Kim’s lead over MacArthur expands

Good Monday morning!

We’re six days past the election and still don’t have a final result in the 3rd District, but it’s looking more and more likely that Andy Kim beat Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Kim’s lead over MacArthur grew to 4,353 votes late Friday. There are still 7,200 provisional ballots left to be counted, but the majority come from Democratic Burlington County and not Republican Ocean County, according to the report.

MacArthur hasn’t conceded yet. But these numbers look nearly insurmountable.

WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Bordentown City Commissioner John Brodowski

QUOTE OF THE DAY: : “It shouldn’t have happened to this degree. One child gets sick and maybe two, but this many?” — State Sen. Joseph Vitale on the Wanaque Center outbreak that has killed 10 children

OUTBREAK — “Why did it take so long for state to inspect facility where deadly outbreak killed 10 kids?” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman and Susan K. Livio: “The kids started getting sick on an unseasonably warm day in late September. Yet it would not be until Oct. 9 — and after the death of two children — when the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation notified the state Health Department of a viral outbreak inside the long-term care facility in northern New Jersey. And then another 12 days before state inspectors walked in the door. The devastating adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center in Haskell has so far led to the deaths of 10 children and infected 19 more … an examination of how the outbreak unfolded and spread rapidly has raised questions over why state health officials waited two weeks before deploying a team to see for themselves how Wanaque was managing the crisis. The state’s response will be part of what the state Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee will examine when it holds a hearing on Dec. 3 to discuss the outbreak, said Sen. Joseph Vitale, the committee chairman said.” Read the report

THIS LOOKS ABOUT AS NON-DESPERATE AS I’M BEING NON-SARCASTIC — “Newark, state officials reaching out to NYC, Amazon in hopes of still getting piece of HQ2,” by ROI-NJ’s Anjalee Khemlani: “Newark and state officials are not willing to give up on their bid for Amazon’s second headquarters, and are proactively getting that message out — by reaching out to both New York City and Amazon officials to indicate they would like to collaborate on the massive project, four sources told ROI-NJ … One source said a Newark official has reached out to New York City in an effort to talk about how the two areas could work together. A second source said the state, using an intermediary, has gotten word to Amazon that Newark is willing to take on a part of the project. ‘The hope is, maybe we can get them to acknowledge us and get us a piece of the pie,’ the source said.” Read the report

JUSTICE — “These men were wrongly convicted and jailed for 2 decades. Now Murphy AG has put prosecutors on notice,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “Eric Kelley and Ralph Lee walked out of the Passaic County jail almost exactly one year ago. It was a long time coming – 24 years after they were convicted on murder charges and three years since new DNA evidence raised questions about their guilt. On Friday, New Jersey’s attorney general said a lengthy independent investigation into how the case went sideways was finished. Mistakes were made, authorities acknowledged. What mistakes? They weren’t saying. Still, the case could lead to significant reforms in how prosecutors in the Garden State handle wrongful conviction claims, according to a copy of a letter sent by Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to New Jersey’s 21 county prosecutors, a copy of which was obtained from his office by NJ Advance Media. It comes as Grewal is weighing the creation of a statewide conviction review unit to deal with cases that may have put innocent people behind bars.” Read the report

MINIMUM WAGE — Coughlin wants minimum wage bill done by January, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin says his goal is to get a minimum wage bill through the Legislature by the first voting session in January. Coughlin said on his monthly radio call-in show, “Speak to the Speaker,” that he believes the Assembly will soon have a bill but that whether the bill gets done this year remains to be seen. He said that there’s only one more voting session of the year, on Dec. 17. If it doesn’t get done then, he wants to see it clear the Legislature by the first voting session of the new year. “I think that in very short order, we will have a bill in place, that we will start to work through,” he said. Read the report

DON’T BANK ON LEGAL WEED BECAUSE YOU LITERALLY CAN’T — “NJ marijuana legalization: When’s the NJ legal weed vote? Will Michigan Prop 1 change us?” by The Asbury Park Press’ Mike Davis: “Another month has gone by, another “deadline” has been missed and another state has voted to legalize weed before New Jersey. Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, set a goal of voting on legal weed by Oct. 29. It was the fourth ‘deadline’ missed by the Legislature, which creeps closer to missing Gov. Phil Murphy’s vow of legalizing marijuana before year’s end. Now, legislators are targeting the Monday after Thanksgiving as the next milepost in the push for legal marijuana in New Jersey. But don’t bank on it. Since the last missed deadline, another state has joined the legal weed ranks: Michigan voters approved Proposition 1.” Read the report

MAN WHO PASSED LAW SO ALLY COULD GET EXTREMELY GENEROUS PENSION HAS SOMETHING TO SAY — “Top Democratic lawmaker says NJ’s a mess: ‘I’m not raising taxes — I’m done’,” by NJ 101.5’s David Matthau: “The state’s top Democrat in the Legislature wants New Jersey voters and taxpayers to rise up and say: We’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore! State Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, who assembled a bipartisan economic and fiscal policy work group that issued recommendations this summer for pension and budget reforms, said that it’s become crystal clear that changes must be made because ‘our pension and health care system is not sustainable anymore, and raising taxes in this state is not the answer. This is a state that has a tax problem.’ He said state lawmakers have been coming up with makeshift solutions that move money around to be able to make a partial payment to the state’s pension system and balance the budget. But the state faces at least $142 billion in long-term pension liabilities and $80 billion in unfunded post-retirement medical liabilities.” Read the report

WEDDING BELLS — “LGBT-rights activists wed in Asbury; Murphy attends ceremony,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Amanda Oglesby: “Wiping tears from their eyes, Christian Fuscarino and Aaron Williams exchanged their wedding vows Sunday in Trinity Episcopal Church before a gathering of friends, families and supporters that included Gov. Phil Murphy. Fuscarino, the 28-year-old executive director of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s leading advocacy group for gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people, and Williams, a 30-year-old U.S. Marine corporal and founder of an organization that brings tennis to young people of color, wed in a traditional military ceremony.” Read the report

— “We don’t really know how dangerous legal weed is for road safety. That’s scary for N.J.” Read the report

— “School Elections: There was more on Tuesday’s ballot than the midterm” Read the report

— Bill would double funding for security at private schools Read the report

— Fasting environmentalist confronts Murphy over pipeline Read the report

MEANWHILE, SETH GROSSMAN NOT ELECTED — “Growing number of Muslim candidates elected across NJ, nation,” by The Record’s Hannan Adely: “The moment when Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, claimed at a rally that he saw “thousands and thousands” of people in Jersey City cheering during the 9/11 attacks is seared into Mussab Ali’s memory. Here was a man aspiring for the nation’s highest office, lying about his community and putting them at risk. Those anti-Muslim comments, and others that followed, drove the Rutgers University student to turn to politics. On Tuesday, Ali was re-elected to the Jersey City Board of Education, one of more than 20 Muslim-American candidates who ran in elections across New Jersey. In all, 11 won seats or were re-elected as school board members, mayors, councilmen and freeholders. That mirrored a pattern across the United States” Read the report

DOJ WORKING FURIOUSLY TO UPDATE HOTEL ROOM EXPENSE GUIDELINES “Sessions’ job is hard to fill. Enter Chris Christie,’ by POLITICO’s Eliana Johnson, Gabby Orr, Annie Karni and Ben White: “The shadow of special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation is complicating President Donald Trump’s search for a new attorney general. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta has told associates he is unlikely to accept the job if it is offered before Mueller issues his report, according to two sources familiar with the ongoing conversations. And two other candidates approached by the White House about the position signaled they were not interested in the position As a result, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has emerged as a strong contender, according to two former White House officials briefed on the ongoing discussions, one of whom predicted that ‘this is going to end up with Christie.’” Read the report

I THOUGHT MORAN WOULD LIKE THE PROSPECT BUT I GUESS NOT —“Christie as AG? He’d be awful! Others even worse!” by The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “He was caught lying about Bridgegate when five witnesses contradicted his claim that he was ‘blindsided’ by the political nature of the lane closures, just like the rest of us. He hired a family friend to conduct an expensive whitewash ‘investigation’ at taxpayer expense. And he barely showed up for work during his second term. The most important quality in an attorney general is integrity. Let’s just say we could better than Chris Christie. But what really scares me is that we could do worse. And Trump is just the man to make that happen.” Read the report

THANKS TO JAY WEBBER TALKING TO TRUMP, NO DOUBT — “How a changing Congress could put Gateway projects back on track,” by The Record’s Curtis Tate: ‘become chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. On Wednesday, he told reporters that he would seek an infrastructure bill with ‘real money’ and make sure the federal government is committed to funding transit projects, including Gateway. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., is likely to head the House Appropriations Committee … Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, is another senior lawmaker on a key House committee: Ways and Means. The tax-writing panel would play a role in funding infrastructure … It’s likely that House Democrats, freshly empowered to conduct oversight, will take a look at how the U.S. Department of Transportation has been treating Gateway.” Read the report

— “Congress 2020: The first short lists” Read the report

— Stile: “What’s next for these midterm winners, losers and key players as the run up to 2020 starts” Read the column

— “Trump says ‘I like Chris Christie’ but hasn’t talked to him about AG jobRead the report

— “Chris Christie: Trump has not asked me to be attorney general” Read the report

— “Voting by mail should be canceled; let’s stamp it out | Mulshine” Read the column

— “ICE on illegal immigrant murders: Middlesex is only NJ county that doesn’t work with us” Read the report

—“Gottheimer gave to other moderates” Read the report

CARTOON BREAK — “Menendez rides the wave,” by Drew Sheneman See the cartoon

GILLIAM JOINS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IN LYING ABOUT SOMETHING EASILY DISPROVABLE BECAUSE IT’S ON VIDEO — “Atlantic City mayor, councilman involved in Sunday morning fight outside Golden Nugget nightclub,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s David Danzis: “The mayor and an at-large councilman were involved in a fight with several other people outside a casino nightclub early Sunday morning. Video footage reviewed by The Press of Atlantic City showed Mayor Frank Gilliam Jr. and Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy II getting into a fight with at least two unidentified men outside the Haven Nightclub at Golden Nugget Atlantic City. The incident occurred at 2:22 a.m. Gilliam acknowledged Sunday night there was a physical confrontation. However, earlier Sunday, the mayor said there was ‘no incident’ and ‘nothing happened.’” Read the report

—“Atlantic City Council moves to create police advisory board” Read the report

AT NEARLY 17% WOMEN, NJ CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION NOW TOTALLY REFLECTIVE OF STATE GENDER MAKEUP — “Women made national and New Jersey history in 2018 elections,” by The Record’s Svetlana Shkolnikova and Sarah Nolan: “A historic pink wave will sweep a record number of women into elected office in January, and the ripple effects will be felt in North Jersey. According to unofficial election results, women won about 40 percent of open seats on county and local governments and boards of education across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Morris counties on Tuesday, and some even made history of their own. Danielle DiPaola, a longtime Republican councilwoman in Emerson, was elected the borough’s first female mayor. Newcomers Denise Ingui and Doris Wechtler, both Democrats, won seats on the Elmwood Park Borough Council and tipped the dais to a first-ever female majority. ‘It’s about time,’ Wechtler said.” Read the report

NEWARK LEAD — “Study shows how Newark’s lead problem got so bad,” by TapIntoNewark’s Rebecca Panico: “It’s ‘not possible’ to pin down exactly when lead started dissolving from pipes and into Newark’s water because of possible inconsistencies in testing, according to a city-commissioned report. The city had CDM Smith, an Edison-based engineering firm, investigate what was causing elevated levels after Newark received its first notice of noncompliance from the state in 2017. Preliminary results from the 143-page study were received by officials last month and prompted the city to distribute lead filters. The report mirrors what Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has been telling reporters and residents. City officials on Oct. 12 held a press conference to announce what the report had found, but the mayor was unsure when the chemical that is used to prevent lead from dissolving in pipes had stopped working.” Read the report

WISHING HE HAD A DOVER DO OVER — “Dover Mayor James Dodd’s ‘apology’ for obscenities rejected by alderwoman,” by The Daily Record’s Peggy Wright: “Mayor James Dodd said he was sorry for shouting obscenities at Alderwoman Carolyn Blackman and political foe Fernando Barrios, but said he won’t resign and called the two deceptive hypocrites. About 50 protesters, as well as a dozen Dodd supporters, attended Thursday night’s board of aldermen meeting, which was heavily monitored by police. ‘My words were never, ever directed at Mrs. Blackman,’ Dodd said. Many in attendance stood and left the meeting as Dodd began to speak.” Read the report

INVESTIGATORS TO ALSO LOOK INTO THE LEGEND OF CURLEY’S GOLD — ”Monmouth County launches 3rd investigation into Freeholder John Curley,” by Asbury Park Press’ Susanne Cervenka: “Monmouth County launched another investigation into Freeholder John Curley, one that an attorney for the outgoing county leader has called “a taxpayer-funded political stunt.” Monmouth County freeholders approved a contract with retired acting New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Mary Catherine Cuff to conduct a third investigation into an allegation that Curley harassed and intimidated a county employee.” Read the report

BURLINGTON COUNTY — “5 takeaways from this year’s historic election” Read the report

—“Paterson: How a program for troubled teens spiked police overtime” Read the report

—“Paterson advocates say city schools have too few counselors, too many cops” Read the report

—”As León pushes for changes, some charters consider leaving Newark’s unified enrollment system” Read the report

—“Mercer Republican boss rejects Hamilton GOP chairman vote” Read the report

—“Morris County Tax Board commissioner removed for failing to take tax classes” Read the report

—“Toms River voters reject open space tax increase, leaving officials perplexed” Read the report

—“Asbury Park demands iStar halt boardwalk construction” Read the report

—”Hearing sought on ex-nuclear plant’s fuel storage plans” Read the report

—“Brookdale pays $425K to settle lawsuit over 2012 athletic director firing” Read the reporrt

—“Rowan will allow female athletes to practice in sports bras after online outrage” Read the report