| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | | Good Thursday morning! For the second time in six months, Gov. Phil Murphy will headline a fundraiser for the Norcross machine. Unlike the last one in late September, this fundraiser to benefit the super PAC American Representative Majority comes as the Democratic organizations all unofficially controlled by George Norcross are in lockstep behind Tammy Murphy’s Senate candidacy. You can go on Monday March 25 at Ron Jaworski's Valleybrook Country Club if you’ve got $3,500 to spare. “We are pleased that Gov. Murphy is once again returning to South Jersey to support our efforts to win elections. His help was incredibly important to our efforts last year when Democrats won key races in [Legislative Districts] 3, 4 and 8 and his involvement will help Democrats win in 2024,” Norcross said in a statement. There are some intriguing things here, aside from how the Murphy-Norcross relationship went from a death match in 2019 to an uneasy truce in 2021 to a warm embrace today. One is that this comes as the investigation into Norcross-tied real estate deals in Camden is intensifying. The office of Attorney General Matt Platkin, who before being nominated to that post by Murphy was his chief counsel and one of his most trusted advisers, is running that probe, which reportedly also includes some FBI involvement. Another is that you could probably read this as literally paying Norcross back. American Representative Majority owed $1.9 million to Norcross as of the last report it filed with ELEC in November. There’s also the connection to Jersey Freedom, the shady group that promoted phantom candidates to hurt Republicans. Jersey Freedom, which appears to have been designed to hide the identities of the people who were actually running it, got all its money from a new super PAC called Brighter Future Forward, which is affiliated with American Representative Majority and got about a third of its funding from it. Oh, and Jersey Freedom is also reportedly under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Yet now after those efforts and the entry of other candidates into the process, he seeks not to tinker and tweak the process but tear and tumble down the process he participated in and sought the benefits for his candidacy.” — Attorney John Carbone on behalf of four county clerks, opposing Andy Kim’s lawsuit to ditch the county line before the June primary. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Happy 13th birthday to Assemblymember Jay Webber WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Plainfield at 11 a.m. to talk about school funding in the budget.
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DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE LINES THAT I’VE GOT. I’M NOW STEVIE FOR THE BLOCK — “Fulop entertaining possibility of running for gov without party lines if others join him,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is entertaining the possibility of running for governor without party lines in the June 3rd, 2025 primary if other candidates join him. Fulop, who called for abolishing party lines back in October, intimated he’d like to see U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3), a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, prevail in his lawsuit to end the practice that allows a specific type of ballot bracketing to occur. ‘Look, I’ve been very clear that I think that block ballots, which is everybody running for as a candidate in a group together – not in a line format – is in the best interests of the residents of New Jersey,’ he said in an interview at a fundraiser at the Chandelier restaurant in Bayonne [Tuesday] night … [Wednesday] morning, he took things a step further, posting on social media that he would run without any party lines (he currently has Hudson and Warren Counties) next year if the majority of the other candidates agreed to do the same.”
MEAL WHEELING — “College kids leave lots of money unused on their meal cards. N.J. has a plan to spend it,” by NJ Advance Media’s Tina Kelley: “Students on college dining plans don’t always eat all the food they’ve signed up for, and many often end each semester losing the money they have left on their meal cards. Some New Jersey lawmakers are hoping to redirect the money for those lost meals to hungry people around the state. But, a proposed law to accomplish the transfer is not fully cooked yet, according to members of the Assembly Higher Education Committee who debated the idea at a hearing last week. They voted 7-0 in favor of the legislation, though lawmakers said it would likely have to be amended.” —“A consequential contract is approved to kick-start the Gateway rail tunnel project” —Stile: “Phil Murphy's 'Tammy' budget: Four takeaways on $55.9B spending proposal” —Platkin certifies viability of microstamping technology
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CLERKS TO JUDGE: 'WE'RE NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY' — NJ county clerks oppose Andy Kim's bid to ‘tear and tumble down’ Senate primary ballot system, by POLITICO’s Dustin Racioppi: Four county clerks are pushing back against Rep. Andy Kim's attempt to abolish New Jersey's ballot design and replace it with one that other states use in the Senate primary. The clerks — from Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Hunterdon counties — registered their opposition Wednesday to Kim's lawsuit in a letter to the federal district court judge overseeing the case, Zahid Quraishi. They argue that Kim's attempt to have the court intervene in the June 4 primary is too late. They noted that Kim has spent months seeking endorsements and support from county political leaders, many of whom have influence over which candidate is awarded what's known as "the line," the favorable ballot position given to candidates endorsed by county parties.
—Supreme Court stalls Trump’s federal election trial while weighing his immunity bid —McConnell lasted longer than most. But he couldn’t outlast Trump
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HE ALSO SAVED SEVERAL SOLDIERS, INCLUDING LT. DAN, BUT BUBBA UNFORTUNATELY DIED — “Sussex commissioner is leaving GOP, faces stolen valor allegations,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Controversial Sussex County Commissioner Bill Hayden is leaving the Republican Party after his four GOP colleagues voted to censure him for misconduct and amid allegations of a stolen valor scandal where he claimed to have been a Navy SEAL and Marine. In an 18-minute recorded telephone call obtained by the New Jersey Globe, Hayden levels a bunch of unhinged and unsubstantiated allegations against party insiders in an expletive-filled conversation. ‘I don’t care if you spread this. This is why I’m calling you to that I’m leaving the Republican Party,’ Hayden said. ‘I’m gonna find another party.’ Hayden has taken his complaints to the local Democratic organization, which appears to have no interest in working with him. … Perhaps most damaging are accusations that Hayden lied about his military service. … Statements obtained by the New Jersey Globe state that Hayden had told them he was a Navy SEAL, suggesting that he was involved in the killing of drug cartel boss Pablo Escobar and that he was shot multiple times. … Hayden claimed to have been wounded in combat and said he served during the Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu, a onetime friend said.”
HERE COMES THE BRIBE — “N.J. building inspector wrote phony permits in exchange for bribes, state says,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “A Paterson building inspector and an alleged accomplice have been indicted on charges they forged building and zoning permits in exchange for cash. Authorities say Jose Fermin, 50, who worked as an inspector for the city, used ‘imitation signatures’ from Paterson’s director of planning and zoning to produce ‘bogus documents’ for permit-seekers looking to skirt building codes and other oversight. He was charged last year with bribery and official misconduct. On Wednesday, the state Attorney General’s Office announced a state grand jury had indicted Fermin along with a Florida man, Jose Juan Guererro-Cruz, who allegedly helped him carry out the scheme.” CAR 420, WHERE ARE YOU? — “2 police officers fired for cannabis use file lawsuit after Jersey City ignored orders to reinstate them,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “Two Jersey City police officers fired for legally using cannabis while off-duty have filed a lawsuit against the city for refusing an order by the state’s Civil Service Commission to reinstate them. The 33-page lawsuit filed Wednesday claims Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop has flaunted the state law — which says police officers can’t be disciplined for off-duty cannabis use — as ‘a ruse done solely to bring attention for his gubernatorial campaign to the detriment of Jersey City employees as well as taxpayers who are now footing the bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars in backpay awards and attorney fees.’ The lawsuit filed by attorney Michael Rubas on behalf of Norhan Mansour and Omar Polanco, asks for an unspecified amount in damages that would cover compensatory, consequential and punitive damages.” FAIR LAWN — “Fair Lawn Mayor Kurt Peluso resigns to take a new post in the borough,” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “Kurt Peluso, 41, a Fair Lawn native who has been mayor for six years, announced his resignation on Tuesday night, the same night his fellow members of the borough council unanimously approved a one-year contract to hire him as manager of the town of almost 35,000 residents. … In an interview, Peluso declined to say how much his salary will be, adding the number needed to be finalized by the borough clerk. But he said he is taking a ‘significant cut’ compared to Van Kruiningen's final salary. The former manager was paid about $200,000 in 2021, according to state data. … With Peluso's resignation, Councilwoman and current Deputy Mayor Cristina Cutrone will now become acting mayor.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | VINNY PRIETO — “Former NJ assembly speaker bringing old Jersey City police precinct back to life,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “Former Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto is heading the redevelopment of the former West District precinct at 574 Communipaw Ave. — closed since 2015 when a new station opened around the corner — into an 18-unit residential building. … Prieto and business partner Nick Marrone, under the name 574 Communipaw LLC, were designated as the developers of the 156-year-old property by the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) last week. The purchase price of the property, which had been deeded from the city to the JCRA in 2020, will be negotiated as part of the agreement. But in the application to the JCRA, obtained through a public records request, Marrone proposed $200,000 as the purchase price for the entire property.” TROUBLE, THE PROBLEMATIC BUBBLE — “Double trouble? Coming off suspension from police job, new [Jersey City] school board member faces ethics charge,” by The Jersey Journal’s Joshua Rosario: “A veteran Jersey City police officer who is coming off a 90-day suspension is now facing charges of breaking ethics rules in his other job as a first-year Jersey City Board of Education member. School board President Natalia Ioffe filed an ethics charge against Dejon Morris Wednesday that says Morris lobbied too ‘vigorously’ for the school district to hire a Newark law firm as special counsel to the board. The complaint comes less than 48 hours after Morris, who was elected in November, attempted to pressure the board to vote on the hiring of Souder, Shabazz and Woolridge Law Group during the caucus meeting Monday." —“Feds give Newark’s ‘troubled’ housing authority deadline to avert takeover” —“Atlantic City reentry services leader under investigation had no contract with nonprofit” —“Tracy DiFrancesco launches bid for Somerset GOP chair” —“Fire guts [Piscataway] food pantry, destroying all the donations” — “We’re shutting down your school laptops as early as 9 p.m., N.J. district says in revised rules”
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R.I.P. — “Comedian Richard Lewis, Englewood native, dies at 76,” by The Daily Voice’s Sam Barron: “Richard Lewis, the iconic comedian who dressed in all black and was raised in Bergen County, died on Tuesday, Feb 27 from a heart attack, his publicist said. He was 76. Lewis lived in Englewood and was a 1965 graduate of Dwight Morrow High School. Named one of Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Standup Comedians, he made numerous appearances on 'The Tonight Show' and 'Late Night With David Letterman,' where he would vent about his various hangups, freely using his hands to make a point."
NJ RESIDENTS COULD BE FORCED TO DRINK BEER THAT HAS A TASTE — “Beer strike deadline nears as N.J. Anheuser-Busch plant prepares for walkout,” by NJ Advance Media’s Rob Jennings: “A possible strike is looming at the Anheuser-Busch brewing company, with nearly 200 workers preparing to walk off the job at the company’s 73-year-old factory in Newark as soon as Friday morning. Neither side appeared to be backing off Wednesday, with the Teamsters union representing 5,000 employees nationwide continuing to plan for a strike. Meanwhile, the company’s management said it is looking at ways to continue making deliveries and maintaining operations.” IT’S IN THE STATE — “Voice of the new EA Sports college football video game is from North Jersey,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Jerry Carino: “Tenafly resident Rich DeMarco, the longtime play-by-play broadcaster for Army football and basketball, lent his pipes for the [public address announcer] role after successfully auditioning at the behest of EA (Electronic Arts). ‘How do you say no?’ DeMarco said.” —“North Jersey man admits role in massive $658M real estate Ponzi scheme” —“N.J. cannabis farms facing foreclosure after company defaults on $10.5M loan, court papers say” —“Animal control officer in N.J. arrested for alleged animal cruelty” —“Woman charged in bleacher-clearing melee at N.J. youth wrestling match” | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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