Sweeney ‘shocked’ — shocked! — that Delgado-Polanco still has a job – Politico

Gov. Phil Murphy’s refusal to call on SDA CEO Lizette Delgado-Polanco to resign is becoming more and more of a political liability.

Senate President Sweeney, after his all-smiles press conference with the governor yesterday, said as much. He said the SDA can’t count on getting funding in this budget.

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“She thinks she going to come to the Legislature and we’re going to refinance that program?” Sweeney told reporters. Oh, and he’s “absolutely shocked.” Yeah, he said that. (Sweeney, remember, was already trying to eliminate the SDA before this scandal even hit).

Delgado-Polanco has plenty of allies. But how do you frame this one publicly? This much is not debatable, based on The Record’s reporting: She fired a bunch of people and hired people to replace them who did not have the requisite qualifications, and with some of whom she shared familial, personal or professional links. You can’t spin it.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY-ALIGNED GROUP INTENTIONALLY BLEW OFF SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINE TO DISCLOSE ITS DONORS: 106

QUOTE OF THE DAY: You’d be shocked at how cordial our meetings are when you’re not in the room.” — Gov. Murphy on his relationship with Sweeney

WHERE’S MURPHY?: At the Islamic Center of Passaic County in Paterson for a 7 p.m. town hall

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former Hoboken mayor/diary keeper Dawn Zimmer, Essex County Freeholder Patricia Sebold

LOL — Murphy, Sweeney tout their ‘harmonious’ relationship, by POLITICO’s Ryan Hutchins: A year ago, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Gov. Phil Murphy looked like sworn enemies, battling over the state budget and anything else that set them apart. Sweeney, in one of his most direct affronts to the governor, blocked confirmation votes for Murphy’s education cabinet members, both African Americans, last April. Murphy responded by raising the issue of race, ultimately leading him to deny that he was implying that Sweeney is racist. On Monday, some 12 months later, the two men were acting like old friends — or at least political allies — insisting for the cameras that they had a cordial relationship. Murphy, for the first time since taking office, made a point of holding a press conference in Sweeney’s hometown of West Deptford, where both men toured a pre-K program and boasted that Murphy’s proposed budget would further increase funding for such classes. Read more here

—“Murphy’s medical marijuana pledge hurting effort to legalize weed in N.J., top Democrat says” Read more here

—“NJ Republicans should embrace marijuana reform” Read more here

TWEET OF THE DAY: “Lol…….5lbs isn’t shit. if your really selling weed you’d have more than 5. (I was arrested for 40lbs in 1997 and 15lbs in 1998)……..” —@NJweedman

OBSCURE AGENCIES ARE GREAT FOR PATRONAGE — “Schools authority jobs restructuring echoes $1.25M NJ patronage settlement in 2005,” by The Record’s Dustin Racioppi: “More than a dozen longtime employees fired. Three dozen other people, many with personal and political connections, hired to replace them or fill new positions. A restructuring instituted by the new agency leader who is an ally of the Democratic governor. For close observers of the Murphy administration, those details may sound just like the organizational shakeup at the Schools Development Authority under Chief Executive Officer Lizette Delgado-Polanco. But virtually the same thing happened nearly two decades earlier at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency when Jim McGreevey was governor. And the state paid $1.25 million in a legal settlement with fired employees who claimed their First Amendment rights were violated. The legal agreement could have provided Delgado-Polanco an object lesson in the perils of clearing rank-and-file from a government agency’s payroll to make room for connected outsiders. Now it could serve as a template for legal action against an authority facing the threat of being abolished at a time when it is seeking billions of dollars to continue its mission of building schools in the poorest areas.” Read more here

—“Explainer: How the SDA was built — and became scandal-ridden,” by NJ Spotlight’s Carly Sitrin: “In 2002, then-Gov. James McGreevey issued Executive Order No. 24 which authorized the EDA to establish a subsidiary corporation, called the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) … A Star-Ledger investigation in 2005 found that the SCC had approved contract changes costing more than $500 million and paid $216 million to several project management firms — more than triple the rate local school districts paid their construction managers. The analysis of school construction in New Jersey since 2002 showed six projects under the SCC cost, on average, 45 percent more than 19 schools built without the agency’s oversight during the same period. And it found that while some of the discrepancy had to do with higher costs of construction in urban areas, much more was the ‘result of massive cost overruns, layers of bureaucratic oversight and an aversion to saying no to contractors and school administrators‘ … On the heels of the Ledger story, McGreevey’s successor Richard Codey ordered an investigation into the SCC by then-state inspector general Mary Jane Cooper. Her report found waste, mismanagement, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars at the corporation.” Read more here

WEIGHT WATCHERS — “Legal weed remains stalled in N.J. as politicians don’t know how to solve this big issue,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brent Johnson: “A big impediment to closing the gap is a provision that would clear the record of any resident who had been convicted of possessing between up to 5 pounds of weed. Some lawmakers long considered possible supporters of the bill think that number is too high, four sources familiar with the situation told NJ Advance Media. But if leaders change it, they risk losing the backing of other lawmakers who want the provision included, according to the sources.” Read more here

NEW POLICY ALSO ADDS PERIOD BEFORE FULL STOP — “Murphy administration expands gag order in new discrimination policy,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Late changes to a new state workplace discrimination policy touted as ‘survivor-centered’ would discourage victims from speaking up and could lead to the termination of a state employee who discuss [sic] the details of an investigation with the media. The proposed policy published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission does not match the one released by Gov. Phil Murphy in February. The new policy, which is nearing the end of a public comment period, changes one critical word: instead of ‘Failure to comply with this confidentiality directive may result in administrative and/or disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment,’ the new policy says ‘will result.’” Read more here

WILL MORIARTY DEMAND THE SAME ACCOUNTABILITY ON COMPANIES’ THREATS TO LEAVE NJ? — “Why did more than 2,300 public employees get a pass to move out of N.J.? Show us the reasons, lawmaker says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Kelly Heyboer: “One of the original sponsors of the “New Jersey First Act” — the law that requires state, county and local employees to live in the state — wants to see the exact reasons why at least 2,310 workers have been granted exemptions from the law. Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Gloucester, questioned why there are no publicly-available documents detailing why public employees got permission from a state review committee to live out of state since the law went into effect eight years ago. ‘I believe the citizens of New Jersey, who pay the salaries of those who wish to live elsewhere, should at least have the benefit of why your Committee found it necessary to grant a waiver,’ Moriarty wrote Thursday in a letter to the head of the state Employee Residency Review Committee and Department of Labor officials.” Read more here

GET READY FOR MORE LITTLE CHILDREN FLIPPING YOU THE BIRD — Elnahal renews call for vaccinations as Weinberg pushes bill to limit exemptions, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: Public officials are worried that travel over the upcoming holiday weekend could lead to more measles cases in New Jersey, triggering fresh calls for individuals to vaccinate themselves against a highly contagious and preventable illness. It also could inject new life into legislation that would significantly reduce or eliminate religious exemptions families have used to keep their children from being vaccinated, laying groundwork for a bitter fight with a highly-vocal minority of New Jersey residents who support the anti-vaccination movement. “The point of all this is to get more people vaccinated,” said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, theSenate’s Democratic majority leader and a sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, NJ S2173 (18R). Read more here

NEXT YOU’RE GONNA TELL ME DOCTORS HAVE TO PRIORITIZE PATIENTS OVER OPIOID MAKERS — New Jersey proposes fiduciary rule for financial advisers, by Ryan: Murphy said on Monday that he wants to impose a fiduciary standard on all investment professionals registered with the state’s Bureau of Securities, presenting the proposed rule as a stopgap against federal efforts to undermine consumer protections. The proposal, which is likely to be adopted after a required 60-day public comment period, would require registered financial services professionals to represent the financial interest of customers in investment strategy, the transfer of assets, or the purchase, sale or exchange of any security. Violations would constitute a “dishonest and unethical practice.” Read more here

—“Civil rights group spar over county committee seats” Read more here

—Airbnb says it has sent $4 million in taxes to state Read more here

—“This is why I’m leaving New Jersey” Read more here

—Egea: “N.J. is at a fork in the road, policy group says. It’s time to take the less taxing path” Read more here

—“Why are wealthy developers stealing tax dollars from New Jersey?” Read more here

—“Port Authority of NY/NJ names interim director as new chief” Read more here

—Coalition calls on BPU to release analysis on nuclear subsidy need Read more here

MANY MORE SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS COMING — “Lakewood 2030: This is the future of the fastest growing NJ township,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Stacey Barchenger and David P. Willis: “The needs of the growing number of residents have generated an economic energy in the township and brought a wave of business prosperity. About 75 new brick-and-mortar businesses opened last year, according to township records. Lakewood’s industrial park alone generates $2 billion a year in economic activity, according to township officials. The economic engine is chugging ahead, but there’s limited space left in the 25-square-mile township. One estimate concluded the township could accommodate a population of 220,000, rivaling Jersey City. The latest analysis, however, predicts the population will reach 138,000 in 2030. The township could run out of land to build homes in just a dozen years if construction keeps its pace, according to the Press’ analysis of planning documents and building permits. Along the way, Lakewood still has room to add two Empire State Buildings’ worth of commercial and industrial space.” Read more here

OUT OF BREAD — “Formica Brothers, baker of iconic Atlantic City bread, files for bankruptcy,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Amy S. Rosenberg: “Formica Brothers, a century-old baker of the iconic Atlantic City bread that supplies many of New Jersey’s most classic sandwich shops, including the White House Sub Shop, has filed for bankruptcy. An emotional Frank Formica said Monday morning he would no longer be an owner of the bakery founded by his grandfather and his great-uncle in 1919 that has become a staple on Arctic Avenue in the city’s Ducktown neighborhood. Two workplace accidents, including one involving a worker whose arm was amputated, led to lawsuits that forced him to declare bankruptcy, Formica said. A second incident resulted in a worker’s fingers being crushed, he said. ‘It’s sad,’ said Formica. ‘It’s tragic. This is my grandfather, my grandparents and my parents and my family. We are being forced into this situation. I’m 67 years old. It’s not exactly my exit strategy.’ But Formica (pronounced For-MEE-ca) said 67 of the company’s 71 employees would be retained and that the business would continue to supply its 280 shops with the company’s famous sub rolls, including White House, Sack-O-Subs, Sugar Hill, and even Congress Hall.” Read more here

TEANECK — “One man’s complaints about Teaneck sidewalks is costing homeowners thousands of dollars,” by The Record’s Began Burrow: “When Adam Weisberg received a letter from the township last month telling him to fix the sidewalks in front of his house, he thought it must be a mistake. ‘The slabs aren’t perfectly aligned with each other, but the way it’s off is so minuscule it’s ridiculous,’ he said. ‘When I got the notice, I was completely floored.’ Weisberg is one of more than 100 Teaneck homeowners who have been asked in recent weeks to perform costly repairs to the public sidewalks in front of their homes as a result of complaints filed with the township. Some of the complaints are anonymous. But many have come from one person: Elie Jones, a resident who over the past two years has been engaged in legal battles with the township over his access to public records.” Read more here

—Snowflack: “It’s election season in West New York (or the return of Fidel Castro)” Read more here

HI, I’M KATE MCCLURE. YOU MAY REMEMBER ME FROM SUCH SCAMS AS THE ONE THAT SENT ME TO PRISON — “Kate McClure’s stunning public fall complete as ‘homeless vet’ GoFundMe scamster agrees to spend years in prison,” by NJ Advance Media’s Amanda Hoover: “Kate McClure, the New Jersey woman who spun a tale of a homeless veteran who had helped her, but later admitted the story behind her fundraising was a sham, pleaded guilty Monday for a second time to lying in the scheme that raised $400,000. McClure, dressed in black, appeared in Burlington County Superior Court before Judge Christopher Garrenger with her parents and pleaded guilty to a second-degree charge of theft by deception. The state has recommended she serve four years in prison for the offense.” Read more here

AT LEAST THEY DIDN’T SIC PARIS GELLER ON HIM — “Parents sue school after prestigious NJ debate team allegedly labeled student a traitor,” by The Record’s Tom Nobile: “A prestigious Bergen County debate team allegedly branded one of its members a traitor for sharing answers with an opponent. Now, his parents are suing the private school, its principal and debate coach in Superior Court in Hackensack for slander. The 14-year-old Fort Lee student was forced to leave the Kugnus ACTS Academy in Closter after allegedly suffering ‘false, malicious and defamatory’ comments at the hands of his coach and administrators, according to the lawsuit. His parents, however, proclaim his innocence and are seeking punitive damages and legal fees from the school.” Read more here

—“Jersey’s skeptical about the American Dream mall. Here are 6 reasons we should actually root for it to succeed.” Read more here

—“Parents of college student from N.J. killed after mistaking car for Uber make national plea for strict ride-share laws” Read more here

“N.J. dentist’s Playboy bunnies display rebuilt after neighbor tore it down. Now it’s bigger, includes male mannequins.” Read more here