Addiego’s party defection – Politico

Good Tuesday morning!

Is it the “Dawn” of a new era in Trenton.

Story Continued Below

Republican State Sen. Dawn Addiego, presumably seeing the writing on the wall for Republicans in her native Burlington County, announced yesterday that she’s becoming a Democrat.

Addiego in her statement announcing the change threw all in with Senate President Stephen Sweeney and his quest to cut back on public workers‘ pension benefits. Of course, there’s a hypocritical angle to that, as Addiego was one of a small number of politicians to benefit from a law Sweeney pushed that allowed politicians whose pensions were frozen when they changed elected offices to reenter the system, boosting their future pensions (See Dana Redd’s law that I just ranted about yesterday).

Read more about Addiego’s switch here.

This move, in retrospect, makes a lot of sense. Republicans have lost ground quickly in Burlington County. Addiego only narrowly won reelection in 2017 even though Democrats didn’t throw any resources against her. The GOP just lost control of the freeholder board there. Their Democratic voters provided the fuel to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur. And Addiego doesn’t even need to worry about reelection for three years, during which time she’ll get to be in the majority. Also, when you’re a Sweeney/Norcross Democrat, you won’t be voting all that differently than you did before.

It was also remarkable how quiet this was kept. Nobody had a story before Addiego released a statement, though David Wildstein posted a story so quickly he clearly had something ready to go.

WHERE’S MURPHY? At a diner in Sayreville with best friends Steve Sweeney and Craig Coughlin to discuss the $15 minimum wage at 9:30 a.m.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Optimus Partners’ Karin Elkis, Hamilton Mayor Glen Gilmore, CNN’s Lauren Dezenski

DAYS SINCE MURPHY-ALIGNED GROUP INTENTIONALLY BLEW OFF SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINE TO DISCLOSE ITS DONORS: 29

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “‘Let Me Finish’ is a superficial and ungainly book that tries to cover so many bases at once — it’s a series of attacks and justifications, it’s a master class in sucking up and kicking down, it’s a potted memoir, it’s a stab at political rehabilitation — that reading it is like watching an octopus try to play the bagpipes.” — New York Times book critic Dwight Garner More here

TWEET OF THE DAY: @MattKatz00: “Chris Christie — who as US Attorney had a local politician arrested for corruption while walking his dog & chained him at the wrists and legs for hours in order to ‘scare the hell’ out of other dirty pols — thinks feds were excessive in how they arrested Roger Stone.”

HOW ABOUT ONLY AN EXEMPTION FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS? — Local governments push for minimum wage exemption, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: Representatives for local governments are voicing opposition to a provision that would include municipal, county and school district workers in legislation to gradually raise New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, arguing the higher salaries could put an additional strain on already tight budgets. Government bodies in New Jersey are not required to pay their workers the current $8.85 minimum wage, but instead must pay the federal minimum, which is $7.25 an hour. The bill moving through the Legislature, NJ A15 (18R), would change that. Lobbyists say the provision to include government workers was unexpectedly added to the minimum wage bill last week. Read more here

IS THE ANSWER TO WHO HIRED ALVAREZ IN THE TUNNEL? — “Murphy tours deteriorating Amtrak Hudson River tunnel in push for fix,” by The Record’s Curtis Tate: “Gov. Phil Murphy and members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation toured Amtrak’s deteriorating Hudson River tunnel Monday, in an effort to drum up support for a federally funded replacement. Murphy, along with Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, multiple House members, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Amtrak and NJ Transit officials, rode on a special Amtrak observation car on a train from Metropark to New York Penn Station. Murphy and the state’s congressional delegation are pushing for federal funding for a $13 billion replacement called the Gateway Program. The tunnel carries 200,000 riders a day on NJ Transit and Amtrak between New Jersey and New York, making it a critical piece of the Northeast Corridor economy.” Read more here

—“Lawsuits challenge New Jersey’s workplace confidentiality rule,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Kate King: “When Jake Stouch filed a workplace complaint against a senior investigator at the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency in November, he was told not to discuss the matter with anyone. Mr. Stouch, an investigator with the division, said his supervisors warned him that discussing the complaint, including with his attorney or union representative, violated the state’s confidentiality policy and could be grounds for termination. “I felt like I was being isolated,” he said. “My every move was being watched at that point. It was almost retaliative.” Mr. Stouch and Kristine Bodnar, a counselor for the nonprofit Center for Family Services, which is contracted by the state, are among several New Jersey workers fighting in court to stop the state from enforcing confidentiality in workplace-discrimination investigations. The rule, outlined in the state’s civil-service code, says all investigations ‘shall be handled, to the extent possible, in a manner that will protect the privacy interests of those involved.’ Mr. Stouch and Ms. Bodnar filed a sexual-harassment and retaliation lawsuit earlier this month that also asks the court to declare the state’s confidentiality directive null and void.” Read more here

PUT A LID ON IT — “Dems, GOP take credit for putting lid on NJ property taxes, but can lid stay on?” by NJ Spotlight’s John Reitmeyer: “Gov. Phil Murphy was quick to take credit after news broke earlier this month that New Jersey’s hated property-tax bills grew at their slowest rate in decades last year, asserting his administration’s effort to boost funding for local school districts was a major factor. But Republicans say `not so fast.‘ They point instead to the lasting impact of so-called `tool-kit‘ reforms that were adopted during the tenure of former GOP Gov. Chris Christie, including a 2 percent cap on annual levy increases that remains in effect. While additional detailed property-tax data that could shed more light is still pending from the state, the debate will likely rage on for months in Trenton. Murphy has already announced he wants to spend even more on K-12 school aid in the new state budget due out in early March. Meanwhile, Republicans are still angling for the reinstatement of a major Christie-era reform that expired last year — a hard cap on the salary increases for local police officers and firefighters through binding arbitration.” Read more here

NEITHER DID I — “Brendan Gill: I didn’t hire Al Alvarez either,” by The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “Brendan Gill wants to be clear about one thing: It wasn’t him. He is not the guy who was behind the decision to hire Al Alvarez to a senior job in the Murphy administration after Katie Brennan accused Alvarez of sexually assaulting her. The rumors, he says, are dead wrong. ‘I had no communication with anyone to encourage the hiring of Alvarez,’ said Gill, who was Murphy’s campaign manager, and serves as a freeholder in Essex County. ‘I was not involved in the transition or hiring practices of the administration.’ So, the mystery lives. It is amazing to me that no one in the Murphy administration has stepped up and admitted to this mistake. And it’s even more amazing that the governor allows the question to drag on, week after week.” Read more here

REINING IN. GET IT? — “Lawmakers eye reining in proposed $100M of horseracing subsidies,” by NJBIZ’s Daniel Munoz: “Lawmakers want to curtail $100 million of proposed subsidies to the state’s horse tracks through an amendment that would allow the state Legislature to review whether the subsidies are having their desired effects of boosting the horseracing industry, and whether those subsidies should continue. The amendment to Assembly Bill 4810 came at the request of Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-19th District, according to Assembly Appropriations Chair John Burzichelli, D-3rd District.” Read more here

— Senate panel tables bill allowing PARCC to be used as high school exit exam Read more here

—“Dems trying to get Howarth to switch parties” Read more here

—“Will dueling medical marijuana dispensaries on the AC boardwalk be too much of a good thing?” Read more here

—Stile: “Living large at League convention: Limos, big dinners and room service on taxpayers’ dime” Read more here

—“Gov. Florio: Camden’s renaissance will impact the entire state. Let’s keep building on its success” Read more here

— Bill to prohibit silencing victims of sexual harassment, discrimination advances Read more here

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT A TRAIN THAT’S MADDENING — “Amtrak’s New York-to-D.C. fixes leave biggest worries unresolved,” by Bloomberg’s Elise Young: “Along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, roughly $3.4 billion in improvements are underway to bring faster, more reliable service to the busiest rail route in the U.S. Yet the region’s biggest and most important infrastructure project remains unfunded, a failure that threatens service to 820,000 regional and commuter passengers each workday. Station renovations, high-speed track, power lines and signals — all decades-deferred work that has begun — will be for naught if century-old infrastructure under the Hudson River crumbles. In all, Amtrak needs at least $37 billion for improvements from New York to Washington, D.C., with the bulk of it — $30 billion — for Gateway, which would replace a rickety bridge, build a second tunnel linking New Jersey to Manhattan and overhaul an existing one whose days are numbered.” Read more here

‘POSSIBLE’ 2020 RUN — “Cory Booker finalizing Iowa leadership team of high-profile Iowa staffers in preparation for possible 2020 run,” by The Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel: “Cory Booker is finalizing the leadership of a potential Iowa campaign team — an indication the New Jersey senator is moving closer to announcing a run for president. According to a source familiar with the process, Booker will hire, should he run, a team of high-profile Iowa staffers that includes Mike Frosolone, Haley Hager, Joe O’Hern and Tess Seger. Frosolone directed the Iowa House Democrats’ political operation, leading the recruitment of 95 Democratic candidates to run in the House’s 100 districts — the most in 30 years. Hager was the Iowa state director for NextGen America, the organization funded and created by billionaire activist Tom Steyer. She has a background in organizing and field work. O’Hern’s resume includes work for the Iowa Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign in 2014 and as Martin O’Malley’s caucus director in the 2016 cycle. Seger has been the communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party for the last year and a half.” Read more here

—“Roger and Me: New Jersey and the Stone Zone“ Read more here

—“Tame first town hall for freshman congresswoman in Parsippany” Read more here

—“Van Drew introduces bipartisan ‘End Government Shutdowns Act’” Read more here

THE PIPELANDS — “The Democrats take charge in Burlington County. They want to dump the Pinelands chairman, stop the pipeline,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jan Hefler: “After more than 40 years of being in the minority, Burlington County Democrats seized control of the county’s governing body this month and already have joined the fray over a natural gas pipeline that opponents say threatens the Pinelands, a federally protected million-acre tract in New Jersey. The new majority on the county Board of Chosen Freeholders is calling for Sean Earlen, the chairman of the Pinelands Commission, to step down or be ousted, saying he has a conflict of interest and is beholden to the Republican Party. Earlen, who was appointed to the commission by the board’s previous GOP majority and then named chairman by Gov. Chris Christie, helped push through the controversial $180 million Southern Reliability Link pipeline, which cuts through the protected area of the Pinelands.” Read more here

WHO WOULD DARE SAY NO? — “Eagle Ridge in Lakewood would get 556 new homes under developer’s plan,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Stacey Barchenger: “The developer that wants to build a massive new neighborhood on the Eagle Ridge golf course has filed an application with the township planning board, signaling a step forward with the project that has triggered vocal opposition and two lawsuits. Named The Parke, the project calls for a development of 556 residential units — 278 duplex buildings — a shopping center, four community centers, multiple parks and pedestrian paths to replace most of the Cross Street golf course, according to documents filed with Lakewood Township … The future of the public golf course has become a flash point in an ongoing debate over how Lakewood Township should grow, and whether there should be limits on new construction … The most vocal opponents to the Eagle Ridge development plan are residents of The Fairways at Lake Ridge, an age-restricted development built around the golf course. Residents there and the homeowners association have filed two lawsuits over the development proposal and the township’s handling of a planning process in 2017. The lawsuits have continued despite an August attack in the Fairways that left Frederick `Rob‘ and Patricia Robison, a couple leading opposition to development, hospitalized for months. No arrests have been made in the assault, and authorities have released little information about their investigation.” Read more here

—“Toms River mayor candidates emerge, but incumbent hasn’t decided” Read more here

—“Paterson official’s work time records come under fire from council members” Read more here

—“Politically-connected law firms get Paterson contracts” Read more here

—“How did Lyndhurst schools rack up $5M deficit? Auditor report coming” Read more here

—“Voters ousted him, but [Delran] school board member stays on anyway” Read more here

—“Almost half of Bayonne BOE members have conflicts on interest. Will that impact superintendent search?” Read more here

—“Hoboken mayor to deliver state of the city address Tuesday” Read more here

SHOPPING MALLS ARE ALL THE RAGE RIGHT NOW — “See inside American Dream: Progress continues as opening date approaches,” by The Record’s Melanie Anzidei: “American Dream, the entertainment and shopping extravaganza that North Jersey has anticipated for close to 17 years, is finally taking shape ahead of its projected spring opening. Over the past months, as the pace of construction has moved faster, companies, including officials of American Dream,have turned to social media to share glimpses of their progress. Companies have also given updates of their own for industry insiders eager to keep up. Workers inside the construction site, too, have shared rare glimpses of the site on their social media pages.” Read more here

—“Porn company is suing hundreds of N.J. residents for downloading smut. Is it extortion?” Read more here

—“Report: NJ student loan debt doubled in a decade” Read more her

—“South Jersey restaurant owner shocked by anti-immigrant message left on bill” Read more here

—“NJ landfill agrees to accept PFAS-contaminated soil from Pennsylvania military base” Read more here

—“A Rutgers professor called a booster ‘a parasite and an idiot.’ Will athletics and academics ever get along? | Politi” Read more here