| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Wednesday morning! Newark Council President LaMonica McIver has Essex County Democratic officials lined up behind her candidacy to succeed the late U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, but she’ll have competition. Former East Orange councilmember Brittany Claybrooks, who had been working as the Andy Kim campaign’s North Jersey director, announced her candidacy Tuesday. "It's time for fresh, young leadership dedicated to making public service work for the people, not just those in power," said Claybrooks, 32, who comes from an urban planning background. "I'm running because our community needs someone who will work every day to help them afford to buy a home, put food on their table, and commute to work. I've delivered for my community before, and I will do it again in Congress." Darryl Godfrey, the chief operations officer of the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, is also positioning himself to run, according to David Wildstein, who first reported Claybrooks’ candidacy. Max Pizarro reports that Linden Mayor Derek Armstead is looking to run as well. The July 16 special primary will decide who the nominee will be to run in the Sept. 18 special general election to fill the seat until January. The bigger election will be for the Democratic nominee for full two-year term. And that will be decided exclusively by Democratic county committee members from the 10th District portions of Essex, Union and Hudson Counties. Payne is the only name on the ballot in the 10th District June primary. So once the Secretary of State certifies that election and declares a vacancy due to his death, the Democratic committees of the district have until Aug. 29 to decide on the replacement nominee. It’s possible that Claybrooks or another candidate could win the primary and fill Payne’s seat for a few months, while Democratic committee members nominate McIver for the next term, which is tantamount to winning the general election in this heavily Democratic district. I asked Democratic State Chair LeRoy Jones, who also leads the Essex County Democrats, whether he could see his committee backing McIver for the full term even if a different candidate won the special primary. (I believe Democratic committee members could also select the full-term nominee before the special primary.) He wouldn’t speculate. “My anticipation is that McIver will win and we’ll move on. So I’m going on that premise, that Lamonica is going to win. She’s going to have a strong organization,” Jones said. “She’s going to be well-funded. And we’re going to take it to the voters and secure victory. Any other scenario right now, it’s irrelevant to me.” TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at MFriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “They polished a turd and it still stinks.” — Jesse Burns, E.D. of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, on the OPRA amendments HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Chris Megerian, Matt Greller, Sabeen Masih, Yale Hauptman, Miranda Peterson WHERE’S MURPHY? — On your local NPR affiliate for "Ask Govrernor Murphy" at 7 p.m.
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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 | | HOW MUCH WOOD COULD A UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT CHOP IF A UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT COULD BE MORE VOCAL ON ANTI-SEMITISM? — “Murphy offers criticism of Rutgers, laments missed opportunities with protests,” by ROi-NJ’s Tom Bergeron: “Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday offered a criticism of Rutgers University’s recent response to anti-Israel protestors on their campus, indicting he felt the administration’s willingness to hear demands from that group differed from how it has dealt with complaints of antisemitism from Jewish students on campus. ‘If you’re going to sit down with one group of students, and you’re going to go through a (list of) ‘Will you consider this?’ — what about the folks, in this case in particular, the Jewish students, who apparently had given a set of demands back in December?” he said. ‘You owe everybody their seat at the table. “We cannot allow any institution in the state, certainly not an institution of higher education, to have even a perception that someone is not welcomed, or that they won’t be safe. To me, there’s a lot of wood still left to chop there.’” —I asked about the set of demands Murphy referred to that was requested by Jewish students, and it appears he was actually referring to proposals by Rutgers JFAS (Jewish Faculty, Administrators, and Staff) to address anti-semitism at Rutgers. (Universities have a rule that all organizations must use acronyms.) —“Rutgers-Newark student arrested after hanging pro-Israel signs near pro-Palestinian encampment” —“County officials’ criticism of planned Gaza protest undermined free speech, ACLU says” SPEAKING OF WOOD CHOPPING — “The bill establishes an exemption to the ban on importation of woodchucks into the State for the importation of a woodchuck for the purposes of replacing a groundhog in order for a county or municipality to celebrate Groundhog Day when the county’s or municipality’s groundhog has died, provided that every effort is made to replace the groundhog with a woodchuck found in the State or imported from a state in which a variant of rabies other than raccoon rabies is not endemic as provided for in the bill.” — The summary of NJ A4926 (h/t Terrence McDonald) SAVAGE: OLD BOYS CLUB WAS FULL OF MACHO MEN — “N.J. high court sides with former cop in town’s disparagement claim,” by New Jersey Monitor’s NIkita Biryukov: “A state ban on non-disclosure agreements in cases involving harassment, retaliation, or discrimination can extend to non-disparagement agreements, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The high court’s unanimous decision hands a win to former Neptune Township police sergeant Christine Savage, who entered into a non-disparagement agreement when settling workplace claims against the town’s police department. Neptune moved to enforce the agreement when she later told NBC New York the department remained a ‘good old boys club.’ ‘Survivors of discrimination, retaliation, and harassment now have a legal right to tell their story — a right that cannot be taken away from them by a settlement agreement,’ Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in Tuesday’s ruling. Savage’s lawyer, Donald F. Burke Jr., said the ruling affirms ‘the rights of victims of discrimination to speak out.’” ‘
| | | | JOIN 5/22 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF TAXATION: With Trump-era tax breaks set to expire in 2025, whoever wins control of Congress, and the White House will have the ability to revamp the tax code and with it reshape the landscape for business and social policy. Join POLITICO on May 22 for an exploration of what is at stake in the November elections with our panel dissecting the ways presidential candidates and congressional leaders are proposing to reshape our tax rates and incentives. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | NJ’S CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS OFFICIALLY RIGGSED — Top cannabis commission staffer moving to DOH, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: Jeff Brown, who oversaw the launch of the recreational cannabis industry in the state, will be moving to a top position at the Department of Health, Gov. Phil Murphy’s office announced Tuesday afternoon. Brown has long been involved in cannabis regulations in the state. Even before he was the executive director of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, he oversaw the state’s medical marijuana program when it was regulated by the DOH. He will transition from the CRC to the DOH starting May 20, Murphy’s office said. CRC Chief Counsel Chris Riggs will serve as the CRC’s acting executive director. —“Help ease N.J. housing crisis and we’ll give you more money for your town, Dems tell mayors” —“State launches NJ FAST, a fintech accelerator program, at Stevens Institute of Technology” —“Contract to build first Gateway rail tunnel coming this year, planners say” —“Number of track outages grossly underestimated for Portal Bridge replacement project” —“NJ Transit consulting team is looking to transform the agency. And cut $600M” —“NJ Transit one-way tickets will expire after 30 days starting this summer” —“NJ eyes ways to protect workers from the heat while business groups object” —“Lawmakers push to help school districts facing reductions in state aid” —“N.J. will take quicker action when a child is exposed to lead” | | BIDEN TIME | | WAY LESS THAN STORMY DANIELS GOT — “Here is how much the Trump campaign paid to Wildwood for beachfront rally,” by NJ Advance Media Eric Conklin: “To host a crowd spanning a fraction of Wildwood’s half-mile-long beach for a rally Saturday, former President Donald Trump paid tens of thousands of dollars to the city for their services and a fee to use the public space. The Republican presidential hopeful’s campaign paid $54,200 to Wildwood for the May 11 rally being held on the beach between a set of amusement piers, according to records obtained by NJ Advance Media through the Open Public Records Act. … Troiano said the most money would be paid to cover public safety and cleanup services for which the city would otherwise be responsible. Officials are preparing for a crowd of up to 40,000, significantly larger than the one Trump drew at the Wildwoods Convention Center in 2020, which was limited in space to accommodate slightly over 7,000 spectators.” —“Gottheimer wants $60M fund to help fight senior scams. How to protect against online fraud” | | LOCAL | |
NJ PLAYBOOK TO HOLD SPECIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS EUPHEMISMS — “Atlantic City school board to hold special meeting on 'personnel matters',” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “ The local school board has advertised a special meeting for 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss ‘personnel matters.’ … A $2 million tort claim filed last week on behalf of a minor identified as E.L. against Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife, schools Superintendent La’Quetta Small, claimed the couple attempted to destroy evidence to cover up alleged child abuse after they were charged with endangering the welfare of their teenage daughter. … An affidavit of probable cause indicated the Smalls disapproved of their daughter’s boyfriend, who had audio recordings of the alleged abuse on an iPad … It alleges the Smalls used [Seashore Leadership Academy’s] principal, Ray Strickland, and their family members to attempt to confiscate and destroy evidence in the possession of the daughter’s boyfriend, who was also kept from attending school for a month without cause.’
QUID PRO QUOBOKEN — “Former Hoboken director alleges quid pro quo, retaliation, & defamation in lawsuit,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “Former Hoboken Health and Human Services Director Leo Pellegrini is leveling some heavy allegations including quid pro quo, retaliation, and defamation in a new three-count lawsuit filed in Hudson County Superior Court on Friday. ‘In January 2020, at a meeting with Mayor [Ravi] Bhalla, Vijay Chaudhuri, chief of staff, Steven Marks, then Business Administrator of the City of Hoboken, Jason Freeman, then Assistant Business Administrator and later Business Administrator of the City of Hoboken, and Plaintiff, Mayor Bhalla presented a list of the City’s employees stating that he wanted to know which employees if laid off could potentially hurt him politically,’ the suit says … The ex-high-ranking city official further contends that Bhalla regularly attempted to politicize the three-person cannabis review board, which Pellegrini served on … “On or about January 14, 2022, during a lunch meeting with Mayor Bhalla, Chaudhuri, Freeman, John Allen, Esq., Corporation Counsel, and Plaintiff, Mayor Bhalla said he received a telephone call from Mayor Fulop of Jersey City and that Mayor Fulop was extremely upset and very angry that the Cannabis Board awarded to Nature’s Touch said location,” the lawsuit states. “Mayor Bhalla said he was quashing the award to Nature’s Touch because Mayor Fulop’s wife was going to get the medicinal cannabis retail location on 14th Street in Hoboken. … Mayor Bhalla reiterated that he was going to quash the award to Nature’s Touch and explained that in exchange, Mayor Fulop promised he would give Mayor Bhalla’s law firm contract work.” NJ PLAYBOOK IS THE BEST NEWSLETTER EVER WRITTEN, SAYS CONSULTANT PAID BY NJ PLAYBOOK — “Lakewood Schools consultant fires back at 'twisted' and 'skewed' state report,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Joe Strupp: “An education consultant hired by Lakewood Schools to review its operations claims a recent state report ripping school management and policies was off base, calling it “twisted” and ‘skewed.’ Elizabeth Keenan, hired by the district for $22,800, delivered her findings at the April 17 Board of Education meeting and declared the district’s operations to be commendable. ‘No district is going to be perfect but you are a district that supports your students,”’ Keenan told the board. ‘A district that really wants to take care of each other and support students and the students feel that. You are doing a lot better than most districts.’ The school board hired Keenan – a former school administrator in Chicago and St. Louis County, Missouri – after the New Jersey Department of Education on March 1 issued a scathing report that accused the district of violating a long list of policies, suffering from poor morale, and experiencing ‘high levels of distrust.’” BALLS NEED EXAMINING — “Who’s in charge of Wildwood’s concrete beach balls?,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s BIll Barlow: “Brightly colored, extremely Instagrammable and not quite indestructible, concrete beach balls have proliferated in Wildwood and beyond since their installation at a plaza in front of the Boardwalk at Rio Grande Avenue in 2008. They are now an iconic symbol of the Wildwoods, said Ben Rose, marketing director for the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority. … But just how many are there? No one seems to know for sure — or who is responsible for looking after them all. Resident Al Brannen, a former Wildwood mayor and a regular at Board of Commissioners meetings, raised the question during an April meeting, specifically about the beach balls at the end of the Boardwalk on Cresse Avenue. ‘They’re an absolute disgrace,’ he said, with scratches on the paint on top of the balls and fading colors. … Cresse is the dividing line between Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, but that line runs down the middle of the street, so the offending beach balls may be on the Wildwood side … Mayor Ernie Troiano promised to check the condition of the beach balls and determine who is supposed to be looking after them. “That may be us,” he said.” —“'I never expected to be living here': In the Toms River woods, homeless tell their stories” —“[Edison] cop accused of theft avoids conviction in long-delayed case” —“Netflix spurs further redevelopment plans for Eatontown's downtown” —“[East Orange] hospital in financial distress was just ordered to draw up ‘disaster plan’” —“Speculation starts over Newark city council seat amid Mciver’s Congress bid” —“Prior to budget vote, Jersey City Council wants more transparency from Public Safety Dept.” —“Offshore wind opponents again pressure Atlantic County commissioners to pick sides” —“North Wildwood beach work expected to cost $10M” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
I’M DOING MY PART! — “N.J. likes weed. Here’s how high we rank among the states that smoke the most,” by NJ Advance Medai’s Jelani Gibson: “New Jersey ranks among the states whose residents smoke the most weed on a regular basis, according to a recent Gallup poll that profiled cannabis use nationally. An estimated 9% of American adults use cannabis consistently, according to the results. Regular use was defined as 10 or more days of consumption per month. In another Gallup report, 17% of Americans reported some cannabis use in 2023. New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania — defined as the Middle Atlantic Region in the report — had highest rates of consistent consumption, at 11%. That was tied with the region that includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, the report said.”
EXXIT — “Exxon/Mobil to close NJ campus after Clinton Township balks at redevelopment plan,” by MyCentralJersey’s Mike Deak: “ExxonMobil announced it will close its Hunterdon County research facility to consolidate its corporate research operations to its headquarters in Houston. The decision … will result in the loss of hundreds of jobs at the 757-acre campus. … The future of ExxonMobil's campus sparked a controversy in Clinton Township when last fall the corporation proposed changing the zoning of its campus that borders routes 22 and 31 to possibly allow 2.1 million square feet of warehouse development. … That proposal generated a firestorm of opposition from residents and township officials.” —“Famous ‘Tillie’ painting from shuttered NJ amusement park named-checked in Bruce Springsteen hit among 33 historic pieces left to rot in parking lot: report” —“The girl who can’t be fixed: A terrified teen was in crisis. Nobody would help her for 300 days” —“How do teacher salaries in New Jersey compare with other states? See the list”
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