Yesterday, I posted the opening remarks delivered by Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf at the Assembly Budget Committee.
Following his remarks, there were several hours of questions and answers. The videos posted here are in two parts - the morning session below, and the afternoon session below the fold.
I don't expect anyone except the most fervent edunerds (thanks for the term, Rosi) to watch the whole thing, but below the fold is an index of the initial appearance of your favorite assemblycritters.
The discussion falls into three categories:
Political posturing
Kowtowing to special interests
Dealing with local constituent issues
There was no real discussion on the merits (or otherwise) of charter schools, funding religious schools, or the education-industrial complex. To be fair, this was a budget hearing, not a hearing of the Education Committee. But things like sending taxpayer dollars to unaccountable for-profit entities and religious institutions do have an impact on the budget, especially when the outcomes are so nebulous.
Jason Castle who served in the Marines and is now running for Congress in the 5th CD, had a little help from Lady Luck on Friday. He is running in the primary against Teaneck Deputy Mayor Adam Gussen who gained the endorsement of the Democratic Committee of Bergen County (DCBC), led by Lou Stellato, after Castle did not register in time to compete for the endorsement. Nonetheless, in a time-honored ritual on Friday the Bergen County Clerk shook a box over his head and pulled out a slip that read "Bergen County Democrats 2012 (BCD 2012)". And thus Castle gained the first line on the Bergen ballot, and the DCBC picked up the next line.
Following redistricting more of Bergen County is now in the 9th CD, with the remainder in the 5th CD. BCD 2012 consists of a slate with Rep. Bill Pascrell (running in the 9th CD), two Bergen County Freeholders, and Jason Castle (running in the 5th CD). It's hard to say how much value there is to Pascrell in getting the first line in a county which has always supported his competitor Representative Steve Rothman with a high vote count. And the second line, where Rep. Rothman appears as the CD 9 candidate, will also include President Obama and U. S. Senator Menendez.
Nonetheless, it should help 3930 year old Jason Castle who is building a coalition of community leaders, party organizers and active citizens across the district in his campaign against the moderate/conservative Gussen. Castle's recent endorsements include Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-37) and NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson. Castle already has the party line for Warren and Sussex County. He also has an active website and facebook page, whereas Gussen has neither. Castle's campaign staff has confirmed he filed a current quarterly report with the Federal Election Committee although it's not yet on the website. It's unclear whether Gussen has likewise filed the report, but his campaign activities appear so far to be insipid.
There will be a debate between the two candidates at Ethical Culture Society in Teaneck next Wednesday at 7:30 sponsored by Bergen Grassroots. (Space can be reserved by calling 201-692-9600 or paul@bergengrassroots.org.) Curiously most campaign gatherings for CD 5 in Teaneck take place in the area of CD 9 as the CD 5 area is amost exclusively residential.
The recent activities on the part of Castle place him several steps closer to success in the primary. There remain many steps and a leap for him to be victorious in the November election, but he is showing himself to be spirited, gutsy and lucky.
15 Democrats and three Republicans in the Assembly have joined to sponsor a bill to decriminalize possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana. There will be a Judiciary Committee hearing for the bill (A-1465) on Monday at 10:00 AM in the State House Annex. The effort, led by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15), already has an impressive number of initial bipartisan sponsors. However, 23 additional assemblypersons are needed to assure passage. The complete list of sponsors so far appears below the fold.
Three members of the Judiciary Committee are already sponsors: Chair Peter Barnes (D-18), Ralph Caputo (D-28), and Michael Patrick Carroll (R-25). You can call or email the other members: Vice Chair Annette Quijano (D-20), Gordon Johnson (D-37), John McKeon (D-27) and Holly Schepisi (R-39).
For some nifty graphics created by OnLine Paralegal Programs with reasons to support this bill and ultimately legalize marijuana contine beyond the fold.
Following almost seven hours of testimony on Thursday, the members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee went on record with their votes to move the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption bill to the full chamber. As in the Senate committee, the vote was along party lines, with some Democrats expressing reservations but ultimately voting for equality while other Democrats were solidly in favor.
The two Republicans on the committee had interesting views and their remarks are worth listening to. It still surprises me how a libertarian like Michael Patrick Carroll can be for discrimination and government intervention in a civil rights issue. His argument comes right out of the Santorum playbook - since there is no societal benefit to equal rights, it's fine to vote against them.
Freshman GOP Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi appeared torn and indecisive. Her rambling remarks argued both sides of the issue but she ultimately voted for discrimination. I don't know if she can be flipped, but it would certainly be worthwhile if she could hear from pro-equality constituents. In the arc of the history of the New Jersey Assembly, she'll go down as having cast her first vote in favor of discrimination. I wonder if she wants this to be the legacy of her political career.
The video is 29 minutes long. If you want to jump ahead, here are the starting times for each speaker:
Gordon Johnson (D) 00:00
Reed Gusciora (D) 02:03
Ralph Caputo (D) 05:58
Annette Quijano (D) 07:40
Holly Schepisi (R) 13:20
Michael Patrick Carroll (R) 21:35
Peter Barnes (D) 22:33
Voting 28:01
In case you missed (I did), here is an unsmiling, and deadly serious NJ Speaker Sheila Oliver discussing Gov. Chris Christie's ignorant remark about the civil rights movement, made this week.
btw - New Jersey was the last state in the union to abolish slavery. Did you know that? It's part of the history lesson Oliver, Rush Holt, Reed Gusciora, Loretta Weinberg, John Wisniewski, Gordon Johnson, Rep. John Lewis and others have been required to review this week for the benefit of a governor who let a bit too much of his own prejudices show, as he attempted to make his stand against a rising tide of Equality in marriage going on in the New Jersey Legislature.
Since New Jersey was redistricted late last month, leaving the state with one less congressional district and a volatile, unsettled Democratic Party beginning what looks to be an ugly primary contest between Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman, focus has been on the 9th, the district Rothman declined to run in.
That leaves the 5th an open question; who will challenge Tea Party darling Scott Garrett?
I don't know much about Gussen, except that 3 years when he was a councilman ago he filed to primary Valerie Huttle and Gordon Johnson, who serve LD-37 with Sen. Loretta Weinberg, and then dropped out.
Bergen folks, I'd be interested to know your impressions of Gussen and how strong he might be against Garrett.
Senator Loretta Weinberg, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle invite Blue Jersey bloggers and readers to their Campaign Kickoff on Wednesday, September 14th in Teaneck!
Attending is a great way to hear what Loretta, Gordon, and Valerie are up to in the Legislature, but also to get involved in their re-election efforts before November. Their race is far from the most competitive in the state, but there is still work to be done, and there are always more voters to speak to.
Information about the Kickoff is available on the Facebook event page. It will be on Wednesday, September 14th from 7 PM to 9 PM at 549 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Please RSVP on the event page if possible.
Besides coming to the event you can always "Like" our Facebook page.
22,439 people were arrested in New Jersey for possessing less than 50 grams* of cannabis in 2009.
FreedomIsGreen.Com, a local blog devoted to advancing more enlightened cannabis policy in New Jersey is reporting an an intriguing new bill on the Assembly docket that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in the Garden State.
The bill, which already has 18 co-sponsors (5 from the GOP) was introduced by Assemblymen Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) and Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris), the same bi-partisan duo that introduced the state's nascent medical marijuana law.
My name is Michael Simonson and I am the Campaign Manager for Senator Weinberg, Assemblyman Johnson, and Assemblywoman Huttle's 2011 Campaign for District 37. I have written diaries for Dennis Shulman's 2008 Congressional campaign and the Retire Garrett Campaign's various undertakings, including Tod Theise's 5th District Congressional campaign last year. Gratefully, my diaries were typically well received, and at worst merely uncommented on. I hope that trend continues, just with more comments!
The Democratic campaign For District 37 is just getting started. To kick things off I just created our Facebook page. Please "Like" us and then recommend the page to as many friends as possible. We will be posting updates about events and ways you can get involved. It is also a forum for constituents and supporters.
Citing a strong belief in the principal of collective bargaining and protecting workers' rights, Bergen County Assembly members Valerie Vainieri Huttle(D- 37), Gordon Johnson(D- 37), Joan Voss(D- 38) and Connie Wagner(D-38) released the following joint statement:
"We were dismayed to learn that this Monday the Assembly Budget Committee will be hearing a bill which will forever alter the way of life of NJ's low-income and middle class workers."
"Through our careers as elected officials we have stood up for those that cannot fight for themselves and for the constituents we represent. This is one of those times where we will stand together to protect our low-income and middle class families from a burden that should not be placed on their backs."
With the above words Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37) welcomed pink-attired attendees to a rally in front of a Planned Parenthood site in Englewood which no longer has sufficient funds to open on Tuesdays or Saturdays. Family planning and women's health care are under assault both in the House where Republicans passed a bill to eliminate all federal funding for Planned Parenthood and in New Jersey where Governor Christie also opposed its funding. Senator Lautenberg said, "We're going to make sure Planned Parenthood can continue serving the health care needs of families in New Jersey and across the country."
Senator Lautenberg went on to say, "Planned Parenthood is under attack by Tea Party Republicans who have put their extremist ideology above women's health." A smaller contingent of opponents held a particularly nasty sign which said Planned Parenthood was aiding and abetting underage sex trafficking. Sen. Lautenberg engaged the protesters and quieted them as he asked if they support mammograms, cervical exams and other routine health services the agency provides. more below...
As thousands of New Jersey's first-responders - firefighters, police, corrections officers emergency medical services members & many of the people they protect every day - rallied outside the State House, many of their signs expressed their disgust with Senate President Steve Sweeney, members of NJ's other legislative body were out in force at yesterday's massive rally.
Below, in video shot by the Assembly majority office, Democratic legislators look out at a sea of blue:
.....from a happily chaotic Thanksgiving family week in Los Angeles. Hope you all had a great holiday, and are now enjoying Hanukkah. If you are not lighting the Menorah, make sure you at least eat a couple of potato latkes.
Press Conference at 11 a.m. today in Trenton on government transparency. We will announce our new and very stringent Pay-to-Play bill. This should be part of the "tool kit" because political contributions from state and local contractors definitely add to the cost of government in our state and contribute to our escalating property taxes. This new bill will establish one state-wide standard in New Jersey, and I've been working on it with the help of the Citizens Campaign. I will be joined by my colleague Assemblyman Gordon Johnson. We will also call attention to our newly updated Open Public Meetings Act and Open Public Records Act and will ask that they be posted for Committee hearings in December or January. These bills go hand-in-hand with the new issue-advocacy disclosure bill sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono and me. The passage of these bills together will decrease the cost of government and will increase government transparency. We've been waiting patiently to hear if the Republicans in the legislature and the Governor will join in a bipartisan effort to get these bill passed.
Medical Marijuana "agreement"? I was a little surprised at the news report and look forward to hearing personally from Senator Nick Scutari. Senator Scutari has been an outstanding advocate for this important issue, and if an "agreement" was reached without his input, at the very least I am disappointed. My husband, Irwin, died from cancer almost 12 years ago. We were both deprived of any meaningful communication during his last days with us because he was treated with morphine. Perhaps medical marijuana could have made him comfortable and would have enabled us to share more experiences during those days. Of course, I will never know that for sure. However, what I do know, is that patients and their doctors should have as much right to be treated with medical marijuana as they today have a right to be prescribed morphine or oxycontin or any other controlled dangerous substance to treat pain in terminally ill patients. Is anybody asking a Doc to warn a terminally ill person to substitute another less effective medication for morphine? Is a doctor forced to tell a seriously ill patient that he must wean that patient off oxycontin every three months? How demeaning to both patient and medical professional. Please don't tell me that my good colleague, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, made a bad deal with the Governor! I guess we'll soon find out.
Will be chairing the Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Services Committee this afternoon. Probably one of my bills which will cause the most comment is the requirement that certified advance practice nurses must continue to be supervised by anesthesiologists in the administration of general anesthesia. Lots of pros and cons on both sides of this issue, and I'm sure we'll hear it all.
So we have a busy December ahead of us with more committee days and another voting session. We'll be dealing with more "tool kit" legislation and another try at women's access to family planning. Every Republican in the Assembly voted "No" or abstained on covering more folks under medicaid for family planning and basic medical care. A bill which will result in $9 for every $1 put up by the State. What is wrong with these folks? What has this Governor given them to make so many of them march in unison while they raise so few questions? It's hard to understand and I must admit, it makes me particularly discouraged about the women of the legislature working together on issues of importance to our families.
Blue Jerseyans & friends Hoernlein, Lento, Parano, Weinberg & Mazza
Hey, a few of us "North Jersey/Blue Jersey" followers, writers and bloggers were invited to join Carol Hoernlein (and Eric) to celebrate a wonderful housewarming in their "tiny house with the big kitchen". Nick Lento, Carol H, Rocco (of "let's draft Rocco" and "I still love the Governor" while "I still love Rocco") Mazza, Dave Parano, Chief Ron Holloway and many others had a lovely afternoon with lots of good company, good food, political talk and we're all connected through Blue Jersey discussions. Great fun for those of us Bergen County types! Great to see Carol looking so well, happy and coming back to our Blue Jersey blogs.
Note to Jay Lassiter & Rosi Efthim: Maybe you can find Keith Chaudruc of Madison who took on the Governor at the Parsippany Town Meeting and get his side of the story for our own Blue Jersey UTube. According to news reports, Mr. Chaudruc was escorted on and off the stage by a state trooper and never got Mr. Christie to answer any of his questions. Might be an interesting interview.
Assemblyman Fred Scalera resigned his seat today in order to take a position in the private sector, which in and of itself is refreshing, considering the fact that many of his colleagues in the State Assembly and the State Senate hold other part-time and full-time jobs in addition to their "part-time" legislative positions, regardless of any conflicts of interest that these other jobs might create.
Scalera's resignation creates a vacancy in the State Assembly that will be filled via a special election whereby all of the County Committeepersons in LD36 will vote. The only name that has been floated to date as a replacement for Scalera is that of Essex County Undersheriff Kevin Ryan who is from Scalera's hometown of Nutley. LD36 State Senator Paul Sarlo State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) is noncommittal regarding the name of Scalera's replacement, but believes that it should be someone from Nutley.
"That is a Nutley seat," said Sarlo. "With the current makeup of the district, it's a longstanding tradition to have an Essex, Passaic and Bergen representative. Essex County will have the ability to pick an interim successor.
What is interesting about Sarlo's position is that it has been widely reported throughout the blogosphere that in his role as a member of the legislative redistricting commission, he has been working overtime to remove Nutley as well as possibly Passaic to shield himself from a general election challenge from former LD36 Assemblyman and gubernatorial candidate, Paul DiGaetano, and a primary challenge from LD36 Assemblyman Gary Schaer whose hometown of Passaic has more County Committeepersons than any other municipality in the district.
If Nutley were removed from LD36 through redistricting, different sources have theorized that it could find itself attached to LD28, LD29, LD34, or possibly even LD40. If the vacant seat goes to someone backed by Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, it is very likely it would mean the end of the line for one of the incumbent Assemblypersons from Essex County. If I had to guess, that person would most likely be Cleopatra Tucker as LD28 shifts further out of Newark and further into the adjoining suburbs. The other possible target could be LD28 State Senator Ron Rice Sr., who has been on Steve Adubato's hit list for some time now.
Sarlo appears to be the only South Bergen politician who believes in the Bergen/Essex/Passaic distribution of LD36 legislative, particularly as Sarlo works towards creating an all-Bergen LD36. There is no shortage of ambitious politicians in South Bergen who may want to vy for one of the two Assembly seats that Sarlo's manuevering could open up as well as Sarlo's State Senate, which might explain why Sarlo would be resistent to elevating one of these would-be contenders to an Assembly seat that would enhance their ability to raise money for an Assembly re-election campaign or a primary challenge against Sarlo.
Being someone who believes in the Democratic process and does not think that this vacancy should be used to give one person an advantage over the many qualified contenders that an all-Bergen LD36 primary election would attract, I would like to advocate for the candidacy of someone who has personally expressed to me no interest whatsoever in running for this or any other LD36 office now or in the future, making him the perfect caretaker candidate, enabling the rest of the field of candidates to compete with each other next year on a level playing field.
Let's hear it for Elease Evans, Nellie Pou, Joan Quigley, Pamela Lampitt, Gordon Johnson, and Sandra Cunningham. As reported earlier by both Scott Weingart, who's doing a fantastic job liveblogging the convention for us here at Blue Jersey, and Matt Friedman at PolitickerNJ.com, five members of our legislature stood up to be counted as strong supporters of marriage equality this morning during a presentation by Garden State Equality to our delegation in Denver. We've just added Elease Evans to the list, based on reports from the delegation.
Though there are still doubters, all indications are now that New Jersey will be the third state after Massachusetts and California to guarantee the right to marry for same-sex couples. This kind of momentum, indicated by this morning's surprising development, is incredibly hard to overcome. While civil unions have been a progressive step forward for the cause, New Jersey residents seem to agree that basic civil rights should no longer be denied to a significant portion of our population.
This has been a great week for New Jersey's Democrats. Despite some weird media fixation on whether or not Senator Menendez would be given a speaking role at the Pepsi Center (and everyone knows he'd have delivered the keynote if it were up to me -- and perhaps should have, all things considered), we've seen our share of groundbreaking scenes at this year's convention. Our state's delegation played a big role yesterday, from the morning move to pledge all of our 127 delegates to Barack Obama, to being the last state to have our delegates counted in the roll call before Hillary Clinton's historic motion to nominate Obama by acclamation. It's fitting that six new backers for the marriage equality bill would announce their support at a convention where so much history is being written.
Both the Clinton and Obama campaigns will hold rallies in New Jersey today (note: neither candidate will be here).
Senator Bob Menendez and Congressman Bill Pascrell will headline a rally for Clinton at Montclair State University today. Doors open at 6pm at the Alexander Kasser Theatre on the Montclair University campus (1 Normal Avenue, Montclair).
Congressman Steve Rothman, State Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assemblyman Gordon Johnson will hold a rally for Barack Obama tonight in Bergen County. The event is at 7:30pm at the Hackensack Civic Center (215 State Street, Hackensack).
The Party Democracy Act is making its New and Improved Debut for 2008. The bill has been completely vetted and refined.
Will this be the start of a new era?
If The Party Democracy Act passes - it could be the very first official nail in the coffin of party boss politics in the State of NJ.
If the Party Democracy Act passes - NJ may no longer be the poster child for political corruption, but a model for ethics reform in the US.
If the Party Democracy Act passes - it will be easier for ANY democrat with a passion for serving the public to choose who winds up on the ballot.
If the Party Democracy Act passes - I won't have to wonder if my county committee vote actually was counted or not.
If the Party Democracy Act passes - I won't have to worry about my entire Tenafly Municipal Committee - including the entire Elected Town Council being challenged at the BCDO special elections.
If the Party Democracy Act passes, I will be able to blog more about other things than what my Party Boss is up to THIS time.
If the Party Democracy Act passes, I won't have to worry about forged resignation letters turning up with my name on them.
If the Party Democracy Act passes, I will be able to sleep at night, knowing that democracy is alive and well in my beloved state, and that the voices of my fellow NJ voters are actually - finally - heard.
Lets help this Bill PASS. Please.
Here is the official press release:
January 24th, 2008 Contact: Heather Taylor, 732-548-9798 x.1
Sponsors Pledge to Fight for Adoption of Party Democracy Act Bill filed today.
While filing the Party Democracy Act for the 2008-2009 session, the Senate and Assembly sponsors renewed their pledge to seeing the bills adoption in the new legislative session. The Party Democracy Act guarantees county political parties operate under a constitution and bylaws and sets a fair process for the filling vacancies in public office. The sponsors of the Act are Senators Loretta Weinberg and Diane Allen, and Assemblywomen Linda Greenstein, Amy Handlin, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Charlotte Vandervalk, and Assemblyman Gordon Johnson. The legislation was developed by the Citizen's Campaign Legal Task Force.
For far too often County Political Parties have operated in a closed and undemocratic manner with party chairs wielding immeasurable power over the award of ballot lines, campaign cash, and the filling of vacancies in public office. The legislation lays the groundwork for the county committeepeople---the elected neighborhood party representatives - to have clearly spelled out and fundamentally fair set of rules.
Senator Loretta Weinberg said, "This is really a step to protect the rights of the most grassroots members of our two party system. Party leaders should support and lead the way on this bill."
Senator Diane Allen said, "This bill empowers our county committee people to do what they were elected to do so decisions are made by the people not by a single party boss."
Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein said, "As a candidate who ran for Assembly in 1999 as a relative political outsider, I appreciated the open process in both Mercer and Middlesex counties that allowed me to build support among county committee-people without the threat of backroom deals. I would like to see a similar open convention process in all counties to encourage women, minorities and others to participate in the political process."
Assemblywoman Amy Handlin said, "This bill will open doors to new talent. It will encourage the development of independent thinkers in both parties -- exactly what New Jersey needs at every level of government."
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle said, "Government reform begins with political reform. Keeping our political party system honest and transparent will help ensure the integrity of our democracy here in New Jersey."
Assemblyman Gordon Johnson said, "It is amazing that in a Country that is the beacon of democracy to the world, there are institutions that do not function democratically. It is the responsibility of the state and national government to foster democracy and insure its proper function in its institutions. That responsibility extends to the political party apparatus of New Jersey. It falls to us to make sure that this most basic platform of democracy operates democratically."
Citizen's Campaign spokeswoman Heather Taylor said, "We are pleased to have such strong sponsors behind this effort to restore democracy to the political parties, we plan to lead an aggressive grassroots campaign to see this bill's adoption."
The legislation:
*Mandates county political parties adopt constitution and bylaws. Currently, it is optional for county political parties to have a constitution or by-laws. Constitutions and by-laws ensure fundamental fairness and allow all participants to know the rules of the game. Without them, political parties operate under clubhouse rules which are known by few and often result in domination by the chair. The actual content of the constitution and bylaws will still be determined by each individual county political party in a manner they choose.
* Because County Party Constitutions and bylaws are currently optional, it can be very difficult to obtain valid copies of the bylaws and constitution. It is critical to maintain a political culture where the rules are the rules, and they are available to all participants. In the case of a vote to fill a vacancy, it is even more important that those who wish to run for a vacancy be able to obtain the rules immediately.
*Requires voting machines for party committee votes to fill vacancies in public office. Voting machines are critical to enabling county committeemembers to vote their conscience, free from the threat or perception of intimidation from party bosses who in many cases control their livelihood. County Committees elect to vacancies in the legislature and board of freeholders.
*Requires the County clerk to maintain a list of the county party committees. For candidates seeking nomination or election in a committee vote to fill a vacancy in public office, it is critical to know who are the eligible voters. In the case of Senator Weinberg's special election, she was unable to get an official list for several days while the list was being changed last minute. By establishing a standard list which must be updated and a public record, last minute replacements will not be allowed.
*Provides for resignation, vacancy and appointment records to be maintained by County Clerk to ensure the lists accuracy. Notarized resignation letters to be submitted to the clerk. Persons selected to fill a va cancy on the county committee will also file a certificate of acceptance which regularly elected county committeepersons file. The Citizen's Campaign is a non-partisan organization which devises innovative government reforms and promotes citizen leadership.
The actual Bill filed just today - in black and white and hot off the presses!
AN ACT concerning county political party committees and amending R.S.19:5-3 and R.S.19:13-20.
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. R.S.19:5-3 is amended to read as follows: 19:5-3. The members of the county committees of political parties shall be elected annually at the primary for the general election in the manner provided in this Title for the selection of party candidates to be voted for at the general election by voters of a municipality. The county committee shall consist of one male and one female member from each unit of representation in the county. The male receiving the highest number of votes among the male candidates and the female receiving the highest number of votes among the female candidates shall be declared elected. Members of the county committee shall actually reside in the districts or units which they respectively represent. The county committee shall determine by its bylaws the units into which the county shall be divided for purpose of representation in the county committee.
The members of the county committee of each of the political parties shall take office on the first Saturday following their election, on which day the terms of all members of such committees theretofore elected shall terminate. The annual meeting of each county committee shall be held on the first Tuesday following the primary election, except that when such meeting day falls on a legal holiday then the said meeting shall be held on the day following, and when such meeting day falls on the day of a municipal runoff election within the county then said meeting may be held on the day following, at an hour and place to be designated in a notice in writing to be mailed by the chairperson of the outgoing county committee to each member-elect, at which annual meeting the members of such committee shall elect some suitable person as chairperson who shall be a resident of such county to hold office for 1 year, or until a successor is elected. The chairperson of the outgoing county committee shall transmit, with the notice of the annual meeting, a copy of the constitution and bylaws to any newly elected committee member. The members shall also elect a vice-chairperson of the opposite sex of the chairperson to hold office for 1 year or until a successor is elected and the vice-chairperson shall perform all duties required by law and the constitution and bylaws of such committee. The members of the county committee shall adopt a constitution and bylaws, ensuring fundamental fairness and the rights of the members of the county committee in the governance of the county party. Any person elected or appointed to membership on the county committee pursuant to R.S.19:5-2 may request, in writing and by certified mail to the county chairperson, such constitution or bylaws. The committee member requesting the constitution or bylaws shall receive the constitution or bylaws within 48 hours of the receipt of the request by the chairperson. The chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the committee and shall perform all duties required by law and the constitution and bylaws of such committee.
When a member of a county committee ceases to be a resident of the district or unit from which elected, a vacancy on the county committee shall exist. A member of a county committee of any political party may resign his or her office to the committee of which he or she is a member, and upon acceptance thereof by the committee, a vacancy shall exist. A vacancy in the office of a member of the county committee of any political party, caused by death, resignation, failure to elect, or removal for cause, shall be filled for the unexpired term by the municipal committee of the municipality wherein the vacancy occurs, if there is such committee, and if not, by the remaining members of the county committee of such political party representing the territory in the county in which such vacancy occurs. The chairperson of the outgoing county committee shall provide a copy of the constitution and bylaws to any committee member appointed pursuant to R.S.19:5-2 to fill a vacancy within three business days of the committee member's selection.
The chairperson of the county committee of the several political parties shall, before April 1, certify to the clerk of each municipality in the county the unit of representation in such municipality, together with the enumeration of the election district or districts embraced within such unit.
(cf: P.L.1980, c.105, s.3)
2. R.S.19:13-20 is amended to read as follows:
19:13-20. In the event of a vacancy, howsoever caused, among candidates nominated at a primary election for the general election, which vacancy shall occur not later than the 51st day before the general election, or in the event of inability to select a candidate because of a tie vote at such primary, a candidate shall be selected in the following manner:
a. (1) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of the entire State, the candidate shall be selected by the State committee of the political party wherein such vacancy has occurred.
(2) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of a single and entire county, the candidate shall be selected by the county committee in such county of the political party wherein such vacancy has occurred.
(3) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of a portion of the State comprising all or part of two or more counties, the candidate shall be selected by those members of the county committees of the party wherein the vacancy has occurred who represent those portions of the respective counties which are comprised in the district from which the candidate is to be elected.
(4) In the case of an office to be filled by the voters of a portion of a single county, the candidate shall be selected by those members of the county committee of the party wherein the vacancy has occurred who represent those portions of the county which are comprised in the district from which the candidate is to be elected. At any meeting held for the selection of a candidate under this subsection, a majority of the persons eligible to vote thereat shall be required to be present for the conduct of any business, and no person shall be entitled to vote at that meeting who is appointed to the State committee or county committee after the seventh day preceding the date of the meeting. Within 20 days after the meeting of each county committee that is held on the first Tuesday following the primary election at which committee members are elected, the municipal clerk shall certify to the county clerk an official list of the duly elected county committee members. The county party chairperson shall have a continuing duty to report to the county clerk any vacancies, resignations, and committee positions filled pursuant to R.S.19:5-2 or 19:5-3. A report of a resignation shall be accompanied by a notarized letter of resignation signed by the resigning committee member. Notice of vacancies in the membership of a county committee that are filled pursuant to R.S.19:5-2 or 19:5-3 shall be accompanied by a certificate of acceptance signed by the newly selected member. The official list of the county committee members maintained by the county clerk shall be deemed to be a government record and only those county committee members listed thereon seven days prior to a selection to fill a vacancy and otherwise qualified to vote on the vacancy shall be entitled to vote on filling a vacancy pursuant to this section. In addition, every person appointed to the county committee shall file with the county clerk a certificate of acceptance which shall be preserved by the county clerk as a government record. In the case of a meeting held to select a candidate for other than a Statewide office, the chairperson of the meeting shall be chosen by majority vote of the persons present and entitled to vote thereat. The chairperson so chosen may propose rules to govern the determination of credentials and the procedures under which the meeting shall be conducted, and those rules shall be adopted upon a majority vote of the persons entitled to vote upon the selection. If a majority vote is not obtained for those rules, the delegates shall determine credentials and conduct the business of the meeting under such other rules as may be adopted by a majority vote. All contested votes taken at the selection meeting, as referenced in subsections a. and b. of this section, shall be by secret ballot in a voting booth of the type used in primary and general elections.
b. (1) Whenever in accordance with subsection a. of this section members of two or more county committees are empowered to select a candidate to fill a vacancy, it shall be the responsibility of the chairpersons of said county committees, acting jointly not later in any case than the seventh day following the occurrence of the vacancy, to give notice to each of the members of their respective committees, as certified by the county clerk, who are so empowered of the date, time and place of the meeting at which the selection will be made, that meeting to be held at least one day following the date on which the notice is given.
(2) Whenever in accordance with the provisions of subsection a. of this section members of a county committee are empowered to select a candidate to fill a vacancy, it shall be the responsibility of the chairperson of such county committee, not later in any case than the seventh day following the occurrence of the vacancy, to give notice to each of the members of the committee, as certified by the county clerk, who are so empowered of the date, time and place of the meeting at which the selection will be made, that meeting to be held at least one day following the date on which the notice is given.
(3) A county committee chairperson or chairpersons who call a meeting pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection shall not be entitled to vote upon the selection of a candidate at such meeting unless he or she or they are so entitled pursuant to subsection a.
(4) Whenever in accordance with the provisions of subsection a. of this section the State committee of a political party is empowered to select a candidate to fill a vacancy, it shall be the responsibility of the chairperson of that State committee to give notice to each of the members of the committee of the date, time and place of the meeting at which the selection will be made, that meeting to be held at least one day following the date on which the notice is given.
c. Whenever a selection is to be made pursuant to this section to fill a vacancy resulting from inability to select a candidate because of a tie vote at a primary election for the general election, the selection shall be made from among those who have thus received the same number of votes at the primary.
d. A selection made pursuant to this section shall be made not later than the 48th day preceding the date of the general election, and a statement of such selection shall be filed with the Attorney General or the appropriate county clerk, as the case may be, not later than that day, and in the following manner:
(1) A selection made by a State committee of a political party shall be certified to the Secretary of State by the State chairperson of the political party.
(2) A selection made by a county committee of a political party, or a portion of the members thereof, shall be certified to the county clerk of the county by the county chairperson of such political party; except that when such selection is of a candidate for the Senate or General Assembly or the United States House of Representatives the county chairperson shall certify the selection to the State chairperson of such political party, who shall certify the same to the Secretary of State.
(3) A selection made by members of two or more county committees of a political party acting jointly shall be certified by the chairpersons of said committees, acting jointly, to the State chairperson of such political party, who shall certify the same to the Attorney General.
e. A statement filed pursuant to subsection d. of this section shall state the residence and post office address of the person so selected, and shall certify that the person so selected is qualified under the laws of this State to be a candidate for such office, and is a member of the political party filling the vacancy. Accompanying the statement, the person endorsed therein shall file a certificate stating that he or she is qualified under the laws of this State to be a candidate for the office mentioned in the statement, that he or she consents to stand as a candidate at the ensuing general election and that he or she is a member of the political party named in said statement, and further that he or she is not a member of, or identified with, any other political party or any political organization espousing the cause of candidates of any other political party, to which shall be annexed the oath of allegiance prescribed in R.S.41:1-1 duly taken and subscribed by him or her before an officer authorized to take oaths in this State. The person so selected shall be the candidate of the party for such office at the ensuing general election. Each candidate for the office of Governor or the office of member of the Senate or General Assembly filing a certification shall annex thereto a statement signed by the candidate that he or she:
(1) has not been convicted of any offense graded by Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes as a crime of the first, second, third or fourth degree, or any offense in any other jurisdiction which, if committed in this State, would constitute such a crime; or
(2) has been so convicted, in which case, the candidate shall disclose on the statement the crime for which convicted, the date and place of the conviction and the penalties imposed for the conviction. Such a candidate may, as an alternative, submit with the statement a copy of an official document that provides such information. If the candidate has been convicted of more than one criminal offense, such information about each conviction shall be provided. Records expunged pursuant to chapter 52 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes shall not be subject to disclosure.
(cf: P.L.2005, c.136, s.21)
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires county political party committees to adopt and distribute a constitution and bylaws. The bill requires the constitution and bylaws to ensure the representative rights of members of the county committee in the governance of the county party. In addition, the bill provides that within 20 days of the first county committee meeting after a primary election, the municipal clerk will certify to the county clerk an official list of the county committee members. The bill provides the chair of a county committee will have a continuing duty to report changes in the committee membership, with appropriate documentation, to the county clerk. It also provides that the official list of the county committee members maintained by the county clerk will be a government record that is accessible to the public and only those county committee members listed thereon seven days prior to a selection to fill a vacancy and otherwise qualified to vote on the vacancy will be entitled to vote on filling a vacancy. In addition, every person appointed to the county committee will be required to file with the county clerk a certificate of acceptance.
Requires adoption and distribution of constitutions and bylaws by county political party committees; requires certified list of committee members to be filed with county clerk.
Congrats to Mayor Tim Driscoll, the voters of Bergenfield and the Real Bergen Democrats. Promoted from the diaries -- Juan
Just got back from the Celebration in Bergenfield, where WWII veteran, and brand new Mayor Tim Driscoll took the reins at his very first Reorganization meeting of the Governing Body of Bergenfield for 2008. Real Bergen Democrats Barry Doll and Bruce Carlson joined him on the dias. What a beautiful sight for ethics reform in NJ.
Everyone was there - by that I mean the "Merry Band of Reformers" Real Bergen Democrats, and their supporters including, Loretta Weinberg, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Gordon Johnson, Carol Skiba, Paul Eisenmann, Nick Lento as well as all the press.
It was a long meeting, but the best part and most entertaining was watching Councilmen Mulligan and Lodato squirmily adjust to their new roles as the obstinate bullies who have been taken down a peg. Mulligan couldn't bring himself to vote YES to a different Borough attorney than Oury. You could see the calculations going on in that shiny head of his, as to how many DOLLARS he would lose for re-election if he voted YES to a Mayor Driscoll's choice, and you could see him calculate how many VOTES he would lose by ticking off the voters with a NO vote. So what do bullies do, when cornered? They vote to ABSTAIN. But they always give a speech while doing so. It reminded me of watching Scooby Doo as a child. I pictured him saying - "Drat! Foiled again! I would've got away with voting Dennis Oury in again, too - if it weren't for those meddling kids, I mean Real Bergen Democrats, and their ethics reform minded friends in the Assembly and Senate - Weinberg, Johnson and Huttle! " But my daydream disappeared in a poof as Mulligan waxed on about how he thinks Dennis Oury is the bestest Borough Attorney in the whole wide world. I had to resist the urge to cough disrupively into my hand and say "Liar" or break into cackles of hysterical laughter at the absurdity of the moment. Because Councilwoman Rabbit was absent (scared away perhaps) Lodato knew the writing was on the wall - he did not have enough votes to Vote NO. And with a long speech that seemd to be a public apology for his vote (kissing up to Oury) he stunned us with a YES vote.
The Room erupted into thunderous and enthusiastic applause when enough yes votes were taken to send the ubiqitous Mr. Oury packing. We were cheated of the sight of Oury himself packing his briefcase and making sure the door didn't hit his backside on the way out, but we got to see Renfield, or whatever the diminutive associate's name was who was filling in for Oury, slink away to the applause of nearly everyone in the room - except Mulligan and Lodato.
I smiled. It was a very good day in my hometown of Bergenfield.
Tonight's debate at Bergen Community College was quite an event. I confess that I had anticipated that the Republicans would harp on the Gordon Johnson contributions in an unfair/negative manner. They didn't.
The debate, which I'll be putting up here on video by morning, (apologies in advance for the image quality, the audio should be fine though) was marred by some loud ugly demonstrations (on the part of what I took to be LaRouchites) attempting to drive the event in a direction that just gave them publicity. They came looking for a "lynching" and there was none.
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