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After all these years, John McKeon would probably not easily draw the LD27 senate seat, like a magic sword, from the stone. If Assemblyman McKeon were finally destined for the seat, his occupancy of it would have to come, if not with blood, at least with its New Jersey political equivalent: a food fight.
The joint Democratic committees, who effectively control the seat, have until August 31st to pick a candidate.
McKeon is the obvious favorite.
Former West Orange mayor.
A long-faithful, greying Sir Galahad who sat loyally in an LD-27 tableaux helmed (for the last 50 years) by state Senator (and former Governor) Dick Codey.
Codey announced his retirement earlier this week, which presumably would create a party committee senate shoehorning of McKeon.
Right?
Well, not exactly.
Now, there’s too much intrigue here to sort it all out into nice little piles, but the pushing and shoving started in the pre-primary season, ultimately resulting in the announced retirement of veteran Assemblyman Tom Giblin (D-27).
Amid hurt feelings, grumbles about power concentration, lingering dismay about “three Irish guys on the ticket,” and much more, Alixon Collazos – wife of Montclair Democratic Committee Chairman Brendan Gill (pictured, above) – emerged as Giblin’s replacement.
Fast forward to this past Monday.
Codey retired.
In the assembly since 2002 and a caucus leader, McKeon surfaced in the role of next-in-line to his longtime senior slate mate.
But Gill started rattling.
Maybe he would want the senate seat.
Pushback ensued.
Your wife has the seat, Brendan.
Leave it at that.
But…
Molded by the district (remember, he cut his teeth working for Bill Pascrell, then Frank Lautenberg, two Passaic roughnecks), Gill had strong ties to Passaic County Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie and longstanding in-roads in Clifton, not to mention his own Montclair base of operations.
Not enough organic connectivity?
He could nibble on the ear of Governor Phil Murphy whenever he wants.
Gill ran Murphy’s 2017 campaign.
Was that a strength necessarily, given Murphy’s slide toward second term lame duck blues?
Certainly, Gill could embody a test of Murphy’s strength.
But again, he’s more than that, and ultimately would live or die politically on his own hook.
It’s fluid, all of this.
Might even change and resolve by the time this piece posts.
Perhaps Gill will fall in and back McKeon.
But maybe he won’t.
The fluidity factor involves the map itself and potential pockets of support thereon.
One source said if Gill truly craves the senate seat and would step over McKeon to get it, he would require Currie to fill some committee vacancies in Clifton. The source posited the situation, and ultimately the seriousness of Gill’s Trenton intentions, as finally a test of Gill’s political alliance with Currie.
There’s definitely a bond there.
It’s real.
The question is how deep.
In addition, if Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman LeRoy Jones backs McKeon,
would Currie – not to mention Gill – risk offending the powerful political leader, who doubles as chair of the Democratic State Committee?
Do they need that headache?
Party insiders on Wednesday worked LD-27 ticket combinations like a Rubik’s Cube.
Gill. McKeon. Collazos.
What?
Something wrong?
The late Tony Bucco, Sr. and his son went to Trenton as a family ticket.
Why not the Gills?
Well, it just looks awful.
Okay, what about Gill, McKeon, and some other entity from the district, a woman?
So, Collazos (Gill) is politically expendable for the sake of a politically aspirational husband?
Again, not a great look.
This is the kind of speculative ball-bouncing going on in the background.
“Lots of combinations.”
“Fluid.”
Where it leans, depends on the source.
One of them, assuming Currie does not decide to make his stand on a Gill hill, posited the following:
For Assembly – Mayor Jimmy Spango is the favorite, including Codey. Livingston is pushing hard
on Shawn Klein – a bonified star. Millburn pushing Maggee Miggins. Good candidate, Miggins. Strong. If Collazos exits and her husband joins an organization-backed slate; that is to say, if he joins with her blessing, even if only in the final capacity as an assembly – not senate – candidate – LD-27 will need a woman replacement. “Carrie Parikh still seems like the solution candidate cause she from Livingston and Leroy will support her.” But Miggins also strongly contending.
Senate. McKeon locked everything but Montclair. Clifton toss-up. Gill finding resistance in Livingston, Millburn and West Orange. But he’s still pushing. His path is to fill Clifton County committee.
McKeon remained the favorite.
It’s volatile, or, as they say in Essex, live or die by a thrown political pie.
UPDATE: On Wednesday night, the joint committee appeared closer to giving McKeon the senate seat, and Brendan Gill the seat occupied by his wife, on the green light from Alixon Collazos Gill. That would almost certainly necessitate a woman in the third seat. Livingston and Millburn appeared in play on those fronts, in a configuration that likely would activate the Essex County Commission as another drop-zone as part of the deal. But a source intimately involved in the process insisted it was not quite over.
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