| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Thursday morning! Three years ago, Jack Ciattarelli’s closest allies set up a 501(c)4 called Fixing New Jersey. It didn’t make much news and ran a handful of online ads. And its source of funding was not disclosed. Until now. Ciattarelli, in seeking matching funds, filed a disclosure form with ELEC detailing the group’s finances — a requirement for any candidate seeking matching funds that has an affiliation with an issue advocacy organization. Fixing New Jersey didn’t have a high profile in New Jersey when it was active from January 2022 to late 2023. But it raised just over $1 million, including $50,000 from Ciattarelli himself. “The mission of Fixing New Jersey was to improve voter participation and turnout by increasing the number of low-propensity voters that engage in off-year elections,” the group’s former executive director Brittany Wheeler said in a statement. “To that end, we led and invested in a robust voter contact campaign, consisting largely of door knocking and phone banking. Our efforts saw a significant improvement in participation amongst our targeted audience.” The group spent about half of that money on canvassing led by GOP consultant Nathan Sproul, who worked for Kanye West’s 2020 bid and has faced other controversies, like investigations over employees’ conduct in registering voters and guilty pleas from three workers in Florida more than 10 years ago. “When the Florida Dept of Law Enforcement issued their final report, they stated that there was ‘no evidence of conspiracy' between my company and anyone who committed voter fraud,” Sproul said. The group also employed Wheeler through 2022 and 2021/2025 Ciattarelli Campaign Manger Eric Arper through 2022 and 2023. Basically, this appears to have been a means to informally continue the 2021 Ciattarelli campaign until he declared his 2025 campaign. And while it took years to be able to get to see this information, I’m glad that we did. This also means that once Ciattarelli’s main rival Bill Spadea files for matching funds, he’ll probably have to disclose the donors and spending of the “Common Sense Club,” which helped promote him during his own run-up to running for governor. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Daniel Goodman, Alex Roarty WHERE’S MURPHY? In Newark at 7 p.m. for the Essex County reorganization meeting QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Careful what you say on the phone. Didn’t I always say that to you, George? Never talk on the phone.” — Vincent Curatola, who played Johnny Sack on "The Sopranos," in a Cameo directed at George Norcross from The Working Families Party. |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
SHOOTINGS DOWN, EVEN WITH MURPHY AND PLATKIN IN THE SAME ROOM — “N.J. just released new figures on 2024 shootings, car thefts. Here’s what they show,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jelani Gibson: “New Jersey reported a record-low number of shootings for the second consecutive year in 2024, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday. In addition, officials said auto thefts declined by 11 percent last year. A total of 778 people were shot in the state last year, a drop of 16 percent from 2023. Of the people shot in 2024, 152 died, a 20 percent reduction, according to state statistics. In 2023, 924 people were shot, a 13 percent decrease from 2022, state officials said. The number of stolen motor vehicles decreased from 16,694 in 2023 to 14,755 last year, according to State Police figures. Murphy attributed the decline to a mixture of laws that increased penalties for auto-theft and burglary, as well as violence intervention programs. “Today’s announcement marks a major milestone in our administration’s commitment to reduce gun violence and theft,” Murphy said during a news conference in East Rutherford. State Attorney General Matthew Platkin touted the state’s new ARRIVE Program, which paired police officers with mental health professionals. “Through our innovative approaches to public safety that include community-based violence intervention programs, we are making strides against the scourge of gun violence, but the work goes on,” Platkin said.” 689 MASTROS OBLIGATED — “COVID aid deadline met, state says,” by NJ Spotlight News’ John Reitmeyer: “New Jersey says it has met a key deadline required when it received billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funding from the landmark American Rescue Plan Act. According to Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, state government met the Dec. 31 deadline to obligate all that remained of the more than $6 billion aid, a deadline written into the nearly $2 trillion federal relief law. Under that 2021 law, New Jersey and other states and localities were required to return any aid allocations that had not yet been appropriated for a specific purpose by last week’s deadline. ‘We can confirm that all $6.2B is obligated in accordance with U.S. Treasury’s deadline,’ Murphy spokesperson Stella Porter said in an email to NJ Spotlight News. However, the administration did not disclose the exact amount of any last-minute spending of federal aid and other key details.” LD6 — “Gold Star mother appears headed for N.J. state Assembly,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Camden County Commissioner Melinda Kane, a Gold Star Mother, is the likely choice of Camden County Democrats for the open 6th district seat in the State Assembly when they hold a special election convention on Saturday to replace Pamela Lampitt. Lampitt resigned from the Assembly last week to become the new Camden County Clerk. Kane’s son, Marine Lance Corporal Jeremy Kane, was killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan in 2010 while in the Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. as part of Operating Enduring Freedom.” —“Long list of GOP candidates emerge for 3rd District Assembly seats” —“5 NJ Transit police get $535K in settlement over sexual harassment allegations” —“Newark violent crime up in 2024 despite decreased murder rate” —“Bergen slams Rodriguez bill to spend $3M on WNY rec center, which narrowly passes” | | BIDEN TIME | |
A PERK OF BEING A GOVERNOR IS YOU DON’T VOTE ON STUFF — “Two New Jersey Democrats running for governor skipped out on a controversial immigration vote. Here’s where they stand,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Aliya Schneider: “When the bill was up for a vote in the House last year, Gottheimer voted in its favor and Sherrill voted against it. Both lawmakers declined to say why they sat out the most recent vote. But on Wednesday, Tony Wen, a spokesperson for Gottheimer, said the lawmaker would have voted in favor of the bill if he’d been there — which would have made him the lone New Jersey Democrat in the House of Representatives supporting the measure. Wen said Gottheimer’s office submitted his would-be vote to the Congressional Record on Wednesday afternoon but declined to elaborate on Gottheimer’s position. In a statement Wednesday, Sherrill criticized the legislation, saying lawmakers were ‘playing politics with a serious issue.’ In a statement Wednesday, Sherrill criticized the legislation, saying lawmakers were ‘playing politics with a serious issue.’ ‘The murder of Laken Riley was tragic — this bill, however, does not bring justice for her but instead mandates detention and eliminates due process rights for some people, including DACA recipients, who haven’t been convicted of or charged with a crime, which is why I previously voted against it,’ Sherrill said.”
WATERFRONT — Port strike averted — and the union credits Trump, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard, Sam Ogozalek and Nick Niedzwiadek: Dockworkers and the shipping industry reached a deal Wednesday to avoid a strike that could have wounded the economy and created a major headache for President-elect Donald Trump just days before he took office. The shipping industry and the union that represents tens of thousands of East and Gulf Coast longshore workers said in a joint statement they had reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year contract. They said it would avert any walkout that could have started at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 16, four days ahead of Inauguration Day … In a separate statement, the head of the dockworkers union, Harold Daggett, heaped praise on Trump for helping smooth the way for a deal, saying Trump — who had criticized industry's automation plans — "gets full credit." | | | LOCAL | |
THE PUBLIC SILENCING BY THE LAMB — “Toms River moves council meetings to afternoon; critics say it's to keep public out,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Jean Mikle: “Councilman Justin D. Lamb was sworn in as the new council president Tuesday at a meeting where several members of the public, along with some council members, objected to plans to hold regular meetings at 4 p.m. … Lamb pledged to keep council meetings under control. Last year, the sessions often descended into chaos, with some members of the audience escorted out by police, and some incidents of shouted insults between Rodrick and other council members, as well as residents verbally sparring with the mayor and council. ‘I’m holding it tight for a reason,’ Lamb said. ‘There is no reason why any one of us up here, including the administration, should talk out of turn.’ Lamb also defended moving the regular council meetings to 4 p.m., saying that township employees and department heads often had to be paid overtime or given comp time for attending meetings that often lasted until after 10 p.m. 'As far as the 4 o’clock meeting and folks being able to attend, we do stream it live,' Rodrick added. 'It does stay up on YouTube, as far as people being able to watch the meeting.' Some residents were not convinced. 'I question this 4 o’clock time for a meeting,' said downtown resident Irene Watson. 'Many people in Toms River are gainfully employed, and have to work until 5. These people bring a lot of knowledge to the meetings.'"
SOME PEOPLE PAY FOR THAT ON THE INTERNET — “Sickened by Facebook infractions, Point Beach judge says, 'I should be disciplined for it',’ by The Asbury Park Press’ Kathleen Hopkins: “Point Pleasant Beach's municipal court judge has acknowledged he violated New Jersey's code of judicial conduct with his Facebook posts in support of law enforcement and political candidates. Judge Robert M. LePore, charged with violating the judicial code of conduct by the New Jersey Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, is now awaiting discipline. At a hearing before the committee on Dec. 18, Maureen Bauman, disciplinary counsel for the committee, recommended LePore be suspended for 30 days and also be required to undergo additional training. LePore, 72, of Point Pleasant Beach, appeared poised to accept punishment. ‘Shedding this unfortunate spotlight on the judiciary is sickening to me,'’ LePore said to the committee. ‘What I did was improper. I should be disciplined for it.’” PAL PARK — “Palisades Park wants to ban councilman from closed meetings. Is it legal?” by The Record’s Kristie Cattafi: “The mayor and most of the Borough Council members have voted to explore taking legal action to bar a current councilman from attending future meetings that are closed to the public. The officials want to forbid Councilman Michael Vietri to sit in on future closed meetings because they said he disclosed sensitive and confidential information in the past that was privileged to those meetings of the mayor and council. They said the disclosures left the borough at a disadvantage in pending negotiations. However, the action may not be legal based on a provision in the Open Public Meetings Act, said one expert.” MT. OLIVE BRANCH — “Mt. Olive settles ex-schools chief’s lawsuit. But taxpayers got stuck with part of bill,” by The Daily Record’s William Westhoven: “The long and bitter conflict between the Mount Olive Board of Education and former superintendent Robert Zywicki − who filed a whistleblower lawsuit after his 2023 resignation − has come to an expensive conclusion for taxpayers. A joint press release issued by the parties on Tuesday announced a "mutually acceptable resolution of their differences," which date back to conflicts that resulted in Zywicki's suspension from the Morris County district more than two years ago. The announcement stated terms of the settlement "will remain confidential in accordance with the parties' agreement." But on Monday night, the board voted 5-4 to authorize the deal in a resolution that said Zywicki and his wife and co-plaintiff, Melanie, would be paid $645,000. Of that amount, $152,000 will be paid by the district, with the balance to be covered by insurance” — “Essex prosecutor’s office fosters toxic culture of gender bias, retaliation, lawsuit says” —“Morris ousted as Jersey City school board president; Velazquez takes helm” —“Union City police sergeant charged with filing false report about being assaulted” —“Jersey woman running for DNC secretary” —“Women now fill 4 of 9 Atlantic City Council seats” —“Edison's new council president looks to restore six minute public speaking time” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
PLOT TWIST: HER NEIGHBOR IS IRAN — “My neighbor spied on me with a drone — then it crashed into my house, N.J. woman says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Richard Cowen: “There was something hovering in the sky above Nicole Wimbish’s home on Texas Avenue in Mount Laurel on December 19, 2021. Three years later, about the only thing that everyone involved in the incident that followed can agree is on is that certain something in the sky was a drone. But just how and why that drone left the friendly skies above Texas Avenue and crash-landed in Wimbish’s backyard is the mystery behind a lawsuit filed in Burlington County by Wimbish against her next-door neighbor. In the suit, Wimbish claims the man borrowed the drone from another neighbor, and together they launched the unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a video camera to spy on her.”
THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO BELIEVE — “Anatomy of a nuclear scare,” by Zero Day’s Kim Zetter: “The ongoing mystery around a New Jersey drone swarm ignited a number of theories last month about who owned the drones and what they were doing in the sky – theories that ranged from the benign to the malign. One dark theory gained more traction than others, however, due to media outlets publishing unfounded stories and interviews about it, and influencers like reality star Bethenny Frankel and podcaster Joe Rogan spreading misinformation about it to their millions of followers. The theory posited that the drones were U.S. government aircraft that were hunting a nuclear weapon that enemies were set to detonate on the East Coast. … The nuclear weapon claim might have received little play if not for one thing – an online radiation monitoring map that seemed to bolster it. The Real-Time Radiation World Map, maintained by GQ Electronics, showed sudden and alarming radiation spikes in parts of New York and New Jersey – two states where the drones were spotted. This seemed to support the theory that the drones might be hunting rogue nuclear weapons. But, alas, the spikes were fake. Unknown perpetrators had submitted false radiation readings to the map.” FINALLY OFF THE ENDANGERED LIST, BALD EAGLES AND OSPREYS TAKE THEIR REVENGE — Bird flu has been found in 11 birds, according to the New Jersey fish and wildlife officials. The agency is taking the lead by trying to warn hunters because there is not yet considered to be a public health risk, though state agriculture and health officials are expected to be part of any larger response, along with federal counterparts.Fish and Wildlife, which is part of the Department of Environmental Protect, issued a notice on Wednesday that the avian flu is the expected cause of death for seven snow geese, two Canada geese and a pair of hawks recovered from Warren, Middlesex, Morris, and Sussex Counties. Following the death of a person in Louisiana from the avian flu earlier this week, New Jersey officials said Tuesday they had not detected the flu in any farm animals or people, but NorthJersey.com reported Wednesday that a wastewater sample from Newark has tested positive. — Ry Rivard R.I.P. — “N.J. man killed in New Orleans attack remembered for life filled with ‘love and laughter’” —“Struggling to show up: Kids are refusing to go to school. It’s a growing crisis that has N.J. parents baffled”” —“Manasquan entrepreneur built his business on TikTok. Ban would sweep it away”
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