| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | | Good Tuesday morning! There’s so much going on in New Jersey politics, I struggled with what to lead this newsletter with. But it’s budget day. You know what that means: We get a fairly vague outline of the budget, followed by the “Budget in Brief” document, followed by lots of long hearings, followed by nothing for a while, followed by closed-door negotiations between legislative leaders and the governor, followed by a mad dash to pass the budget during the last week of June — sometimes the last hours or minutes — in which everybody, or at least me, gets worried about a state government shutdown disrupting our July 4 holiday. By most appearances this is shaping up to be a tougher budget than in the last few years, with revenues lagging and spending up from flush record-breaking budgets of the past, NJ Transit soon to face a nearly-billion dollar shortfall and a multi-billion dollar tax relief program that’s supposed to take effect in two years. The big question on everyone’s mind is whether there be a tax hike — or a “revenue raiser” for those inclined to more Orwellian language. Some reporters got an embargoed briefing (I didn’t attend) so they know much of what’s going to be proposed but are bound by blood oath not to reveal it unless the Murphy administration gave a very special exclusive to a reporter. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Even in the middle of winter, [Liberty State Park] is filled with birds. Along the shoreline, there are rafts of ducks: scaup, buffleheads, mergansers and more. There are swans and geese, including lots of brant geese. These are small geese, with black heads and necks; they will migrate north when spring comes, unlike their rude cousins, the Canada geese, who never leave. Near the inlet behind Caven Point Beach, you are likely to see heron, egrets — and certainly cormorants. Near the wooded areas of the park, you might see a red tail hawk in a tree — and maybe even a bald eagle flying overhead. In the spring and fall, migrant species are everywhere.” — Jersey City environmental advocate Steve Krinsky in a letter to the Jersey Journal, responding to Bob Hurley’s claim that he and his wife saw just one bird during a walk in the park HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Vik Rupani, Joe Egan, William Spearman, Jackie Cornell, Patrick McCarthy WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Trenton at 2 p.m. to deliver the budget address
| | | | A message from Amazon: Drew is one of 150,000 Amazon hourly employees, who have taken advantage of free on-the-job skills training programs. “Now I’m an IT specialist,” he said. Amazon combines comprehensive benefits with free skills training to help hourly employees learn and earn more. Learn about career advancement opportunities at Amazon. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | ‘READING RAINBOW’ WAS INDOCTRINATION — “N.J. residents more worried by book bans than controversial school lessons, poll says,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Nikita Biryukov: A “new poll finds that a steep majority of New Jersey adults are more concerned about efforts to ban books and censor certain topics in school lessons than they are with schools teaching books and topics that some might find offensive. Fifty-eight percent of respondents told pollsters at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling they are more worried about book and topic bans, compared to 35% who said classroom content is the larger worry. The result was fairly consistent across demographic groups, and Republicans were the only group in which a majority, 67%, said school lesson content is the bigger issue. “Republicans are kind of standing alone on these issues as opposed to essentially every other demographic,” said Ashley Koning, the poll’s director.” IT’S THE MOST BORINGFUL TIME OF THE YEAR — “Declining tax revenues, rising costs complicate NJ budget calculations,” by NJ Spotlight News’ John Reitmeyer: “How exactly Murphy and lawmakers will manage these and other related fiscal challenges, such as projected shortfalls at New Jersey Transit and a pending deadline to renew the state’s multibillion-dollar Transportation Trust Fund, are among the key issues to watch as a new spending plan comes together over the next several months. Adding to concerns this year are state tax collections that have lagged behind the pace set at this point in the last fiscal year. However, always-crucial April income-tax collections are still pending, so there’s time to make up lost ground. Meanwhile, in addition to how much the state will be spending annually come July 1 — and whether any new tax-policy changes will be required to sustain that spending — how the budget itself will be drafted and adopted is also among the issues that will be closely watched over the coming months.” —“Attorney General’s office defends Nicodemo” —“In hotel franchise fight, both sides warn of impact on World Cup readiness”
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IN CASE YOU NEVER NOTICED THE COUNTER I RAN AT THE TOP OF THIS NEWSLETTER FOR A YEAR — She ran a dark-money group. Now Senate candidate Tammy Murphy wants to reform them, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Tammy Murphy has been talking like a campaign finance reformer, calling the amount of money in politics “disgusting.” But as New Jersey’s first lady, Murphy spent a year and a half leading a dark-money group without disclosing donors. Now she has a super PAC supporting her bid to replace Bob Menendez in the U.S. Senate. Like many other Democrats, Murphy is taking a familiar position — working within a system that she says she wants to dismantle. ‘The amount of money in politics is really disgusting. I will be the first to say that. We need to overturn Citizens United. I can’t say it any more clearly than that,’ Murphy said during a debate. ... It’s a common progressive talking point. … But Murphy’s public position overlooks the participation of her and her allies in the campaign finance system she now opposes, drawing accusations of hypocrisy.
THE PARTY LINE — Andy Kim files lawsuit challenging NJ’s ballot design, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Democratic Senate candidate Andy Kim filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to abolish New Jersey’s unique and controversial “county line” balloting system, calling it “fundamentally unjust and undemocratic.” “The issue presented to the Court today is quite simple: the line must be abolished because it is unconstitutional,” reads the lawsuit filed by Kim, a three-term member of Congress from the 3rd District, as well as two underdog Democratic congressional candidates in South Jersey: Sarah Schoengood and Carolyn Rush … “The current primary election ballot design scheme represents an unconstitutional governmental thumb on the scale of New Jersey’s primary elections,” the complaint reads. The 79-page complaint alleges the balloting system violates the First and 14th Amendments, as well as the Constitution’s elections clause. A RAW ADEEL — “Through online ads and murky funding, group targets NJ judicial pick,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Benjamin J. Hulac: “In a country where judicial nominations have become intense political fodder, the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative organization active in those battles, said last week it planned to spend $50,000 on online ads against [Third Circuit nominee Adeel] Mangi that are running in Montana, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. The ads attempt to link Mangi, who was born in Pakistan, with terrorism and antisemitism through his association with a center at Rutgers University’s law school. … Yet the ads do not provide evidence of violent or antisemitic actions or comments from Mangi, and the nominee has drawn high-profile defenders, including the Anti-Defamation League, founded to oppose hate and Jewish defamation. … The ads especially target states where senators voting on Mangi may be vulnerable.” —“Menendez tries to discredit search warrants used to get evidence in his corruption case”
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AND I SAID ‘WHAT ABOUT REVENGE OF TIFFANY?’ — “Hoboken councilwoman says she can't support Bhalla for Congress,” by PATCH’s Caren Lissner: “In her newsletter sent to local residents, City Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, who was recently elected over a Bhalla-backed candidate in Hoboken's north end, accused Bhalla's campaign of involvement in a racist flyer that was distributed around the mile-square city in 2017. The flyer was spread days before Bhalla wound up squeaking to victory against an opponent in a runoff election. … The anonymous flyers featured Bhalla, a Sikh Indian wearing a turban, with the words ‘Don't let terrorism take over our town.’ Former Councilman Michael DeFusco has long believed that the flyers raised Bhalla's visibility enough to help him beat DeFusco in the election by around 500 votes … Fisher wrote … ‘I can’t support our mayor, Ravi Bhalla for the Congressional seat. And before the election really gets started, I need to tell you why…’ Fisher then accuses Ravi's campaign of involvement in the flyer — but doesn't detail the evidence, only citing anonymous sources.”
BRADLEY BREACH OF DUTY — “Bradley Beach police chief to retire early amid scrutiny over altercation with subordinate,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Kathleen Hopkins: “Police Chief Leonard Guida, who was under investigation for an altercation with an officer at an accident scene in November, will retire six months earlier than anticipated, effective Friday, Mayor Larry Fox announced … Guida, who has been on the police force for more than 40 years, was captured on police body cameras in an altercation with Sgt. William Major at the scene of an accident investigation on Nov. 9.” PUPPET RECIPIENTS COLLAPSED — “N.J. city gave residents $400 a month, ‘no strings attached.’ Here’s what happened,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “What would you do if you suddenly had an extra $400 every month? Dante used it to set up a bank account and get a credit card. His credit score is now a solid 712. Angela, a single mother, put the money toward a new car to ferry around her toddler. Maria started setting aside 10% of her paycheck each month, finally building up savings. Those examples come from a new University of Pennsylvania study on a ‘guaranteed income’ pilot program in Paterson, New Jersey’s third-largest city, which found the ‘no strings attached’ monthly stipend led to ‘statistically significant gains in employment, financial stability, mental health, and overall well-being … The first round was funded by private donations, including $500,000 from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and the new group is being paid with federal COVID relief dollars, meaning the program has no stable source of funding. The city has requested state aid to fund payments to another 1,000 residents, the mayor said.” FOREST CHUMP — “North Jersey man fined $13K for cutting his neighbor's trees. But his woes aren't over,” by The Daily Record’s William Westhoven: “A borough homeowner charged with cutting down 32 of his neighbor's trees last year — allegedly to improve his view of the New York City skyline — pleaded guilty Monday to having a contractor clear the woods without a permit. Appearing in Kinnelon Municipal Court almost a year to the day after the trees were cut, Grant Haber agreed to pay a total of $13,194 in fines and court costs. His total penalties could eventually go much higher: The borough's prosecutor has said related damages and costs, including planting replacement trees, could exceed $1 million” PARAMUTTS — “How many pups can you own in Paramus? Borough plans to loosen the leash on dog owners,” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “The borough is revising its limit on the number of dogs allowed per household, after officials discovered what they now consider an ‘outdated’ ordinance. The ordinance was brought to the attention of the mayor and council at a meeting this month by the Paramus Health Department. Current rules allow a household to own no more than two dogs over the age of 3 months. The plan is to raise that to three. Mayor Chris DiPiazza said he hadn't even known the limit was on the books. ‘It’s such an outdated ordinance, and we kind of laughed when the borough administrator brought it up,’ he said in an interview. Why have a limit at all? DiPiazza said the borough wants to prevent homeowners from amassing a large number of dogs and disturbing neighbors.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | GILMORE POWER — “Ocean County Commissioners Gary Quinn and Barbara Jo Crea will not seek reelection,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Erik Larsen: “Ocean County Commissioners Gary Quinn and Barbara Jo Crea have dropped their bids for reelection this year, and are expected to be replaced on the GOP ticket by Manchester Mayor Robert Arace and Berkeley Board of Education President Jennifier Bacchione. The move comes as part of an ongoing shakeup on the Board of Commissioners, which began last year when Ocean County Republican Chairman George R. Gilmore persuaded longtime Commissioner Joseph H. Vicari to retire from the board after 42 years in office. … Bacchione and Arace both have close ties to Gilmore, whereas Quinn and Crea had fallen out of favor with Gilmore after campaigning against his return to the party chairmanship in 2022.” —“New Jersey will spend $100 million for shore boardwalk repairs. Here’s what each town gets” —“CRDA members remain skeptical of weed plans” —“Woodbridge Center mall has been sold. What does the new owner have planned?” —“Somerville school district faces sexual harassment lawsuit. Here's what it claims” —“Lakewood Schools' auditor says poor state aid makes finances 'tricky'” —“Jackson partners with Lakewood busing consortium to transport private school population” —“Six months ago a mental health crisis ended in a Jersey City man’s death. Advocates say too little has been done since” —“Folks are wondering, what did that Atlantic City conference room furniture cost?”
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FAIL, FAIL FREEDONIA! — “An industry study about New Jersey’s plastic bag ban is an example of how to stay vigilant against misinformation,” by WHYY’s P. Kenneth Burns: “A study by the Freedonia Group that found plastic consumption went up after New Jersey banned single-use plastic shopping bags began to make the rounds in late January. Several media outlets picked up the story. But the study was paid for by the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance, a group that lobbies against plastic bag bans across the country. Dr. Travis Wagner, professor emeritus at the University of Southern Maine, called the study ‘just a poor piece of misinformation.’ He said the source of some of their data is unclear and that the study was not peer-reviewed. … [A] claim from the study is that 90% of all reusable bags are reused only two to three times before being discarded. But Wagner said the claim doesn’t match up with previous research. ‘What they assume is if you ban all plastic bags, everyone goes out and purchases new bags or you’re always gonna purchase new reusable bags,’ he said. ‘But many people have lots of reusable bags in their closet or in their trunk or whatever and they get reused.’”
IF ONLY THERE WAS SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN COURT THEY COULD RESOLVE THIS DISPUTE —“Founder of NJCU program says school retaliated after he reported provost’s alleged sex harassment,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “A former professor and the founder of New Jersey City University’s Institute of Dispute Resolution (IDR) has sued the school, claiming he was retaliated against and eventually fired for reported allegations of sexual harassment by a high-ranking school official. David Weiss, a long-time attorney. … [A]t an NJCU School of Business event attended by three students who had been accepted for an international mediation competition in Paris, France, an NJCU student told Weiss and another professor that the administration official at the school ‘had made unwanted sexually charged comments to her, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable,’ the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said Weiss made sure to properly report the alleged incident and he told the student to also report the incident. The retaliation began a short time later, Weiss said, when the high-ranking official reduce, minimized and denied his academic rank job title and employment contracts in order to deprive him of a tenure position with NJCU.” —“In digging school out of financially disastrous past, Acebo appears to have bright future as NJCU president” —“N.J. ranks No. 1 in the nation for college students in crucial category” —“Former N.J. prison guard saw 2 inmate assaults and said nothing. Now, he’s guilty” —“[Salem County] will soon be without hospital-based maternity care”
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