legible and clear.’ … States around the country have used quirky messaging to draw the attention of drivers. Among them: “Use Yah Blinkah” in Massachusetts; “Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late,” from Ohio; “Don’t drive Star Spangled Hammered,” from Pennsylvania; “Hocus pocus, drive with focus” from New Jersey.” DESADNESS — We don’t have a clear path to victory’: DeSantis exits presidential race, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout and Kimberly Leonard: Gov. Ron DeSantis ended his turbulent campaign Sunday after he was unable to convince Republicans to set aside their allegiance to the man who helped his own political career. DeSantis’ run came to a halt following a dispiriting second-place finish in Iowa, a state where he and allies poured millions into an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort that featured the governor visiting all 99 counties. … On Sunday, DeSantis also endorsed the former president for president. "[Trump] has my endorsement because we cannot go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents,” he said. —Snowflack: “Kim puts his foot on the gas” —Moran: “Tammy Murphy’s bullies didn’t know about the secret recording” —“Alex Zdan files for U.S. Senate race in two N.J. counties” | | LOCAL | |
#WEAKERTHANTHESTORMS — “Flood risks are so high in this neighborhood, N.J. won’t waste money lifting homes there,” by NJ Advance Media’s Steven Rodas: “More than two years after Manville, a small borough of 11,000 residents, was drenched with 10 inches of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, some homeowners in the town are now being told that money to elevate homes is no longer on the table. Those residents — including everyone in the flood-prone “Lost Valley” neighborhood — must stay and run the risks future storms may bring, whether they pay to elevate or not, or apply for a buyout. Accepting the offer to leave allows New Jersey to purchase the property and turn the land into open green space. … State officials said Wednesday roughly 67 homeowners will be directly affected by the policy change, although the area in Manville subject to the change encompasses hundreds of parcels of land. … While the post-Ida policy only applies to Manville, it may be a precursor for what other areas in New Jersey will confront in the future as climate change spurs stronger, more frequent storms and relentless downpours in relatively short periods of time.”
LUNA-CY — “N.J. district refuses to swear in its appointee to fill board vacancy,” by NJ Advance Media’s Steve Strunsky: “After months of uncertainty, the Newark Board of Education will not swear in a charter school teacher it selected to fill the unexpired term of a member who resigned last fall, a board spokesperson said Wednesday. … [S]pokesperson Nancy Deering added that the board had no plans to fill the vacancy, despite a statutory requirement that boards fill vacancies within 65 days. The deadline lapsed on Nov. 23, following former Board President Asia Norton’s Sept. 18 announcement that she was stepping down immediately. The Newark Board of Education voted unanimously on Oct. 30 to appoint Thomas Luna to the vacant seat. But Deering said the district later concluded that his teaching job at the KIPP Rise Academy charter school would amount to a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict if he served on the board.” PASSAIC COUNTY — “Passaic County Sheriff's Office plans to lay off 29 correctional officers,” by The Record’s Matt Fagan: “Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik on Thursday afternoon announced that his department intends to lay off more than two dozen corrections officers. In a memo released Thursday to all employees, Berdnik announced the layoffs, saying he had to reduce the size of the department. The layoffs, the memo said, will involve only correctional officers, not their supervisors or the civilian staff. ‘I am well aware that there is much confusion and stress during this very difficult time in our agency,’ Berdnik's memo reads.” THE PARENTAL RIGHT — “Franklin Lakes school board chooses 'parents' rights' duo for top posts,” by The Record’s Marsha A. Stoltz: “Their recent stance on the state's transgender education policy contributed to two "parents' rights" borough school board members being appointed president and vice president. Ari Donio, who was elected to the board in 2021 and served as vice president last year, was named president by his colleagues at the reorganization meeting on Jan. 4. Donio's running mate, Scott Loia, also elected in 2021, was appointed vice president. Donio and Loia were among those who voted on a preliminary basis in December to eliminate Policy 5756. … Donio, an Israeli immigrant who does not send his child to the borough's school, works as a solutions engineer and consultant. He posted on his election Facebook page that "I choose not to enroll my son in the public school system" for reasons stated on a now-inactive website.” R.I.P. — “Officer instrumental in diversifying Edison Police Department dies after ALS battle” —“A lawn amid the Avalon dunes: Why N.J. says a homeowner’s addition violates environmental law” —“[North Wildwood] pleads for emergency bulkhead to stop ocean from flooding its streets” —“Vote date set that could end this Seaside Heights school, send students to Toms River” —“West Milford follows NJ's example, wants to set new brewery regulations” —“Bergen County Police Academy regains certification under new director” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
FEDERAL APPEAL ASSIGNED TO JUDGE MARTINI — “Court overturns ruling in fight over virgin Bloody Mary at Ocean Casino Resort,” by The Courier-Post’s Jim Walsh: “A casino patron who won a court fight over olives in his cocktail has been skewered on appeal. John Longinetti filed a small-claims complaint against Ocean Casino Resort in June 2022, after he broke a tooth on an un-pitted olive in a virgin Bloody Mary at the Boardwalk gaming hall. A judge at that time awarded Longinetti more than $1,500 for dental expenses, accepting his argument that an OCR bartender was at fault. But the casino operator kept fighting, and now an appeals court has overturned Longinetti's win.”
—Elise Young: “The woman who hurt me, and the women (and horse) who healed” —“Newark Airport security lapses blamed for sexual assault of woman in parking facility, lawsuit says” —“A new Amtrak Acela train is testing in N.J. Are the replacements for 20-year-old trains coming?” —“Santillo's pizza owner, routed by fire, will sling pies Sunday at Coniglio's in Morristown” —“AI is helping write an opera for a N.J. university and ... it’s pretty odd”
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