Senate Dems Stand by their man
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Chuck Schumer reaffirmed his support for incumbent U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg this afternoon – and took something of a shot at Lautenberg primary challenger U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews. (Alex Isenstadt, PolitickerNJ.com)
The throw down
Dissatisfied by incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s posture in the week-old Democratic primary, his challenger, Rep. Rob Andrews, issued a statement today calling on Lautenberg to join him in a series of debates across the state. (Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com)
Keeping some wiggle room
Even after today’s filing deadline, it seems like everybody still wants to change the candidates in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. At least a few high ranking Republican activists are hoping that they can convince Goya Foods heir Andy Unanue to drop out, but his friend and advisor, Bergen County Republican Chairman Rob Ortiz, said that’s not going to happen.
“Andy has no intention of stepping down,” he said. (Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com)
GOP House contenders release the funds
Republican contenders for the House of Representatives in New Jersey's 3rd District have raised more than $640,000 combined, according to statements issued Tuesday from their respective campaigns.
Medford Township Mayor Chris Myers will report $334,786.77 to the Federal Election Commission on April 15, the filing deadline for the first quarter of 2008, according to campaign manager Chris Russell. Russell said the campaign has $288,000 on hand.
Ocean County Freeholder Jack Kelly will report $306,000, campaign manager Frank Luna said. Luna said the campaign has $281,358 on hand.
Kelly has spent less than $25,000 to Myers' $46,787, which Luna pointed to as evidence of Kelly's fiscal conservatism.
Justin Murphy, a businessman and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle Township, declined to release how much money he raised. (Emily Previti, Press of Atlantic City)
The pro-war candidate
Sen. Bob Menendez questioned Tuesday whether the conflict that remains in Iraq is worth the American lives and treasury it is consuming.
But one Army reservist from Bergen County is so convinced the war is "visionary" strategy that he has launched a pro-war campaign for Congress. (Herb Jackson, The Record)
Booker vows to beef up
Since Mayor Cory Booker beat Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex) for mayor, he has gone 0-2 against the maverick West Ward lawmaker.
First there was Rice’s re-election victory last year over Freeholder Bilal Beasely. Over the weekend, it was Rice staffer Rufus Johnson who won the party’s endorsement for a vacant freeholder seat over Booker staffer Terrance Bankston.
He knows his adversaries are out there gloating over Bankston’s loss this week, but today the 38-year old Booker put it in perspective on the steps of City Hall. (Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com)
Corzine: I’m still with Hill
There have been some who have tried to read my comments last week on CNBC's SquawkBox as stepping back from my support of Senator Clinton. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I personally know, respect and like both Democratic candidates. Both are qualified. Both will be an agent of change from years of profligate spending on a misguided war. Both will address the discontent that results from long unmet needs and the mismanagement of our nation's economic affairs.
That said, I truly believe Senator Clinton is the most qualified and prepared to be our next president. I unequivocally support her candidacy.
My point on SquawkBox was and remains that superdelegates should consider a number of factors in their final decision, particularly after the primaries and caucuses have run their course. (Jon Corzine, Huffington Post)
Missed it by that much
Incumbent Councilman Philip Weisbecker was four minutes late Monday in applying to run for renomination in the Republican primary.
Now it would be up to a judge to decide if he's still eligible for the party vote in June, according to the township clerk.
Meanwhile, Democrats Andrew Gargano and James Warden and Republican Daniel Jurkovic did make the 4 p.m. filing deadline for their respective party primaries. They'll be uncontested in seeking nominations to two three-year seats opening up next year.
Barring successful primary write-in campaigns against them, they'll square off in the November general election. (Barbara Williams, The Record)
Mark your calendars
A Bound Brook councilman and his running mate have been left off the primary ballot after the borough's Republican municipal chairman forgot to file petitions by the Monday deadline.
Councilman Jim Lefkowitz and his running mate, Margaret Lyons, are running unopposed for the Republican nominations for borough council. But they will have to count on write-in votes at the June 3 primary because municipal party chairman Howard Wagner thought the filing deadline was Tuesday. (Nyier Abdou, Star-Ledger)
Return of the Grants
They're baaaaack. And the Grant brothers, feisty veterans of Democratic Morris County politics, promise to stir up the political pot again this year.
Dan Grant, who served 15 years on the Montville Township Committee, and his brother Bob Grant, a former Denville school board member, were among dozens of candidates countywide to file before Monday's deadline to run in the June 3 primary election.
Dan Grant, 60, is running for Morris County freeholder, and his brother Bob, 63, is vying for Denville council. (Lawrence Rangonese and Paula Saha, Star-Ledger)
Strong-arm tactics in Newark?
In a council meeting that was dramatic even by Newark standards, Central Ward Councilwoman Dana Rone lashed out at Mayor Cory Booker's administration and council President Mildred Crump over proposed changes to a redevelopment ordinance in her ward.
Using extraordinarily blunt language, Rone accused the Booker administration of using heavy- handed tactics to muscle council members into voting its way. (Katie Wang, Star-Ledger)
Too much politics for one Denville councilor
Pat Valva surprised onlookers last night by saying she was resigning from the Denville Township council.
Valva said she felt the governing body was getting too mired in politics. (Nancy DeGutis, Star-Ledger)
Where’s the watchdog?
It's been more than a year since lawmakers approved the creation of a watchdog post to monitor New Jersey's $10 billion of spending on Medicaid, but Gov. Jon S. Corzine still hasn't filled the position.
Lawmakers on Tuesday sharply questioned administration officials, wondering "What's the hold-up?"
The Medicaid inspector general was supposed to root out fraud in the vast program that provides health care to the poor. Any savings, lawmakers noted, would help offset budget cuts that this year threaten to hit hospitals and low-income Medicaid recipients who may face co-payments for prescriptions and emergency room visits that are not truly urgent.
"Trying to get out of the gate is a major frustration for this committee," said Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald, D-Camden, at an Assembly Budget Committee hearing on Medicaid spending. He is the committee's chairman. (Jonathan Tamari, Gannett)
An end to free rides proposed
Free rides between Pennsylvania and New York City would be a thing of the past under an idea suggested by one leading state lawmaker.
During a hearing Tuesday in which the state's transportation commission warned money is dwindling for vital highway, bridge and mass transit repairs, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan suggested putting tolls on Interstates 78 and 80 — free highways that cross east-west across northern New Jersey.
Job cuts deplored
Mayor Mark A. Seda's warning to building department employees that their jobs may soon be eliminated was "deplorable" and "thoughtless," Township Council President Ann Updegrave said Tuesday night.
The council has not formally discussed Seda's proposal to shut down the department by Aug. 1 and to hire an outside agency to conduct inspections, Updegrave said, and it has not decided whether to go ahead with the proposal.
The mayor disregarded any "human element" when he notified the department last week that he might lay off 16 workers, Updegrave said at a council meeting. She went on to request that Seda allow the department to submit a plan to reduce overhead before he thinks about layoffs. (Fraidy Reiss, Asbury Park Press)
What happened to the surplus?
Outgoing Councilwoman Sheena Santiago, who has made a habit in the past year of challenging Mayor Perry Barse's administration and council members in public, questioned city staff Tuesday night regarding the balance of the city workers' compensation fund, charging that the balance was too depleted to cover payments.
Citing information she later said came from a source with knowledge of the city budget, she said during the council meeting, "I would like an explanation as to how this administration could possibly bankrupt a fund that had in excess of a $2.5 million surplus when Mayor Barse took office." (Juliet Fletcher, Press of Atlantic City)
Embodying self-sacrifice
While trying to shave pennies off a $35.4 million budget, most township council members are in favor of adding a 50 percent raise to their own stipends.
They've also recommended a raise for the mayor, even though he insists he won't take it.
The amounts are relatively minor, but the move is adding to the discomfort level as council considers a budget that would raise the municipal property tax bill of the average homeowner by about $200. (Joyce J. Persico, Trenton Times)
Lobbyist to go after the cash
Local government's lobbyist in Trenton will pressure lawmakers to restore $189 million in municipal aid cut in Gov. Corzine's budget plan, and challenge new affordable housing regulations, he told Ocean County's mayors today.
William G. Dressel, executive director of the state League of Municipalities, said local officials were "blindsided'' by the budget cuts and the "arbitrary thresholds'' set to eliminate aid based on the small population of some towns.
"It doesn't make sense,'' Dressel insisted. (Don Bennett, Asbury Park Press)
James’ lawyer sees no beef
Prosecutors were overly eager to indict Sharpe James because he was one of the state's most powerful politicians, and they failed to produce a single witness or document proving he rigged land deals for his one-time mistress, his attorney said yesterday.
During closing arguments in the federal corruption trial of James, defense attorney Thomas Ashley accused the U.S. Attorney's Office of overreaching and urged jurors to acquit the former longtime mayor of Newark and state senator. (Jeff Whelan and Maryann Spoto, Star-Ledger)
Quid pro quo
The sister of the key witness in the corruption trial of Guttenberg Mayor David Delle Donna and his wife Anna yesterday testified that every gift and political donation made to the couple by a former bar owner was given to get something in return.
Eduvinges Medrano said her relationship with Anna Delle Donna was one of true friendship. But she said her sister, Luisa Medrano, showered the couple with expensive gifts and spent thousands on fund-raiser tickets to keep town officials from harassing her bar, El Puerto de la Union II. Eduvinges corroborated Luisa's testimony that Luisa's "generosity" was as effective as it was costly. (Michelangelo Conte, Star-Ledger)
Mayor survives near-death experience
Mayor Chuck Chiarello announced in an e-mail Monday morning that he had been hospitalized again for several days after having gone into cardiac arrest last week during a medical examination.
In a message forwarded to friends and supporters, Chiarello explained he had a second bout of heart problems, following his collapse at the State- house and subsequent hospitalization in late February. (Juliet Fletcher, Press of Atlantic City)
