| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by Health Care Association of New Jersey | Good Tuesday morning! It’s not a secret but it has largely escaped broad notice: New Jersey’s largest public workers union is waging a “Pension Justice” campaign. While I can’t find any single big goal of the program spelled out, the NJEA is seeking to roll back laws over the last nearly 20 years that have led to newer members being placed in lower tiers with less generous pension benefits. I called the NJEA for details but didn’t hear back. The union called a bill that just began advancing in the Legislature, A1675, its “first step” in this campaign. That extends the amount of time teachers can have a break in service while maintaining their membership in the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund from two years to seven. When the NJEA makes a big push on something, it usually has big political implications. Recall the war between the union and former Senate President Steve Sweeney after he reneged on a constitutional amendment to mandate full pension funding. The NJEA spent about $5 million to help a Republican candidate Fran Grenier oust Sweeney, only for Sweeney to win in a landslide. It’s still the most expensive state legislative election in New Jersey history. And ironically, Sweeney was defeated four years later Ed Durr, who spent next to nothing and definitely had no help from the union. This is all occurring as the NJEA is pouring millions into a statewide advertising campaign to boost the 2025 gubernatorial of its president, Sean Spiller, who’s leaving office as mayor of Montclair after a tumultuous four years in office in which he and most other members of the governing body have been accused of receiving payments in lieu of benefits they were not entitled to. According to NJ Education Report, a top union official held meetings with teachers and staff at Montclair High School last week to make the case both for the “Pension Justice” and “drum up support” for Spiller for governor. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at MFriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If your problem is a car, my problem is saving my family.” — What Jose Uribe claims he said to Nadine Menendez shortly before he allegedly helped pay for the car in exchange for Sen. Menendez interfering with a criminal case against someone very close to him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Steve Sweeney, Mary Melfi, Marshall Spevak, Steven Goldstein, Joey Novick, Matt Mowers WHERE’S MURPHY? — In North Carolina for the Democratic Governors Association
| | | | A message from Health Care Association of New Jersey: Trenton must stop short-changing nursing home residents and the staff who take care of them. Instead of piling on unfunded mandates, critical resources should be spent on hiring more staff and improving care. Otherwise, more than 9,000 current New Jersey nursing home residents risk losing their homes. Tell your state lawmakers: The state must invest now in the welfare of its aging senior population. It’s not a choice, it’s an obligation. | | | |  | MENENDEZ CORRUPTION TRIAL | |
OH BOBBY YOU, YOU GOT WHAT HE NEEDED... AND YOU SAY HE'S JUST A FRIEND — Bob Menendez had ‘complete knowledge’ of case linked to bribery, witness testifies, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: During an August 2019 meeting at an Italian restaurant in North Jersey, Sen. Bob Menendez appeared to know the details of a prosecution and an investigation he and his wife are alleged to have taken bribes to disrupt, the man who has pleaded guilty to bribing them testified Monday. Jose Uribe, a trucking and insurance company owner, had by then already held a fundraiser for the senator, met him several times for drinks or dinner, and, he said, bribed Menendez’s now-wife with a car. Uribe’s goal, going back over a year, had been to get a good deal for one business associate who was being charged with insurance fraud in New Jersey and to stop a related state investigation that could lead to one of his own companies. But Uribe had yet to talk face-to-face with the senator about the alleged cases or the point of his bribes, which he’d first arranged with a friend of the senator’s girlfriend at the time, Nadine Menendez, and then with Nadine herself.
Finally, on Aug. 7, 2019, Uribe said he sat down with the senator and Nadine in the back of Il Villaggio, an Italian restaurant in North Jersey. Uribe said that at the dinner the senator seemed to have “complete knowledge” about the prosecution that the senator is accused of trying to disrupt. And, when Uribe asked him to find out about the investigation into his own company, Menendez indicated “he would look into it.”
| | | | A message from Health Care Association of New Jersey:   | | | | | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
HOFF LIKELY CONFIRMED WITHOUT HASSLE — Murphy says he'll nominate former Acting Attorney General Hoffman to the Supreme Court, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday likely put his final mark on the state Supreme Court, announcing his intention to nominate John Hoffman, the longtime top law enforcement official in former Gov. Chris Christie's administration, as an associate justice. The 58-year-old Marlton resident is currently general counsel at Rutgers and served as acting attorney general under Christie from June 2013 to March 2016 — a time that coincided with the Bridgegate scandal. During emotional remarks in the governor’s office Monday, Hoffman recalled Murphy telling him he was his pick for the job on Friday. “I am not usually stuck for words like that, but this time I was,” said Hoffman, who said it took him about 30 seconds to respond to the governor. “I appreciate you certainly having heard the roar that was in my silence.”
IN THE YEAR 2025 — Litigation over the long-term future of the county line is expected to spill into 2025 with no trial date determined yet, according to a court order from late May. The court-approved schedule in the Conforti V. Hanlon lawsuit — a lawsuit seeking to end the county line filed nearly four years ago — said that expert depositions are due by Jan 31, 2025, and a trial date is “TBD.” The county line was dismantled in this year’s Democratic primary, although political observers think it is unlikely to stay in place in the 2025 gubernatorial primary. The Conforti case is one of two lawsuits seeking long-term abolition of the county line, which places party-backed candidates more prominently on primary ballots. Rep. Andy Kim is still pushing forward with his lawsuit to end the line — his legal action led to a line-free primary for Democrats this year — although a schedule is not set for that case. Lawmakers have also said they plan to address ballot design, although they have not set a timeline for the initiative. — Daniel Han
| | | | 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. | | | | | LEADERSHIP — “The Governor’s lead balloon: Murphy’s $100 million broken promise leaves the health of New Jersey students at risk,” by Ian Sheran for Jersey Vindicator: “One day in the fall of 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy took his place center stage at a Bergen County elementary school … The script outlined his new counter-offensive in the state’s war on lead and, specifically, his strategy to address the growing and alarming reports of the toxic metal showing up in the drinking water at public schools throughout the state. … The state would create ‘a single, central database’ containing all of the testing results from every school. Murphy added that the Department of Education would have new direct enforcement powers to ensure schools are transparent about their lead testing results. However, testing and reporting alone would not solve the problem. The schools needed money to repair their aging water infrastructure. Murphy vowed that the state would provide $100 million to school districts to get that process going … Now, three-and-a-half years later, an investigation by The Jersey Vindicator has discovered that Murphy’s plan never got off the ground. As for the $100 million promised for remediation work … The Vindicator found that only $6.6 million has been spent, which was confirmed by Treasury Spokeswoman Danielle Currie. In July 2021, Murphy signed a bill that allocated those funds to 26 school districts for repair work. The lion’s share of the 2021 expenditure — $4 million — went to Jersey City schools for new plumbing fixtures with a filtration system." TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES (SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION) — “Why NJ property-tax relief is never a sure thing,” by NJ Spotlight News’ John Reitmeyer: “Sprinkled throughout a lengthy task force report detailing ways to enhance state-funded property-tax relief, including programs for senior citizens, is the phrase ‘subject to appropriation.’ While easy to dismiss it as budget jargon, the phrase serves as an important reminder that the state’s most popular relief programs operate on a year-to-year basis and depend on the level of funding approved each year by the governor and lawmakers … Meanwhile, what happens in 2026, including with the promised Stay NJ program, which could cut some seniors’ property-tax bills in half, is also still ‘subject to appropriation,’ as the task force report indicates. Moreover, detailed in the report’s discussion of Stay NJ is another important qualifier that was written into the law enacted by Murphy and lawmakers last year that established the new program and the task force to study its feasibility. This qualifier requires the governor and lawmakers to first fund a series of ‘prerequisite’ line items in the annual budget before they can consider the paying out of the promised Stay NJ benefits.” —“Murphy to announce pardon and clemency initiative next week” —“NJCU goes in front of state legislators: Making progress, but plenty of financial help still needed” —“NJ Democrats dropped the county line. Republicans didn't. How it affected primary voting” —“How NJ is seeking to prevent 'abuse and exploitation' ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026” —“Testa plans hearing on safety at the shore”
| | | | A message from Health Care Association of New Jersey: Trenton must stop short-changing nursing home residents.
Nursing homes require additional staff, and those staff deserve living wages.
To support more staffing hours, state payment rates need to rise.
State lawmakers and regulators need to stop piling on unfunded mandates that drain critical resources that should instead be spent on hiring more staff and improving care.
If they don’t, more than 9,000 current New Jersey nursing home residents risk losing their homes.
Tell your state lawmakers: The state must invest now in the welfare of its aging senior population.
It’s not a choice, it’s an obligation. | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
ABC, EASY AS 1, 2 … 34 COUNTS — “Trump’s liquor licenses under scrutiny after felony conviction,” by Forbes’ Zach Everson: “The State of New Jersey is reviewing whether Donald Trump’s recent convictions will impact his liquor licenses, according to a spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office. Trump is the sole owner of three golf courses in New Jersey that have active liquor licenses, according to the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, [ABC] New Jersey law prohibits issuing a liquor license to anyone who has been convicted of a crime ‘involving moral turpitude.’ … Other states where Trump sells alcohol have similar regulations on the books, but it seems unlikely that the former president will face issues in any of them, thanks to a variety of workarounds”
—Stile: “Who will loom largest in New Jersey's Senate race? Donald Trump and Bob Menendez” —“New Jersey’s D.C. Democrats say Biden administration should not support new immigrant jail”
| | | | JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE: As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | LOCAL | |
RUNWAY’S JAMMED WITH BROKEN ZEROS — “Springsteen has flown out of here. Is this N.J. county trying to hijack the airport?” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman: “Monmouth County officials are apparently trying to get into the cockpit. They want to take over Monmouth Executive Airport in Wall Township and seem unwilling to take ‘no’ for an answer. In recent months, the county’s Board of Commissioners has been exploring condemnation proceedings with the aim of possibly taking the 746-acre facility, also known as Monmouth Jet Center, through eminent domain, according to county records. No one has said why, or what that could ultimately cost. But the price could be far greater than the county might anticipate, experts say. Alan Antaki, the president and majority stockholder of Wall Herald Corp., the owner of the airport, labeled the county’s efforts ‘bizarre and shocking,’ which he claimed came out of the blue.’“We can’t get a straight answer,’ he said, when asked why the country wanted the airport. ‘They never discussed it with me. They just blindsided us.’”
TETERBORO NEEDS EIGHT MORE RESIDENTS— “What's it like being one of the few people who live in Teterboro? We asked them,” by The Record’s Sarah Buttikofer: “Teterboro is more than just an airport to the dozens of people who call the tiny Bergen County borough home. Teterboro ranks among the smallest towns in New Jersey. According to Teterboro's website, it occupies a 1.1 square mile area with only 61 residents. … To some noise is a factor while others found it tranquil. When asked what it's like living there, Paul Pereira, a resident of four years, voiced some complaints about noise. But it wasn't about the airport, but a nearby gun range. … Resident Rich Ramessar could not think of one complaint he had about his living situation. Ramessar thinks the low population is simply due to the lack of housing. … Ramessar does construction work and believes that the townhouses were built with special soundproofing to help with the noise from the airport.” PEAPACK-GASSTONE — ”Peapack-Gladstone OKs gassing of geese in Liberty Park,” by MyCentralJersey’s Ethan Mannello: “The mayor and Borough Council have decided to go through with a controversial plan to euthanize the Canada geese in Liberty Park. “We are not going to cancel the contract is the bottom line,” said Borough Council President John Sweeney at the June 6 council meeting. Many in the room gasped in disappointment at the statement. Less than an hour earlier, more than 20 opponents of the borough's decision protested at Liberty Park across from Borough Hall. ‘We've tried every reasonable measure to lower the Canada geese population in the park, but it continues to increase.’ said Mayor Mark Corigliano.” —“'Shame on you': East Brunswick school administrators under fire for yearbook mistake” —“Paterson schools private security costs will top $10 million in the new school year” —“Fellow [Deniville]. cops retaliated when we reported misconduct, 2 officers say in lawsuits” —“70% of Newark teachers union members say ‘yes’ to new contract” —“Police shoot aggressive bear that trapped mother, daughter in Essex County park” —“Stockton experiment changes how Atlantic City, Pleasantville police conduct traffic stops” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | | R.I.P. — “Ocean City World War II veteran Rocky Gannon dies at 99,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s John O’Connor: “Roland ‘Rocky’ Gannon, a local veteran who flew hundreds of combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, died June 4 at 99, Mayor Jay Gillian said. Gannon grew up in the city and attended Ocean City High School before leaving the morning of his junior prom in 1943 for U.S. Army Air Corps Pilot training, according to his obituary … Gannon received 50 military awards for his service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, 10 Air Medals, four Meritorious Service Medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm according to his obituary.” MARSHALL LAW — “HomeGoods, Marshalls and other NJ retailers equip staff with bodycams to reduce theft,” by The Record’s Daniel Munoz: “If you go into a HomeGoods or HomeSense in New Jersey, don’t be surprised to see store workers wearing something more typically associated with a police officer: body cameras. The owner of the retail stores said that body cameras will be worn to deter thieves. A spokesperson at TJX — which owns HomeGoods, HomeSense, Marshalls, Sierra and TJ Maxx — said in a statement to NorthJersey.com affiliate USA TODAY that the body cameras have been used in various stores over the past year. Not every store employee will have a body camera, the spokesperson said, but they will be worn by loss prevention associates trained to use them.” CRACK FAWN — “Stafford shoplifting suspect caught with fawn in bag,” by the Asbury Park Press’ Ken Serrano: “When Stafford police got a call about a suspected shoplifter at ShopRite on Route 72, they encountered a Mays Landing man carrying a reusable shopping bag. But they soon learned there was no way Matthew Keithley, 23, shoplifted this item. Its birthing season for white-tailed deer and babies are popping up all over. But while questioning Keithley June 1, officers were surprised by a fawn that lifted its head out of the bag he was carrying. … The officers discovered that Keithley was also carrying crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia and that he had two outstanding warrants for charges in Atlantic County, police said.” —“Here’s how N.J. bridges are protected from the kind of ship that brought down a famous Baltimore bridge” —“Southern Poverty Law Center labels NJ parents' rights groups as 'antigovernment'” —“What I learned about the NJ cannabis business … as an Oompa Loompa in a chocolate factory” CLARIFICATION — In my top of this newsletter Monday I wrote that the state Supreme Court “came down on the side of transparency” in North Jersey Media Group v. Lyndhurst. I should note that the court did not rule that dash cam footage was subject to OPRA, but rather the common law right of access.
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