The new Senate committee lineups are taking shape and I just got my hands on the list of committee chairmen/women. Some seem like a natural fit (Vitale, Scutari for ex.) while other appear wildly out of place given their backgrounds and leadership skills. But that's just my take.
Anyway, follow me below the fold to learn who the Senate's gavel-bearers will be for the next 2 years.
Contested statewide Democratic primary elections do not happen very often here in New Jersey. Since I started paying close attention to New Jersey politics in 1997, there have only been four seriously contested statewide Democratic primary elections. In 1997, then-Woodbridge Mayor Jim McGreevey defeated Congressman Rob Andrews and Morris County Prosecutor Michael Murphy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. In 2000, Jon Corzine bought more votes than his senatorial opponent, former Governor Jim Florio, was able to earn. In February 2008, Hillary Clinton defeated Barack Obama in the Presidential primary election. In June of that year, Andrews lost his second statewide primary election when he challenged the incumbent U.S. Senator, Frank Lautenberg.
It appears as if we will have a hotly contested Democratic gubernatorial primary election in 2013. The most likely candidates at the moment are State Senators Barbara Buono, Dick Codey, and Steve Sweeney. It is possible that other candidates could come out of the woodwork over the next year or so, but for the sake of this discussion, the names are less important than the questions that the current political dynamic in the state, which has Democratic Party bosses, including but not limited to Steve Adubato and George Norcross, closely aligned with Republican Governor Chris Christie, raises about how serious these bosses are about defeating Christie.
These bosses and their acolytes in the State legislature have enabled Christie to get more of his agenda passed than our last Democratic Governor, Corzine, and have never even come close to a government shutdown like the one which occurred as a result of the conflict between Corzine and then-Assembly Speaker, Joe Roberts, a Norcross minion, over whether the state sales tax should be increased, and if so, how the additional revenue should be spent. So it stands to reason that Adubato, Norcross et al would probably prefer to have one of their own (Steve Sweeney being the most likely candidate, but Assemblyman Louis Greenwald is another possibility) as Governor than Christie, but in lieu of that, it would not be safe to assume that they would prefer someone else, like Buono or Codey, over Christie.
Well, it's official. Gov. Chris Christie has pulled the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), handing a big gift to the right-wing base that gives governors like him the big money, like the kind that powers Americans for Prosperity, which has made dismantling the 10 Northeast state compact one of its prime objectives. That's AFP, whose New Jersey leader Steve Lonegan was Christie's GOP primary opponent for governor, whose Tea Party followers spent most of Christie's first year kvetching he wasn't conservative enough, AFP, front group for oil and coal interests, largely underwritten by the Koch Brothers, billionaires David and Charles. Kinda people rising GOP stars need. Dig it.
WTF sign is Sarlo standing behind?
Sarlo: Inclined to blame Christie alone for all this? Think again. When he became the first Democrat to support AFP's anti-RGGI efforts, Sen. Paul Sarlo gave Christie's decision some Democratic cover. Yes, that's Sarlo behind the sign: I Am AFP!
Christie's had just a craptastic week - sagging poll numbers at home (you know, where it counts), a star-turn robo-call for the GOP loser in hot race NY-26, a Supreme Court ruling that undercuts his whole education zeitgeist. Worse, even reporters who used to be dazzled by him are beginning to report on his excesses, and his whole bluster and bullshit act is beginning to wear (except, apparently in Iowa). I'm sure he wants to get you talking about something else, anything but all that.
Dummies: This is an intelligent governor who nonetheless plays to the dummy chunk of his base by going along with the claim that there's insufficient proof of human-caused global climate change (yay, let's burn fuel and make our pals richer). Rutgers scientists even gave him a quiet science lesson. Sierra Club is apoplectic, roaring out with a 1432-word press release I won't recount here (not posted at their site yet). But it makes a pretty good case that Christie's choosing to make things easier for corporate polluters and the coal industry at the expense of your health. And that it has created (or saved) jobs, cut emissions and is supported by the state's major utilities. Christie's already raided $65 million from RGGI, money meant to support clean energy programs, diverted to the budget deficit.
RGGi is a first-of-its-kind initiative, and threats to it are national enviro news. NRDC just posted this poll that shows New Jerseyans will probably think their governor's headed in the wrong direction - increasingly.
Of all the things today's map revealed, I personally was most curious about how the reshuffling would effect our friend, Jeff Gardner. Press play if you share my curiosity.
Chris Christie's message to the legislature today was more of an audition to be keynote speaker at the 2012 Republican National Convention than it was a budget message. He spewed the Republican Tea Party red meat of divisiveness and union bashing. Since the mainstream media's love affair with Christie prevents them from presenting an opposing viewpoint, this video shows the Democratic response from Senator Sarlo and Assemblyman Greenwald.
The United States Constitution is pretty succinct on the requirements for a decennial census:
The actual enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. (Article 1, Section 2)
This sounds simple in theory, but in practice, this clause requires each state to go through what has turned out to be an often contentious, politically-driven kabuki dance. The “gerrymandering” that we learned about in middle school has been supplanted by “packing” and “cracking” of electoral districts as the maps are drawn. (These terms are explained below.)
The Blue Jersey community was very excited to read this week that our very own, Jeff Gardner, has made his electoral intentions official and opened up a legislative campaign account. Ever since John Girgenti voted against marriage equality and set in motion a process that was kicked into high gear when Jeff's slate of County Committee candidates defeated Girgenti's last June, enabling Jeff to become Hawthorne's Municipal Chair, I have thought about how redistricting might impact Jeff's chances of running for and winning a State Assembly or State Senate seat in 2011.
There has been a lot of talk about John Girgenti's future with regards to redistricting, primarily because he was a loyalist of Governor/Senator Richard Codey's when the Steve Adubato/George Norcross axis of corruption staged their takeover of the Democratic leadership in Trenton. As a result, neither Jeff nor Girgenti have any advocates for keeping their otherwise Republican-leaning town of Hawthorne in the very Democratic (thanks to Paterson) 35th LD on the legislative redistricting commission. I could be wrong, but I think that if there is anything that Jeff and Girgenti agree on, is that it is in their best electoral interest for Hawthorne to stay in LD35.
But without any advocates on the LRC, the only thing that might help them keep Hawthorne in LD35 is a compelling argument that serves the agendas of some of the commission's members. There are two members of the LRC in particular whose agendas have become quite clear over the last year.
It seems like Governor Christie's State-of-the-State oration is posted on a gazillion internet sites, while the Democratic response is difficult to find. Bill Orr posted some responses yesterday.
Below are two videos, one from NJN where Michael Aron interviews Senator Sarlo and Assemblyman Cryan right after Christie's address. The second video is from the Star-Ledger and is a press conference among several Democratic leaders commenting on Christie's assertions.
It's not every day that an Assemblyman resigns, effective immediately. But that's what happened yesterday in Nutley, NJ where Assemblyman Fred Scalera gave his two weeks notice to move on to brighter, more lucrative pa$ture$.
The ink on his resignation letter was barely dry when praise from his Democratic colleagues began to flow. Words like "service" and "selfless" were lavished on the former Assemblymen from folks like Joe Cryan, Paul Sarlo, John McKeon and even speaker Sheila Oliver who lined to shower on the praise for his commitment to his constituents.
So when did quitting your job -- and your constituents -- half way though a commitment become this cool? Can we at least save the effusive praise for folks who actually follow through on their promises?
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.
Two very interesting articles about redistricting were posted on PolitickerNJ.com today that could provide anyone interested in the redistricting process with some insight into the developing drama as Republicans appear united in their efforts to reclaim majorities in the State Assembly and State Senate that have been out of their grasp for the last decade against Democratic adversaries who seem to be anything but that.
After a year that has seen the Democrats in Trenton capitulate to our state's Republican Governor on issue after issue, thanks primarily to overly cozy relations between the Governor and acolytes of Steve Adubato and George Norcross, the two most powerful Democratic Party bosses in the state, the unholy alliance between Adubato and Norcross seems to be fraying at the most dangerous possible time for all Democrats, when division could result in a legislative district map that could guarantee Republican dominance in the state for most if not all of the next decade the way that the last map, conceived by then-Senate Minority Leader, Richard Codey, who would go on to become Senate President and Acting Governor before being unceremoniously ousted from his leadership position in a coup, led by his fiercest adversaries, Adubato and Norcross and their acolytes, enabled the Democrats in Trenton to enjoy the majorities that they have held and squandered for the last decade.
There are some legitimate reasons to move cautiously when it comes to building offshore windfarms. But none of those reasons are on the mind of Paul Sarlo:
"This is an unproven market here in New Jersey," Sarlo said. "We're going to give (builders of the turbines) $100 million and raise rates. ... What if they build these farms and they don't work?"
Yes, Paul Sarlo is worried that a windmill attached to an electrical generator will somehow fail to work. And this guy has an engineering degree? One has to wonder what part of the technology the good Senator believes will be problematical...is it the part where wind makes the wheel turn? Perhaps it is the part where the magnet, whirling inside a coil of wire, produces electricity? Oooh! I know - he's worried that New Jersey will have a wind shortage!
We have 3 diaries - so far - dealing with today's announcements - this by Hopeful, one by Hetty Rosenstein, another by me. Makes sense to link them together. - Rosi Efthim
This statement, which is from Sweeney, Oliver, Buono, Cryan, Sarlo, and Greenwald, has a lot of digs, though it promises some cooperation if the Governor will meet them partway:
"We always welcome ideas to try to control government costs and property taxes, but we expect a reasonable, intelligent and in-depth discussion based on facts.
"Our success in working with the governor earlier this year on pension reforms shows how the best results come from bipartisan teamwork.
"But the fact is that this so-called tool kit, if enacted today, would do nothing to stop the property tax increases and fee hikes on senior citizens and the middle-class that Gov. Christie has proposed in his budget plan.
"Our focus right now is on saving senior citizens from Gov. Christie's plan to increase their prescription drug costs while slashing their property tax relief. Protecting senior citizens from these unfair and brutal cuts is our emphasis.
"We will examine the governor's plan, take what's in it and try to make it better, and we will do so with a thoughtful and thorough approach. Based on his flawed executive orders, Gov. Christie certainly knows first-hand the problems that occur when policy is rushed, so we are hopeful he is willing to work with us."
You'll note that they are insisting on their plan that Rosi discussed to be addressed first.
Governor Christie may not be good at math, but State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff says that State Sen. Paul Sarlo, the budget chair has his numbers right on the impact of Governor Christie's budget. Check out this exchange from yesterday's hearing:
"We take that $1.5 billion, $447 million, $848 million in rebates, that equals $2.8 billion in property tax relief cuts, is that correct?"
"The math part is okay," says the treasurer.
"I characterize it as property tax relief cuts based on the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services," Sarlo says.
All the while, the Christie administration continues to say they won't have a budget with tax increases. They say the cuts don't necessarily mean higher taxes, but in many places, that is exactly what will happen. The bottom line is that the Christie Administration is passing the buck to municipalities and school districts. People will be paying more, regardless of how it's framed.
Since the Blue Jersey community has clearly been buzzing with comments and opinions about the congressional and legislativeredistricting process that will unfold over the next year or so, I figured that I might as well offer everybody a third installment, which provides us with some interesting insight into how the members of the redistricting commissions are selected, the names of some individuals who have recently been appointed to the commissions, and lobbying for a spot on the one of the commissions that is currently being done, something that progressives should consider doing as well.
In PolitickerNJ's recent article, "Cryan appoints himself, Sarlo to legislative redistricting commission before stepping down as chairman", we learn that in one of his last acts as NJDSC Chairman, Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan appointed himself and anti-marriage equality and anti-progressive State Senator Paul Sarlo to the legislative redistricting commission, ensuring that Sarlo would be in control of his destiny for at least the next ten years.
More about Cryan, Sarlo, and this article below the fold.
Jeff Van Drew (D-Dennis)
Shirley Turner (D-Trenton)
Nicholas Sacco (D-North Bergen)
Ronald Rice (D-Newark)
John Girgenti (D-Hawthorne)
Fred Madden (D-Washinton Twp)
James Beach (D-Cherry Hill)
Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford)
Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-ridge)
Senator Van Drew is honestly the only person on this list who deserves a pass, his district is just overwhelmingly Republican.
I've never been more disgusted and embarrassed than I was today to be a Democrat.
Can we make this the official primary candidate suggestion list?
State Health Commissioner Heather Howard has denied a request from Hackensack University Medical Center to extend the license for a hospital at the former Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood. That license is due to expire on Monday.
The Permit Extension Act of 2008, intended to help developers whose projects were stalled by the recession, does not apply in the case of the Pascack Valley Hospital license, Howard wrote in a letter to the medical center's attorney.
Hackensack had asked for another year, under the act, to have its application to open a 128-bed community hospital in Westwood heard by the State Health Planning Board. An extension would have allowed the issue to be decided by the next health commissioner, one who will be appointed by Governor-elect Chris Christie. Christie made a campaign promise to support the reopening.
But Wally Edge says that while many have expressed their displeasure with the decision, Senator Sarlo may hold a grudge and take it out on the Governor's nominee for a judgeship:
The state Health Department, reportedly with McBride's approval, yesterday refused to give Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) more time to re-open Pascack Valley Hospital. That decision angered some key Bergen County political leaders, including State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge). Sources say that McBride, nominated to a Superior Court judgeship earlier this month, could be collateral damage from the ruling. Sarlo issued a strongly worded press release slamming the Department of Health and outgoing Commissioner Heather Howard, and he might express his outrage by not posting McBride's judicial nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee - which he will chair until the end of the current legislative session on January 12.
Sarlo sponsored the Permit Extension Act and is an executive with a construction firm owned by Joseph M Sanzari, the first vice-chairman of Hackensack's board of governors.
Neither hospital is even in Sarlo's district. Hackensack Medical Center is in the 37th district and the proposed hospital would be in the 39th, while Sarlo represents the 36th. Regardless of the problems Paul Sarlo has with the hospital decision, McBride's judgeship should be looked at on it's merits. I'll let others decide whether he has the merits and Paul Sarlo is one of those that gets a say. But he has a job to do as Judiciary chairman. He has a vote in the committee and if he's so mad about the closure of the hospital, he can vote no. And as of the initial agenda released, McBride is not posted for a vote.
We have an economic emergency in the housing sector - and homeowners desperately need a moratorium on foreclosure.
But, instead of protecting homeowners, Senator Sarlo again shills for the banks and builders.
He is sponsoring S3137 which would extend the expiration date of certain permits pursuant to "Permit Extension Act of 2008."
The lame duck bill is an attack on the environment and local land use planning. It is up today in the Senate Economic Growth Committee at 1 pm
STATEMENT
Under this bill, the "extension period," as defined
in the "Permit Extension Act of 2008," P.L.2008, c.78
(C.40:55D-136.1 et seq.), would be extended until December
31, 2012, rather than July 1, 2010 as provided in current
law.
Thus, under this bill, government approvals, as defined
and extended by the "Permit Extension Act of 2008,"
would continue to be valid until December 31, 2012. In
accordance with the tolling provision provided in the
"Permit Extension Act of 2008," no approval would be
extended beyond six months after the conclusion of the
extension period, or until June 30, 2013 under this bill.
