| | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Tuesday morning! Charles Stile in a weekend column asked one of those questions everyone’s asking in Trenton: What are Attorney General Matt Platkin’s ambitions? Spoiler alert: Platkin said he’s not “not spending any time thinking about” politics and did not close the door on running for governor in the future. Platkin’s political timing has been impeccable. His decision to not defend the county line in court was shocking at the time — a direct rebuke to his longtime friend and benefactor, Gov. Murphy. But he caught the zeitgeist without having to be dragged there by a court. And gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop said he’d be willing to keep him on as attorney general. While I very much doubt that Platkin wanted Trump to be elected, he is now part of a group of Democratic attorneys general who have arguably been the only effective resistance so far to the new administration. Meanwhile, he’s prosecuting George Norcross, the biggest political boss of this generation, for alleged corruption. Norcross and his allies call this a political prosecution. Who knows whether the case will even make it to trial? But the mere fact that a prosecutor could benefit politically from a case doesn’t render it invalid. And you could just as easily argue that prosecutors abuse the public trust by not targeting people because of their connections. The latter is usually impossible to prove, but do you think Bob Menendez would’ve asked his preferred candidate for U.S. attorney to go easy on his friend if he didn’t think it was a realistic possibility? Anyway, we're all getting ahead of ourselves. There is, after all, a race for governor going on right now — one that Platkin's not in. And if the Democratic nominee wins, Platkin — if he does have ambitions for higher office — would likely have to find a way to figure out how to stay in the conversation for eight years instead of four. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Brian Rock and Jonathan Sternesky. WHERE’S MURPHY? In Montclair at 5 p.m. with Lt. Gov. Way for a panel discussion: "Freedom, Slavery, and the American Revolution" QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I mean, I'm 38 years old. I'm not going to retire.” — Attorney General Matt Platkin TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com
| | | | With a new administration in place, how will governors work with the federal government and continue to lead the way on issues like AI, health care, economic development, education, energy and climate? Hear from Gov. Jared Polis, Gov. Brian Kemp and more at POLITICO's Governors Summit on February 20. RSVP today. | | | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | BREAKING WITH CONVENTION — “Just say no to N.J. political bosses, Democratic gov candidate tells opponents,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brent Johnson: “Just say no to party bosses — if they don’t meet certain conditions. That’s the message Newark Mayor Ras Baraka just sent in a letter to fellow Democrats he’s running against in this year’s race for New Jersey governor. Baraka asked his rivals to reject the endorsements of the powerful county parties in the state unless those endorsements are the result of ‘a fully democratic and transparent process,’ according to a copy of the letter obtained by NJ Advance Media … It’s part of a wave of anti-establishment sentiment and big-time changes that have swept across Jersey‘s machine-driven political world the last two years. Baraka sent the letter to four Democratic opponents: U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. He did not send one to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. Baraka’s campaign said that‘s because Fulop has chosen not participate in any conventions.” SDA — “New Jersey advocates urge state leaders to fix old school buildings by funding construction program,” by Chalkbeat’s Jessie Gómez: “A coalition of more than 100 organizations representing public school advocates, parents, teachers, and community members are calling on Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Legislature to invest $500 million annually to fund New Jersey’s school construction program, starting with the upcoming budget. Dozens of speakers gathered at a virtual town hall described the experiences of students and staff forced to learn and work in old and crumbling buildings to underscore what they say is an 'urgent need’ for more funding for school construction projects. A Newark Public Schools teacher said numerous students at Bard High School had to be displaced because classrooms were too cold while teachers from Jersey City and Paterson explained how schools in their districts were dealing with rodents and leaky roofs.” IF KOLLURI FIXES NJ TRANSIT THE GOVERNOR MIGHT DIE, SO HE’LL SETTLE FOR CLEAR WINDOWS — “NJ Transit boss tackling these 3 annoying issues that frustrate commuters,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “In the 13 months that NJ Transit’s new CEO has ahead of him, Kris Kolluri said he has a list of items that are frequent rider complaints about the agency’s trains, buses and stations. Kolluri would know. He rode the Northeast Corridor line as CEO of the Gateway Development Commission and is still commuting on it as NJ Transit’s boss. And he has a realistic view of what he can get done. ‘When I say customer service, reliability and safety, I’m not saying the entire system and all the problems that exist,’ Kolluri said after Wednesday’s board of directors meeting. ‘What I’m saying is that there are one or two or three things we can move the needle is on.’ Those three are clear windows, cleanliness and consistent, more detailed information for riders, he said.” — “Is a NJ Transit rail strike inevitable? Here’s where things stand” — “Ban warehouses from being built near N.J. historic areas, new plan says” — “LD-39: Pallotta clearly targets Auth” — “Republican drops primary bid, endorses Auth, Azzariti” — “Murphy set some key economic goals for NJ in 2018. How has he done?” — “N.J. put unsupervised disabled man in ‘immediate jeopardy,’ inspectors say” — “Local officials want state lawmakers to act on flash mob bills before summer” — “After 17%-20% electric rate hikes announced, anger rains down on NJBPU, grid operator” — “Commission to review viability of Atlantic City casino PILOT program”
| | | | We’ve re-imagined and expanded our Inside Congress newsletter to give you unmatched reporting on Capitol Hill politics and policy -- and we'll get it to your inbox even earlier. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | TRUMP ERA | | MCMAYHEM — “Trump wants to close the US Education Department. What does that mean for NJ schools?” by The Record’s Mary Ann Koruth: “Local school districts retain the majority of control over how New Jersey schools are run and what gets taught in them, but the state receives significant federal aid for low-income students and those with disabilities in its K-12 districts. And hundreds of thousands of New Jersey college students and their parents receive federal aid in the form of grants and subsidized loans to pay for college tuition. That federal aid all gets processed and distributed through the U.S. Department of Education … For New Jersey, the total federal funding for K-12 schools totals about $1 billion — about 5% of what the state spends in total on K-12 education — largely for programs to help children with the highest need.” IT AIN’T EV — “N.J. got $104M to add fast EV chargers but none were installed. Now Trump’s freezing the money,” by NJ Advance Media’s Steven Rodas: “It’s no secret the rollout of a federal program to expand electric vehicle fast charger access has been, well, rocky. It just got rockier. More than $104 million was allocated for new fast EV chargers in New Jersey via the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, or NEVI, program. To date, the program has resulted in zero chargers for New Jersey. And at the start of February, in one of several executive moves, President Donald Trump announced he was freezing the NEVI program funds. New guidance has to be issued and states have to be approved in order for new program funds to be disbursed.” HE MUST NOT BE DIRECTING HIS TRADES BECAUSE THAT’S POLITICAL MALPRACTICE — “Congress Member Josh Gottheimer Dumps Nvidia, Microsoft, Loads Up On Tesla Stocks Instead,” by Benzinga’s Chris Katje via Yahoo Finance: “Gottheimer has made thousands of stock buys and sells in recent years and is one of the most active members of Congress when it comes to his trading activity. While recent sells could be profit taking or for tax purposes, the timing of selling semiconductor stocks like Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor and Broadcom could be questionable given the potential battle with China on export restrictions and new tariffs. Gottheimer ditched Nvidia and Microsoft stock and chose a different Magnificent 7 stock instead in Tesla. The move will likely be closely followed given Tesla CEO Elon Musk's close working relationship with President Donald Trump, which could lead to favorable contracts and regulation for Tesla. Gottheimer serves on the Committee on Financial Services, which could make the timing of the purchases of Visa and Mastercard stock questionable also.” — “Protesters rally against Trump as part of ‘Not My Presidents Day’”
| | LOCAL | | FLIP FULOPPER — “Why N.J. county exec says this year could be a tough one for N.J. Dems,” by NJ Advance Media’s AJ McDougall: “Craig Guy is a little annoyed by party politics these days. As both Hudson County’s top official and chairman of its Democratic party, the county executive said Thursday one of his ‘biggest frustrations’ this year has been watching political divisions spring up between local officials, particularly as the state’s gubernatorial race heats up. ‘I think part of Craig Guy’s DNA is to be a consensus builder,’ he said, ‘and it frustrates the hell out of me that after numerous conversations we could not get to a consensus.’ Last week, Guy was one of several county Democratic leaders who flipped their endorsements for the June 10 gubernatorial primary from Rep. Josh Gottheimer to Rep. Mikie Sherrill. … Guy, a former Jersey City police officer, had been expected to back Fulop. But he held off, suggesting on Thursday that Fulop’s campaign had been a distraction from his mayoral duties. ‘Having a sitting mayor who’s running for governor, at this point, in Hudson, has helped create the divisions,’ he said.” — “Guy explains endorsing Sherrill for gov, gives his thoughts on HCDO civil war” PATERSON COPS — “13 Paterson police officers made over $100K each in overtime last year,” by Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Overtime spending in the Police Department skyrocketed during 2024, with 13 officers collecting more than $100,000, including one officer who made $224,470. In total, the department spent $8 million on overtime last year, a 60% increase over the $5 million expended in 2023. Those numbers show the impact of the additional funding the state has provided for Paterson law enforcement efforts after the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office seized control of the city Police Department in March 2023, providing an extra $10 million each of the past two years. Before the attorney general's takeover, Paterson police overtime spending amounted to about $3 million per year. Paterson City Council President Alex Mendez called the state intervention the ‘best thing that ever happened’ to the municipal police department, saying the overtime has provided a massive increase in law enforcement presence.” BEACH OF CONTRACT — “Mayor says Wildwood Crest could pull out of beach project agreement,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Bill Barlow: “An agreement to build dunes in the borough is not dead yet, Mayor Don Cabrera said this week, but he thinks it may be soon. The borough said yes to the plan several years ago, part of an island-wide federal beach project that has been years in the making. As envisioned, it would include building a tall line of dunes the length of the barrier island sometimes referred to as Five Mile Island, and add sand to the eroded beaches of North Wildwood. Local opposition to the project grew as plans became more detailed, Cabrera said. He expects the Borough Commission to discuss formally withdrawing from the project at a meeting Wednesday.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION COULD WITHHOLD FUNDING IF THEY CONTINUE TO CALL IT ‘TRANS-HUDSON’ — “Hoboken PATH station is on track to reopen by end of the month, officials promise,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “The $31 million PATH project to rebuild the station and infrastructure at Hoboken Terminal is at the halfway mark and officials promised multiple times on Thursday that it will be done on time. Officials, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s board chairman and PATH’s operations director reiterated the project, which temporarily closed Hoboken Terminal, will finish by the promised 5 a.m., Feb. 25 completion date.” VAN DREW SAYS THERE’S WASTEFUL GOVERNMENT SPENDING … IN OTHER CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS — “Van Drew says FAA cuts affect small number of tech center's newest workers,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “Layoffs of workers still on provisional status throughout the federal government will affect a small number of employees at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, said Monday. He estimated about 15 workers have been laid off there in recent days. ‘And some of these people I guarantee are filling slots that really need to be filled,’ Van Drew said … Van Drew is part of the DOGE Caucus, he said, and has been advocating for using a ‘scalpel, not a sledgehammer’ in achieving savings. ‘It is clear to me … man, there’s been really wasteful stuff,’ Van Drew said.” — “Middletown school board removes transgender student policy” — “Five-year teachers' contract signed by Newark teachers union and school district” — “Effort to change Clifton's form of government resurfaces. Will it be successful this time?” R.I.P. — “Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office sergeant injured in fall dies” — “Machete killer: Asbury man's trail of terror ends with bloodbath in New Hampshire hotel lobby” — “These Uber Eats robots now deliver food in [Jersey City] — really”
| | EVERYTHING ELSE | | SETON HALL — New Jersey church leader promises transparency — again — in the face of crisis, by POLITICO’s Dustin Racioppi: Six years ago, New Jersey’s highest-ranking Catholic Church leader promised “a new level of transparency” following one of the worst abuse scandals in the church’s history. Cardinal Joseph Tobin had just published a list of clergy members who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Newark — the largest in the state, with more than 1 million Catholics. That list of clergy members was “not an endpoint in our process,” Tobin said, but “an expression of our commitment to protecting our children.” Since then, however, the archdiocese under Tobin’s leadership has shielded the public from details of alleged abuse within its ranks and at Seton Hall related to one of his predecessors, former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who had been accused of decades of sexual abuse and later stripped of his ministry. … Now Tobin is once again promising transparency in the face of a public relations crisis. R.I.P. — “Richard Thornton McDonald, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died peacefully at his home Thursday after a long illness. He was 89 years old. … He was ordained as a Catholic priest in May 1961 and was a curate first at the Church of the Guardian Angel in Allendale, then at Saint Rose of Lima in Newark. The 1960s were a tumultuous time for Newark, but Rich loved working there. … He helped start a youth center named after Saint Martin de Porres ... and, when he learned the parish’s drum and bugle corps did not let a lot of Black children join, started one for them and named it Saint Martin’s Troubadoures. During the Newark rebellion in 1967, when a bus company wouldn’t drive into Newark to take the troupe to a competition, Rich marched them about a dozen blocks up Orange Street to meet the bus in East Orange. They were in full uniform and played the whole time.” — “MLB Network plans move to massive new studios in N.J. at former Marcal Paper site” — “Another N.J. Catholic school is shutting down. See the list of 30+ recent closures”
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