The red ripple

From: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook - Wednesday Nov 09,2022 11:55 am

Nov 09, 2022

Presented by AARP New Jersey

Good Wednesday morning!

“For I was conscious that I knew practically nothing.” Socrates said that, according to his pal Plato .

Sorry. I know that’s a bit high-brow for this newsletter. But that’s how I feel right now. Because while I didn’t write it, my gut, along with most political reporters and pundits, felt that this election was going to be a Democratic rout. My gut has gotten bigger over the years, but its prediction powers have not improved.

Republican Tom Kean Jr. all but declared victory over two-term Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowsi in the 7th Congressional District — a race POLITICO hadn't called as of this writing, though the numbers are certainly in Kean’s favor . Yet every other New Jersey Democratic House member in a potentially-competitive race won comfortably, some agita from Mercer County’s Election Day problems notwithstanding . The two current Republican House members, as expected, easily won reelection.

Look, I’ll be honest: Election night is long, so I filed this newsletter in the wee hours. Some results could have happened early this morning that aren’t listed here. Check here for the latest , including whether Republicans will flip the House and Senate. See a full breakdown of New Jersey results here .

It's clear nationally, with the exception of Florida and a few other places, that Democrats generally did better than expected.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE’S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 276

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Howard Gowa, Jan Bidwell. Missed yesterday: Rudy Rodas. Missed Monday: Barbara Stamato.

WHERE’S MURPHY? — No public schedule

QUOTE OF THE DAY #1: “A piece of shit congresswoman.” — State GOP Chair Bob Hugin describing Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill while introducing her opponent, Paul DeGroot, at the main Republican election night party.

QUOTE OF THE DAY #2: “I don’t like when people call people names. We should be above that. When I don’t live up to my standards, I’m glad to apologize… I will never take back the fact that she is the most disingenuous congressperson by saying you’re a moderate and voting 100 percent with Biden and Pelosi.” — Hugin to reporters a little while later

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist older loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. That’s a huge burden. But NJ lawmakers can give family caregivers the relief they need by supporting the Caregiver’s Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).

WHAT TRENTON MADE

NJLEGITIMATEBUSINESSMAN.COM — “ NJ Weedman finally got a license to sell legal weed. He almost said 'no thanks ,’” by The Asbury Park Press’ Mike Davis: “NJWeedman.com – the longtime marijuana legalization advocate formerly known as Ed Forchion, the proud owner of a new legal name – has spent the last three years publicly selling marijuana in New Jersey’s capitol city, across the street from city hall. So when the opportunity to apply for a license to sell cannabis came up, he took it. But when he got word last week that he’d actually been awarded one, he had a realization: Selling marijuana – what New Jersey refers to the drug sold illegally and unlicensed — is a lot different than selling cannabis.

"‘I have an infrastructure I’ve been tapping into for years. That market exists,’ NJWeedman.com said. ‘But what am I supposed to do? Stop and wait for this new industry? They’re so far behind. The state system is not ready for what I’m doing.’ He'll figure the details out later: A few hours after an interview with the Asbury Park Press, NJWeedman.com sent an email to the CRC's licensing department. The subject line was two words: ‘I accept.’ ‘I live every day with the threat over my head that the State Police can show up,’ he said. ‘What if a Republican gets in office, what if they say ‘what are we going to do about this ‘Weedman’ guy?’”

KLINGON INCLUDED TO APPEASE CORY BOOKER — “ Lawmakers advance bill to require state documents to be translated into 15 languages ,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Sophie Nieto-Munoz: “When Gretal Rodriguez emigrated from Honduras at 4 years old, she was put into classes in kindergarten to help her learn English and assimilate into American culture. As she grew up, she helped her parents translate eviction notices, rental agreements, utility receipts, and other important documents while her dad worked as a building superintendent, she told lawmakers during a hearing in the Statehouse Monday. Parents like hers should get more help, she said … Rodriguez was one of dozens who testified in support of a measure (S2459) that would require state agencies to offer documents and websites translated into the 15 most widely-spoken languages in New Jersey. That would include Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Hindi, Gujarathi, and Arabic.”

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CRIME ME A RIVER — “ Democrats’ crime focus in final hours of campaign frustrates progressives ,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Dana DiFillippo: “New Jersey Democrats have embraced some of progressives’ favorite criminal justice reforms in recent years: slashing the prison population, ending cash bail, and refocusing juvenile justice on rehabilitation instead of punishment. But they veered off script Monday, when Gov. Phil Murphy announced a crackdown on crime. The issue du jour was car thefts, and Murphy and other Democrats vowed to toughen penalties for repeat offenders, criminalize the possession of break-in tools, and monitor pretrial defendants to foil further thefts …

"It’s a strategy Democrats have embraced across the country as polls continually show voters fear rising crime — even though crime reporting typically is incomplete, outdated, and complex and doesn’t reliably show trends … It all irks progressives, who say such “reactive” messaging and policy proposals are an approach that has been tried and rejected. ‘It’s unfortunate that we’re back to the rhetoric of having a competition on who is tougher on crime,’ said Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. ‘We don’t want a repeat of the ’90s tough-on-crime era that led to and fueled the war on drugs and mass incarceration.’”

—“ Here’s who won N.J.’s special legislative races ”

BIDEN TIME

—“ Another N.J. midterm election loomed large 40 years ago in a battle between an icon and an upstart ”

—“ More N.J. voters took part in early and mail-in voting during 2022 midterm elections ”

—“ ‘It’s probably the most important election of my lifetime …’ A consequential day drives N.J. turnout ”

LOCAL

SWEENEY’S REVENGE — “ Democrats retain control of Gloucester County government ,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fix and David Wildstein: “The New Jersey Globe projects that Democrats have retained control of the Gloucester County board of commissioners, with Democratic incumbents Frank DiMarco and Denice DiCarlo holding on against Republicans Adam Wingate and Stephen Pakradooni, Jr. in something of a surprise result. Their wins mean Democrats will keep a 5-2 seat majority … Democratic County Clerk James Hogan has also won re-election, currently leading Republican Tom Narolewski, the Woolwich Republican municipal chairman, by a 5,024-vote, 53%-47% margin. The retention of Gloucester County is a major win for Democrats, especially former Senate President Steve Sweeney, who has run the county since he was freeholder director in the 1990”

CUMBERLAND COUNTY — “ Republicans flip control of Cumberland county government ,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox and David Wildstein: “The New Jersey Globe projects that Republicans have won control of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, a result that shifts political power from the South Jersey Democratic machine to State Sen. Michael Testa, Jr. (R-Vineland), the GOP county chairman. The re-election of Republican Douglas Albrecht and the defeat of Democrat Darlene Barber flips the county commission to 4-3 Republican. This locks the GOP into a majority for the next two years; Democrats won’t have a chance to regain control until 2024.”

PARAMAYOR — “ Paramus Republican leading mayor's race as GOP bids to take full control in town hall ,” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “Republican Chris DiPiazza was leading the Paramus mayor’s race on Tuesday night, bidding to flip a Bergen County mayoral seat long held by Democrats. Unofficial results provided by the county had DiPiazza leading with 5,486 votes to 4,008 for Democrat MariaElena Bellinger. Both candidates are sitting council members vying to succeed Mayor Richard LaBarbiera, a Democrat who has held the position for 14 years but chose not to seek re-election”

A message from AARP New Jersey:

GRABOWSKIING POWER — “ Clifton City Council election results for 2022. See who will be the new mayor ,” by The Record’s Matt Fagan: “On Jan. 1, Clifton will have its first new mayor since 1990. Incumbent Councilman Ray Grabowski will be the next mayor if the newly elected Council members honor the City's long tradition of giving that post to the highest vote-getter in the Council race. Late on Tuesday night, Grabowski had 8,983 unofficial votes, the highest of the 17 candidates who ran for seven open Council seats.”

SMALL VICTORY — “ Atlantic City voters reject change to nonpartisan elections ,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “Voters rejected a switch to nonpartisan elections for their local government Tuesday, giving a victory to Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his supporters, who said the change would hurt Democrats and cost taxpayers too much money. About 56% of voters said ‘no’ to the ballot question asking if they wanted to move to May nonpartisan elections, giving up running as party members.”

—“ Republicans hold two Atlantic County commissioner seats, Democrats hold one ”

BLUE BANK — “ Democrats win in Red Bank, but another vote coming as voters kill partisan elections ,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Olivia Liu: “Political newcomer John Jackson and incumbent Angela Mirandi appear to have won seats on the Red Bank Borough Council along with outsider mayoral candidate Billy Portman, but instead of three-year terms, they may only serve half a year. That's because residents also appear to have voted overwhelmingly in favor for a change in Red Bank’s form of government. Mirroring last year’s 70% approval to form a Charter Study Commission, 68% of voters voted for the changes recommended by the commission, which will get rid of partisan elections for the Borough Council and lead to a new vote in May.”

OF COURSE THE HEIGHTS HAS THE MOST WEED BUSINESSES — “ Jersey City’s Ward F being left out, not lifted up, new Cannabis Control Board report shows ,” by The Jersey Journal’s Joshua Rosario: “Jersey City’s cannabis market is slowly taking shape, but the predominantly Black and Hispanic Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood is being left behind, a quarterly report from the Cannabis Control Board revealed. The first quarterly report issued by the city’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB) says 23 cannabis retailers have been approved, with 78% being minority-owned.

"But out of those 18 businesses , only five are Black-owned and another five are Hispanic-owned. Half of the businesses owned by Black and Hispanics are micro-businesses, which are limited to 10 employees and 2,500 square feet. The 27-page report, which includes the number of businesses approved in each ward, shows the Heights is the most popular neighborhood for cannabis retailers with eight new businesses, followed by the Downtown area with six. None of the applicants approved by the CCB are located in Ward F.”

FAMILY-FRIENDLY VERSION TO HAVE 20% LESS GREEN VOMIT — “ Business group considers bringing back Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day Parade ,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “A Hoboken business group is looking to breathe new life into the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the city, but it’s contingent residents’ approval and on driving a popular annual pub crawl from the city. The Hoboken Business Alliance (HBA) has created a survey for residents and non-residents alike, asking if they’d like to see a family-friendly version of the first-Saturday-in-March event return after an 11-year hiatus.”

—“ Jackson Mayor Michael Reina reelected in tight race ”

—“ Mayor Moor wins reelection in Asbury Park ”

—“ Eatontown Mayor Talerico wins re-election, Democrats sweep council ”

—“ Tedesco, Bergen Democrats hold countywide offices ”

—“ Middle Township says no to second cannabis business ”

—“ Jersey City Council weighs possibility of 3rd party 911 dispatch analysis during caucus ”

—“ Are the Paterson schools readying to bus their students without private contractors? ”

—“ Former Paterson cop is the target of a second excessive force investigation ”

—“ Morris County voters face long delays due to machine shortages, printer problems ”

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EVERYTHING ELSE

MALLS ARE THE FUTURE — “ American Dream’s owner secures financing through 2026 with group led by JP Morgan ,” by NJ Advance Media’s Allison Pries: “Triple Five, the owner and operator of American Dream, has secured financing for four years with a group led by JP Morgan … American Dream has been struggling financially since the pandemic. In March 2021, it had to hand over a 49% stake in Mall of America and West Edmonton Mall that it used as collateral on a $1.2 billion construction loan … American Dream’s gross sales for July to September 2022 were $107.7 million. That is up about 29% from the same period last year, when gross sales were $83 million. As of Sept. 30, the 3.5-million square-foot complex was 82% leased, which includes self-operated spaces like Nickelodeon Universe. That’s up slightly from its reported 80% leased in March. It was 77% leased in September 2021.”

NERD JERSEY — “ NJ icons George R.R. Martin and Kevin Smith shared stories, and here's what we learned ,” by The Asbury Park Press Alex Biese: “The long wait is over: George R.R. Martin returned home to New Jersey. Martin, the Bayonne native … made his way back to the Garden State last week for ‘Curious George,’ an evening of conversation with Red Bank-born filmmaker Kevin Smith … Martin’s father was a longshoreman, and his mother worked at the Maidenform factory in Bayonne, but he was born to be a storyteller. “I’ve been making up stories as long as I can remember, longer than I can remember,” he told Smith. Around the age of 5 or 6, he said, he filled a marble composition book with his own illustrated “Encyclopedia of the Planets.” He started with the then-nine planets of our solar system, then filled the remaining pages with planets he knew from science fiction stories before inventing far-off destinations of his own. He also began his fantasy endeavors at a young age, concocting stories inspired by tales of Robin Hood or King Arthur, starring his dimestore turtles living in bowls staged inside his toy castle in his home in the Bayonne housing projects.”

—“ NJ phone services company pays $100M over ‘junk fees’ allegations ”

—“ On its way to Qatar, FIFA World Cup trophy makes a stop in N.J. ”

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. Many take on debt or tap into savings to make sure their loved ones get the care they need. That’s a huge burden. And their sacrifices save the state and taxpayers money by keeping their loved ones out of costly nursing home facilities. New Jersey family caregivers provide more than $13 billion a year in unpaid care. It’s past time to give them some financial relief. NJ lawmakers can take action by supporting the Caregiver’s Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). This bill would provide a modest tax credit for family caregivers who pay for expensive care out of their own pockets. Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).

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