| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | Presented by |  | | | Good Monday morning! If Democratic gubernatorial candidates were rain, they could save New Jersey right now. They’re just that plentiful. Today, Mikie Sherrill is the sixth major Democrat to enter the race. Sherrill kicked off her gubernatorial campaign this morning — not with a massive, packed event like Josh Gottheimer’s diner gubernatorial kickoff, but with a video. It shows a wildfire while Sherrill narrates about crises New Jerseyans are facing. (Sherrill — a former Navy helicopter pilot, as she’s quick to mention— isn’t shown trying to put it out.) “These challenges aren't new and it's time to confront them head on. We can also be the state that sets the gold standard for protecting rights and freedoms, and we know they'll be under attack from Donald Trump's Washington. Because in New Jersey, we love our country, we're proud of our state, and we value our freedoms. We'll defend them with everything we've got. In the Navy, I was on a mission to protect our country,” Sherrill says. Sherrill for governor events are expected to follow in the coming days, starting with a Tuesday tour that begins with a stop at Eva’s Village in Paterson with Mayor Sayegh, then a Laborers event in New Brunswick, then a stop with the Visiting Nurses Association health center in Red Bank and finishing in Atlantic City with the FMBA. There’s no point to designating any candidate a frontrunner. And I don’t think any candidate would want that label. But Sherrill has the marks of what would make for one in the recently passed, more predictable political era. Sherrill has the so-far-unofficial-but-probably-soon-to-be-official backing of several powerful party bosses, and a resume that includes stints in the Navy and as federal prosecutor. Unlike Gottheimer, Sherrill has shown a canny ability to represent a swing district (formerly) while maintaining decent relationships with progressives, or at least mostly avoiding their public ire. The latest knock on both Gottheimer and Sherrill that I’ve heard from allies of the other Democratic gubernatorial candidates is that if one of them wins in November, a Democratic-held House seat will be vacant for about four months ahead of a special election. And with the House as closely divided as it is, that could be significant. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com . QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It’s hard to take advice from Governor Murphy, who has overseen the total collapse of his state’s mass transit system. New Jersey has been involved in the congestion relief process all along, even before they sued New York. If Governor Murphy wants to mess around with transit, he should start by making the trains run, so his own constituents have a way to get to jobs, healthcare, and everywhere else from his side of the river.” — John J. McCarthy, Chief of Policy and External Relations for the MTA on congestion pricing HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Nick Scutari, Tom Churchelow, Missy Rebovich, John Wisniewski of Westampton WHERE’S MURPHY? Heading to Virginia to participate in "The Democracy Dialogues" series with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox at the University of Virginia. Returning to New Jersey on Tuesday. Acting Gov. Tahesha Way will give a speech at Rutgers-Newark at 5 p.m.
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GOVHEIMER — New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer launches campaign for governor, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Josh Gottheimer, a centrist House Democrat and prolific fundraiser who has won races in tough election cycles while angering his party’s progressives, announced his long-anticipated campaign for governor Friday. Repeatedly invoking his “Jersey roots” at a highway diner in the North Jersey district he represents, Gottheimer outlined a governing plan built on four central ideas: lowering taxes; the state getting its money’s worth from government; creating more job opportunities; and growing the economy. While he said he will fight to protect reproductive rights, improve the state’s transit system and support law enforcement, economics and affordability is central to his pitch to voters in a high-cost state with the nation’s highest property taxes. “Living in Jersey has become too damn expensive. We pay too much in taxes, too much to live,” Gottheimer said. “It’s time for a reboot.” Gottheimer can make the case that he has been a proven vote-getter in a Republican-leaning district. In 2016, he defeated the doctrinaire conservative Rep. Scott Garrett, who had held office for 14 years. Gottheimer proceeded to win reelection by a comfortable margin in the swing district, which became more safely Democratic in 2022 following redistricting. But the 49-year-old Gottheimer faces a challenging political environment, as the party’s progressive base and Senator-elect Andy Kim upended the traditional party power structure that Gottheimer appears to be banking on.
—“Gottheimer running for governor on tax and affordability pledge” —“Gottheimer scores massive 100+ endorsements in Bergen County” THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A FREE LUNCH — “ Fighting hunger at school: N.J. lawmakers working on plans to expand free school meals for all students,” by WHYY’s David Matthau: “ New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the nation but food insecurity remains a concern for many schoolchildren. According to the most recent data available from the Department of Health, more than 13% of Garden State kids, about 263,000, sometimes skip a meal during the school day because their families are struggling to make ends meet. Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, the co-chair of the Joint Committee on the Public Schools, is sponsoring legislation to expand school meal options for all kids. She is supporting a separate measure, to create a pilot program that provides nourishing meals at school cafeterias. … The New Jersey Office of Food Security Advocate is also working on a strategic plan to expand school meals across the state. Program manager Jemmell’z Washington-Rock said this issue needs to be addressed now.”
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson:   | | | | SPURRING A CHALLENGE —“ Summit GOP leader will take on incumbents in 21st District GOP primary,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Former Summit GOP Municipal Chairman Steve Spurr is expected to seek the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 21st district, taking on incumbents Nancy Muñoz (R-Summit) and Michele Matsikoudis in the primary. ‘Legislators, including 15-year incumbent Assemblywoman Muñoz, will need to make their case and earn the right to represent Republicans on the ballot again in 2025,’ Spurr said. Spurr, 37, is a former chairman of the Summit Zoning Board and chair of the Summit Housing Authority. He ran for an open Assembly seat in 2021 but lost to Matsikoudis on the second ballot at the Union County GOP convention. This time, he will run in a primary that is expected to have no county lines that offer organization-backed candidates a preferential ballot position. … Asay’s name was put into the mix by a member of Somerset County Republican Chair Tracy DiFrancesco’s team.” —“Sentencing panel targets mandatory minimums and geriatric parole ” —“Fulop unveils 6 more state Assembly candidates, bringing overall total up to 20” —“Congestion pricing vote is Monday. How much will it cost you? We did the math” CARTOON BREAK: “ Phil Murphy is looking to level up,” by Drew Sheneman
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ATTEMPT TO IMPOSE NATIONWIDE COUNTY LINE ENDS —@ec_schneider: "NEWS - NJ Gov. Phil Murphy will *not* run for DNC chair, telling allies that, according to two sources directly familiar with the governor's decision.
—Booker: “Despite the election, we are not powerless. There's work to do” | | LOCAL | |
WHAT THEY DO IN THE SHADOWS — “ New mayor of Southampton abruptly installed non-unanimously after public, paper left meeting advised ‘no action will be taken,” by The Pine Barrens Tribune’s Douglas D. Melegari: “A new Republican mayor of Southampton Township has been selected to succeed Michael S. Mikulski III, who became a Superior Court judge, but the way in which Committeewoman Elizabeth Rossell was appointed to serve as Southampton’s next mayor is drawing major transparency concerns. That is because during an Oct. 30 special meeting of the Southampton Township Committee, attendees were told by Township Administrator Brandon Umba that while the governing body would be convening a final closed session to discuss ‘contract negotiations,’ when the governing body returns to public session, ‘no action will be taken when we return.’ And so, the public and this reporter left the meeting, trusting no action would in fact be taken. …This newspaper received a telephone call several days later – not from any of the township officials or elected members of the committee to apologize and inform of the action taken, but from a concerned citizen advising what they had come to learn.”
CHIDIAC ARREST — “ Stafford schools superintendent George Chidiac charged with DUI after Berkeley crash,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Amanda Oglesby: “George J. Chidiac, superintendent of the Stafford Township School District, was charged with driving while under the influence after he struck a utility pole with his vehicle near his Berkeley Township home on Oct. 27, according to Berkeley Township Police records. The crash comes just weeks before the school board is set to meet on amending Chidiac's contract. Police responded to a crash scene after midnight near Chelsea Drive and Mill Creek Road where they found a car with front end damage off the road, according to a police report obtained by the Asbury Park Press through New Jersey's Open Public Records Act. During the police investigation, an off-duty officer saw a man walking away from the crash toward Mill Creek Park, according to the police report. Authorities found Chidiac by the park, where he allegedly told police he had walked to get help. The crash — which was less than a mile from Chidiac's Cove Road home — happened after he left the Stonefire Bar and Grill in Beachwood, according to the report. … In 2021, Stafford's school board and Chidiac agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the superintendent of retaliating against the district's former supervisor of curriculum when she spurned his sexual advances.”
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson: At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured; treatments are smarter and less invasive; and solutions are personal. We are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow. We combine our science and technology with our determination to create a powerful force for care… and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more. | | | DISTRICT PLEDGES PROPHYLACTIC MEASURES _ “ N.J. school accidentally released names of kids who opted out of sex education,” by NJ Advance Media’s Tina Kelley : “A Cherry Hill resident has asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate the Cherry Hill School District for releasing the names of dozens of students whose families opted them out of sex education classes. Harvey Vazquez, a district parent and former school board candidate, told the department last week that the district violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. … The breach came after an education advocacy group filed public records requests in every district in the state, to measure how many families were opting out of the classes held under revised sexual education standards, adopted in 2020. Some critics felt the curriculum guidelines introduced topics like masturbation and gender identity to students when they were too young. Superintendent Kwame Morton said the district had redacted the names, but that they reappeared when posted on the OPRAmachine website that helps people file public records requests. The names were removed last week, Morton said.” LOWER MORALE IN UPPER — “ Upper Township employees disagree on morale,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s : “In an unusual step, a township employee addressed the governing body this week with concerns about pay, morale and the number of employees leaving their jobs. Michelle Johnson, the township’s deputy tax assessor, asked the Township Committee to take a close look at the gap between the highest paid township employees and the salaries of other workers, including her own. At one time, she told the committee, the township functioned like a well-oiled machine, saying she and other employees were proud of where they worked. She asserted that things have changed. ‘Morale has not been good,’ she said. Another township employee quickly disagreed.” HUDSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR TO BRING BACK DINOSAURS — “Hudson County’s top law enforcement agency gets new tool in fighting crime -- its own DNA lab,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is shaving weeks, maybe even months, off criminal investigations. A plan that was four years in the making became reality Friday when the county’s top law enforcement agency opened its own DNA lab, only the second county in the state to do so. “This is a game changer for us,” said Prosecutor Esther Suarez, who envisioned the lab when she found out the county would be building the prosecutor’s office a new facility in Secaucus.”
| | | | Policy change is coming—be the pro who saw it first. Access POLITICO Pro’s Issue Analysis series on what the transition means for agriculture, defense, health care, tech, and more. Strengthen your strategy. | | | | | | —“A mile-long wall could keep the rising ocean out of [Highlands]. But residents don’t want it” —“ [Galloway Township] is turning an old sand pit into a nature preserve. The problem? Dirt bikers” —“ Carstarphen: Dissecting the next four years for urban America” —“That's a wrap! Bergen County completes count of 2024 election votes” —“Plan for proposed ‘Pompidou tax,’ with a tweak, is introduced by Jersey City council that vows it won’t be rushed into law” —“ Camden school superintendent responds to efforts to oust her, and other takeaways from a special advisory board meeting” —Snowflack: “ A sign of the times: Marlboro divided over pieces of PIE” | | | EVERYTHING ELSE | | |
BLAME IT ON THE (LACK OF) RAIN — “Dozens of residents near massive wildfire burning in N.J., N.Y. asked to evacuate,” by NJ Advance Media’s Eric Conklin: “A small number of homes were under evacuation orders near a New York lake Saturday night after a wildfire that began in New Jersey last week was amplified by strong winds, causing the blaze to breach a containment line by firefighters. About 165 homes in Warwick, New York, were placed under voluntary evacuation orders Saturday when the Jennings Creek Wildfire pierced the containment zone, spreading four to five acres. The evacuations were conducted in a “safe and orderly fashion” by 10:35 p.m., New York Parks Department Jeff Wernick said. … Meanwhile, the fire was mostly contained over the border into Passaic County as of Friday. New Jersey firefighters said the blaze was about 90% but has burned through almost 2,300 acres in the Garden State and about 2,400 in New York.”
—“How long will the wildfire smoke last in North Jersey?” THERE IS A BOARD OF TREE EXPERTS – “ N.J. worker loses job after objecting to surveillance camera pointed at her desk, lawsuit says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Anthony G. Attrino: “A former supervisor for the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts has filed a lawsuit against the agency, accusing it of unlawful surveillance and privacy violations after the discovery of a hidden camera aimed at her desk. Amanda Glenn, who worked for the agency as program manager, alleges in court papers a colleague informed her in October 2023 about a concealed Ring camera, camouflaged with tape, positioned in the shared office space to monitor her work. … Glenn contends that she had no prior knowledge of the device and never consented to being surveilled, asserting the intrusion violated her right to privacy.” —“NJ American Water customers under mandatory water conservation order” —“ 'Ghost bridge' submerged for more than a century in North Jersey is exposed” —“ Therapist who defrauded schools can no longer treat N.J. students, state says” —“SEPTA strike possibility continues to loom as another transit union’s contract nears expiration”
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