Posted on 02/19/2005 10:35:03 PM PST by nickcarraway
If you are to believe the politicians, New Jersey is about to experience a 200% increase in the number of statewide officials elected by the voters: a Lieutenant Governor and a State Comptroller. The plan is for the Lt. Governor, who would be next in the line of gubernatorial succession, to be appointed by the Governor elected this year; in the future, candidates for Governor would name their running mate after they win their party nomination and the two would run together as a team in the November general election, beginning in 2009. A proposal announced last week by JON CORZINE (similar to one offered last year by DOUGLAS FORRESTER) would have voters directly elect a State Comptroller. Corzine's idea is for the Comptroller to be elected in the 2007 general election for a two-year term and then run again for a four-year term in 2009.
In a state where there has been limited opportunity for elected officials to move up, competition to serve as Lieutenant Governor and State Comptroller will be fierce -- especially since both positions will be viewed as an automatic spot on future gubernatorial short lists. (Chances would be strong that the Lieutenant Governor and the state Comptroller would be like cats and dogs as both view themselves as future Drumthwacket residents.) Candidates and party leaders will essentially be crafting full tickets, which will likely result in special attention to racial, gender and geographic balance. It would be unlikely that either party would present a three-candidate statewide ticket without the presence of a woman, a South Jerseyan, and for the Democrats, an African-American or Hispanic.
Pundits from both sides of the aisle are already talking about possible candidates for State Comptroller in 2007.
DEMOCRATS
RICHARD CODEY: if the Acting Governor and Senate President continues to amass strong approval ratings over the next eleven months, and if he winds up being a (Corzine) team player, he could emerge as a strong general election candidate in 2007 -- when his State Senate term is up, and when, presumably, other Democratic Senators will be eager to take their turn moving up in the Senate leadership.
LOUIS GREENWALD: the Assembly Budget Committee Chairman, viewed as someone with gubernatorial aspirations, is stuck in the lower house until Congressman ROB ANDREWS or Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman JOHN ADLER -- two more with an eye on statewide office -- get a chance to move up. (Adler himself is also a possible candidate.) If Democrats want a woman from South Jersey to balance their ticket, add state Community Affairs Commissioner (and former Cherry Hill Mayor) SUSAN BASS LEVIN to the list of candidates.
DOUGLAS PALMER: like many other Democrats (and one other Mercer County Democrat), the Mayor of Trenton wants to be Corzine's Lieutenant Governor. If that doesn't work out, watch for Palmer to show some interest in running for State Comptroller.
VIRGINIA BAUER: Democrats seem anxious to run this politically savvy Monmouth County resident for public office. She gained considerable attention as an advocate after losing her husband in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and was named last year to serve in the Governor's cabinet as state Commerce Secretary.
ZULIMA FARBER: the former public advocate who was almost the first Hispanic Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court (before JAMES E. MCGREEVEY changed his mind) is a member of Jon Corzine's inner-circle and is well-liked among Hudson County Republicans.
TOM BYRNE: the former Democratic State Chairman and son of the former Governor has been wanting to run for statewide office since he explored a bid for U.S. Senate five years ago. The Princeton resident, whose wife is the managing director at the Lehman Brothers Wall Street investment bank, has over $400,000 in a campaign warchest.
Also: Could two ex-Goldman Sachs partners share a state government without driving each other crazy? PHIL MURPHY, a Red Bank resident and retired investment banker, has Corzine-like money and, some insiders say, the ambition to hold public office. Codey named him last December as one of three members of his budget advisory team.
REPUBLICANS
CHRISTOPHER CHRISTIE: the corruption-busting United States Attorney, who passed (at least once, perhaps twice) on a race for Governor this year, would be a logical choice for State Comptroller -- especially if the office gets some real teeth when it comes to investigating government agencies.
PETER INVERSO, the five-term State Senator from Mercer County, has never shown any interest in higher office. An accountant, Inverso is well respected in Trenton and is viewed among the GOP as someone with a strong understanding of New Jersey's fiscal matters.
JOHN MURPHY: if the Morris County Freeholder, who has impressed Republicans as a gubernatorial candidate, fails in his bid to win this year, he could emerge as a strong candidate for State Comptroller in two years. That might please other Morris County Republicans, like Assemblymen MICHAEL PATRICK CARROLL and RICHARD MERKT and Freeholder JOHN INGLESINO, who are eyeing the 25th district Senate seat of Republican ANTHONY BUCCO.
CANDACE STRAIGHT: the millionaire businesswoman and former Sports Authority Vice Chairwoman could take her campaign to eliminate county government directly to the voters by running statewide as a candidate for State Comptroller. Straight may be the one person Newark officials don't want auditing the books when they build a new sports arena.
Whether you call the job Comptroller, Auditor or Inspector General, there seems to be strong, bi-partisan support for the creation of the new position. That shifts the odds in favor of the creation of some variation of this post, although some insiders maintain that the talk might just be an election year promise. The specific duties of a State Comptroller or Auditor General have not yet been clearly defined. In New York, the Comptroller "manages the state's assets and issues general obligation debts, conducts management and financial audits of state agencies and public benefit corporations, issues reports on state finances, oversees the fiscal affairs of local governments, reviews state contracts, payrolls and payments before they are issued, maintains the state's accounting system and issues monthly cash financial statements, and operates the public employee retirement systems." The Pennsylvania state Auditor audits local school districts, state departments, state-operated universities and hospitals, and public employee pension systems. Debate over the creation of this post would undoubtedly create some major league turf wars between the Attorney General, State Treasurer, and Commissioners of Community Affairs and Education.
Corzine's Comptroller "would be a separate constitutional official whose duties would include promoting efficiency, reducing waste, and detecting and preventing misconduct," according to his press release. "Specifically, the Comptroller will conduct regular audits and performance reviews of all state departments and agencies, independent authorities, county and municipal governments, and school boards. The Comptroller will also have oversight power over all state contracts exceeding $1 million to ask tough questions before money is spent." Forrester's website says to "eliminate waste and corruption in state and local government, I’ll work for the creation of the office of an independently elected Auditor General."
By executive order, Acting Governor Dick Codey created the office of Inspector General last November to "review procurements and public contracts; receive complaints and perform investigations to ensure programs are in compliance with State laws; conduct performance reviews to see how well programs are working and how they can be run more effectively; and look at technology and better business practices that can save time and taxpayer dollars." He named former Deputy Attorney General MARY JANE COOPER to the post last month.
There has been no discussion about whether Comptroller elections will be subject to the same public financing that exists in gubernatorial elections. Similarly, there has been no talk about how state election laws would treat a Comptroller candidate, who would essentially be part of his or her party's statewide ticket. While a Governor and Lt. Governor, under the current proposal, must be elected together, voters would have the option of splitting their ticket and electing a Comptroller of a different party.
The Corzine plan specifically avoids the election of a statewide officeholder during the Governor's mid-term election. This would prevent a Comptroller from running for Governor without the risk of giving up their post. New York elects a Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and State Comptroller in the same year. Pennsylvania elects a Governor and Lt. Governor one year and an Attorney General, State Treasurer and Auditor General two years later. Traditionally, the state Comptroller position has not been a springboard to higher office in other states: in 2002, New York Comptroller CARL MCCALL and former Connecticut Comptroller WILLIAM CURRY both lost their bids for Governor. GRAY DAVIS was the California State Comptroller for eight years and spent four years as Lt. Governor before winning election as Governor in 1998.
Several Democratic legislators, including two in leadership, say that Corzine did not discuss his ethics reform plan with legislative leaders before announcing it at a speech at Rutgers University last Friday.
Four northeastern states elect State Comptrollers and two others elect State Auditors: in New York, Democrat ALAN HEVESI was elected State Comptroller in 2002 when McCall gave up the post to run for Governor. Hevesi had spent 22 years as an Assemblyman and eight years as the New York City Comptroller. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York City in 2001 and Comptroller was his consolation prize. In Connecticut, Democrat NANCY WYMAN was elected State Comptroller in 1994 and re-elected twice. Before that, she spent eight years as a State Representative and eight years as a local school board member. In Maryland, Democrat WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER served sixteen years as the Mayor of Baltimore and eight years as the Governor of Maryland before term limits forced his retirement in 1994. Four years later, Schaefer came back to win election as Maryland's State Comptroller. In Pennsylvania, Democrat JACK WAGNER was elected State Auditor General in 2004 after a career that included eight years in the Pennsylvania State Senate and ten years as a Pittsburgh City Councilman. He lost a Democratic primary for Lt. Governor in 2002. In Delaware, Republican TOM WAGNER was a staffer for the Delaware legislature and a former two-term Mayor of Camden when he was appointed State Auditor in 1989. He has won four statewide elections on his own. In Vermont, Republican RANDY BROCK is the only Comptroller/Auditor from the region to have never held previous public office. A retired executive vice president for risk oversight for a $9 billion dollar financial services company, he was elected Auditor in 2004.
If Jon Corzine is elected Governor, his name will wind up on short lists for national office within his first few years in office. Corzine, despite public denials, has presidential aspirations. Governor Corzine would be a potential Vice Presidential candidate in 2008, and if the Republicans keep the White House that year, a possible candidate for the 2012 Democratic nomination for President. That -- and the fact that New Jersey has had two gubernatorial vacancies in four years -- means that there will be no shortage of ambitious Democrats who want to be Corzine's Lieutenant Governor. But prospective candidates for Lt. Governor might want to remember the story of STANLEY LUNDINE, the six-term Congressman from upstate New York who gave up a blossoming career in Washington to run for Lt. Governor on a ticket with MARIO CUOMO in 1986. Lundine believed all the talk that Cuomo might run for President and figured his best shot at becoming Governor of New York was to inherit the post. Cuomo passed on presidential bids in 1988 and 1992 (the second time just as a private plan waited at the Albany airport with petitions hours before the New Hampshire filing deadline). Cuomo lost re-election to GEORGE PATAKI in 1994, ending Lundine's gubernatorial hopes and his political career.
Adding a Lt. Governor and Comptroller would mean seven statewide elections over the next five years -- Governor in 2005, U.S. Senate in 2006, State Comptroller in 2007, U.S. Senate in 2008, and Governor, Lt. Governor and Comptroller in 2009. For the record, there are eight short lists currently being circulated: (1) possible appointed U.S. Senators if Jon Corzine wins election as Governor and decides to appoint someone who would run for a full six-year term; (2) possible appointed U.S. Senators if Corzine opts to name a caretaker; (3) possible Democratic and Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in 2006; (4) potential candidates who might be appointed as New Jersey's first Lieutenant Governor; (5) Democratic and Republican candidates for State Comptroller in 2007; (6) possible candidates for Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court when DEBORAH PORITZ reached the mandatory retirement age of seventy in 2007; (7) possible Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in 2008 if FRANK LAUTENBERG does not seek re-election to a fifth term; and (8) potential Republican U.S. Senate candidates for 2008.
Gubernatorial Politics
‘Tis the season of County Conventions, a semi-democratic process that political parties use to award their sometimes valuable organization line to contenders for statewide and local office. Some counties use a truly open process that allows candidates to campaign among party members to gain the organization endorsement; others are criticized as merely a tool to ratify the endorsement of a handful of party leaders. Over the next seven weeks, twelve Republican county organizations will meet to pick one candidate to run on their organization line. Like the presidential primary process, a candidate can gain some real momentum by scoring an unexpected victory at a party convention. The winner of the first GOP intramural was Doug Forrester, who was the unanimous choice of Burlington County Republicans after a Screening Committee vote last Saturday.
Cape May, February 16th to March 15th: The sixteen Republican municipal organizations in Cape May County will hold separate caucuses through the fifteenth of March and vote for a preferred gubernatorial candidate. The organization line will be tallied on March 15.
Gloucester, February 25th: Gloucester County GOP Chairman BUD MCBRIDE caused a stir last year when he sponsored a non-biding gubernatorial straw poll that then-GOP State Chairman JOSEPH KYRILLOS sought to cancel. As punishment for holding the vote, McBride was the only County Chairman who was denied a Republican National Convention delegate slot. The winner was Assemblyman PAUL DIGAETANO, who went door-to-door and won 122 of the 204 votes cast; his closest rival, State Senator DIANE ALLEN, won 64 votes. Making a major push for grass roots support in Gloucester is businessman ROBERT SCHROEDER, who has significant backing from Republicans in the county's two largest towns, Washington Township (where he is supported by '04 mayoral candidate JEFFREY MORRIS) and in Monroe Township. Forrester has the support of Harrison Township Mayor (and '03 Senate candidate) PHILIP RHUDY. DiGaetano, who won 27 of Monroe's thirty votes at the March 2004 straw poll; he has the backing of former Mayor JOHN "WINNIE" SHARP (whose name had been improperly included on a list of Schroeder's endorsements). For DiGaetano to be competitive in Gloucester, he needs the active support of former Assembly Speaker JACK COLLINS, who helped his ex-Majority Leader out last year but has stopped short of a formal endorsement.
Union County, March 12th: If Gloucester County is New Jersey's Iowa, then Union County is the GOP's New Hampshire -- a place where retail politics could turn a second-tier candidate into a genuine contender. If Morris County Freeholder John Murphy is going to break out anywhere, it will likely be in Union, where he has scored some impressive early endorsements. Murphy has gambled by spending his early money on direct mail and cable television, and now, with much of his financial resources depleted, he'll need to score a victory somewhere if he is to replenish his campaign treasury. Murphy has the backing of the Republican Mayor of Clark and all seven GOP Councilmembers, three of the five Republicans on the Scotch Plains Council, and Republican State Committeeman GABRIEL SPERA, a former Scotch Plains Mayor. Forrester's announced support is limited to Scotch Plains Mayor (and '03 Senate candidate) MARTIN MARKS, GOP Municipal Chairman WILLIAM MCCLINTOCK (whose company supplies the Forrester campaign with voter labels), Summit Councilwoman KELLY HATFIELD, Rahway GOP Municipal Chair MARYANNE JANUSZ (though not her husband, Councilman FRANK JANUSZ), and the Rahway Republican Club President and 2nd Vice Chairwoman.
Bergen and Atlantic, March 15th: This is the Super Tuesday of the Republican process, with the organization line in Bergen County viewed as a major prize. Of the seven Republican gubernatorial candidates, four have a legitimate claim to a Bergen County base: Paul DiGaetano, who represents nine South Bergen towns in the State Assembly; TODD CALIGUIRE, who served six years as a Bergen County Freeholder; STEVEN LONEGAN, the three-term Mayor of Bogota who has a strong presence among local Republicans, and Bob Schroeder, a local elected official in Washington Township with considerable support in the northeastern part of the county. The other three candidates also have pockets of support: John Murphy has endorsements from the Mayors of Oakland and Bergenfield, GOP Municipal Chairs in Oakland and River Edge, and a trio of Councilmen -- two from Ramsey and one from Bergenfield; and Doug Forrester has the support of a Paramus Councilman, the Paramus GOP Vice Chairwoman, and a former Mayor of Fair Lawn. The two Assembly members who represent the 39th district, JOHN ROONEY and CHARLOTTE VANDERVALK, are for Schroeder. So far, none of the candidates have scored home runs in the endorsement game: neither of the two Republican State Senators, HENRY MCNAMARA and GERALD CARDINALE, have picked a horse, nor have Assemblyman DAVID RUSSO, County Clerk KATHLEEN DONOVAN (who was at Schroeder's campaign kickoff last year) or the lone GOP Freeholder, ELIZABETH RANDALL. Former Bergen County Republican Chairwoman MARLENE CASEY had been quoted in a press release as endorsing Forrester (and her name remained on Forrester's website as recently as Tuesday evening), but within an hour of the announcement, Casey contacted PoliticsNJ.com to say she had not endorsed any candidate. Quietly, Bergen County Republican Chairman GUY TALARICO has given his blessing to Doug Forrester, who coincidentally has helped the cash-starved local organization meet there monthly overhead by subleasing part of the massive Hackensack headquarters.
So far, Doug Forrester is the only candidate to announce any Atlantic County GOP endorsements. He has the backing of Congressman FRANK LOBIONDO, who moved to Atlantic County last year, Republican Freeholders SUSAN SCHILLING, STEVEN JOHNSON and FRANK FINNERTY, the Mayors of Margate, Buena, Folsom and Ventnor, and a pair of Councilmen -- one from Egg Harbor, the other from Northfield. The de facto head of the Atlantic County GOP, State Senator WILLIAM GORMLEY, has not yet weighed in. In 2002, then-Essex County Executive JAMES TREFFINGER won the Atlantic convention with a massive 92% of the vote, even though Gormley voted for his Senate colleague, JOHN MATHEUSSEN. At the time, few political insiders believed that Atlantic County went for Treffinger without Gormley’s blessing; in Gormley's hometown, Margate, Treffinger received 66 votes and Matheussen won just one -- Gormley's.
Camden, March 17th: This will be the first time Camden County Republicans hold an open contest for their organization line. Local pundits say that Doug Forrester has the inside track and this one may be his to lose.
Ocean County, March 23rd: The extraordinarily potent Ocean County GOP organization line will be awarded after a vote of the County Council, an eclectic group of party leaders and elected officials. Only one endorsement really matters: Republican County Chairman GEORGE GILMORE, who was until just recently hoping that U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie would change his mind and enter the race. Without Christie, insiders expect that Gilmore, with little enthusiasm, will be for Doug Forrester -- accordingly, so will Ocean County.
Mercer, March 31st: The 2005 Mercer County Convention is a non-event -- unless circumstances change dramatically, Doug Forrester seems to have his home county locked up. He already has the public endorsements of GOP County Chairman PHIL ANGARONE, JR., State Senator Peter Inverso and Assemblyman WILLIAM BARONI. The convention in Mercer County was the site of considerable drama in recent years: when BOB FRANKS won enough votes to share the organization line with Bill Gormley, who had the backing of Angarone, Inverso and then-County Executive ROBERT PRUNETTI, it was a turning point in the 2000 Senate primary. In 2002, Forrester's loss to Jim Treffinger in Mercer County was considered a huge setback to the former West Windsor Mayor, who only recovered locally after FBI agents raided Treffinger's office.
Middlesex, April 2nd: Middlesex County is potentially the most open contest in the state -- any registered Republican is eligible to vote, as long as he or she pays the modest ($10) registration fee in advance of the contest. The deadline to file delegates is March 19. If former Jersey City Mayor BRET SCHUNDLER shows any grass roots strength at county conventions, in may be in Middlesex. (Schundler won a March 2003 Straw Poll with 72% of the vote.) The Middlesex County Republican Executive Committee is set to meet on March 9, and insiders say that an endorsement from that group -- which does not award the line -- is expected to go to Forrester. Publicly, only two local Republicans -- Sayreville Mayor KENNEDY O'BRIEN and former State Senator RANDY CORMAN -- are with Forrester. In 2002, Forrester scored an upset victory to win the Middlesex GOP Convention, beating Jim Treffinger by a nine-vote margin, 234-225, on the second ballot. (Forrester led Treffinger on the first ballot, 201-176.)
Somerset, April 6th: Like Ocean County's George Gilmore, Somerset County Republican Chairman DALE FLORIO has been largely on the sidelines -- not entirely enthused by any of the current field of GOP gubernatorial contenders. Florio is not likely to take sides before the convention, leaving the process wide open to a grass roots campaign where real, live County Committee members get to make a decision based on who impresses them. Doug Forrester needs popular Congressman MICHAEL FERGUSON to publicly endorse him before the Somerset vote, and Ferguson needs to be assured that Forrester won't embarrass him by losing Somerset anyway. Watch for the results of the convention in neighboring Middlesex County to influence the Somerset momentum.
Monmouth, April 9th: In the old days, before the presidential nomination process was front-loaded, the final primary in California often determined a party's candidate for President. Monmouth County, the last-scheduled open nominating process, could be critical if the early organizational contests fail to offer a clear establishment candidate. Doug Forrester has considerable support in Monmouth, where he has been endorsed by Sheriff JOSEPH OXLEY, County Clerk CLAIRE FRENCH, Freeholder ROBERT CLIFTON and former Republican National Committeewoman JUDITH STANLEY COLEMAN. State Senator Joe Kyrillos, the former Republican State Chairman, is also backing Forrester, although he has made no public announcement. This week, John Murphy won the backing of Assemblyman SEAN KEAN. Schundler has some legitimate claim to support in Monmouth County.
Sussex, April 16th: Sussex County has no organization line -- their electronic voting machines cannot accommodate a line even if party leaders wanted one -- but Republican County Chairman RICHARD ZEOLI, who is neutral, is trying to cause gubernatorial candidates to pay attention to Sussex County by holding a convention. The winner will get to use the organization slogan on the ballot -- not as good as a line, but potentially helpful in a close contest. Sussex is a place where several candidates have something going: Bret Schundler has the support of Assemblyman GUY GREGG, who is very popular among Sussex County Republicans, while John Murphy has been endorsed by Congressman RODNEY FRELINGHUYSEN, Sheriff ROBERT UNTIG, three Freeholders and the Mayors of Sparta and Vernon. Sussex County Republicans will sponsor a major gubernatorial debate on March 9th.
Judicial Politics
Renominated again to become a U.S. District Court Judge is PETER SHERIDAN, the longtime Counsel to the New Jersey Republican State Committee. Sheridan was one of twenty judicial nominees that President GEORGE W. BUSH resubmitted the United States Senate this week. Sheridan had been originally appointed to the bench in 2003, but Democratic Senators JON CORZINE and FRANK LAUTENBERG held up his nomination because they felt the new Judge, who would sit in Camden, should be from South Jersey. The Senators had backed LEE SOLOMON, a former Assemblyman, Camden County Freeholder and Prosecutor who now runs the United States Attorney's South Jersey office. Corzine and Lautenberg said on Monday that they would continue to block Sheridan. The conventional wisdom is that with more judicial posts coming up, a deal is in the works. The plan, sources say, would be to give Sheridan one of the spots that sits in Trenton, give Solomon the Camden spot, and name Essex County Prosecutor PAULA DOW, a Democrat, to a judicial post that sits in Newark.
Sources close to the New Jersey congressional delegation say they believe a published report that State Senator ROBERT MARTIN is a candidate for a federal judgeship is not accurate. Martin, Republicans say, is too liberal to receive any serious consideration for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge from the Bush administration. Rumors that Martin is interested in an appointment as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge have been around for more than six years -- and at some point, insiders say, the rumor will become true. One thing New Jersey Republicans might not necessarily understand: the seat on the 3d Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals being vacated by Homeland Security Secretary-designate MICHAEL CHERTOFF is hardly a New Jersey seat. Chertoff got the post through his own abilities, and after serving as the number three man in the Bush Justice Department -- not because he hails from the swing town of Westfield.
Legislative Politics
For people who try to look at the long-term effects of short-term political decisions: one state Democratic leader wonders if Hamilton Mayor GLEN GILMORE's support of Councilman DANIEL BENSON for State Assembly over four-term Mercer County Freeholder KEITH HAMILTON might cause him trouble with African-American Democrats down the road -- especially if he decides to someday run for statewide office. Gilmore's political ambitions are not exactly secret. But Gilmore is not alone: neither of Mercer County's ranking African-American leaders, Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer and Democratic State Chairwoman BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN, seem willing to expend any of their own political capital on Hamilton. Benson and Hamilton are facing off for the right to challenge freshman Republican Assemblyman Bill Baroni. Baroni is a strong campaigner (the New York Times says he knocked on 10,809 doors to unseat incumbent GARY GUEAR in 2003) and he became a little tougher to beat last Saturday. Democrats began openly salivating over the fourteenth district seat in September, when SUE NIEDERER, the mother of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, was arrested while protesting at a rally attended by First Lady LAURA BUSH. Baroni responded by telling a reporter "she really ought to find something to do with her time," and his comments led Democratic legislators LINDA GREENSTEIN and REED GUSCIORA of Mercer County and JACK CONNORS of Camden County to bash him. Democrats fully expected to use Niederer as a prop in their fall campaign to unseat the Republican, but that changed last weekend when Niederer told the Trenton Times she gas become a Baroni fan: "We're the best of buddies. I'm going to help with his campaign when he runs for re-election." One Mercer County Democrat, an ally of County Executive BRIAN HUGHES (who seems to favor Hamilton) speculated that with the Niederer issue off the table, the nomination might be a little less desirable than it was last week. Benson will have to give up his Council seat to run, and if the Democrats spend seven figures on him and he loses, his political career will be over -- not a great place for a guy still under thirty.
The support of the Monmouth County Republican Organization for the re-election of 79-year-old Assemblyman JOSEPH AZZOLINA will not be automatic. Party leaders say that Azzolina will need to win the line at their April 9th convention, and a group of Republican insiders think he so potentially vulnerable in the fall that they want to replace him with Freeholder AMY HANDLIN. Azzolina, who served in the Assembly from 1966 to 1972, in the Senate from 1972 to 1974, in the Assembly from 1986 to 1988, and again in the Assembly since 1992, won by just 244 votes in 2003. Middlesex Republicans seem prepared to endorse Azzolina for another term, and there is no guarantee that Handlin wants to fight for the job.
Getting ready to enter the race for State Assembly in the 12th district is Marlboro Mayor ROBERT KLEINBERG, who after some hesitation now wants to take on freshman Democratic incumbents MICHAEL PANTER and DR. ROBERT MORGAN. Already in the race: Red Bank Councilwoman JENNIFER BECK, former Millstone Mayor EVAN MALTZ, Little Silver Councilman DECLAN O'SCANLON, former Wall Mayor (and current Colts Neck resident) MICHAEL FITZGERALD, and former Assemblywoman CLARE FARRAGHER.
Mayoral Politics
Voters in Jersey City, Hoboken, Camden and Passaic will go to the polls in May to elect a Mayor. In Jersey City, Mayor JERRAMIAH HEALY, who narrowly won a November 2004 special election to replace the late GLENN CUNNINGHAM, is the favorite to win a full term in May. With a deal to keep Healy's '04 rival, LOUIS MANZO, out of the mayoral race and in the Legislature, the incumbent's main foe could be former Councilwoman MELISSA HOLLOWAY. In Camden, Mayor GWENDOLYN FAISON, an 81-year-old grandmother who became Mayor when MILTON MILAN was forced out of office following a criminal conviction, wants another term. In 2001, she defeated Councilman GILBERT “WHIP” WILSON. Councilman ALI SLOAN-EL is already challenging Faison, and pundits say that Assemblywoman NILSA CRUZ-PEREZ will make her decision within the next few weeks. In Passaic, the city's first Hispanic Mayor, SAMUEL RIVERA, is well-positioned to win a second term despite a fair number of controversies; he had been charged with assault and entered into a very public feud with Congressman BILL PASCRELL. He won four years ago after two-term Mayor MARGE SEMLER retired. In Hoboken, Mayor DAVID ROBERTS will seek a second term against Councilwoman CAROL MARSH; he unseated incumbent ANTHONY RUSSO in 2001. (Russo mounted a comeback in 2003 when he won a City Council seat, but resigned last year and admitted that as Mayor he accepted kickbacks to deliver city contracts.) The race to watch this year is the Democratic primary for Mayor of Atlantic City between incumbent LORENZO LANGFORD and City Council President CRAIG CALLAWAY.
Atlantic County
After switching his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, Freeholder JAMES CARNEY is no lock for his new party's nomination for Atlantic County Surrogate. Democratic County Chairman JAMES CARROLL, who insisted in a letter sent to party leaders last week that he has no pending deals with Carney, is getting rave reviews from state Democrats for his role in switching several Republicans to the GOP. A recent party switcher, Linwood Councilman SCOTT MCKNIGHT, wants to run for Freeholder, and Democrats are expected to battle the GOP for the second district Assembly seats. JEFFREY WALDMAN, a former Assistant Municipal Prosecutor in Atlantic City, is considering a campaign for Surrogate. Waldman is allied with former Democratic County Chairman JOSEPH GINDHART, who lost a comeback bid last year to Carroll.
Bergen County
A photograph taken on the Chamber of Commerce train to Washington, D.C. last month has caused some friction between Jon Corzine and Bergen County Democratic Chairman JOSEPH FERRIERO. Sources say that Corzine, who has taken some heat for a $37,000 campaign contribution that his 89-year-old retired school teacher mother from Illinois made to Bergen Democrats last fall, pulled Ferriero aside and told him that he did not think it would be a good idea if they were photographed together in the future. Corzine said he didn't want to send the wrong message. Ferriero, the sources say, was incensed -- though hardly mad enough to change his mind about anything. This week, Corzine declined to do an interview with News 12 New Jersey from the Bergen County Democratic headquarters -- possibly to avoid more photos.
Essex County
There is considerable speculation that Freeholder ALBERTUS JENKINS will be dropped from the Democratic line and replaced by the scion of one a powerful Essex County political family: DONALD PAYNE, JR. Jenkins, a Montclair Councilman who ran on a ticket with then-County Executive candidate JOSEPH DIVINCENZO three years ago , finished a distant fourth in the May 2004 race for Mayor. Payne is the son of longtime Congressman (and former Freeholder) DONALD PAYNE, the nephew of Assemblyman (and DiVincenzo Deputy Chief of Staff) WILLIAM PAYNE, and the cousin of Irvington/Newark Assemblyman CRAIG STANLEY. He was mentioned for a Freeholder seat in 2002.
One of the people hoping that the White House nominates Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow as a federal court judge is Acting Governor Richard Codey. The West Orange Democrat badly wants the chance to appoint an Essex County Prosecutor before he leaves office in January.
About two dozen people, both Democrats and Republicans, gathered at a South Orange tavern last month for dinner with former Essex County Executive James Treffinger. It gave some old friends, including Newark Democratic leader STEVE ADUBATO, SR., former Essex County Democratic Chairman THOMAS GIBLIN, attorney MICHAEL CRITCHLEY, Democratic strategist TOM BARRETT, and former Essex County Counsel CATHERINE TAMASIK a chance to welcome home Treffinger, who completed his federal prison sentence just before Christmas. One insider reports that a relatively small number of attendees demonstrated some personal generosity toward Treffinger, who now works at a church in Bloomfield.
Passaic County
Passaic County Democrats have picked BRUCE JAMES, the President of the Professional Workers Association at the Passaic County Board of Social Services, to run for Freeholder. If elected, James would replace PETER EAGLER, who will seek re-election to the State Assembly. Freeholder Director ELEASE EVANS won party support for a second term. Democrats now have a 7-0 majority on the Freeholder Board and Republicans are no longer viewed as competitive, at least in a gubernatorial year.
Republicans in Passaic County will hold a breakfast on Saturday, February 19th so that GOP gubernatorial candidates can have the chance to speak with local party leaders. This either means that Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano, who spent sixteen years as a Passaic City Councilman before moving to Essex County in 2000, does not yet have the organization line nailed down -- or the Republicans are wasting the time of other candidates just to give the appearance that the process is an open one.
Potpourri
Depending upon how you define success, it could be argued that the most successful New Jersey legislator in history is DAVID MANDELBAUM, a Democrat who represented Essex County in the State Assembly from 1962 to 1968. Mandelbaum is part of a group of New Jersey and Arizona businessmen who purchased the Minnesota Vikings football team on Monday for a reported $625 million. Mandelbaum was just 25-years-old and a recent graduate of Harvard Law School when he was elected Assemblyman in 1961 as part of a Democratic sweep of Essex County the year RICHARD HUGHES was first elected Governor. He was re-elected in 1963 and 1965, and was just 31 when his political career came to an end with a losing bid for State Senator in 1967. After leaving office, Mandelbaum joined his family real estate company, Vornado, a developer of shopping centers, office buildings and apartments. He has remained politically active behind the scenes, contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and party organizations nationally over the last few election cycles.
Not since the Orechio brothers ran for office in the 1970's have voters had the chance to elect two brothers running on opposing party lines. This year, popular Atlantic County Sheriff JAMES MCGETTIGAN will seek re-election as a Democrat, and his brother, former Atlantic City Councilman EDWARD MCGETTIGAN, is viewed as the likely Republican candidate for Surrogate. Edward McGettigan must still get his party's nod over Freeholder JAMES CURCIO. The Orechio brothers were legends in North Jersey politics a generation ago: led by the oldest brother, FRANK ORECHIO, who owned a chain of influential weekly newspapers, Republican CARL ORECHIO was elected to the State Assembly in 1971, and his brother, CARMEN ORECHIO (now in his 37th year as a Nutley Township Commissioner), was elected as a Democrat to the State Senate in 1973 -- unseating his brother's two-time running mate, Republican MICHAEL GIULIANO. Carl Orechio was the only Republican to survive in the old 27th district that year; his running mate, Assemblyman JOHN DENNIS, lost his seat to Democrat ROBERT RUANE. Dennis came back to oust Ruane in 1975, and then challenged Carmen Orechio for State Senator in 1977. He lost.
ping
Who cares... NJ is a crooked and corrupt state. Right up there with Illinois. It is amazing that the people there are so pathetic and lacking in basic scruples.
Just more jobs added to the 7,000 jobs McSleazy created.
Gee, NJ discovered there's a point to namimg a successor to the governor.
It always breaks me up, the people who care enough to take post a message saying they don't care.
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