News: What's with these New Yorkers getting involved in New Jersey politics?

Friday, September 20, 2024

What's with these New Yorkers getting involved in New Jersey politics?

Sep 20, 2024

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Good Friday morning!

I’ve received photos of two different Tom Kean for Congress mailers sent to 7th District residents that are interesting to me for one reason: They’re paid for by the New York Republican Federal Campaign Committee.

Now, I have nothing against people in New York taking an interest in New Jersey politics. I actually think they should be paid to write about it and get monthly raises. But why is the GOP in New York, which has a lot of competitive House races this year, paying to boost the Republican in the only competitive race in New Jersey?

I called Republican State Chair Bob Hugin about it. He called it a “standard operating process.” And while he didn’t want to go into party strategy, he said it was about finding the most “most efficient, tax-effective way of supporting candidates” and suggested it had something to do with the $10,000 party committee contribution limit from individuals.

David Laska, a spokesperson for the New York GOP, said only, “We are always happy to assist our Republican neighbors,” and didn’t answer any of my follow-ups about why.

So I called someone with experience on the other political side. Tim Persico, who was executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2020 to 2023, didn’t speculate about why New York is paying for New Jersey mailers, but said it’s not typical. “I can’t think of a time this happened last cycle and as far as anyone knows it’s not happening anywhere [else] this cycle either,” he said.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Jeff Gardner, Michelle Timoni, Paula Sollami Covello, Alexi Friedman. Saturday for John Fuller, Bruce James, John Celock, Francine Newsome Pfeiffer. Sunday for Louis Di Paolo, Eric DeGesero, Sara Todisco, Juan Carlos Nordelo, Dan O’Connell, Curtis Romanowski

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It was a miserable summer if you were a commuter, there’s just no two ways about it. But when you look at the cause of the summer and the cause of the breakdowns, dramatically different … But let me just say unequivocally the summer sucked and I’m not happy about it either.” — Gov. Phil Murphy, in an interview with NJ Spotlight News’ David Cruz

WHERE’S MURPHY? Out of state. Acting Gov. Way has no public schedule.

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

170 YEARS, OVER LIKE THAT — “Landmark Freehold Raceway to cease operations at end of year; no word on future plans for site,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Stephen Edelson: “Officials at Freehold Raceway, where harness racing has been conducted since the mid-1800s, say they plan to cease all live racing and simulcast operations by the end of the year, citing unprofitable operations that ‘cannot continue under existing conditions.’ Employees and affected stakeholders were notified early Thursday, said Howard Bruno, the track's general manager. The last day of operations is Dec. 28. ‘This was an extremely difficult decision, especially given the historical importance of Freehold Raceway to the local community and the New Jersey horse racing industry,’ Bruno said in a statement … Town officials and patrons attending Thursday's racing program said it was sad news. ‘We’re blindsided here,’ Freehold Borough Mayor Kevin Kane said. ‘We’ve had no contact with them about this. We tried to do things in the past, different and stuff, contacted Howard Bruno and people in the track to do things, and they really expressed no interest in promoting it. They haven’t done anything, in my opinion.’”

WHO WILL GRADE THE GRADERS? — “New Jersey task force set to recommend changes to teacher evaluation system,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Hannah Gross: “Last month during a public hearing, New Jersey teachers urged changes in how they are evaluated, telling lawmakers that burdensome paperwork is a factor in the current teacher shortage. Lawmakers are preparing to update how public school teachers are evaluated more than a decade after the state’s current teacher evaluation law was enacted … Currently, teacher evaluation scores are based on classroom observations and student achievement. One component of the score comes from ‘student growth objectives,’ which are academic goals for students that teachers set with their principal or supervisor at the start of the school year. Teachers said the data collection process for student growth objectives, known as SGOs, can be burdensome and time-consuming. While the evaluation process is under review, new student growth objective data for tenured teachers will not be collected this school year.”

— “NJ tax revenues are still on the right track”

— "Lawmakers move to limit police use of DNA from babies and crime victims"

BIDEN TIME

WHAT ABOUT BOB? — Prosecutors urge judge to reject Menendez's attempt to get jury verdicts tossed, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to reject former Sen. Bob Menendez’s long-shot attempt to have his guilty verdicts thrown out. The current legal back and forth is unlikely to matter in the near term, since U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein would have to reverse the results of a corruption trial over which he presided. But it previews a series of novel legal issues that could eventually send the case to the Supreme Court because of shifting legal theory around what the high court considers criminal corruption and questions about the scope of the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which grants lawmakers a form of immunity … The evidence during a two-month corruption trial “was not merely sufficient to prove every count,” prosecutors wrote, “it was overwhelming."

THE MOST POWERFUL GEORGE IN NJ — “George Helmy, once ‘the guy behind the guy,’ gives his maiden speech as U.S. Senator,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “U.S. Senator George Helmy’s time in the Senate won’t last long, but he intends to use every minute of it for the betterment of New Jersey, he said in his maiden speech on the Senate floor today. The 44-year-old Helmy, who took office last week after being appointed to replace disgraced former Senator Bob Menendez, has spent most of his career as a staffer: first for the late Senator Frank Lautenberg, then for Senator Cory Booker, and finally in the office of Gov. Phil Murphy, where Helmy served as chief of staff for more than four years. That time behind the scenes, Helmy said today, gives him an interesting perspective on the task of being a U.S. Senator. ‘It was always my job to be the guy behind the guy,’ Helmy said. ‘It was my job to make sure they were prepared, that they had the best possible counsel, and were ready to make the consequential decisions required of every United States Senator. So standing here now is a little odd, a little overwhelming, and very humbling.’ As he acknowledged in his speech, Helmy won’t be a long-term presence in the Senate.”

GETTING SALTY — “In closely watched House race, candidates spar over Trump’s new line on SALT deduction,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Nikita Biryukov: “Former President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that he backs the removal of a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions put in place by a 2017 tax bill he signed has candidates in the 7th Congressional District sparring over what’s known as the SALT deduction. In the 7th, the most closely watched House race in New Jersey, Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. faces a first-term challenge from progressive activist Sue Altman in the state’s second wealthiest congressional district — and one of the districts most impacted by the $10,000 cap … Kean charged Altman’s past support of other tax policies shows she has ‘been on the wrong side of lowering the cost of living and lessening the tax burden for hardworking New Jerseyans.’ … Altman, meanwhile, noted the cap exists only because of a Republican Congress and administration. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which imposed the cap, passed both chambers of Congress without a single yes vote from Democrats and was signed into law by Trump. ‘@KeanForCongress has zero credibility on SALT when he still refuses to admit Trump and GOP leadership are responsible for the double-tax on NJ families while doing nothing to fix the problem.’”

CRISPI SNAPS, CRACKLES AND POPS — “The latest on MAGA in New Jersey,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “When Mike Crispi last made ‘news,’ he was being criticized for an ill-advised posting about Gus Walz, the son of the Democratic vice presidential candidate. That was last month. Now, the co-chair of the America First Republicans of New Jersey, is moving ahead with a ‘Too Big To Rig’ tour. ‘If Republicans turn out in force to vote for President Trump — the greatest president of our lifetimes — the election will be outside the margin of cheating,’ Crispi says. ‘New Jersey will go Republican for the first time since 1988!’ The point here revolves around a belief — still held by many Trump supporters — that the then-president actually won the 2020 election. Irrational? Of course. But to use a trite saying, 'It is what it is.'”

— “Troopers union endorses Bashaw for Senate after supporting Tammy Murphy in Dem primary”

— “Fighting for their lives: Mikie Sherrill weighs in on abortion rights horror stories|Opinion”

— "McIver might be sworn in next week"

A message from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind:

LOCAL

GEORGE GILMORE DIDN’T HAVE ANY TROUBLE GETTING A LOAN THERE — “Toms River-based OceanFirst to pay $15M to settle redlining charges,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Michael L. Diamond: “OceanFirst Financial Corp. will pay $14 million into a fund to subsidize mortgage loans for residents in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties to help settle allegations that the bank violated federal discrimination laws, officials said Wednesday … Toms River-based OceanFirst, the Shore's biggest locally owned bank, has $13.3 billion in assets, and it had been on a buying spree since 2015. It acquired seven banks, expanding its footprint from Baltimore to Boston. The company, however, caught the eye of regulators … In a complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, the Justice Department said OceanFirst failed to provided lending services to predominantly Black, Hispanic, and Asian neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties from 2018 through at least 2022. The bank disproportionately focused its outreach and advertising on majority-white communities; it placed its branches in majority-white neighborhoods; and it closed its only branches in the majority Black, Hispanic, and Asian neighborhoods in those counties, according to the complaint.’”

TOMS MONEY — “Toms River schools to sue state next week, seeking more funding,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Jean Mikle: “A lawsuit challenging the state's funding cuts to Toms River Regional schools is expected to be filed next week, school board Attorney William Burns said. Burns said at the Sept. 18 Board of Education meeting that the board had agreed in executive session to move forward with the complaint, which was initially authorized in July. The board took action to sue New Jersey over what the district claims are ‘unconstitutional actions’ that have cut $137 million in state education aid in the past decade … The school district is still faced with a budget shortfall of a bit more than $12 million, in spite of being told by the state to raise the school purposes tax rate by 9.9% to raise $12.8 million.”

MAYBE THE KNICKS WILL MOVE IN — “Can tax credits revive $100M plan to turn old Paterson factory into apartments?” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “City officials are hoping state tax credits will revive a delayed $100 million plan to build 167 new apartments along the Passaic River at the former Fabricolor factory site near the Great Falls. The City Council voted Tuesday night to give its support to the developers’ application for Aspire tax credits from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Mayor Andre Sayegh and the original developers announced the project in 2020 with a 'Paterson beach party' publicity stunt amid the COVID pandemic. At the time, officials said they expected that the new apartments would open in 2025. Now, under updated projections, the developers are hoping to start construction during the second half of 2025, a time frame that depends on the builders getting three types of tax credits from the state as well as a tax abatement from the city of Paterson.”

— “Atlantic City mayor, school superintendent to be arraigned Oct. 10 in child abuse case”

— “Lawsuit seeks to reverse West Milford Council's vote to switch to a full-time mayor”

— “Developers of Atlantic City shipping container park seeking tenants”

— “Lekberg to run in Dem primary against Morristown Mayor Dougherty”

— "Passaic tenants march against property owner, rent hikes. Want a return to rent control"

— “Garden State Equality buys Santander building in Asbury Park. 5 things to know”

— “Rash of online threats to NJ schools after Georgia shooting”

— “NJ riders will get more peak service options on NY Waterway trips from Hoboken”

— “Somers Point council appoints Gerety to replace McCarrie”

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EVERYTHING ELSE

UNIONIZATION — “Why the protests at American Dream? Workers try to unionize, clash with employers,” by The Record’s Daniel Munoz: “The protests in East Rutherford have become commonplace. Every so often, you drive to the American Dream — a 3-million-square-foot megamall in the Meadowlands — and see groups of purple-shirted protesters chanting, speaking into megaphones and holding up a phalanx of signs. They’re cleaning staff trying to organize and join part of the union 32BJ Service Employees International Union, and they’ve been protesting the treatment of several of their fellow workers at American Dream. Among their grievances, 32BJ alleged that two people working at the mall as cleaning staff — Jose Terán and Luis Verela — were fired because of their union organizing efforts by HSA Cleaning, a company the mall contracted for cleaning services. And they’ve protested for better working conditions, more affordable health care benefits and better pay. HSA Cleaning continually appealed orders by judges and federal labor officials that Terán and Verela be given back their jobs, until acquiescing earlier this year. Recently, American Dream — built with more than $1 billion in state and local subsidies — parted ways with HSA Cleaning for unknown reasons and switched to a new cleaning company, Montclair-based Purely Local.”

MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE — “N.J. company fired me for not reading emails after miscarriage, woman says in lawsuit,” by NJ Advance Media’s Anthony G. Attrino: “An attorney who worked for a chemicals company in Morristown has filed a discrimination lawsuit against her former employers, claiming she was fired for missing emails and after asking for time off to recover from her miscarriage. The 36-year-old New York resident states in court papers she was terminated from Arxada LLC two weeks after her miscarriage and just days after she expressed interest in taking disability or medical leave ‘to heal from a traumatic, life-altering event.’ The reason she was given for her termination was failure to answer her work emails, according to the lawsuit, filed Monday in New Jersey Superior Court.”

STATE SHOULD MANDATE HISTORIC MARKERS — “Old Wawas never die. They just get repurposed,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Tom Gralish: “Staff photographer Tom Gralish has been stopping at Wawas between assignments for decades, and years ago began documenting the variety of businesses moving into the distinctive structures left behind. Most of the old locations retain their familiar look — the stone facade, double glass doors, and gabled rooftop — making them easy to spot. Want to own one? Wawa’s website lists old stores for sale: ‘deed restricted against convenience food and gasoline.’”

— “Legal weed vs. social media: Why do NJ dispensaries keep getting flagged?”

— “Rutgers president joins wave of college presidents calling it quits after year of tumult”

— “This North Jersey man owns a record label with more than 8 million streams. Meet him here”

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