Morning News Digest: November 7, 2011
By Missy Rebovich
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Schumer endorses Lautenberg 2014 re-election
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tonight endorsed U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) for re-election in 2014 at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
“One more thing, we absolutely want him to run again; we hope he continues to run for one more term,” said Schumer at the tail end of his remarks at the Stony Hill Inn in Hackensack.
The pair raised $100,000 toward 2012 senate races, including that of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
http://www.politickernj.com/52285/schumer-endorses-lautenberg-2014-re-election
Five former Trenton mayoral candidates want recall election to get rid of Mack
The Committee to Recall Mayor Tony F. Mack of Trenton announced today that five former Trenton mayoral candidates will endorse the comprehensive effort to recall the mayor from office.
Defeated by Mack last year, now John Harmon, Eric Jackson, Paul Pintella, Manny Segura and Frank Weeden want Mack out.
“As Election Day quickly approaches, it is of paramount importance that Trenton residents know that the recall effort is energized and poised to complete its work,” said Recall Chairman David Ponton. “In the 16 months that Mayor Mack has been in office, he still has not put forth any plan to reverse the city’s downward economic spiral, and taxpayers, our children, our seniors, our businesses, can no longer afford this lackluster performance.” (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
Caught with bag of opposition campaign lit, Menza ally gets bagged by cops
It was on its way to looking like a record in Hillside elections, as no one had yet appeared in court in connection with a charge regarding filings, signatures, absentee ballots, etc.
Then it happened.
Not court. Not yet. But cops.
Independent Hillside Mayor Joe Menza wants to get a majority on the council and his candidates are pushing hard against the local Democratic power structure controlled by Union County Democratic Committee Chair Charlotte DeFilippo. (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
http://www.politickernj.com/52279/caught-bag-opposition-campaign-lit-menza-ally-gets-bagged-cops
Redefining ‘nuclear’ in LD40
A GOP campaign mailer distributed this weekend in the 40th District redefines “going nuclear” and has even some Republicans in the district criticizing the need for the piece.
The mailer from Republican Assemblyman Scott Rumana is essentially a full campaign’s worth of opposition research against Democratic opponent Bill Brennan, slapped into one glossy brochure and sent to homes in Wayne Township.
Included in the piece are pictures of at least five police reports filed against Brennan, excerpts from a judge’s ruling in a court case filed by Brennan, a copy of a building code violation issued to Brennan and even picture of the shirtless Democrat in the act of blocking a code inspector from photographing his patio. (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)
http://www.politickernj.com/52278/redefining-nuclear-ld40
Election Preview: Tracking the contests that matter most
If you listen to Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic legislative leaders, you would almost assume it didn’t matter if you went to the polls to vote tomorrow. Both sides are doing their best to play down expectations of gains by either party in the state legislative elections, and both insist that the election is not a referendum on Christie’s policies. But that’s just political spin.
Campaign spending records are being smashed in the two hottest races. Christie is starring in TV ads in key districts, urging voters to give him Republican legislators who will vote for his policies. And the results of both state legislative and county freeholder races will have implications for the 2013 gubernatorial election. (Magyar, NJ Spotlig
ht)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1107/0144/
Legislative seats, sports betting on NJ ballot
Gov. Chris Christie sees few opportunities for Republicans to advance in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Christie has kept his expectations low partly because the new legislative district map favors incumbents who are mostly Democrats.
But two state Senate seats in Atlantic and Bergen counties could switch parties, as GOP candidates have mounted serious challenges to incumbent Democrats in both areas.
The only public question on the ballot asks whether New Jerseyans want to legalize sports betting once a federal ban is lifted. (Delli Santi, The Associated Press)
A heavy ballot but light turnout
With New Jersey’s unemployment rate above 9 percent, most pollsters expect economic woes to influence the state’s voters when they head to the polls Tuesday.
All 120 legislative seats are up, but only a handful of races are considered truly competitive, and unless the GOP pulls off an unexpected miracle, pundits don’t expect Democrats will lose control of either chamber.
With no governor’s race atop the ticket, turnout is expected to be light for an election that also features county and municipal races.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Farrell, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20111106_Down_to_the_wire_in_N_J_.html
Candidates exchange final shots as N.J. legislative elections loom
A sharp-toothed pig in a suit represents state Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) on an opponent’s flyer.
In Bergen County, the challenger John Driscoll dubbed state Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Essex) “Senator Liar.”
And state Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Mercer) called some of the campaign tactics of her challenger, Richard Kanka, “the lowest form of politics.”
With the polls opening Tuesday, state Senate and Assembly candidates have made their cases.
All 120 seats are at stake, and though only a few districts are in play, competitors are throwing everything at their opponents and hoping something sticks. (DeMarco and Friedman, The Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/candidates_exchange_final_shot.html
GOP rallying cry ahead of New Jersey elections
A New Jersey state GOP swollen with political cash and the support of popular Gov. Chris Christie is touting its get-out-the-vote effort before Tuesday’s legislative elections in a memo sent to top Republican leaders Sunday.
The memo, obtained by The Wall Street Journal, acts as a rallying cry for Republicans trying to wrest seats from the Democratic-controlled legislature in a handful of competitive Assembly and Senate races.
“For years Republican candidates have lacked adequate financial resources but that is not the case in 2011,” said the memo sent to about 60 county chairs, state committee members and other top GOP leaders. (Haddon, The Wall Street Journal)
Battle for Bergen: New Jersey district could be bellwether for 2012 and beyond
Though light turnout is predicted when New Jersey voters head to the polls Tuesday, the battle over who wins Bergen County could be the most watched contest in the state – with implications for 2012 political landscape and beyond.
Nearly a third of New Jersey voters will get a surprise when they step into the voting booth Tuesday to learn that – thanks to redistricting – they may have different people representing them in Trenton.
Though most analysts contend the state’s redistricting often amounts to incumbent protection, there are a handful of contests where the new lines could spell trouble for the incumbents. (Hennelly, WNYC)
South Jersey race for Senate among those to keep eye on
The nastiest legislative race of the year — the campaign for a southern New Jersey Senate seat between a Democrat who teaches public school kids how to swim and a Republican who designs municipal
By all accounts, the contest between incumbent Sen. Jim Whelan, a 62-year-old educator, and Vince Polistina, a 43-year-old engineer, is too close to call heading into Election Day. Despite a slew of derogatory ads by both sides, obvious ideological differences between the candidates and more than $3 million spent so far, neither has been able to pull away from the other. (Delli Santi, The Associated Press)
Democrats in South Jersey reach out to South Asians
Mohammed Z. Islam stepped up to the microphone before a packed gathering of Pakistani American, Bangladeshi American, and Indian American voters Wednesday to make one point clear.
“There is a rumor all over the city that we are joining the Republicans,” said Islam, president of the Bangladesh Association of South Jersey.
That is not true, he said.
Behind him sat a cadre of Atlantic County Democratic politicians, among them Sen. Jim Whelan, who is being challenged by Republican Assemblyman Vince Polistina in South Jersey’s fiercest legislative race.
In an election in which every vote is likely to matter, the 120-member Legislature’s lone South Asian lawmaker, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, had trekked to the Kabab Cafe all the way from Somerset County on Whelan’s behalf. (Rao, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
What’s waiting for the winners in Trenton? Education reform
Education reform may not have come up much as an issue in individual races leading up to tomorrow’s legislative election, but it has remained a big topic looming in the background for both the candidates and the special interests backing them.
For the candidates, it is arguably the biggest issue the legislature will face in the coming months. Whoever wins on Tuesday will almost immediately face a slate of education proposals on the legislature’s docket, including charter school regulation, tenure reform, and school funding.
Meanwhile, a key player in the election is not on the ballot but may prove as potent as any: the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the statewide teachers’ union. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1107/0204/
NJEA in talks with George Norcross, NJ education chief Christopher Cerf on reforms
In front of a rally of 3,500 angry public workers in June, the head of the state’s largest teachers union declared that government workers were not going to be strong-armed by political bosses or their cronies.
“I’m mad as hell about politicians who were elected by the people, but who sell their votes to the powerful,” said Barbara Keshishian, president of the New Jersey Education Association, which specifically targeted longtime Democratic leader George E. Norcross III during the rally and on TV ads before the event.
But NJEA leaders are now taking a different approach: meeting with their stated enemies. (Method, Gannett)
http://www.app.com/article/CN/20111106/NJNEWS/311060039/Teachers-union-talks-foes
Attack ads, redistricting confusion may keep voters from polls on election day
Mary Smith and her husband Raymond followed this year’s state Senate race between Democratic Sen. Jim Whelan and Republican Assemblyman Vince Polistina very closely. She said they knew their records, knew the facts behind the relentless ads, and knew whom they would vote for in the 2nd Legislative District.
Then she got their sample ballots in the mail.
The Smiths, of Galloway Township, suddenly found themselves trying to puzzle out their new legislative candidates. Because in this year’s legislative redistricting, they and the rest of the 38,207-person township became residents in the 9th Legislative District, which centers on southern Ocean County. (Harper, Press of Atlantic City)
Hudson to get $890K from New Jersey to rehire teachers
Hudson County school districts will share nearly $890,000 in additional federal funds to help re-hire teachers who were laid off last year because of state budget cuts, state officials announced. They might even be able to hire some new teachers.
Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf said the extra funds come from a new allocation of federal funding coupled with the Department of Education’s effective use of money set aside to administer the original grant.
“In these economic times, we are doing everything we can to make sure schools have the resources they need to be successful,” Cerf said. “Through smart planning and efficient administration, we are excited to be able to free up additional funds to send directly to districts to pay for human capital costs.” (Fedschun, The Jersey Journal)
http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2011/11/hudson_to_get_890k_from_new_je.html
Medicaid makeover waits on word from Washington
New Jersey wants to remake its Medicaid program to improve healthcare and save money, goals applauded by many in the medical community. But the state was counting on a $107 million refund from the federal government to help its efforts, money it looks unlikely to get — at least not in time for this fiscal year’s budget.
That doesn’t mean Medicaid reform is in jeopardy, but the state has more work to do if it’s going to meet its targets, which call for a Medicaid makeover by next July.
The clock is ticking. Meanwhile New Jersey is still waiting for the federal government to give its approval to a 160-page Medicaid Reform Proposal known as the Comprehensive Waiver. Submitted in September by the state Department of Human Services (DHS) to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the waiver was meant to save $300 million this fiscal year, through major changes to the $11 billion Medicaid program. (Fitzgerald, NJ Spotlight)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1107/0155/
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Weekly Advance: Week of Nov. 7
Weekly Roundup: Week of Oct. 31
FEMA assessing snow damage Monday
Ten northern and central New Jersey counties are in line for visits Monday by federal, state and county emergency management teams to assess damage from the freak Oct. 29 snow storm and determine whether to seek federal disaster aid.
Accumulations of the heavy snow knocked out power to more than 750,000 homes and businesses and tens of thousands remained without power through much of the week. (Hooker, State Street Wire)
http://www.politickernj.com/52269/fema-assessing-snow-damage-monday
U.S. gains jobs in October, but unemployment rate stuck in neutral
The good news: more than 80,000 jobs added, according to October payrolls, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning.
However: The unemployment rate itself is virtually unchanged at 9 percent.
While non-farm, private-sector employment increased, according to the federal government, the actual number of jobless people – 13.9 million – remained basically the same. (Staff, State Street Wire)
http://www.politickernj.com/52251/us-gains-jobs-october-unemployment-rate-stuck-neutral
From the Back Room
Oh, my eyes!
Trades union members watching the Giants game this afternoon were treated to a double kick in the cajones.
Moments after Giants QB Eli Manning tossed a wounded duck into the end zone for a momentum-killing interception, LD38 Sen. Bob Gordon’s commercial trashing a plan to give public money to the developers of Xanadu flashed on the screen. That’s the same commercial that earlier in the week had the trades threatening to pull their support for Gordon. The completion of the long-stalled Xanadu will create hundreds of much needed jobs for building tradesmen and any suggestion of pulling funding is a direct threat, they say. (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)
http://www.politickernj.com/back_room/oh-my-eyes
Smith campaigns with Hamilton GOP
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-5) joined incumbent GOP Councilman Kevin Meara of Hamilton this afternoon at DeLorenzo’s Pizza in Trenton for one last fundraising event before the election.
Running alongside Mayor John Bencivengo and Councilwoman Kelly Yaede, Meara has garnered support from key local unions, including AFSCME. (Staff, PolitickerNJ)
http://www.politickernj.com/back_room/smith-campaigns-hamilton-gop
Opinion
Ballot question deserves attention
Although very few New Jersey voters will be motivated enough by this year’s state legislative elections on Tuesday to actually go out and cast their ballots, one question on the ballot should compel voters to rethink that decision. This year, voters are being asked to allow the Legislature to legalize sports betting at the state’s casinos and racetracks. (Harrison for The Record)
http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/133315388_Issue_that_deserves_attention.html
Occupy polling places, not Wall Street
I have a question for protesters in Zuccotti Park: Are you voting Tuesday?
Operation Wall Street has spread all over the country. On Tuesday, they should spread out to polling places and vote. I know. You’re probably thinking this is a ruse to empty a privately owned park in New York City.
I’m not that clever. I get e-mails from critics telling me just that all the time. (Doblin, The Record)
http://www.northjersey.com/columnists/doblin/doblin_110711.html
Example of N.J. dirty political season
Bright young people get turned off to politics and want nothing to do with it, leaving the field to hacks who brought us to the sorry state we’re in. Here’s a reason they get discouraged:
Vin Gopal is running for Assembly from the 11th District, which is Monmouth County. He’s sincere, honest and, although running as a Democrat, he doesn’t completely agree with either major party, which is probably like most of us. (Ingle, Gannett)
In Princeton, they like their donuts just fine
Kate Warren has a lot to say, even if no one wants to hear it.
“We are never taken seriously by the press,” said the leader of a group of Princeton residents called Preserve Our Historic Borough. “When I do talk to the press, they don’t quote me. I talked to a reporter for an hour and 15 minutes, and he didn’t print a word.”
Why? As a member of the press, I am uniquely suited to give an answer. And I gave it to Warren as we chatted over coffee in her neighbors’ kitchen last week. (Mulshine, The Star-Ledger)
http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2011/11/in_princeton_they_like_their_d.html
We need a better storm strategy
Remember Irene, the massive hurricane that
swept through North Jersey in late August, ripping down power lines, flooding neighborhoods and forcing hundreds into shelters?
Remember how unprepared we were?
After Irene’s winds and rains dissipated, public officials conducted a series of six hearings across New Jersey. But those hearings were mainly complaint sessions for residents and politicians. Indeed, they were scheduled so quickly after Hurricane Irene that utility experts barely had time to gather all the evidence of what went wrong. (Kelly, The Record)
http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/133343408_We_need_a_better_storm_strategy.html
The fall of an ex-governor and financier
Long ago, when Jon Corzine was leaving Wall Street for politics, he approached me after a campaign rally and said he wanted a chance to explain himself – namely, to prove that he was a lot more than just a rich guy who wanted to dabble in government as a second career.
He insisted he was a man of principles, a man who thought through policy issues, a clear thinker, a leader, a guy who had the know-how to understand problems and solve them. He was far more than just a middle-aged guy with a large bank account. (Kelly, The Record)
http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/kelly_110611.html
In case you missed it
In red-blue N.J., a few towns have the power to swing elections
Over the next year, candidates and their armies of campaign workers will sift through mountains of data analyzing how people are likely to vote in New Jersey.
Afterward, they’ll take the old information, mix it with the new, and try to come up with some whys.
From Walpack to Tavistock, Ridgefield to East Orange, the one fact they will stumble on is this: While New Jersey has been considered a Democratic-leaning, or blue, state for the past decade, it is really a crazy quilt of red and blue with a only a handful of towns that swing from party to party. (Gibson, The Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/in_red-blue_nj_a_few_towns_hav.html
Democrats keep edge in polls
Voters — and a legislative map that makes significant changes unlikely — will decide who will serve in the state Senate and Assembly for the second half of Gov. Chris Christie’s term in Tuesday’s general election.
All 120 seats in the Legislature will be decided. The state Senate terms will be for two years, as they always are in the first election after a census, meaning the whole Legislature, and the governor’s office, will be up again in 2013. (Symons, Gannett)
http://www.app.com/article/BZ/20111106/NEWS02/311060019/Democrats-keep-edge-polls
New Jersey’s Christie gives U.S. Education Secretary high marks
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan deserves high marks for empowering states to be innovative and take risks to bolster school success, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said.
As Democrats, the administration has political cover to approach teachers unions, Christie, a Republican, said in an interview for Bloomberg Radio’s “Bloomberg EDU with Jane Williams” program. Duncan has supported charter schools and evaluating teachers based on student performance. (Lorin and Williams, Bloomberg)
New Jersey is not the only state with tax collections trailing projections
New Jersey is one of many states seeing tax collections fall short of budget projections during the early months of the current fiscal year, according to a report issued by Moody’s Investors Service.
The economic challenge for the states may grow depending on federal spending cuts, the housing market and unemployment; decreased revenues could bring on new “belt tightening” and spending cuts, Moody’s reported on Thursday. (Reitmeyer, The Record)
U.S. states’ answer to a weak economy: gambling
As the U.S. economy stubbornly resists stimulus efforts, New Jersey and Maine are among several states betting on a simpler way to fill their coffers: gambling.
Both northeastern states are holding Election Day referendums to increase the once-outlawed practice, following states such as Massachusetts and New Hampshire that have already embraced gaming to boost revenue and jobs in tough times. (McAllister, Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/05/election-gambling-idUSN1E7A21SL20111105
Assembly Race: District 13
The race for Assembly seats representing Monmouth County’s 13th District is among the most contested in the state, featuring four candidates trying to unseat the Republicans in the lower house.
Incumbent Amy Handlin is seeking re-election with Declan O’Scanlon, who currently serves the neighboring 12th District. They face Democrats Kevin Lavan and Patrick Short, and Frank Cottone and William Lawton, representing the Constitution Party. (Hunger, NJ Spotlight)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1105/2137/
In 14th District Assembly race, Republicans aim to unseat Democrats
Four candidates will compete for two Assembly seats in the 14th District, a political battleground where some of the state’s most competitive races are waged.
Assemblymen Wayne DeAngelo and Daniel Benson (both D-Hamilton) will try to hold onto the district’s current Democratic majority for another two years, but they face a challenge from Republican candidates Wayne Wittman of Cranbury and Sheree McGowan of Robbinsville. (Duffy, The Times of Trenton)
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/11/in_14th_district_assembly_race.html
Republicans aim to overtake incumbent Democrats in 14th District race for state Senate
Republicans hope to pick up a much-needed state Senate seat while Democrats look to extend their winning streak in this year’s 14th District state Senate contest.
State Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) won the seat last year in a special election, putting it back in Democrat hands after nearly 20 years of Republican rule and extending the Democratic majority in the Senate to 24-16. (Duffy, The Times of Trenton)
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/11/republicans_aim_to_undermine_i.html
Candidates: Legislative District 25
Democrat George Stafford of Wharton is running for an Assembly seat in the 25th District anyway he can.
He and his running mates, Gayle Heiss Colucci of Mine Hill for the Assembly and Rick Thoeni of Denville for the Senate have almost no cash and little name recognition. And they are opposing three well-known Republican incumbents, Sen. Anthony J. Bucco of Boonton, and Assemblymen Michael Patrick Carroll of Morris Township and Anthony M. Bucco of Boonton Township. The Assemblyman is the Senator’s son. (Daigle, NJ Spotlight)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1105/2242/
Assembly Race: Legislative District 27
West Essex’s well-known Assembly incumbents Mila M. Jasey and John F. McKeon are campaigning harder to introduce themselves to new Morris County voters, significantly outspending Republican challengers in their bid to win re-election, according to campaign finance records.
Nicole Hagner, the mayor of Chatham Township, and Lee Holtzman, a lawyer from Livingston, hope to unseat the incumbents in an election Holtzman called a “defining moment” for New Jersey during a candidate’s debate in Livingston. (Lehren, NJ Spotlight)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1105/2313/
Senate Race: Legislative District 33
Republican candidate Beth Hamburger is a supporter of Gov. Chris Christie. But so is her opponent, Democratic incumbent Brian Stack.
In the staunchly Democratic 33rd District, Stack’s support for Christie might seem out of place, but not according to the Senator’s chief of staff, Mark Albiez. (Kassel, NJ Spotlight)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1105/2116/
Candidates: Legislative District 36
Casino gambling in the Meadowlands and film tax credits are high-profile issues in the 36th District where Democratic-dominant towns and powerful incumbents have their rivals staging a campaign with long odds.
Still, the GOP is gambling that a 25-year-old Rutgers graduate, Sara Rosengarten, and a repeat office seeker, Donald DiOrio, might just have a chance against a Democratic slate with deep pockets. (Lehren, NJ Spotlight)
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/1105/2228/
Chris Christie says nearly every governor for more than 48 years ahs lost seats in the state Legislature during his or her first term
Even if nothing changes, Tuesday’s election would be a historic win for Republicans.
Gov. Chris Christie said in a recent radio interview that decades of history show governors lose seats in their first midterm election. But he said this year will be different. (O’Neill, PolitiFact)
Vin Gopal targeted in GOP attack ad for New Jersey Assembly District 11
Dirty politics is nothing new in the art of campaigning, especially in the final days running up to an election.
But sometimes, those dirty tactics reach the point of utter filth.
Take the case of an attack ad by the New Jersey Republican State Committee against 11th District Assembly candidate Vin Gopal. Democrats Gopal and Kathleen Horgan are challenging Republican incumbents Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini for the seats to represent parts of Monmouth County. (Shinske, PolitiFact)
U.S. Sen. Menendez urges Gov. Christie to support EPA’s effort to stop pollution that travels to N.J.
Democratic lawmakers today urged Gov. Chris Christie to reconsider his recent criticism of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and to support its effort to choke off pollution from other states that ends up in New Jersey.
In a letter to Christie, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) asked the Republican governor to publicly clarify where he stands on the EPA’s measure, intended to stem the toxic winds that foul the Garden State’s air. (Baxter, The Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/us_sen_menendez_asks_gov_chris.html
New Jersey congressman pushes bill to target human rights offenders in China
Yeqing Ji from Shanghai, China, will most likely not be able to have children after she said two forced abortions physically impaired her uterus.
The story of Ji and others who say they suffered from abuses were shared at three separate congressional hearings this week about human rights in China, including one hearing regarding a new bill to prohibit entrance to the U.S. of human rights offenders from China. If passed and enforced, such a law could effect business and diplomatic relations with China, one of the United States’ most important trading partners. (Kim, ABC News)
Atlantic City rolls dice on sports betting
Imagine spending Super Bowl weekend down the shore in a packed casino with the chance to actually legally bet on your favorite team. For Atlantic City casinos, battered by an economic downturn and increased competition, any chance to get a piece of a $380 billion industry is worth the gamble. And that’s exactly what this week’s nonbinding referendum might be.
On Tuesday, voters will be asked whether the state should legalize sports betting, a referendum that has the full support of Gov. Chris Christie and several state legislators. (Cooney, Gannett)
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20111106/NEWS01/311060016/Atlantic-City-rolls-dice-sp
orts-betting
Deconstructing Corzine, the liberal capitalist
Jon S. Corzine the politician was a relentless cheerleader for liberal causes.
As a senator in George W. Bush’s Washington, he advocated not just for universal health care but for free day care, too. As a governor in blue New Jersey, he limited gun purchases and enacted paid family leave so workers could care for ailing relatives.
But on Wall Street, where Corzine is now embroiled in the bankruptcy and investigation of his brokerage firm, MF Global, capitalist instincts appeared to trump liberalism. (Katz, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Sale of N.J. hospital is cleared
The sale of New Jersey’s oldest hospital to a for-profit medical group was finalized on Friday, capping several years of turmoil since the city of Hoboken raised $52 million in bonds to rescue the ailing facility in 2007.
HUMC Holdco will now operate Hoboken University Medical Center. HUMC Holdco’s principals also run the Bayonne Medical Center. The medical group won a competitive bid in April to run Hoboken University Medical Center after the hospital’s previous nonprofit operator filed for bankruptcy. (De Avila, The Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577018293222326860.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
N.J. judge OKs suit seeking gay marriage over civil unions
A lawsuit seeking to enact gay marriage in New Jersey can proceed, a state Superior Court judge ruled friday.
Superior Court Assignment Judge Linda Feinberg said same-sex couples don’t have a fundamental right to marry, but they should have a chance to prove New Jersey’s civil union law does not give them benefits equal to heterosexual married couples. (Spoto, The Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/nj_judge_oks_suit_seeking_gay.html
