| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Tuesday morning! Sadly, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver is in the hospital. How bad it is, nobody’s saying — but it has to be pretty serious, since she’s unable to discharge her duties, leaving Senate President Nick Scutari as acting governor while Gov. Phil Murphy vacations in Italy. I called around to people close to Oliver yesterday, and they kept her condition vague. But “not good” came up, which really could mean anything. Oliver has been dealing with health issues for a long time and hasn’t made many public appearances recently. Still, I think if her condition were grave, we’d see Murphy on a flight back from Italy — and that hasn’t happened. But really, there’s no point to reading the tea leaves about someone’s illness. Like many of you, I’ve known Oliver for a long time, and whatever you think about her politics, she’s always struck me as a good person. I hope she recovers. But given the situation, it’s probably worth brushing up on Article V, Section 1, paragraphs 8 and 9 of the New Jersey Constitution. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I call this the hot dog tree because, well, it’s a hot dog tree. See that spot right there, Mace? That’s where my Nobel Prize is gonna go” — Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman in “Big Top Pee-wee”. Reubens died Sunday night. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Jenna Mellor, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus This-that-and-the-other. WHERE’S MURPHY? — Italy
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HE’LL BE GONE TIL, I MEAN IN, NOVEMBER — Brindle to retire from ELEC in November, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Jeff Brindle, the embattled longtime executive director of New Jersey’s campaign finance watchdog, will retire on Nov. 30, according to his attorney, Bruce Afran. Afran said the retirement has nothing to do with the Murphy administration’s attempts to force Brindle from his job leading the Election Law Enforcement Commission and the appointment of new commissioners who were considered likely to follow the governor’s wishes. “Jeff Brindle has communicated to the four commissioners that he is retiring as of Nov. 30,” Afran said. “This was part of his original plan in terms of his retirement program, but he did not announce it earlier because the governor was attempting surreptitiously to force him out of office.”
EGAN THE YOUNGER — You’ll never guess who Democrats in the 17th District Monday night chose to replace retiring Assemblymember Joe Egan as their nominee. Give up? It’s his son, Kevin Egan, who did not face competition for the ballot sopt. While this may seem like not-so-drastic a change, the decision breathes new youth into the Democratic Party, replacing the 85-year-old father with his spring chicken son, who’s just, uh, 59. Egan’s virtually guaranteed to win the November election in this heavily Democratic district. I, FOR ONE, WELCOME THE POLICIES INSTITUTED BY OUR NEW TEMPORARY GUBERNATORIAL OVERLORD — “NJ ELEC just tossed 107 cases. What did we expect from 'reform'?” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, restocked with four newly appointed commissioners, voted unanimously to throw out 107 of its investigations into potential campaign violations — about half of the agency’s current active cases. Some of these were small-potato complaints, no doubt, but among the tossed-to-the-curb cases were significant complaints against four of the so-called “Big Six” campaign accounts operated by the two major state political parties. The agency was examining the failure by the Democratic State Committee and two of its fundraising subsidiaries to properly report nearly $900,000 in donations during the 2017 campaign, according to the complaints … it was required under the Elections Transparency Act, a new ‘reform’ with an Orwellian title that the Democratic-controlled Legislature passed and Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law in April. The new law dramatically shrank the statutory length of time for investigations, from 10 years to two years … Senate President Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, the chief architect of the deregulation, said 10 years was simply too long to adjudicate a campaign violation dispute.” NEMOURS NO MORE? — “Will Nemours’ Medicaid move leave 10,000 special-needs kids behind?” by NJ Spotlight News’ Lilo Stainton: “When New Jersey lawmakers tweaked the state budget to enable a Delaware-based specialized children’s hospital system to collect nearly $20 million more this fiscal year, they expected the system to remain part of the state’s Medicaid network in return. But a month later Nemours Children’s Health has offered no guarantee it will stay in-network for the majority of patients. Nemours said Friday it had reached an agreement with one of three managed-care organizations that insure a total of 11,000 New Jersey children with significant health needs. But it appears more than 10,000 of these young patients could still be phased out of managed care at Nemours over four months, starting Tuesday.” X GON’ TAKE IT FROM YA — “This prominent NJ Republican wants to audit plans for Jersey City's Pompidou X. Here's why,” by The Record’s Katie Sobko: “State Sen. Michael Testa is calling for an audit of the plans for a satellite location of a French modern art museum in Jersey City that has cost New Jersey taxpayers more than $58 million. In a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy Monday, Testa, a Cumberland County Republican, labeled the project as a symbol of ‘unconscionable excess and waste.’ The museum, known as Pompidou X Jersey City, is slated to open in 2026. The Legislature has been appropriating funding for the project for years and, as of May, none had been spent.” FIRST ONE TO PRESCRIBE ME FUN PARTY DRUGS NO-QUESTIONS-ASKED WINS — “Doctors vs. nurses: NJ at heart of debate over who can treat patients, write prescriptions,” by The Record’s Scott Fallon: “New Jerseyans walking into an exam room with a bad case of the flu, back pain, stomachache or any number of other ailments have for years now increasingly been evaluated, diagnosed and treated by a nurse practitioner working with a physician. Now that collaboration may be coming to an end, and nurse practitioners could soon see patients without any doctor oversight. New Jersey is poised to become the latest state to grant full practice authority to nurses with advanced degrees, a move that supporters say will cut down on unnecessary delays, shorten wait times for care and give more residents access to more affordable care. Doctors have launched an all-out war against the measure, with more than a dozen New Jersey medical societies banding together under the ‘Access to Care Coalition,’ enlisting lobbying and public relations firms, and launching a robust website laying out their argument.” —“NJ grant-backed bonds for American Dream Mall poised to miss payment” —State commission approves premium increases for public worker health insurance program —“They helped Jersey City ‘Make It Yours.’ Now they’re funding Fulop’s campaign to make N.J. his own” —“N.J.’s Law Against Discrimination mostly unaffected by recent Supreme Court case, Platkin argues”
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SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THERE’S A CHANCE — “Siena Poll finds Chris Christie’s GOP primary base: Joe Biden voters,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “In a new New York Times/Siena College national poll of Republican presidential primary voters, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie barely registers overall, getting just 2% support – far behind former President Donald Trump’s 54% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 17%. But the crosstabs of the poll reveal that Christie does have a base of supporters after all: people who voted for Joe Biden. Among poll respondents who said that they voted for Biden in the 2020 presidential election, Christie earned a whopping 22% support, the highest percentage of anyone in the GOP field. … But of course, in a Republican primary, Biden voters don’t make up a particularly large share of the vote. Just 8% of the Siena poll’s respondents said they voted for Biden.”
LARRY THE FAIL GUY — “Princeton U. grad pleads guilty, admits encouraging violence at Jan. 6 riot,” by Kevin Shea for NJ.com: “A New Jersey man who graduated from Princeton University two months ago pleaded guilty to civil disorder Monday for urging rioters to rush the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, court records show. Larry Giberson, 22, had been indicted in April on six charges, including civil disorder. The FBI arrested him in March while he was a senior at Princeton.” —“Chris Christie super PAC raises nearly $6 million for 2024 campaign” | | LOCAL | | THE MADE UP CULTURAL BULL**T PAC — “The coming implications of school board elections,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “The local school board in many towns has become the epicenter for the so-called culture wars – fights about books, curriculum, gay rights and the like, or everything ‘woke’ as those on the right are wont to say. … Greg Quinlan of the Center for Garden State Families, a Christian family advocacy group … routinely [calls] the teachers’ union a Marxist organization. … In a phone conversation today, Quinlan stressed the recent success conservatives have had winning school races and said he’s confident the same thing will happen this year. But it may not be all that easy. Liberal groups were pretty much asleep two years ago when it came to state school board races, but that has changed. Say hello – again – to Tom Malinowski.” —“Jam-packed Hudson County school board elections taking place this November” —“JCEA likely to be running new slate in Jersey City BOE race, 2 trustees file for re-election”
THE BIGGEST BATTLE NORMANDY HAS EVER SEEN — “Toms River forced to allow private walkovers of beach dunes; does it endanger everyone?” by The Asbury Park Press’ Jean Mikle: “The township will allow private property owners to build dune walkovers to access the beach in front of their homes, after a Superior Court judge ordered Toms River to revise its beach access rules in response to a lawsuit filed by oceanfront landowners in the Normandy Beach section. Township Council members voted unanimously to revise a Toms River ordinance that barred the issuance of permits for dune walkovers in front of private homes. The new ordinance will permit such walkovers to be built, as long as the homeowners can prove they have the legal right to cross over the dunes; such easement rights were usually established when private, oceanfront communities like Normandy Beach were first developed. … More than 400 Normandy Beach residents have signed a petition opposing the ordinance revision, and many came to the recent council meeting to say Toms River's action will make the community less safe by threatening the integrity of the dune line.”
POLITICIAN PRETENDS HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW POLLS WORK — ”Newark mayor: Poll on residents’ feelings about safety ignores the facts,” by Ras Baraka for The Star-Ledger: “Newark residents know we are moving in the right direction, and at a speed that many say makes me a viable candidate to become the first African American governor in New Jersey and only the fourth elected Black governor in United States history. Perhaps, that unnerves some people in certain political establishments. That’s why the timing of the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll that claims “Newark residents feel less safe, have less positive views of police” is curious. First, I take exception to the use of the language that ‘Newark residents feel …’ which implies a consensus when only 1,104 Newark residents were polled. That represents a mere one-third of 1% of Newark’s 311,000. That hardly warrants an emphatic statement that implies all Newark residents feel a certain way.” —“This is the cop Andre Sayegh just promoted to be Paterson's deputy police chief” —“Former Asbury Park Police Sgt received $1.25M settlement from city after double demotion” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
SHAREHOLDERS DEMAND COMPANY STOP ACTING LIKE THING ITS NAMES ARE A EUPHEMISM FOR — “J&J shares on track for biggest daily drop in 3 years on talc setback,” by Reuters: “Shares in Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) were down 4.1% on Monday and looked set for their biggest one-day percentage loss since June 2020 after a U.S. judge shot down its second attempt to resolve tens of thousands of talc-related lawsuits. Johnson & Johnson has now failed twice to resolve talc suits by offloading the related liabilities into a new company and placing it into bankruptcy. Lawsuits had alleged baby powder and other talc products sometimes contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and other cancers.”
AC MURDERS — “Long Island serial killer case shines light on unsolved murders of sex workers in Atlantic City,” by The AP’s Wayne Parry: “The discovery of four dead women in a drainage ditch just outside Atlantic City was shocking news in 2006. International media flocked to the seaside gambling resort. More than 100 detectives and prosecutors were assigned to investigate. Casino guests worried about safety, and the victims’ fellow sex workers began carrying hidden knives. But as the years passed, the public’s attention and fear faded, and the case of the “Eastbound Strangler” – so named for the direction the victims’ heads were facing – remained unsolved. The arrest earlier this month of a man charged with killing three women whose remains were found on a Long Island beach in 2010 has breathed fresh life into another long-dormant case with obvious parallels; the Gilgo Beach serial killings involve a total of 11 victims, most of whom were young, female sex workers. Yet the recent breakthrough, and the rekindling of public interest, only highlights a painful truth: Many similar cases – like the one in Atlantic City -- remain open.” LIGHTS, CAMERA, JOB ACTION! — “Actors, writers strike freezes Hollywood. Could it sink Netflix Studios at Fort Monmouth?” by The Asbury Park Press’ Michael L. Diamond: “The unions for writers and actors are on strike together for the first time in more than 60 years, calling on studios to agree to a contract that will keep up with the rapidly changing industry … New Jersey residents have more at stake in the outcome than whether they will have new shows to watch this fall. The state has granted increasingly generous tax credits to TV and film producers, giving the economy a jolt and generating a buzz at the Jersey Shore, where streaming giant Netflix is planning to build one of the world's biggest production studios at the former Fort Monmouth. The strike shows New Jersey's bet on the entertainment industry isn't without risk. … But experts say Netflix appears to be uniquely positioned to survive the strike with little damage, and a new Fort Monmouth studio still makes plenty of sense.” TOP CONTENDER FOR HEALTH COMMISSIONER IN SPADEA ADMINISTRATION — “A New Jersey woman is arrested on suspicion of posing as a doctor and prescribing medicine for more than a year,” by CNN’s Sara Smart: “Maria Macburnie, 62, was charged with practicing medicine by an unlicensed person, forgery, health care claims fraud, and three counts of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Macburnie treated patients at Shore Medical Associates in Toms River, New Jersey, from March 2022 to June 2023, the prosecutor’s office said. She went by the name of a family member who has an active medical license, the prosecutor’s office said.” —“Fox 29′s Bob Kelly assaulted during an event in Sea Isle City” —“What's so great about living to 109? This Somerset woman tells us”
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