| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Friday morning! The New York City council rejected Randy Mastro as corporation counsel, but New Jersey just can’t quit him. Mastro’s law firm, King and Spalding, as of Nov. 30 had billed $1.1 million for congestion pricing, according to public records I requested. But the state insists that’s a bargain, as Mastro’s firm is only charging $250 an hour when its top attorneys can bill up to $2,000 an hour. Note that these billings don’t include December, which will likely include a lot of hours for the legal team, since that’s when the case really came to a head. Mastro, of course, was the leader of the Christie administration’s internal “investigation” (quotes very intentional and appropriate) into the Bridgegate scandal, and over several years his firm at the time, Gibson Dunn, billed more than $9 million related to it. Craig Carpenito, who was Christie’s personal lawyer in Bridgegate, is also leading the legal fight against congestion pricing with Mastro. So what has that $1.1 million gotten New Jersey? Congestion pricing began earlier this month, despite Mastro’s statement that a judge’s remand meant it would have to be delayed, and an appeals court immediately swatted down an attempt for a temporary restraining order to stop it. And many of the drivers who pay the extra $6 to $9 to enter Manhattan seem to be enjoying their quicker commute times, though we’ll see if that persists as the policy matures. All indications are New Jersey intends to keep fighting this, and the state’s best hope might be the hostility of President-elect Trump. But you have to wonder if New York’s settlement offers, estimated in reports at about $100 million, will increase or decrease over time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Amit Jani, Christopher Pordon, Jason Freeman, Gregory Good. Saturday for Jason Redd, Beth DeFalco, Larry Casha, Collin Smith. Sunday for Mikie Sherrill, Shavonda Sumter WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule QUOTE OF THE DAY: “In recent news, Senate President Scutari has questioned the value of OSC’s work. During my five years as Acting State Comptroller, I have repeatedly offered to discuss our reports and answer questions about our findings or recommendations with the Senate President — an offer that has never been accepted but still stands.” — Kevin Walsh, responding to Scutari floating the idea of eliminating some state government watchdog agencies. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | SUMTER SENATE HOPES 86'D — "Wimberly elected to N.J. Senate to replace Pou," by New Jersey Globe's Zach Blackburn and David Wildstein: "Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson) will replace now-Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) in the New Jersey Senate after winning a special election convention Thursday night by one vote after a first ballot ended in a tie. Wimberly defeated his longtime running mate, Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Paterson), at a meeting of Democratic county committee members from the 35th district at the Paterson STEAM High School. He won 87-86; Wimberly carried the in-person voting, 78-72, and Sumter led on the virtual votes, 14-9 ... 'I will hit the ground and continue fighting for you in Trenton,' Wimberly told the crowd." OFF WITH THEIR DEPARTMENT HEADS — “In first day on job, NJ Transit head Kris Kolluri fires some, hires others,” by The Record’s Colleen Wilson: “Kris Kolluri’s first day as the head of NJ Transit came with some sweeping changes. Two department heads were let go, one person will switch jobs and five people were hired to oversee various departments or advise Kolluri, including several former NJ Transit staffers, according to a memo Kolluri sent to the agency’s 12,000 employees and exclusively obtained by NorthJersey.com. He characterized the restructuring as ‘part of our strategic efforts to align the organizational structure with our business needs and to serve our customers more effectively,’ according to the memo. Richard Schaefer, NJ Transit’s senior vice president of capital programs, and John Gray, the chief of compliance, budget and administration, were fired Thursday morning.” — “Former MTA boss hired to oversee $16B Gateway tunnel project as new CEO” IN THE YEAR 2025 — Millions have already poured into the race for New Jersey governor, by POLITICO's Madison Fernandez: Big spending is on the horizon in the race to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. The major candidates entered the election year with more than $10 million at their disposal, according to finance reports filed this week with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission that cover the fourth quarter of 2024. The field, which includes candidates in the race for over a year, has raised a combined $15.6 million, according to ELEC. That includes money raised prior to the fourth quarter — a "strong sign that this year’s election will be record-breaking,’’ the commission’s deputy director, Joe Donohue, said in a statement ... The election is also uncharted territory: Unlike previous years, the county line system, which gave party-backed candidates an advantage by placing them in a more favorable position on the ballot, will not be in use. And on top of the millions of dollars already in the race, candidates can expect help from independent groups that can raise unlimited amounts of cash with little transparency. A ROUNDING ERROR FOR THE NJEA’S SUPER PAC — “Spiller raises $182k for gubernatorial race,” by New Jersey Globe’s Zach Blackburn: “Sean Spiller has raised $182,884 in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor after raising $46,634 during the final three months of 2024. Spiller, the head of the New Jersey Education Association, has $118,631 cash on hand, according to a Wednesday filing. He also has debts of $44,742 … As reported by Politico, an independent expenditure group called Working New Jersey said in filings that it expects to spend $35 million supporting Spiller’s candidacy. Working New Jersey has ties with the NJEA." DON’T TRUST THE SYSTEM — “FBI interviewed Sixers owner Josh Harris in George Norcross racketeering probe,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Andrew Seidman: “Sixers co-owner Josh Harris was interviewed by the FBI last year in connection with New Jersey prosecutors’ criminal racketeering case against Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III, according to court records. Harris, a billionaire private equity executive and founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, met with investigators on May 6, records show. The documents do not say why agents wanted to speak with Harris or what they discussed. He hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing, and authorities have said they interviewed dozens of people in the probe. Part of prosecutors’ case against Norcross involves New Jersey lawmakers’ passage of economic-development legislation in 2013 that boosted tax incentives for companies that invested in Camden. The 76ers were among several companies that took advantage of that program, building a practice facility in the city.” EAGERLY AWAITING RANDY MASTRO’S OP-ED — “Murphy needs to settle his congestion pricing lawsuit,” by John Reichmann for The Star-Ledger: “Governor Murphy has squandered an opportunity for New Jersey to receive hundreds of millions of dollars from New York to upgrade our transit system by refusing to settle his unsuccessful lawsuit to stop congestion pricing from going into effect. He now needs to reverse course, settle the lawsuit, and find the funding needed to improve the commute for people from our state. The early results of congestion pricing could not be more encouraging: We have seen less traffic congestion, far greater use of public transit, cleaner air, and more revenue for public transit. Many New Jersey bus riders and drivers have seen their commuting times cut in half. Previous opponents of congestion pricing are already rethinking their position — not a surprising result, as this has happened everywhere congestion pricing has been employed. These results demonstrate why the Governor’s lawsuit was never likely to succeed. The rationale for the lawsuit was not the fees drivers would pay, but that the program would cause environmental harm.” EDUCATION — “NJ school desegregation talks nearing resolution?,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Hannah Gross: “Mediation in a major school segregation lawsuit could soon be ending after more than a year of talks between the state and plaintiffs. The most recent court filing from the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, Lawrence Lustberg, asked for a one-month extension of the process, noting that it will likely be the last extension request. Previous requests have been for additional three-month periods. The outcome of mediation could bring about significant changes to New Jersey schools, considered among the most racially segregated in the country. Some potential solutions being widely considered include regionalizing schools and expanding interdistrict and other school choice models.” — “Transit advocates hope new NJ Transit chief will improve service” — “Scutari shuffles Senate committee chairs, leadership posts triggered by Pou vacancy” — “NJ tax revenues are up but trail annual growth target” — “With Bhalla running for his Assembly seat, Allen won’t seek re-election as expected” — “Sex assault, harassment victims would be protected from frivolous lawsuits under new bill” — “Operative who ran Avi Schnall’s Assembly race joins Gottheimer campaign” — “Campos-Medina backing Sherrill for governor” — “Former state senator [Steve Oroho] joins top NJ lobbying firm” | | BIDEN TIME | |
— “The Republican offense against Nellie Pou has begun”
— “‘Picking the pockets of families:’ Lawmakers seek to curb N.Y.C.’s congestion pricing” — “Trump is ready to target immigrants. How will these sanctuary cities react?” | | LOCAL | |
LOCAL COUNCILMAN UNAWARE OF BODY CAMS — “N.J. councilman berates cop, calls police chief during traffic stop. ‘You know who I am, right?’” by Matt Gray for NJ.com: “A veteran borough councilman in Gloucester County berated a police officer, spewed profanities and called the officer’s boss during a routine traffic stop captured by police body cameras earlier this month. Paulsboro Councilman Theodore D. Holloway II was stopped for allegedly running a stop sign shortly after 10 a.m. on Jan. 4 at Penn Line Road and West Adams Street in the borough, according to court records and body camera footage obtained by NJ Advance Media in response to an Open Public Records Act request. ‘I’m the one that hired you!’ Holloway yelled at the police officer after asking why he was stopped. ‘You actually pulled over an elected official,’ Holloway added before calling the police chief from his car. ‘You’re not pulling over a random. You’re pulling over your boss. I am literally your boss.’ When a supervising officer arrived at the scene to assist, Holloway said, ‘You know who I am, right?’ He was eventually issued a citation for driving an unregistered vehicle.’ … When the supervisor arrived and approached Holloway in his vehicle, the councilman was on the phone with the Paulsboro police chief … Holloway then resumed his call, saying, ‘Anyway, chief, please talk with them.’”
CAN WE SAY GREAT DAD? — “Atlantic City mayor says he's only guilty of being a 'good parent' in abuse case,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s John O’Connor: “Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. said the only thing he's guilty of is being a ‘good parent’ after pleading not guilty Thursday to witness tampering related to his ongoing child abuse case. The plea came as he and his wife, city schools Superintendent La'Quetta Small, appeared in front of Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury for a status conference in their case. ‘Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small entered his plea of not guilty this morning because he is completely innocent of the accusations against him, Jordan Barbone, Mayor Small's attorney, said in a statement. ‘A father who explains to his child the value of being truthful is not witness tampering.’ Mayor Small allegedly asked his daughter Sept. 15 to 'do him a favor and twist up' the story she previously told law enforcement about the abuse allegations, according to the affidavit of probable cause.” PTI MANEUVER — “NJ to drop charges against school bus company owner and Paterson councilman's brother,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “The New Jersey Attorney General’s high-profile criminal case against two Paterson school bus operators is heading toward a dismissal of the charges against the firms’ owners — the brothers of Councilman Shahin Khalique … Deputy Attorney General Frank Valdinoto said an agreement has been reached to drop all complaints against Jwel Khalique, owner of American Star Transportation, who had been indicted in 2023 on six charges, including allegations he hired unqualified drivers to operate school buses. Valdinoto said Shelim Khalique, owner of A-1 Elegant Transportation, would get pre-trial intervention, or PTI, on a charge of third degree tampering with public records.” BURLINETON COUNTY — “Burlington County launches investigation into ‘crazy’ voting lines during presidential election,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Alfred Lubrano: “To understand what caused what they deemed the 'unacceptable' lines and voting times, the Burlington County Board of Commissioners appointed an independent special counsel on Wednesday to review the 2024 General Election and provide recommendations for improvements … ‘Burlington County residents deserve accountability and appropriate action to ensure the 2024 election failures are not repeated,’ said County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson in a statement. The county hired Connell Foley LLP, a law firm in Roseland, Essex County, to conduct the investigation. Representatives of the firm didn’t return calls for comment.” — “Toms River school district has a $12.4M hole, and this is what it might sell to fill it” — “Newark expands homeless outreach, launches texting hotline” — “[Garfield] restores Columbus Park name months after changing it. Here's why” — “Murphy calls for cellphone ban in NJ schools. [Ramsey] did it and doing 'well'” — “Man claims ex-friar at Passaic church kissed boys, bit his neck in lawsuit” — “VIDEO: [Middle Township] cop’s swift and heroic actions help save unresponsive infant” — “Schenker, Tibbitt, Dase to run on GOP Atlantic County commissioner ticket” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
NEW JERSEYANS NOW REPORT NIGHT TIME SIGHTINGS OF DRONES THE SIZE OF SUVS MOVING ON THE GROUND ALONG THE ROADWAYS — “After drone fever, underlying anxieties remain,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Bobby Brier: “About a month ago, the internet nationwide, if not globally, was awash with reports of drones over New Jersey. Online users shared images, videos and theories about the drones’ origins, which quickly became a viral topic. A month later, the topic has all but vanished as the nation moves onto other phenomena, real or otherwise. ‘The drones, at least in terms of search activity, just disappeared entirely,’ said Dr. Bond Benton, an expert on internet culture and a professor at Montclair State University … Benton and his colleagues at Montclair State did a Google Trends analysis that showed that searches in mid-December about drones were ‘as intense’ as any online search can be, registering 100 on the Google Trends scale. However, as of Jan. 12, online searches about drones plummeted to two points out of 100 on the scale, according to Benton. The drop in online interest comes as the FBI’s Newark office has also been hearing less on the subject from the public.”
‘LATELY, I GET THE FEELING THAT I CAME IN AT THE END’ — “Parkway rest stop named for the late James Gandolfini is finally reopening,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “Tony Soprano’s late. Okay, really it’s the Garden State Parkway service area named for James Gandolfini, the iconic actor who played mob boss Tony Soprano, that was expected to reopen around July 4 of last year. Relax. His namesake Bergen County service area in Montvale isn’t sleeping with the fishes. But it’s expected reopening this month ends a 7-year, $250 million project that rebuilt or renovated all the service areas on the state’s two largest toll highways.” ANOTHER BULLSHIT SURVEY — “Jersey City swears more than Philly, New York City; how often do we curse?” by USA Today Network’s Damon C. Williams: “WTF, Jersey City? You guys sure do curse a lot. On average, residents in North Jersey curse more than historically foul-mouthed New Yorkers, and even more than Philadelphians, who are known to drop an F-Bomb or three. But if you're going to do something, might as well be the best at it. So where does Jersey City rank on the nationwide expletive rankings? People in Jersey City swear around 17.5 times per day according to Preply, leading Jersey City to a 16th-place ranking of cities whose residents curse the most.” — “Atlantic City sets new gambling revenue record (with a big asterisk)” — “N.J. teacher had baby with 13-year-old student she sexually assaulted, cops say” | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
