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Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I dare him. Go ahead. Go ahead, dude. If that sleaze ball wants to pull 7%, go right ahead. And that’s going to be strange trying to campaign while you’re in your trial.” – PA Senator Fetterman reacting to a possible independent Senate bid by Senator Menendez
TOP STORY: Trenton Doesn’t Make, Starbucks Pulls up Stakes
Insider NJ Poll: Amid a genuinely competitive Senate contest, who will win the Democratic primary?
First Lady Tammy Murphy secured the backing of the Middlesex County Democrats at their convention last night, adding to her support in Passaic, Union, Bergen, and Somerset Counties. Rep. Kim decried the process as ‘deeply unrepresentative and unfair’.
First Lady Tammy Murphy was endorsed by the Professional Firefighters Association of NJ for Senate. Murphy announced she will participate in a second televised primary debate.
In CD2, Democratic primary candidate Tim Alexander was endorsed by Atlantic City Mayor Small.
Curtis Bashaw won the Mercer County GOP line in the Senate primary, according to SaveJersey.
The Gloucester GOP awarded the line to GOP Senate primary candidate Curtis Bashaw and CD1 GOP candidate Claire Gustafson.
ICYMI: Murphy unleashed on Kim over TikTok; allies joined line lawsuit; Kim won Mercer Dems backing, won Ocean Dems backing, Murphy’s convention victory in Bergen, convention win in Somerset; Speziale blasted Adamo; Passaic Dems selected Adamo for sheriff, against off-the-line candidate Speziale; Fulop sees a ‘clear lane’; Murphy plans to ‘be everywhere’; Passaic GOP announced candidates; Monmouth poll good news for Kim; response filed to Kim’s ballot suit; Murphy announced Moran as campaign manager; Passaic Dems announced possible candidates for Sheriff; DNC poised for new NJ appointments; Murphy’s win at Bergen convention conveyed influence of county party; in CD6, Hsu will primary Pallone; Murphy, Kim supporters rallied in Bergen, Tammy Murphy’s much-needed victory, Kim won in Warren County and Sussex County
In Trenton, officials are hoping for a change of heart in the pending closure of the city’s lone Starbucks location. Rep. Watson Coleman fired off a letter to Starbucks questioning the decision.
In Camden, the city is facing a firetruck crisis, according to NJ.com.
In Cape May, a new task force will dive into homelessness, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Bayonne, the council is studying rent control, according to NJ Spotlight.
In Irvington, $800k in expenditures weren’t properly documented, according to NJ.com.
In Marlboro, neighbors are fighting a planned driveway rammed between them, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Moorestown, a forgotten memorial park will get renovations, according to Burlington County Times.
In Neptune, tax assessment discrepancies raise questions from residents, according to TAPinto. The town is putting the squeeze on homes rented out as event spaces, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Old Bridge, the new police chief envisions a ‘stronger and safer community’, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Paterson, the state Supreme Court rejected Councilman Jackson’s appeal of his election fraud case, according to Paterson Press. Confusion over early voting was raised at a council meeting, according to TAPinto.
In Plainfield, a short-term solution was found for animal control, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Raritan Borough, the police chief resigned, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Scotch Plains, the council opposes a Westfield cell tower, according to TAPinto.
In Toms River, the mayor and a business group made a deal after the fireworks fracas, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Union Township, Committeeman Louis resigned, according to TAPinto.
In Upper Township, the GOP nomination will go to a primary, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
ICYMI: In Perth Amboy, Gonzalez protested Dem screening, GOP announced candidates, Caba announced re-elec bid; in Paterson, Cotton in gear for re-election; in Parsippany, Musella held fundraiser; in Perth Amboy, Vas announced candidacy, Gonzalez announced candidacy
AROUND THE WEB:
Gov. Murphy, you must not allow the Legislature to decimate transparency, OPRA — Opinion
Ed Forbes, Daniel Sforza, Phil Freedman, Audrey Harvin, J. Staas Haught, Joe Martino, NorthJersey.com
- Gov. Phil Murphy is squarely focused on the legacy he will leave behind when his term ends in 2026. We know, for instance, that Murphy takes pride in his administration’s efforts to make New Jersey more affordable for middle-class families and seniors. We know Murphy has stressed fiscal responsibility in Trenton. We know Murphy believes — as we do — that New Jersey must remain a beacon of reproductive rights, women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ rights. And we know Murphy takes special pride in New Jersey’s successful bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in conjunction with New York City. But what about transparency?
Talk of Menendez running for US Senate seat as an independent ‘not a coincidence’
Kristie Cattafi, NorthJersey.com
- There’s still a chance Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez’s name will appear on the November ballot if he runs for his Senate seat as an independent candidate, as multiple rumors suggest. When asked by a TV reporter if he would consider running as an independent, Menendez refused to answer.
Inside the Port Authority’s deal with N.Y. to fund a new $2B bus terminal. Will it work?
Larry Higgs, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- The Port Authority, New York City and state officials struck a tax agreement to help finance the $2 billion replacement for the aging Midtown bus terminal that will use tax payments from three towers to be built over it to cover 20% of the costs.
Philly shipyard hopes battleship mostly in good condition, but ready if not
Joseph P. Smith, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
- “Small” is an adjective rarely used with the Battleship New Jersey, but its upcoming stop for dry dock maintenance here is one of those times. The BB-62 deal rates as a “small” contract for Philadelphia Ship Repair, a company that leases the dry dock at the Navy Yard and largely uses it for military vessels.
We need to fix OPRA. Let’s start here | Opinion
Marc Pfeiffer
- OPRA, New Jersey’s 22-year-old Open Public Records Act, is an important public policy that has problems. Many of them are related to age, which has exposed difficulties in dealing with new technologies, the commercial demand for data, administrative complexity, costs, privacy concerns, and various loopholes.
Housing crisis points to the dark side of home rule | Moran
Tom Moran, Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- At a Senate hearing on affordable housing Monday, the elected leaders of Summit showed up in force, with the mayor and two council members warning that the state was about to rob them of their sovereignty.
Highest and lowest property tax bills in Warren County ranked by town for 2023
Katie Kausch, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- The average New Jersey home had a property tax bill of $9,803 in 2023, an increase over the year before, according to data recently released by the state Department of Community Affairs, detailing the average property tax bill for every town in the state.
Trenton Starbucks and Subway had short life expectancy after pandemic
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- While a report regarding the planned closing of the Starbucks on South Warren St. causes significant upset, let’s maintain decorum. As long as Bobby’s Hair Emporium, Chicken/Pollo II, and the Big Liquor Store remains open, expect capital city business success. Starbucks? Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora expressed frothy upset about the planned departure on March 30.
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