| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Friday morning! We’re still waiting for the announcement of the reported Assembly ballot design panel, as the slow but steady progress of county line lawsuit settlements continues. As reported Thursday by POLITICO’s Daniel Han, three county Republican parties — Union, Warren and Cumberland — plan to withdraw from the Conforti v. Hanlon lawsuit they intervened in. That’s the suit against the line that was in court for four years before Andy Kim’s Senate campaign filed its own lawsuit that blew up the whole thing. Already, the Middlesex, Burlington and Warren County clerks — along with Middlesex County Democrats — have agreed to office block designs in their own settlements. I expect more will come before long. “Everyone has said, 'Why waste more money when the judge is going to overturn it anyways?'” Union County GOP Chair Carlos Santos told Han. “Everybody knows the line will be dead next year anyways, so it's time to move forward.” Meanwhile, plaintiffs are pushing to get this litigation wrapped up before the 2025 gubernatorial primary. That’s why they successfully opposed the request by an attorney for the Passaic County Clerk to delay a case management conference scheduled for Oct. 16 until after the election, citing how busy their offices are leading up to the November election. “I think in the absence of a settlement this is going to mean another expedited litigation in 2025 if we don’t have everything wrapped up,” plaintiff attorney Flavio Komuves told me. If it wasn’t clear already, it’s looking extraordinarily unlikely that there will be a county line in the 2025 Democratic or Republican primaries. That will likely mean that money will play an even bigger role in the campaign. Which is convenient timing for the Elections Transparency Act. Not only did it double campaign contributions to gubernatorial campaigns and more than triple them to state and county political parties, but it’s going to allow effectively unlimited spending by independent expenditure groups that, as I noted yesterday, will almost certainly remain anonymous until 11 days before the election. Working New Jersey, the Sean Spiller super PAC I wrote about in this space Thursday, got back to me on Thursday. Since it spent some money on promoting federal candidates along with Spiller, it disclosed those expenditures with the FEC. Just those flyers were about $100,000. But will it voluntarily disclose its source of income prior to May 2025? “Working New Jersey has and will continue to fully comply with all NJ and federal campaign finance and disclosure laws,” a spokesperson for the group, Eddie Vale, told me. I'm taking that as a "no." TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off this Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day but will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Jose Arango, James Devine, Ward Sanders, Patricia Teffenhart, David Wolfe. Saturday for Conor Fennessy. Sunday for Carmen Theresa Morales, Anthony Abrantes, Vincent Kearney, Jason O'Donnell, Matt Platkin, Ry Rivard. Missed yesterday: Ed Wood would have turned 100. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It’s a great day in the City of Atlantic City.” — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small to the press, following his not guilty plea to child abuse charges WHERE’S MURPHY? In Somerset at 9 a.m. to speak at the New Jersey Black Issues Convention |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
EXHEMPTION — Federal judge blocks ‘protectionist’ parts of New Jersey hemp law, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: A federal judge on Thursday banned the state from enforcing “protectionist” policies on where intoxicating hemp sold in New Jersey must originate, although much of the state’s new hemp law appears to stay intact. The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi comes just a month after the hemp industry sued to invalidate much of the new law to regulate intoxicating hemp products, which have proliferated in New Jersey because they were not regulated by the state. Quraishi’s ruling prohibits New Jersey from exclusively growing and manufacturing intoxicating hemp sold in the state, allowing outside companies to send products to the state. But his ruling does not appear to block new parts of the law that will take intoxicating hemp off store shelves in New Jersey starting this weekend until such products are licensed by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission — a key part of the new law.
THE CALIFORNIA OF THE EAST — “Can NJ get creative to build more affordable housing?” by NJ Spotlight News’ Colleen O’Dea: “New Jersey has a housing problem that is decades in the making. One of the most expensive states in the nation to live, New Jersey needs an estimated 214,000 additional low-rent homes to satisfy the demand, despite nearly a half-century of state Supreme Court rulings — known collectively as the Mount Laurel Doctrine — requiring municipalities to zone for their 'fair share' of affordable housing needs … No state has made affordable housing a priority like California. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared the state’s housing situation a crisis and set a goal of adding 2.5 million new homes over the next eight years to help lower costs in the state with the highest housing costs in the nation, at a median price for a single-family home of around $900,000. Lawmakers have passed more than 100 bills in recent years to try to make that a reality. And while California still has a way to go to reach the goal, officials and experts there said the many successes in the Golden State can be models for other states, including New Jersey.” — “Amid anti-immigrant sentiment on campaign trail, advocates seek new protections for N.J. immigrants” — “N.J. passed a law to protect consumers from shoddy home contractors. Why is it delayed?” | | BIDEN TIME | |
LEFT AT THE ALT-ER — “Will national Democrats ever come to Sue Altman’s aid?” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “As of yesterday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the House Majority PAC (HMP) — the two national groups devoted solely to winning a Democratic majority in the U.S. House — have spent a total of $85 million on winning House seats around the country, from Alaska to North Carolina to Maine. Zero of those dollars have been spent in New Jersey. That’s increasingly foreboding news for Sue Altman, the Democratic nominee against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district … Outside Democratic groups have made plans to spend in the 7th district in the last few weeks of the campaign, supplementing an ad blitz that Altman has funded on her own over the last month. Those plans, however, could change at any time, and it’s still possible that Altman ends up getting left by the wayside in the final stretch … Asked whether the DCCC still plans on spending in the race, DCCC spokesperson Aidan Johnson said that his organization remains in close contact with Altman, but he did not guarantee any future investment.”
HE SÉANCED SHE SÉANCED — “Crispi on Bashaw: ‘Disturbing’, as Ali calls for Crispi ‘exorcism’,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “Morris County Republicans are one GOP organization that has had enough of Mike Crispi. Crispi, the co-chair of the America First Republicans … weighed in on Sunday’s Senate debate between Curtis Bashaw and Andy Kim. He called Bashaw’s performance ‘disturbing,’ among other criticisms. One of which was: ‘Where are the county chairmen and congressmen who backed Bashaw in the primary against pro-life Republicans like Christine Glassner, Justin Murphy, and Albert Harshaw? Bashaw’s nomination is the greatest scam in recent memory and the bosses who ran it will be held accountable.’ … Some Republican leaders may have just ignored Crispi’s rantings, but not Laura Ali in Morris … ‘Mike Crispi, who recently ridiculed Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz’s son for his autism on Twitter/X, decided to send out a massive email blast publicly bashing Curtis Bashaw. His rage was directed on the fact that Bashaw is a pro-choice Republican in a state that has over 900,000 more registered Democrats. Where was Crispi’s dedication to the pro-life cause when he ran a repulsive and vicious campaign against the former Right-to-Life Chair of N.J.– Congressman Chris Smith, back in 2022?’” | | LOCAL | |
THE FALL OF THE SMALLS — “Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife, schools superintendent La’Quetta Small, plead not guilty to child abuse charges,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Amy S. Rosenberg: “The mayor of Atlantic City and his wife, the superintendent of schools, pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the alleged physical and emotional abuse of their teenaged daughter in a joint three-minute arraignment. Mayor Marty Small Sr. greeted supporters in the courtroom with a smile, but then stood grim-faced during the arraignment, with his wife, La’Quetta Small, standing on the other side of an attorney. Their son made a brief appearance in the courtroom wearing an Atlantic City football uniform but was not present during the hearing. Their daughter also accompanied them to the courthouse but did not enter the courtroom itself, according to a family associate. Their attorneys, Ed Jacobs and Michael Schreiber, entered the not-guilty pleas for them. The Smalls did not speak during the hearing … After the hearing, the mayor only said his standard hype line for the city as he walked down the steps of the courthouse: ‘It’s a great day in the City of Atlantic City.’”
TTN — “An N.J. airport is getting a complete overhaul. The expansion just took its 1st step,” by Kevin Shea for NJ.com: “Dozens of politicians and officials put shiny ceremonial shovels in freshly tilled dirt at Trenton-Mercer Airport this week to kick off construction of a new fire station. The event, though, really marks the beginning of an overhaul of the airport centered around a new terminal, five times the size of the current building that will double the gates that can accommodate airliners … [Mercer County Executive Dan] Benson said, looking at Ewing Mayor Bert Steinmann, that new signage around the airport will remind people they are in Ewing, but then nodded at Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora and said the airport will always carry the city’s name.” DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THE NY POST IS NOT A LEGITIMATE NEWS SOURCE? — “Fair Lawn asked Jewish, Muslim student clubs to alter 'disruptive' displays. Here's why,” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “Jewish and Muslim student clubs at Fair Lawn High School were asked to alter elements of displays deemed ‘disruptive’ at a school fair last week, school officials acknowledged on Monday. But both the district and Fair Lawn's mayor pushed back on a media report that Jewish students were told to remove yellow ribbons displaying solidarity with hostages captured in the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel. On Sunday, the New York Post reported the ribbons were ‘banned’ from the Oct. 2 club fair, citing a Fair Lawn parent who said her child attends the school as well as the group StopAntisemitism. On Monday, in a letter sent to the school community, the district said that report was ‘inaccurate.’” THIS CALLS FOR A HISTORIC MARKER — “Go-go bar near Paterson's Great Falls could become housing and retail space,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “The Dr. Cave go-go bar that stood at the gateway to the Great Falls for many years would be replaced by housing and retail space under plans being crafted by Paterson’s largest nonprofit developer. The go-go bar has been closed for years, with the business vacant since 2021. There was a time when five Paterson schools as well as the city’s museum all operated a few blocks away from Dr. Cave’s, which had one sign touting its ‘adult entertainment’ and another advertising ‘go-go girls.’ … The New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC) bought the property at the corner of Grand and Spruce streets late last year for $1.2 million, said the nonprofit organization’s executive director, Bob Guarasci. The group has been meeting with its architects and expects to submit plans to Paterson to convert the building into 11 affordable-housing apartments with retail space at street level that likely will include a restaurant, Guarasci said.” PUTTING THE STUDENTS' INTERESTS ARE FIRST AND FOREMOST — "Hudson County commissioners vote 8-1 to replace Cabrera on HCST board," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "The Hudson County Board of Commissioners voted 8-1 to replace North Bergen Commissioner Hugo Cabrera on the volunteer county schools of technology board after his term expired ... O’Dea alluded to the fact that this could ignite a full fledged civil war among Hudson County Democrats, with many believing that state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack wanted Cabrera, a close ally of North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco, out in light of what some viewed as unsavory actions that took place at the Hispanic State Parade. Additionally, many politicos felt this was a message being sent since tonight is Sacco’s annual mayor’s ball at The Venetian in Garfield." — “[Edison Board of Education] will take 2nd vote on axing transgender policy” — “After years of veterans being squeezed in Brick, VA opening bigger clinic in Toms River” — “[Spotswood] school failed to protect girl from beatings by fellow student, lawsuit says” — “Randolph the Red-nosed Blame Deer” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
SPRINGSTEEN WILL WRITE A HAPPY SONG ABOUT THIS — “NJ manufacturing doing better than you think, making these things you'd never imagine,” by the Asbury Park Press’ Michael L. Diamond: “Each month, Unex Manufacturing Inc. executives get a phone call or email from an economic development group in another state — Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio — asking if they are ready to move out of New Jersey to a cheaper location. A move would no doubt help Unex lower its taxes and labor costs and keep up with its competitors. But after 60 years in New Jersey, the executives have stood their ground … New Jersey's manufacturing industry, written off not long ago as a relic, is staging a modest comeback. New companies, aided by advances in technology, are starting from their homes. Policymakers are devoting more resources to manufacturers and training programs. And companies in the state have more job openings than they can fill … New Jersey's manufacturing sector has increased from 241,300 jobs in December 2013 to 255,000 jobs in December 2023, stemming what was a decades-long decline.”
GLOBAL KOOLING & THE GANG: ‘CELEBRATE TURBINES, COME ON!’ — “Celebration inside, protesters outside at Atlantic City offshore wind conference,’ by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “The Time for Turbines offshore wind conference got started Thursday at Stockton University with a panel celebrating progress in creating a new industry in the state, while a group of protesters greeted attendees as they entered the parking lot. About 40 opponents of offshore wind farms greeted attendees with chants of ‘No offshore wind!’ and ‘Don’t industrialize our ocean!’ ‘The last few weeks have been a roller coaster, and the last day. Many of us have friends and family in Florida and North Carolina,” said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey, as he opened events with a discussion of how rising temperatures are feeding stronger hurricanes deluging the South. ‘This is obviously not talking points or rhetoric, when we talk about climate change, it is real.’” RUTGERS — “Man pleads guilty to hate crime for vandalizing Rutgers Islamic Center,” by The New York Times’ Lola Fadulu: “A New Jersey man who was charged with breaking into an Islamic student center at Rutgers University earlier this year and vandalizing religious artifacts pleaded guilty to committing a federal hate crime, officials said on Thursday. The man, Jacob Beacher, 24, of North Plainfield, N.J., broke into the Center for Islamic Life at the state university’s main campus in New Brunswick early on the morning of April 10, during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, prosecutors said. Once inside, he caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to religious artifacts and stole a Palestinian flag.” — “TD Bank pleads guilty and pays $3 billion to settle money-laundering case” R.I.P. — “N.J. songwriter, Bon Jovi collaborator, dead at 66”
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