Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 5/13/2020 – Insider NJ – InsiderNJ
Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing for 5/13/2020:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I guess the machine was stronger there than we thought.” – Former Senator Lesniak on the defeat of the Atlantic City change of government referendum
TOP STORY: After BOE Ballot Impound, Mendez and McKoy Clash over the Term ‘Voter Suppression’
Follow Insider NJ’s COVID-19 Information Update Center and Insider NJ’s County COVID-19 Data Center.
The statewide COVID-19 count stands at 140,743 cases and 9,508 fatalities (the first day of under 1,000 positive test results since late March, according to the Governor, and overall slowing rates of spread). Governor Murphy and state officials held their daily COVID-19 briefing, during which the Governor pushed back against critics who want a speedier reopening, saying the state still leads the nation on various metrics. ‘The point is we are not out of the woods yet’, he said. The Governor announced a strategy to expand testing capacity and implement a contract tracing program in the state. State epidemiologist Dr. Tan laid out the tracing specifics, while the Governor said that 1,000 state jobs could be available for the program. NJDOH Commissioner Persichilli ordered long-term care facilities to develop a COVID-19 testing plan by May 19th. Discussing a potential re-opening of the state, Murphy said it will be incremental – ‘not an on-off light switch‘ – but didn’t offer any calendar dates.
Bergen County will continue mobile COVID-19 testing this week in partnership with New Bridge Medical Center. Sheriff Cureton provided an update on COVID-19 in the county jail system.
Cape May County cancelled its Memorial Day ceremony, and announced a social distance campaign.
Cumberland County Freeholder Surrency submitted a jail reform package of four resolutions to the Board Clerk.
Hudson County Executive DeGise says he’s ready to use eminent domain to acquire three CarePoint hospitals, according to the Jersey Journal.
Middlesex County is encouraging residents to vote-by-mail for all 2020 elections.
Monmouth County was awarded $31M for the replacement of the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge.
Ocean County is reopening three more parks tomorrow.
Warren County Freeholder Kern questioned why several counties, including Warren, were initially omitted from the first round of federal COVID-19 stimulus funding but now qualify.
Rep. Gottheimer co-sponsored the HEROES Act to give first responders and frontline healthcare workers a federal tax holiday.
Rep. Norcross announced $2M to expand COVID-19 testing in South Jersey.
Rep. Sherrill announced her fourth COVID-19 tele-town hall.
New data from the ADL finds that anti-Semitic incidents rose 73% in New Jersey over the past year, with 345 incidents, the most ever recorded in the state.
Secretary of State Way announced that over 60% of state households have completed the 2020 Cenusus.
NBC4 NY won 6 Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in reporting.
ICYMI: Menendez touted SMART Fund proposal, teased ‘surprise’ support; Murphy says park reopenings generally gone well, admonishes O’Scanlon’s rebellion tweet: ‘let’s be responsible, man‘; Murphy urges residents to fill out Census; Murphy say state moving in right direction, announced formation of Advisory Committee; Persichilli reported first fatality of child; Murphy takes aim at protesters; weekly roundup of violations; SC overturned Bridgegate convictions, ruling that ‘not every corrupt act by local or state officials is a federal crime‘, Baroni hails ‘long-awaited victory‘ Christie savaged DOJ and Fishman, Murphy says Bridgegate remains ‘violation of public trust‘; Murphy pushed back NJDOL critics; UE payouts top $2B; DOL provided guidance on process; Murphy cautioned against complacency, extends SOE; Murphy celebrates slowing rates, but status quo remains: ‘data determines dates‘
Follow Insider NJ’s new iLine feature, a real-time blog that will give you continuous updates from around the state. Here are just a few iLine updates from yesterday:
- Essex County’s voter turnout exceeded all areas except one
- Paterson Ward 2 candidate Filippelli quietly fighting through the fighting
- Atlantic City Mayor Small’s last minute web ad push against referendum; a source described voters getting replacement ballots
- Larry Hamm will hold a protest rally against racialized violence
- Backers of Paterson council candidate Alex Mendez protested outside the Passaic County Board of Elections building
- Irvington battleground races too close to call
- Stromolo-Burke leads Belleville Ward 1; Melham says election isn’t over
A Rutgers-Eagleton poll finds that 66% of New Jerseyans feel the state is moving at the right pace towards reopening businesses and lifting lockdown restrictions.
The Lugar Center released their bipartisan index for 2019, ranking Rep. Gottheimer has the fourth most bipartisan member of Congress.
Immigrant advocates protested outside the home of LD39 Assemblyman Auth, according to the Bergen Record.
In CD2, Democratic primary candidate Amy Kennedy was endorsed by End Citizens United and Let America Vote.
The League of Women Voters urged voters to plan ahead and participate in the July primary.
ICYMI: Monmouth poll: COVID-19 views stabilizing; Thomas Fields endorsed Kennedy; Ciattarelli slammed Murphy on UE delays: ‘cut the checks!‘; SCDC Forward announced candidacies; in CD3, Gibbs and Richter mix it up on FB
Here’s what’s on tap under the (virtual) Gold Dome this week.
Speaker Coughlin announced the members of his Economic Recovery Advisory Council.
Senator O’Scanlon released a plan outlining steps for the state’s public health and economic recovery.
Senators Testa and Doherty called on the Governor to reopen unemployment centers and staff them with idle government employees.
Senator Holzapfel and Assemblymen McGuckin and Catalano demanded Governor Murphy address issues with the unemployment backlog.
Senator Testa and Assemblymen Simonsen and McClellan blasted Governor Murphy’s refusal to allow regional reopenings.
Senator Pennacchio obtained memos by the Health Departments in NY and NJ in late March which admonished long-term care facilities to take in COVID-19 positive patients.
Assembly Minority Leader Bramnick called for legislative hearings on reopening the state, according to TAPinto.
Assemblyman Space co-sponsored legislation to move forward with the reopening of the state’s economy.
NJGOP Chairman Steinhardt called for a legislative investigation into the Murphy Administration’s handling of unemployment claims.
The Sierra Club sent a letter to the NJDEP urging them to reopen park bathrooms.
The NJSCPAs released a survey of CPAs, finding that most say a reopening timeline will help more than other forms of economic relief.
The NJBIA released a statement in opposition to legislation that would shift COVID-19 medical costs from the feds to the state’s workers comp system.
NJ Citizen Action called for an expanded and strengthened earned sick leave law.
ICYMI: Repollet chosen as new Kean U. prez; ELEC confirms 2017 LD3 race most expensive ever; Murphy vetoed legislation
In Teaneck, the Moving Teaneck Forward slate emerged victorious over their rivals; the slate was backed by outgoing Mayor Hammeeduddin. The all-VBM election drew wider participation than usual.
In Belleville, Ward 1 Councilwoman Stromolo-Burke is leading the VBM count as of last night, with Mayor Melham vowing that the ‘election is not over’ (iLine post), with at least 300 VBMs left to count in the contentious council battle that featured late-game frustration over missing VBMS and a messenger ballot fight. A common theme was high voter turnout in the all-VBM election, as of yesterday afternoon.
In Paterson, a judge granted an extension until today for VBM tallying for the council races in the city’s municipal ward races (iLine post). 800 VBMs were nullified by the Board of Elections due to irregularities, setting off a late scrap between Ward 3 Councilman McKoy and challenger Alex Mendez, and causing anger among candidates. Outcomes in key contested races to be decided include Ward 1’s under-the-radar council race, Ward 2’s contentious rematch (which included a street fight), and Ward 3. In several wards, the VBM count as of yesterday morning was consistent with previous turnout.
In Atlantic City, voters rejected the change of government referendum by a margin of nearly 2,300 VBMs; there are still 1,800 to be counted. Prior to Election Day, opponents of the referendum referendum expressed confidence , with Craig Callaway predicting that supporters ‘won’t win a ward‘. Earlier in the day, supporter Bob McDevitt had jeered the Election eve drive-by rally (iLine post) at his house by opponents of the referendum, calling it a ‘little parade of clown cars’. Former Senator Lesniak, a supporter of the referendum, said ‘I guess the machine there is stronger than we thought‘.
In Irvington, Mayor Vauss said that battleground council races were too close to call as of last night (iLine post); earlier in the day, he said VBMs were on pace with past voter turnout (iLine post).
In Montclair, Sean Spiller emerged victorious over Renee Baskerville, by a closer-than-expected margin of less than 500 votes. In a mayoral battle where he not only faced Baskerville, but the Sunlight Policy Center, via dueling mail pieces during the campaign. Council candidate Peter Yacobellis had posted on Facebook that 25% of the VBMs had been returned as of yesterday morning.
In Orange, incumbent Mayor Warren won re-election last night (iLine post), capitalizing on a divided field of challengers; candidate Donna Williams cautioned the state against using an all-VBM process for the July primary.
In Newark, the Unity slate cruised to victory in the low-key BOE race (iLine post), Mayor Baraka will host a public virtual town hall on reopening from COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. BRICK Education Network launched a campaign to remind students that school is still in session.
In Nutley, Scarparelli and Tucci are in a dogfight for the top spot to become mayor (iLine post).
In Hackensack, the Hackensack Smart Schools BOE slate defeated the Champsions For Students slate, according to unofficial results, according to TAPinto.
In Jersey City, the BOE adopted a $736M budget, according to the Jersey Journal.
In Ventnor, the town is relaxing restrictions on swimming and surfing, according to Downbeach.
In Jackson, the mayor re-opened sports fields, according to ShoreNewsNetwork.
In Mountain Lakes, the BOE passed a budget that raises taxes and cuts teachers, according to the Daily Record.
In New Lisbon/Pemberton, two-thirds of the residents have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Burlington County Times.
In Lebanon, the budget was passed with a slight tax increase, according to NJ Hills.
In Paramus, Senator Lagana released a statement on the COVID-19 situation at the Paramus Veterans Home, saying the LD38 legislators ‘will not rest until all our questions have been answered, the public is given full disclosure of what happened and we have a clear path forward to better serving those who have served’.
ICYMI: Insider NJ’s guide to municipal elections; political implications for mayors in key towns
AROUND THE WEB:
NJ Coronavirus: Murphy predicts ‘new normal at the Shore’ by Memorial Day
Kathleen Hopkins, Asbury Park Press
- Gov. Phil Murphy hinted Tuesday he will announce by week’s end some gradual steps to reopen the state and said he expects there will be “some semblance of a new normal at the Shore” by Memorial Day weekend. Murphy, at his daily news briefing on the COVID-19 virus, said New Jersey continues to be the most impacted state in the nation in terms of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths per 100,000 people.
Coronavirus: Gov. Phil Murphy’s one-man show is getting old | Mulshine
Paul Mulshine, Star-Ledger
- If he’s going to channel his inner Mussolini, then at least he should make the trains run on time. I’m talking about our governor. Lately Phil Murphy has taken on a manner reminiscent of that dictator from the country where he has a vacation villa.
Magical thinking on the virus will extend the crisis | Moran
Tom Moran, Star-Ledger
- The emotional strain of this quarantine can cause rational people to lose their grip, so please cut Assemblyman Hal Wirths some slack over his unhinged rant against Gov. Phil Murphy and the public health experts who are advising him.
How the Pandemic Has Transformed the College Experience and Could Transform It Even More
Sheila Noonan, NJ Spotlight
- Colleges change with the times. New Jersey’s colonial theological seminaries are today’s leading research universities; its teacher training colleges expanded to liberal arts; and an education once reserved for white wealthy males is now open to all. Higher education is on the cusp of another transformation, but not for occupational or societal reasons: the drivers this time are a coronavirus pandemic that sent students home for virtual learning and a gutted economy some fear might keep them there.
A how-to on conducting state meetings by phone | Quigley
Joan Quigley, Jersey Journal
- It had snowed heavily all weekend and Monday nothing was moving. Even plows were garaged, waiting for the blizzard to stop. But “Government must go on,” we were told, and the new voting session began Tuesday. So all of us in the state Legislature were instructed to get to the nearest major intersection the next morning so a Trooper could pick us up and drive us to Trenton.
Peter D’Auria, The Jersey Journal
- Two years ago, Hector Oseguera, a volunteer on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional race, thought he understood his role in politics: he was meant to be a volunteer, not a candidate.
N.J. lawmaker mocked us when he picked up violin during coronavirus meeting, immigrant group says
Rebecca Panico, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- Advocates from immigrant advocacy group Wind of the Spirit say a Republican state lawmaker mocked undocumented immigrants who are struggling during the coronavirus crisis by playing a violin in the middle of a meeting on Zoom.
How a small Montclair nursing home is beating the coronavirus odds
Julia Martin, NorthJersey.com
- From the outside, you’d never guess that the tidy white-shingled house, its inviting front porch framed by shrubbery, is a long-term care facility. The homey facade of the Little Nursing Home, which is nestled into a tree-lined residential street in Montclair, isn’t the only sign it’s an outlier. At the height of a crisis for the state’s long-term care facilities, it is so far beating the deadly odds of the coronavirus pandemic.
More Than 25% of NJ Jobless Claimed Filed by Those Over Age 55
Dino Flammia, NJ1015
- Between the middle of March and the last full week of April, more than a quarter of new jobless claims in New Jersey were filed by individuals aged 55 and above. Another significant chunk of the initial-claimant pool was filled with residents aged between 45 and 54. Coronavirus-related business shutdowns and layoffs have taken a heavy toll on older workers here and elsewhere, according to AARP, as many individuals in this demographic work in retail and food service positions that have been halted to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
Union City police chief details department’s struggles with COVID-19 during AG’s webinar
John Heinis, Hudson County View
- Union City Police Chief Nichelle Luster detailed the department’s struggled with COVID-19 during a webinar hosted by the state Attorney General’s Office yesterday, speaking about the loss of Det. Alex Ruperto and noting that 27 officers have tested positive.
Cumberland County officials report 14 cases of COVID-19 in jail staff
Molly Bilinski, Press of Atlantic City
- Cumberland County officials on Tuesday said there have been 14 positive COVID-19 cases in county jail staff. Eleven corrections officers and three civilian employees have tested positive, jail Warden Richard Smith said in a news release, adding “while we cannot control the exposures to the virus our officers encounter outside the jail, we are going to extraordinary lengths to minimize those exposures inside the jail.”
Woodbridge, Milltown cancel July 4 fireworks
Suzanne Russell, Bridgewater Courier News
- This year’s July 4 fun run, 5K race, parade, park festivities and fireworks have been canceled. David Potter, president of the Milltown Fourth of July Organization, announced the cancellation in a letter read at Monday’s virtual council meeting. The letter states the decision was made in the best interests of the health and public safety of residents, volunteers, emergency staff, town employees, visitors and vendors.
Reprimand for attorney Paul Dougherty, former Haddon Township commissioner
Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
- The state Supreme Court has ordered a reprimand for attorney Paul Dougherty, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to accepting an improper referral fee while serving as a Haddon Township commissioner. Dougherty, currently serving a two-year probationary term, had faced a potentially more severe penalty: a recommended suspension for one year to 18 months, the high court’s Disciplinary Review Board noted in a decision Friday.
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