Jones pulls ahead of Currie – Politico
Good Tuesday morning. Just a reminder: Matt is off all week, so send me your tips: rhutchins@politico.com.
Ocean County Democratic Chairman Wyatt Earp (yeah, real name, and he looks like Ron Swanson) is endorsing Leroy Jones, the Essex County chair, in the race for Democratic State Committee chairman. “Chairman Jones has demonstrated that he has the experience and the temperament to unite our party and to lead it to even greater electoral success in coming years,” Earp said in a statement on Monday.
It’s a major blow to John Currie, who is now struggling to hold on to the leadership post despite the backing of Gov. Phil Murphy. “I respect Chairman Currie and his tenure as the longest serving Chairman in the history of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee,” Earp said. “With that said, I think it would be healthy and important to pass the torch to a new leader.”
Jones supporters say their guy now has 55 votes — and only 49.5 are needed to win a chairman election. New Jersey Globe says it has the same count. But Currie isn’t conceding and says he can still win another term. “I remain confident that with the support of Governor Murphy, Democratic leaders and grassroots activists throughout our state, Vice Chair Peg Schaffer and I will secure the required majority of Democratic State Committee votes for a new term leading our party,” Currie said in a statement.
No election has actually been called, but the committee has to pick a chair by the end of January, so there’s little time for Currie and Murphy to figure out how to save face. If it is true that Jones has 55 votes — and that doesn’t change — we’d expect the governor will try to cut some sort of deal so he doesn’t walk away in complete embarrassment.
Remember, this is largely about redistricting and which five people Democrats pick for their share of the seats on the Legislative Apportionment Commission. This is what last year’s big fight over the redistricting amendment was about — it was an attempt to take some power away from Currie (and, effectively, the governor) when it comes to picking those seats. Could the governor give his Democratic rivals what they want — or some of what they want — just to keep Currie in place? Or could Currie just lose the election and then make his five picks anyway?
IN OTHER NEWS: The California Independent Redistricting Commission will be visiting New Jersey this week on a two-day tour so members can discuss “the benefits of community-driven redistricting reforms” and “highlight what’s possible when ordinary voters, not politicians, are engaged in the redistricting process and empowered to draw new district maps.” Or at least that’s how their hosts, the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, puts it.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m not speaking to you.” —Democratic Chairman John Currie, when initially asked about the Earp endorsement of Jones by New Jersey Globe
WHERE’S MURPHY? — Attending the 550th birth centennial celebration of the Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, in Woodbridge.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — South Orange Village President Sheena Collum and Bordentown Deputy Mayor John Brodowski.
GOOD QUESTION — “Why is Gov. Phil Murphy not letting campaign staff discuss ‘hostile and toxic’ workplace?” by The Record’s Dustin Racioppi: “Gov. Phil Murphy is under increasing pressure to lift non-disclosure agreements for staff on his campaign — a workplace described as “hostile and toxic” — after a major television network decided to allow employees to freely discuss allegations of sexual harassment. The move by NBC, which has had to deal with high-profile accusations of sexual harassment, follows a move by the Roman Catholic Church in New Jersey last year. NBC’s decision is also placing pressure on Fox News, the top cable network, to follow suit. …
“Murphy’s office and a campaign attorney, Paul Josephson, did not respond to a message seeking comment on why the agreements, which are essentially gag orders on workers, are still in place. Murphy has also not responded to a request from Sen. Loretta Weinberg that he lift NDAs for his campaign, transition and government, she said. Weinberg, a Democrat from Bergen County, sent Murphy a letter in September saying that ‘if we are to stop sexual harassment and assault, we must allow survivors an opportunity to speak up.’”
—From my notebook: Tom Moran asked Murphy about NBC during a gaggle on Wednesday, after the election, and the governor did not look happy about facing such a question. He cut Moran off before he finished his question: “I did not see it, but I said everything I’m going to say about non-disclosure agreements,” the governor said, ending his gaggle. He walked away as someone tried to follow up. Honestly, is this a good look? Why is he not answering questions about this? Why won’t he release his staffers from NDAs?
DAMN YOUR DAM REQUEST — “AP reveals problematic dams in US, but NJ picture is unclear,” by AP’s Mike Catalini: “A more than two-year investigation by The Associated Press identified scores of problematic dams nationwide, but New Jersey is excluded from the analysis because the state did not fully respond to the records requests. The investigation identified at least 1,680 dams in the U.S. that are rated as high-hazard because of the potential for loss of life if they failed and are considered to be in poor or unsatisfactory condition. New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the Bureau of Dam Safety, provided the AP with some data that it submitted to a national dam inventory, but did not include hazard classifications or the condition ratings for its dams. It also denied later requests for inspection reports and emergency action plans, citing security concerns.”
NANNY STATE BEAT — “New Jersey NAACP backs legislation banning menthol cigarette sales,” by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: “New Jersey’s State Conference of the NAACP said Monday that it would back legislation to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes in the Garden State, a reversal from the position it had previously taken. ‘The State Conference will be supporting the bill to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes after we initially did not want to. Initially we thought the bill would be harmful to our community,’ spokesperson Safeer Quraishi told POLITICO in an email, citing the possibility of over-policing and incarceration for black smokers. ‘However we will now be supporting the bill because it will not seek to penalize individuals for purchase, use, or possession of menthol cigarettes.’”
— “Lawmakers set to vote Thursday on dozens of vaping restrictions,” by NJBIZ.com’s Daniel Munoz: “Lawmakers are set to consider a trio of bills Nov. 14, that would curtail the sale and use of vaping and e-cigarette products in the state, following more than 2,000 cases of vaping-related illness nationwide, and 39 deaths spanning 24 states. The measures come as the Trump administration has promised to crack down on the types of vaping products that would be available in the market, with an eye on banning flavored e-cigarettes.”
DID THE BREATHALYZER STOP ALCOHOL DUIs? — “A marijuana breathalyzer is in the works. But will it stop weed DUIs?” by NJ Advance Media’s Amanda Hoover: “There are several reasons people oppose marijuana legalization, but perhaps chief among them is: How do we keep impaired drivers off the roads? That’s where Northern California-based Hound Labs comes into play. Launched in 2014, the company plans to bring its THC-sensing breathalyzers to the market in early 2020. … Right now, there’s no widely-accepted quantifiable measure for cannabis intoxication, though the National Institutes of Health have come to a consensus on what a cannabis high looks like. Experts trained to recognize a high driver in the field, not blood testing, is the best indication of driver impairment, studies show.”
SENATE PRESIDENT PHIL MURPHY STRIKES AGAIN — “Bill could reclassify thousands of NJ’s independent contractors,” by NJBIZ’s Daniel J. Munoz: “A new bill could classify thousands of New Jersey independent contractors, freelance and gig economy workers as employees – a measure that could profoundly impact businesses that rely on such workers, including Uber Technologies Inc., DoorDash Inc. and Lyft Inc. The proposal, sponsored by Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-3rd District, has aspects of a recently signed measure in California – Assembly Bill 5 – which goes into effect on Jan. 1 and limits when companies can classify their workers as independent contractors.”
—”NJ Transit riders invited to speak at Senate committee hearing in Hoboken“
—”GOP chairman: I’m going to dub last week’s elections as the ‘Murphy Midterms’“
CONGRESS — “GOP trucking executive says he may challenge Sherrill,” by POLITICO’s Ryan Hutchins: “Republican trucking executive Jerry Langer is considering a challenge to Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the freshman Democrat who flipped New Jersey’s 11th District from red to blue last year. Langer, who runs a trucking company based in Jersey City and lives in Montville, said he believes Republicans are well positioned to take back the seat and said he would invest his own money into the race if he does decide to run. ‘With the right candidate, this is undoubtedly a winnable race for Republicans and I am going to spend the next days deciding if I am that candidate,’ Langer said in a statement. … Langer’s interest in running was announced by Bill Stepien, President Donald Trump’s former White House political director and former Gov. Chris Christie’s two-time campaign manager.”
BOOKING A TICKET HOME — “Poll: Booker’s support at 1%,” by New Jersey Globe’s Nikita Biryukov: “Just 1% of Democratic primary voters said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker was their top pick to take on President Donald Trump, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Monday. Booker tied for eighth with three other candidates in Monday’s poll …”
IMMIGRATION — “Dreamers from NJ heading to DC, as Supreme Court weighs fate of DACA,” by NJTV’s Brenda Flanagan: “New Jersey’s home to 16,500 DACA enrollees, and another 53,000 more are eligible under the rules of the program established by the Obama administration. … The advocacy group Make the Road NJ is sponsoring the bus trip to Washington D.C. ‘All young people that have DACA or are eligible came here as young children, really know no other country except for the United States, have been studying here, working here, contributing,’ said Sara Cullinane, director of the group. ‘They’re our friends, family, neighbor. It’s so critical that they’re allowed to stay and also that Congress step up and put them on a pathway to citizenship.’”
—”Congressman Andy Kim: We can create a ‘Veterans Century’“
—”Newark nonprofit helps veterans transition to civilian life“
CLASS WAR — “NJ country club sues waiter who dumped wine on member’s $30K Hermes bag,” by New York Post’s Craig McCarthy and Emily Saul: “They want to leave him holding the bag. The New Jersey country club that was sued by a patron after a waiter dumped red wine on her $30,000 Hermes handbag is turning on the butter-fingered staffer — who they claim in new legal papers is liable for the flub. Alpine Country Club member Maryana Beyder sued the establishment in October, following repeated out-of-court efforts to get the club to correct the issue, which she says left her discontinued pink Hermes Kelly bag ruined beyond repair. The club ignored her repeated complaints, and last week in new court filings placed blame squarely on the anonymous waiter, who has been identified in court papers only as John Doe.”
—”Lawmakers look to take drug court concept to municipal level“
—”American Dream CEO’s New York home robbed of handbags, jewelry“
