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Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Those political concerns, however important they may be to you, have absolutely no bearing on [my] ultimate decision in this case.” – Judge Quraishi acknowledging the political ramifications of the ballot lawsuit
TOP STORY: New Jersey Politicos Sweating Ahead of Ballot Ruling
Download and read Insider NJ’s annual Irish American New Jersey leaders list in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, compiled by Tom Barrett.
Expectations of a judge’s ruling on the county party line ballot structure has sent New Jersey insiders into a backroom frenzy, with the cold sweat starting Sunday evening as AG Platkin announced he would not defend the state statutes at the center of the lawsuit, stating he considers them unconstitutional. A bifurcated establishment tried to choke down the news that the party organization lines could be coming to an end.
Judge Quraishi says he’s not sure whether he’ll consider AG Platkin’s opinion on the constitutionality of the county party line – or lack thereof – saying the AG is ‘lobbing his opinion from the cheap seats’, according to Politico NJ.
If the county party ‘line’ goes away, many more local elections may come into play, according to NJ Monitor.
The state received approval for $180M in federal funds to support capital projects.
The state received $25M in federal funding for the construction of the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center.
AG Platkin issued a directive formalizing the Office of Community and Alternative Responses within the Department of Law and Public Safety.
Pedestrian deaths are on the rise in the state, according to the Bergen Record.
New documents show the impact of a state pilot teaming cops with mental h health services, according to the Bergen Record.
The feds may call Nadine Menendez’s lawyer as a witness in the bribery case, according to the Bergen Record.
Essex County Sheriff Fontoura won’t seek re-election.
Monmouth County home prices climbed in February, according to the Asbury Park Press.
NJPBS will host a roundtable with the Democratic Senate primary candidates, sans First Lady Tammy Murphy.
ICYMI: Menendez considering independent Senate run; Murphy’s approval 50%; Insider NJ’s Who’s Up And Who’s Down; COVID report released; poll shows clear majority want Menendez gone; NJ Dems back up SOTU; Murphy has higher name recognition but Kim has higher favorable ratings; Senate race promises historic results
Jersey City Mayor Fulop rescinded his endorsement of First Lady Tammy Murphy for Senate and calling on her to abandon her campaign, while swinging his support to Rep. Kim, saying his campaign has become the ‘catalyst for the backbone’ of the Democratic Party.
Democratic Senate primary candidate Patricia Campos-Medina blistered the Camden County Democrats following the blocking of her entrance into the convention.
In CD2, Democrat Tim Alexander is building support for a second attempt at ousting Rep. Van Drew, according to NJ.com.
In CD7, Democratic candidate Sue Altman called for a swift ending to the ‘broken ballot system’.
In CD9, Rep. Pascrell held his St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser, amid building party drama in Passaic County and a primary challenge.
It was a wild weekend for Hudson County Democrats, according to the Jersey Journal.
Republican Marla Saracino will be the first woman to run for Sheriff in Passaic County, according to TAPinto.
ICYMI: Insider NJ’s Who’s Up And Who’s Down; HCDO awarded line to Murphy, Camden Dems endorsed Murphy, Kim secured backing of AC Dems, Morris Dems endorsed Kim; MCDO announced candidates; Poll: Who will win the Dem Senate primary; Murphy secured the backing of MCDO; 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
In Bloomfield, Mayor Gamble called for an end to the county party line ballot system.
In Montclair, GOP leader Byrne called on the GOP to join the effort to end the line.
In Perth Amboy, Democratic mayoral primary candidate Joseph Vas amplified his demand for Mayor Caba’s resignation.
In Edison, Mayor Joshi slammed state leadership, calling out inaction on crime.
In Asbury Park, the banished schools superintendent is still owed $400k, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Atlantic City, Rep. Van Drew called for a criminal investigation into the Housing Authority, according to NJ Spotlight.
In Bedminster, the GOP is backing Jacobs and Mareski for re-election, according to NJ Hills.
In Berkeley Heights, the mayor and council discussed the budget, according to TAPinto.
In Bernardsville, a school official alleged anti-Hispanic bias, according to NJ Hills.
In Carteret, the town was hit with an excessive force lawsuit, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Morris Township, the mayor filed to run for re-election, according to NJ Hills.
In Mount Olive, taxpayers will dig deeper for taxes, according to NJ Hills.
In Ocean City, the school budget increased without raising taxes, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Paterson, the council ward ballot drawing was held, according to TAPinto.
In South Orange, the budget was presented, according to TAPinto.
In Wildwood, the $10M dredge of the back bays is half finished, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In Hoboken, Dems endorsed Kim and Bhalla, Chair Hodes resigned; in Trenton, officials hoping for Starbucks change of heart
AROUND THE WEB:
Gov. Murphy places surprise congratulatory call to Ventnor mayor
Nanette LoBiondo Galloway, Down Beach
- At first Mayor Lance Landgraf thought it was a prank call, but he quickly learned the call was real. NJ Gov. Phil Murphy recently placed a personal telephone call to the mayor to congratulate the city for winning a $7.1 million grant from the Boardwalk Preservation Fund to reconstruct deteriorating sections of the Ventnor boardwalk, which is more than 60 years old.
No criminal charges for Deptford police officer who shot and killed South Jersey man last year
Nick Vadala, Philadelphia Inquirer
- A Deptford police officer who shot and killed a man last year will not be criminally charged in connection with the incident, after a state grand jury review. The January 2023 shooting, in which Officer Luke Ivey fatally shot Daniel Nevius Sr., 55, of Sicklerville, occurred after the Deptford Township Police Department responded to a 911 call on Fox Run Road in Deptford. The caller said that Nevius was pointing a rifle at civilians and acting erratically, according to investigators.
The backlash on OPRA and the NJ primary are real. Democrats better pay attention | Stile
Charles Stile, NorthJersey.com
- “This is what democracy looks like!” That was the chant from jubilant and relieved civic watchdogs and good government advocates after Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin pulled the unconscionable and complicated bill that would have gutted New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act off a fast track toward passage.
Here are New Jersey’s 21 county administrators and their salaries
David M. Zimmer, NorthJersey.com
- As caps on property tax increases squeeze school districts and municipal governments, county governments are increasing their presence in New Jersey. The state constitution mandates that each of its 21 counties has a sheriff, clerk, surrogate and register for deeds and mortgages. The counties manage jails, courts and welfare services. They also have their own law enforcement, road infrastructure and parks. And they are increasingly offering regional services that allow local governments to downsize.
Gold Bar Bob, Independent candidate for infamy | Editorial
Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- We have arrived at the point-and-giggle phase of Sen. Robert Menendez’s once-laudable career, six months after he has been indicted on 18 federal counts of bribery, extortion, and corruption, and he seems poised for his next big move.
Warring Jersey City ed bd needs to get its priorities straight | Jersey Journal editorial
Jersey Journal Editorial
- So here we are again. Not two years after Jersey City finally convinced the state that it could run New Jersey’s second-largest school district without a monitor looking over its shoulder, our leaders are running back to Trenton to settle a squabble in the sandbox.
Diocese of Camden bankruptcy plan confirmed, but survivors’ fight to continue
Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
- The Diocese of Camden is to pay $87.5 million to survivors of clergy sex abuse under a plan approved by a bankruptcy judge. A trust intended to help some 300 abuse survivors will receive payments from the diocese and related entities over a five-year period, court records show.
Why more people bet on sports in New Jersey than ever before
Down Beach
- New Jersey has had a long association with gambling, in the form of Atlantic City, which in the mid-1970s became the nation’s second most notable gambling hub after Las Vegas. The Garden State, then governed by Chris Christie, was also at the forefront of the pivotal legal case to lift the nationwide ban on sports betting, In the summer of 2017, the Supreme Court took up the case of Christie versus the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The following May the 1992 PASPA Act was struck down, clearing the way for all US states to legalize sports betting.
VIDEO: N.J. resident schools snarky Democrat legislator on gas tax
Matt Rooney, Save Jersey
- What happens when an X user/New Jersey resident and a Democrat legislator with a toxic attitude clash over road funding? Answer: a pure illustration of badly Trenton sucks. It happened this week when the Assembly Appropriations Committee held a hearing on A4011, the bill designed to increase the gas tax to fund… NJ Transit.
Coalition of women in NJ politics calls for scrapping ‘party line’
Briana Vannozzi, NJ Spotlight
- A coalition of 40 female elected officials and former candidates this week issued a letter calling for the abolition of the “party line” on New Jersey ballots, which many critics argue gives party-backed candidates an advantage. In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, coalition member Sadaf Jaffer, a former assemblywoman, discusses the coalition members’ objections to the party line.
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