MURPHY administration to roll out community college initiative — FULOP super PAC back on the scene —THINK …

By Matt Friedman (mfriedman@politico.com; @mattfriedmannj):

Good Tuesday morning!

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Remember when that murky pro-Fulop super PAC formed in 2015 announced it had raised $3.2 million in its first few months in existence? It said it wasn’t only set up to help Fulop, then went almost moribund for two years.

Now it’s back. Coalition for Progress has begun raising significant money again, this time for New Jersey Democratic congressional candidates — though its donors’ links seem to be mostly to Jersey City.

It’s not at the same volume. There are no more examples of $1 million contributions from shell corporations formed in Delaware the day before the donations were made, as was the case with a 2015 donation that Coalition for Progress — facing complaints to the FEC from three ethics watchdog groups — later revealed came from for-profit hospital owner Vivek Garipalli.

The PAC claimed in a brief post on InsiderNJ to have raised $150,000 to help Democratic congressional candidates Mikie Sherrill and Tom Malinowski. If there’s any truth to that, it must be due to commitments from donors. Because the PAC reported raising only about half of that in all of the last quarter.

Meanwhile, Coalition for Progress is sitting on more than $3 million, mainly collecting interest off it and paying its president, Bari Mattes, $12,500 a month. What’s she doing for it? I’m not sure, but responding to reporters’ requests for comments is clearly not one of her job duties.

WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — State Sen. Sam Thompson, Former Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Here’s the thing, Murphy: You can’t have it both ways. You can’t cast yourself as some kind of patron saint of women’s sports, and be unwilling to spend the money to actually treat the players that work for you like human beings — let alone like the best athletes in the world.” — Think Progress’ Lindsay Gibbs on Sky Blue FC

WHAT TRENTON MADE

ALL STUDENTS MUST PASS SENOR CHANG’S SPANISH CLASS — Murphy administration to roll out tuition-free community college initiative, by POLITICO’s Linh Tat: The Murphy administration on Tuesday will launch its tuition-free college initiative for low-income students, a first-step toward fulfilling a major promise of Gov. Phil Murphy, who made college affordability a cornerstone of his campaign. Known as the Community College Innovation Challenge, the administration will invite the state’s 19 county colleges to apply to the pilot program, which will provide grants to cover tuition and mandatory school fees for students whose adjusted gross incomes are $45,000 or less and who enroll in six or more credits in the spring 2019 semester. Several thousand students could take advantage of the program during the first year. The Legislature appropriated $25 million for the new program as part of the fiscal year 2019 state budget — $5 million in planning grants for the institutions and $20 million in Community College Opportunity Grant awards for eligible students. The secretary of higher education and HESAA, the agency which oversees the state’s financial aid program, will select the schools that will participate in the first year of the pilot program. Colleges will be selected based on their plans to conduct outreach and provide support for students, cost projections and geographic diversity. Read the report

MURPHY ADMINISTRATION MUST HAVE FACTORED IN WEEDMAN GETTING OUT OF JAIL — “$20 million from medical marijuana taxes? The numbers don’t add up,” by NJ Advance Media’s Payton Guion: “In the budget passed at the 11th hour last month, state officials penciled in $20 million for marijuana tax revenue this fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30, 2019. Based on data from previous years, the math doesn’t work. New Jersey’s medical marijuana program would have to grow exponentially to reach $20 million in taxes, meaning state officials may be anticipating more tax revenue than the program can possibly generate. In 2017, New Jersey generated $1.9 million in taxes off medical marijuana, according to data from the state Treasury Department. The five dispensaries that were operating last year sold 5,200 pounds of cannabis to roughly 16,000 patients.” Read the report

BUT APPARENTLY CAN’T TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO DRIVE — “New Jersey has second-best schools in nation, according to analysis,” by The Record’s Rodrigo Torrejon: “Garden State schools were ranked No. 2 in the nation, according to a Wallethub analysis released Monday. Focusing on public school systems in all 50 states and Washington D.C., the analysis ranks New Jersey second behind Massachusetts. The ranking is based on 25 criteria, including safety, class size and instructor credentials.” Read the report

COURT TO CONFIRM LAST ONE IN IS A ROTTEN EGG —Group takes ‘last in, first out’ teacher seniority case to state Supreme Court, by POLITICO’s Linh Tat: A group of Newark parents is asking the state’s highest court to hear their claims that New Jersey’s “last in, first out” teacher seniority law hurts students. The appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court comes a month after a three-judge appellate court upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss the case. H.G. v. Harringtonasserts the “last in, first out” rule is unconstitutional because it requires school districts that reduce staff for budgetary reasons to lay off teachers in the reverse order in which they were hired, rather than basing it on merit. That, the plaintiffs argue, enables ineffective teachers who have been employed longer to remain in classrooms while newer, more effective teachers are let go. Read the report

THE MASTRO TOLD ME THAT IF I’M ‘THINKING OF GETTING A PLACE THERE, DON’T BOTHER. THERE’S REALLY NOTHING AVAILABLE’ — “Gov. Murphy is gone for 11 days. Is he at his Italian mansion? The state won’t say,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Arco: “Stone buildings line the narrow cobblestone streets and walkways in the small Italian town of Parrano, which was built on a hill in the 15th century and has a population of about 550 people. Less than a three-mile drive southwest of the town sits ‘Molino di Parrano,’ which translates into mill of Parrano, where Gov. Phil Murphy and his wife own a 23-room mansion. The property has three additional smaller houses and stables for horses, according to public records. The Murphy’s purchased the home in 2004, according to records. They paid about $7.3 million for the property. Whether or not the governor is at his home in Italy right now is an open question. Murphy is out of state on an 11-day family vacation, but his office has declined to say where the governor went. But if the vacation takes them to Italy, it’s easy to see why a stop at their home there would make for a nice time. According to records when they purchased the property, the three-story main house was bought for just under $3 million. At the same time, they also purchased a ‘caretaker’s house,’ a small building ‘for civil habitation called ‘chalet’’ and another five-room called ‘caetta,’ as well as some additional land around the properties.” Read the report

ITALY CALLED — “Murphy missed opportunity in 15th,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “The unexpectedly close race for Reed Gusciora’s open 15th district Assembly seat represents a missed opportunity for Gov. Phil Murphy, since the losing candidate campaigned as an openly pro-Murphy candidate. Anthony Verrelli won by a margin that was reportedly between five and ten votes – reportedly, because Mercer County Democrats declined to release the total number of votes. Of the 54 Democrats in the State Assembly, just two are viewed as likely to side with the governor if Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is on the other side. Verrelli is the president of Carpenters Local 254 and is allied with Middlesex County Democratic Chairman Kevin McCabe. Murphy declined to take sides in the special election convention. Verrelli won a second-ballot victory over Jeffrey Laurenti, a longtime Trenton resident who had been one of New Jersey’s most powerful political insiders in the 1980’s.” Read the report

—“How much does college really cost in New Jersey? Here’s what students paid” Read the report

—“Atlantic City getting more sports betting options” Read the report

—“Want to go solar at home but can’t? Soon, residents can buy into NJ solar farms — and save” Read the report

—“Former Sen. Joe Kyrillos honored with bridge renamed for him” Read the report

—“Lanes to close on Rt. 495 Bridge for two years during repairs” Read the report

—”Rule allowing state workers to donate unused leave to co-workers to be made law” Read the report

TRUMP ERA

New Jersey Democrats hit Republicans on health care, ACA, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: With fewer than 100 days until the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats from New Jersey’s congressional delegation on Monday went on the attack against Republicans, blasting the GOP for undermining the Affordable Care Act and other safety net programs. “They’ve been trying to kill [Obamacare] with little cuts every time we go to vote on something,” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman said of congressional Republicans during an event Monday at the Statehouse with Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Frank Pallone. “Republicans in control of this Congress and this executive branch are taking us in the wrong direction.” Targeting health care is a strategy Democrats nationwide are hoping will resonate with voters in key swing districts and enable them to regain control of the House of Representatives. POLITICO reported on Monday that a network of Democratic donors is funneling money through an organization known as the Sixteen Thirty Fund to target vulnerable Republicans on health care and tax reform. In New Jersey, Sixteen Thirty has been linked to a group called New Jersey For a Better Future, which is targeting Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) for his role in the GOP‘s efforts to repeal Obamacare. Read the report

SONG OF SALOMON — Judge denies Melgen bail, new trial as he awaits appeal, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, the friend of Sen. Bob Menendez who was his co-defendant in the federal government’s unsuccessful corruption case, will stay locked up as he appeals a separate conviction for Medicare fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Marra also denied Melgen’s motion for a new trial in a ruling Monday. “The Court finds that Defendant has not demonstrated, by clear and convincing evidence, that he is not a flight risk,” Marra wrote. Read the report here.

GETTING THE SHAFTAN — “Social media posts by consultant to Senate candidate Corey Stewart ridicule NAACP, black neighborhoods,” by The Richmonds Times Dispatch’s Patrick Wilson: “Republican Senate candidate Corey Stewart has paid more than $100,000 to a campaign consultant who has called the NAACP a ‘more violent’ version of the KKK and said only a ‘foo’ would start a business in a black neighborhood. Stewart’s Senate campaign paid Rick Shaftan’s company Atlantic Media & Research more than $113,000 for consulting and work on media and radio advertising between May 8 and June 11, 2018, according to the Federal Election Commission. The expenditures include purchase of advertising. Consultants take a commission … Republicans and Democrats both say the posts by Shaftan should be denounced. Among his social media posts: “If black ‘leaders’ want better race relations, which of course they don’t, they could start by telling football players to stand for the National Anthem, instead of sitting on the bench eating a banana,” he posted in August 2017 on Facebook. ‘Black people didn’t have a problem with the #RebelXFlag or Confederate Statues until wealthy white people told them they did. #SlipperySlope,’ he wrote on Twitter in September 2017. John Whitbeck, the immediate past chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said Monday he was disturbed by the posts.” Read the report

WHAT DID NEW JERSEY DO? WHAT DID WE PUT YOU THROUGH? — “N.J. in last gasp effort to stop imminent release of plans that would let anyone print a gun,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “New Jersey’s attorney general is asking a state court for an emergency restraining order to block a Texas gun rights group from releasing design schematics that would allow anyone to produce a gun at home using a 3D printer. The suit, filed in Superior Court in Essex County on Monday, is the latest salvo in a battle between state authorities and Defense Distributed. Defense Distributed is slated to begin publishing the files — which contain plans for an array of firearms made of components that can be manufactured with a 3D printer and other basic tools — on August 1.” Read the report

—Mikie Sherrill: ”We need true tax reform, restored tax (SALT) deductions” Read the op-ed

—“Watson Coleman sticking with Pelosi” Read the report

LOCAL

TUCKER TO MAKE LICENSE PLATES FOR BICYCLES — “$300K a year, a penthouse, and prominence. How the ‘lavish’ life of an N.J. political prince crumbled,” by NJ Advance Media’s Karen Yi: “More than 20 years ago, Tucker served four years in prison for his involvement in a drive-by shooting. In the years since his release in 2001 and the death of his father in 2005, Tucker had begun to rebuild on the heels of his family’s legacy. He started a political consulting business, headed his father’s nonprofit community center and hoped to inch the city closer to its comeback. “Your father is looking down,” Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, D-28th Dist., told her son that day. “He had high hopes for you, and on this day, you have brought them to fruition.” But the new chapter written at the corner of Bergen Street and Lehigh Avenue that July would soon be tainted. Less than a month later, Tucker signed a federal plea agreement, admitting he embezzled $332,116 from The Centre, Inc., a nonprofit started by his father, and lied about his six-figure consulting income, gleaned in part from political campaigns in Newark and Orange. Now Tucker, 44, is going back to prison. He will turn himself in on Monday and serve more than three years behind bars.” Read the report

BRIDGETON — “South Jersey council member under investigation by county prosecutor,” by The Courier-Post’s Joseph P. Smith: “The city of Bridgeton late Monday confirmed to The Daily Journal that a City Council member is, or was, the ‘suspected target’ of an investigation out of the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. City Council President Gladys Lugardo-Hemple submitted a brief letter of resignation on June 18, citing unspecified ‘personal reasons.’ She has not responded to requests to talk about her decision. However, it is not clear if Lugardo-Hemple is the council member in question.” Read the report

PATERSON — “Needle distribution numbers for drug users in Paterson plummet,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “The number of hypodermic needles handed out in the city has dropped dramatically after the proliferation of discarded syringes in parks and other public places became the focal point of a 2017 controversy. Almost 16,000 needles were distributed in the city this year through July 24, according to data provided by the New Jersey Department of Health. In contrast, more than 165,000 were given out in Paterson during all of 2017, the state’s numbers show. Officials and public health advocates attribute the dramatic reduction to changes in the way the needle program is being run in the city, in particular a new mandatory one-for-one syringe exchange policy. The needle distribution has also been moved from a building in the middle of a heroin-infested neighborhood to two other locations, including one on the outskirts of the city’s drug areas.” Read the report

—“What weird town laws still exist today?” Read the report

—“Family says inmate’s death was jail’s fault. [Cumberland] County says otherwise” Read the report

— “Morris County Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson: the InsiderNJ interview” Read the report

—“Warren County Community College to ditch pricey textbooks for subscription model” Read the report

—“Off-duty Jersey City cop fires gun in incident at Lincoln Park: authorities” Read the report

—“Shore town official arrested, charged in child porn bust” Read the report

EVERYTHING ELSE

STOCKTON — “Stockton president addresses sex assault lawsuits,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Vincent Jackson: “Four women have filed civil cases this month against Stockton and Pi Kappa Phi, which is not an authorized Greek organization at the university. The suits are all related to date-rape drugs. The fraternity maintains a house off campus on the White Horse Pike, according to the lawsuit. ‘We are deeply concerned about the victims and are committed to being as transparent as possible to keep the Stockton community informed of these serious matters,’ Kesselman wrote.” Read the report

IF THE FEC HAD JURISDICTION OVER BANK ROBBERIES THIS WOULDN’T BE A CRIME — “Bank robber gets cold feet, then tries to open account: police,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “A bank robber changed his mind about a heist in Bayonne Friday afternoon, but not before a teller saw the tell-tale note demanding cash, authorities said. A man walked into the Valley National Bank on Broadway, near 24th Street, just after 2 p.m. and approached a teller, Bayonne Lt. Eric Amato said. The man then passed a note to the teller demanding her to give him ‘all the money,’ Amato said. The indecisive bank robber grabbed the note back as the teller was reading it and then he told her that he wanted to open an account, Amato said.” Read the report

—“Macquarie Infrastructure to sell Bayonne Energy Center for about $900 million” Read the report

FOR MORE political and policy news from New Jersey, check out Politico New Jersey’s home page: http://politi.co/1JiYTDg

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