| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Tuesday morning! The Philadelphia Inquirer brings us some new details on an investigation into whether the South Jersey Transportation Authority held payments to a politically connected contractor over a spat between one of its executives and George Norcross. The Inky got emails regarding the suddenly stopped payments to T&M Associates through public records requests. What’s interesting is what they don’t say: Why commissioners suddenly decided to put a halt to payments. (The commissioners eventually did approve the payments.) “Please make an official note that I will be voting NO on the below listed bills. Just for point of clarification it is all the bills for T&M Assoc,” Board Vice Chair Chirsotpher Milam said in a Feb. 8 email to the board secretary, followed 20 minutes later by a nearly identical email” from another commissioner, Bryan Bush. The board the following week approved everyone’s invoices except T&M. According to the Inky, Steve Ayscue — the main political operative for South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross — also got a visit from investigators earlier this year. What touched this off? Well, we don’t really have a way to know. But what’s clear is investigators are looking into whether the payment stoppages came about two months after George Norcross had asked Mercer County Commissioner John Cimino — a T&M executive — to stay neutral in what was then a county executive Democratic primary between the Norcross-backed incumbent Brian Hughes and challenger Dan Benson. Cimino refused and endorsed Benson, who is now county executive following Hughes’ decision to retire instead of seeing through the primary. At the time, I reported that Norcross’ insurance firm abruptly dropped T&M as a client. And InsiderNJ had already reported that Ayscue had already stopped working as a consultant for T&M. The SJTA held up the payments just weeks after my article ran. Norcross spokesperson Dan Fee said in a statement it’s “unsurprising none of the communications turned over to the Inquirer mentioned George because, as we have previously said, he is not in the civil engineering business, and he had nothing to do with T&M’s payments, which is why he hasn’t been contacted and what any fair inquiry will quickly prove.” Added Fee: “This entire thing is so ridiculous that next he will be accused of is knowing where Jimmy Hoffa is buried.” It would be a pretty brazen move to hold up payments to a contractor as revenge after my article was published. Or maybe those involved just figured no one reads my articles. If I’m the one to finally find Jimmy Hoffa’s body, will anybody notice? TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at MFriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I don't know why we're odd. We're both Democrats. We both probably assume Menendez is a total sleazeball. And we'll both be in the Senate. We seem to have a lot together in common.” — Sen. John Fetterman on U.S. Rep. Andy Kim HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Roy Freiman, Kari Osmond WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Newark at 11 a.m. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | PLATKIN: SMOKING BAN DECISION IS UP TO PARLIAMENT — Murphy administration seeks to dismiss casino smoking ban lawsuit, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: The Murphy administration is asking a state judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to ban smoking inside of the state’s casinos. In court briefs filed late Monday afternoon, Attorney General Matt Platkin’s office asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought forth by the United Auto Workers union and a coalition of casino workers known as CEASE. The filing from the state says that a smoking ban could financially hurt casinos, echoing an argument long made by the casino industry, and that the state law permitting indoor smoking is “entirely consistent” with the state constitution. “Granting such relief [by banning casino smoking] would disrupt the well-settled status quo; likely affect the businesses and livelihoods of third-parties, including the casinos, their management, and the many casino workers who disagree with Plaintiffs’ position; and potentially bring about economic consequences that the Legislature sought to avoid when it enacted the Smoke-Free Air Act,” the filing said. … The decision for the Murphy administration to defend smoking law does not come as a total surprise; in a recent News12 New Jersey appearance, the governor said attorneys he’s consulted with have said “this gets fixed by statute, not in the courts.” — “Will this lawsuit finally put an end to cigarette smoke in Atlantic City casinos?” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “It was only several weeks ago that a federal judge halted the county line ballot format on the grounds that the antiquated design was likely to be found unconstitutional. It was a stunning blow to the only-in-New Jersey ballot design that propped up the power of party bosses and county leaders for decades. Now, a question looms. Will another judge — this time sitting in state court — effectively order a long-overdue reform that the Legislature has failed to deliver? At issue is the special exemption that the Atlantic City casinos have enjoyed from the state’s ban on indoor smoking since it became law in 2006. … ‘Killing people and making them sick to put more profits in a corporation is not only unconstitutional, it's inhumane and indefensible,’ said Nancy Erika Smith, the Montclair attorney representing the workers.’" CHILD WELFARE — “A child’s horrific death drove NJ to reform welfare system,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Lilo H. Stainton: “In January 2003, police found the mummified body of 7-year-old Faheem Williams in a locked basement in Newark, alongside two brothers who were starving but still alive. Faheem and his family were known to New Jersey’s child welfare system, but with more than 100 children on his caseworker’s docket, no one was checking on the boys regularly. The horrific discovery made national headlines. It prompted then-Gov. Jim McGreevey to settle a federal class-action lawsuit filed in 1999 that claimed New Jersey was badly failing the roughly 10,000 children in its foster care system. The July 2003 settlement called for major structural and programmatic reforms and for an outside expert to monitor the state’s efforts, a process that formally ended in March. Two decades after the original settlement was crafted, New Jersey is a national leader in child welfare, according to some metrics, with a child protection system focused on keeping families safely together, whenever possible.”
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | SORRY, CHARLIE — “The Kratovil case – an update,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “A press freedom case out of New Brunswick may be headed to the state Supreme Court. The genesis of it all was when Charles Kratovil, the editor of the local news site, New Brunswick Today, learned that the city’s then-police director lived in Cape May, about two hours away. In seeking comment from city officials about this at a council meeting, the editor revealed the director’s street address. And that began the still unfolding legal process. Kratovil said he got what he terms a “cease and desist” letter from the city, threatening legal action if he disclosed the address of the director, Anthony Caputo in a news story. The basis for the letter was ‘Daniel’s Law.’ … Kratovil responded with a suit, challenging what he termed a violation of his First Amendment rights. … A state Superior Court judge initially ruled in favor of the defendants, dismissing Kratovil’s suit. And last week, the state Appellate Division did likewise. In doing so, it agreed with the lower court’s finding that a New Brunswick official living in Cape May was a legitimate matter of public concern … but publishing his actual address could violate Daniel’s Law.” —McDonald: “They took on New Jersey’s party bosses — and they’re winning” —“NJ Education officials mum on Atlantic City superintendent La'Quetta Small's status in wake of abuse charges” —“Advocates want ICE center closed in Elizabeth. Here's why it's not yet” —“Newcomer gets Essex civil court post, passing over two campaigners” | | BIDEN TIME | |
UNFETTERED MAN — Washington’s weird marriage of convenience — hoodied John Fetterman and straitlaced Andy Kim, by POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy: For someone who has made a career of defying norms, Fetterman has stood out as being the lone, non-New Jersey voice in the Senate routinely calling for Menendez’s resignation — rankling Kim’s home state colleagues. Fetterman aligned with the Garden State's revolting low-level Democrats in the Senate primary by expressing distaste for New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, who he said relied partly on nepotism to try winning the nomination. It all adds to the persona of an iconoclastic political figure who speaks his mind — whether anybody asked him to. Kim certainly didn’t. "I don't know him very well, but I certainly respect somebody who has that kind of confidence in who they are, their style, their approach. It's not easy. Like so much of politics — there's pressure to kind of conform on a lot of different levels. There's pressure to not stick your neck out," Kim added. "I hope to be able to get to know him better … Kim said he had never spoken to Fetterman until Menendez was indicted. The first time they met was during a Joe Biden speech, when the significantly shorter New Jerseyan was seated behind 6’ 8” Fetterman — who was wearing a tall Steelers winter hat. “Of course they put the 5’ 6” Asian American behind John Fetterman,” he said.
—“Gaza’s fate looms large in NJ Dems June primary debate” | | LOCAL | | TO PROTECT AND SLUR — “N.J. cops caught using racial slurs argue they can’t be fired,” by NJ Advance Media’s Riley Yates: “What took so long? That’s the question at the heart of lawsuits by two Clark Township police officers who face the loss of their jobs nearly four years after they were caught using racial slurs that included the n-word. In November, Attorney General Matthew Platkin called for Chief Pedro Matos and Internal Affairs Sgt. Joseph Teston to be fired, as he released a scathing report excoriating township officials for covering up secret recordings that captured the pair and Mayor Sal Bonaccorso making racist comments. At a hearing Friday in Superior Court in Union County, attorneys for Matos, Teston and a third officer facing discipline argued that authorities’ efforts were too little, too late. They are asking a judge to throw out their disciplinary charges, insisting authorities dragged their feet during the investigation and violated procedural safeguards requiring it to be quickly resolved. ‘They blew it,’ said Charles Sciarra, Matos’ lawyer. Authorities took over Clark Township’s police department in 2020, and Matos, Teston and the third officer, Capt. Vincent Concina, have been on paid leave ever since. Platkin recommended Matos and Teston be terminated and that Concina face demotion to lieutenant.” JACKSON TO OUTSOURCE FIRE SERVICE TO CRASSUS — “Jackson looks to cut from fire districts after voters reject budgets,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Mike Davis: “Amid the potential consolidation of two of the township's three fire districts, the township council must figure out where to cut – and how much – after voters rejected two districts' budgets. Under state law, rejected fire budgets are sent to the municipal government to review, make changes and adopt. Township business administrator Terence Wall recommended the council cut the budgets by $350,000, which represents a 7% cut for District No. 3 and 11% for District No. 4 that officials said would undo a decade or more of planning. … ‘Most residents don't interact with us, and some interact with us on what is likely one of the worst days of their lives,’ District No. 3 chairman Frank Hruschka said. ‘They just want us to put the fire out and rescue anyone who needs rescuing. None of that is possible without sufficient funding or staffing.’” NOT PAINTING A PURDY PICTURE — “Space, morale issues challenge Atlantic County Board of Elections in presidential year,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s : “The new Democratic chairman of the Atlantic County Board of Elections says he’s facing space and manpower shortages that could threaten the security of the presidential election, while a Republican leader claims a hostile work environment is the real problem there. ‘We’re very short staffed. ... We don’t have the space available to us in the old jail to properly run the election,’ new Chair John Mooney said Wednesday. “‘ have requested an audit be done by (the U.S. Department of) Homeland Security. I’m concerned about security of the election.’ Disagreements over what needs fixing and trouble between the parties is happening as the nation heads into a presidential election, with all the extra attention and higher voter turnout that brings. ‘The problem with it is, it’s almost such a hostile work environment over there with the Democrats. We’ve had several people quit. I’m not talking about board members but employees over there,’ said Atlantic County Republican Chairman Don Purdy.” ZIA IN ATLANTIC CITY — “Lacca election challenge moves forward, alleging Zia lives out of Atlantic City,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “A judge on Friday declined to dismiss Republican candidate Maria Lacca's 5th ward election challenge, setting a trial date of May 15. Lacca is alleging the winner of the race, incumbent Democratic Councilman Muhammad ‘Anjum’ Zia, does not live in the city but instead lives in Egg Harbor Township. ‘I live in the city at 110 Brighton Avenue,’ Zia said in a phone interview Monday … An ally of Mayor Marty Small Sr., Zia's win along with that of 4th ward candidate George ‘Animal’ Crouch allowed Small allies to retake the majority on City Council. Lacca, a Republican, lost to Zia by 44 votes.” PASSAIC COUNTY — “Passaic officer accuses bosses of nixing promotion for politics,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Nikita Biyrukov: “A Passaic County sheriff’s officer claims in a new court filing that years of workplace sexual harassment culminated in supervisors withdrawing her promotion to avoid harming Passaic Democrats’ pick for county sheriff. Passaic Sheriff’s Officer Nicole Staso accused officials of rescinding her promotion to detective mere hours after entering it into a personnel management system. An undersheriff told her the office brass were concerned that false rumors of her romantic entanglements could hurt Thomas Adamo’s campaign for county sheriff, Staso wrote in the filing. ... Adamo, who’s chief of the county sheriff’s office, said in a statement Monday that he wasn’t responsible and the claim did not directly involve him. He suggested the tort’s filing was timed to harm his campaign for county sheriff.” YOU GOT BYRNED — “Judge says council candidate who switched parties can run in primary,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “A judge rejected a bid by an off-the-line Republican township council candidate in Toms River to throw his opponent off the ballot because he is a former Democrat. Kevin Geohegan, a former councilman, alleged that Wiliam Byrne, his rival in a second ward special election contest, was a longtime Democrat who switched parties on March 8 and was not a registered Republican 55 days before the start of voting when mail-in ballots began to go out on April 20. But changes in party declarations are immediate and Byrne was eligible to file in the GOP primary in advance of the March 25 filing deadline. Superior Court Judge Craig Wellerson said it was up to Republican primary voters to decide if they wanted an ex-Democrat as their councilman – and up to the legislature to pass a law that would prohibit it.” —“There’s plenty of sand to rebuild Jersey Shore beaches. But getting it isn’t easy” — “Westwood school board eases limits on classroom debate, restricts recordings of teachers” —“Lifeguards sue to get pensions from [Avalon]” —“[Newark] seeks to have lawsuit tossed in 2 shipfire deaths, says it’s a workers’ comp issue” —“Former Ventnor code enforcement officer accused of keeping permit payments indicted by grand jury” —“Parent sues Verona district, alleges daughter was sexually assaulted repeatedly in school” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
NEW JERSEY: TURNING AMERICA’S PEE GREEN FOR 102 YEARS — “N.J. asparagus festival remembers what locals hail as first U.S. flight to deliver produce,” by Bill Duhart for NJ.com: “An event that started as a centennial celebration has now grown into an annual street festival. On May 18, a commemoration of the 102nd anniversary of what locals hail as the first air-freight shipment of fresh produce in the United States will take place in the Mullica Hill section of Harrison. It marks 102 years since 1,000 pounds of asparagus was shipped on a Fokker monoplane from Mullica Hill to Boston. … In addition to historical exhibits, a Battle of the Chefs will take place on South Main Street, near Old Town Hall. It will feature an asparagus tasting competition among five chefs and three bakers.”
—“Gaza protesters take over Princeton building, set up encampment at Rutgers” —“TikTok ban raises alarms for NJ influencers, businesses” —“Drinking water in communities of color is more likely to be contaminated by ‘forever chemicals” —“After 20 years, North Jersey memorial to clergy abuse victims still stirs strong emotions” —“'You never forget the sight.' Tinton Falls WW2 veteran recalls liberating Nazi death camp” —“California is joining with a New Jersey company to buy a generic opioid overdose reversal drug”
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