Stanfield Out

From: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook - Thursday Jan 12,2023 11:57 am

Jan 12, 2023

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Big retirement news out of Burlington County yesterday: Republican state Sen. Jean Stanfield announced she will not seek reelection this fall, citing health issues and family commitments. Stanfield, a longtime fixture in Burlington County Republican politics, represents one of the most competitive districts in the state (under new redistricting lines that go into effect this year, Republican Jack Ciattarelli would have won the district by around 8 points in 2021 but President Joe Biden would have carried it by around 4 points in 2020).

It remains unclear who will step in to run for the Senate seat (David Wildstein has a list of potential contenders here). Assemblymember Michael Torrissi Jr. (R-Atlantic) told me he planned to run again for Assembly but would go for the Senate seat if he had the endorsement of Stanfield and Burlington County Republicans, like GOP county chairman Sean Earlen. Assemblymember Brandon Umba (R-Burlington) said in a text, “I would be honored to screen for the position but right now I want to focus on honoring Jean Stanfield’s service to our district.”

Earlen , also considered a potential contender, said in an interview he’d be honored to run for Senate but “it’s just too early to make that call.”

“Nobody is making any decisions or overtures about the seat [yet], including myself,” he said.

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DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE’S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 341

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WHERE’S MURPHY? — Live on "Bloomberg: Balance of Power" with David Westin at 12 p.m.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NJYD's Aimee Focaraccio, Hunterdon Commissioner John Lanza and Squarepoint’s Eliza McDonald

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You just can't do a presidential speech. … You've got to do a Jersey speech wrapped around a presidential speech." — state Sen. Gov. Dick Codey speaking about Murphy’s State of the State address.

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

THE ‘B’ IN TBD STANDS FOR BURZICHELLI: Former Assemblymember John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) — who shockingly lost reelection in 2021 alongside former Senate President Steve Sweeney in the third legislative district — was noncommittal on the possibility of a bid to return to the Statehouse when asked Wednesday. “No decisions as we speak today,” he said when asked about another run for the Legislature later this year.

Pressed if he’d rule out a run, he replied: “I never rule anything out. ... I don't say that to evade an answer. … Pieces [are] still coming together.” Burzichelli was a ten-term incumbent before unexpectedly losing in 2021. The third legislative district had long been represented by Democrats, although Republicans have made strong inroads in South Jersey counties like Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem in recent years.

LABOR — “N.J. will guarantee severance pay for workers in mass layoffs under law Murphy just signed,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brent Johnson: “After a three-year delay, a requirement forcing employers in New Jersey to give severance pay to workers who lost their jobs in mass layoffs is finally set to take effect. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in January 2020 making New Jersey the first state in the U.S. to guarantee such protection, but it was put on hold because the coronavirus pandemic upended the economy.

"On Tuesday, Murphy signed a new law mandating the changes to take effect in 90 days. Under the legislation (A4768), businesses in New Jersey with 100 or more workers must pay severance of one week for each year of work in the event of a large layoff or a plant closing or transfer that will put at least 50 people out of a job. Companies are also required to notify workers of incoming mass layoffs within 60 days. That’s down from 90 under previous law.”

POLS IN THE POLLS — Most New Jerseyans approve of Murphy's job performance, new poll shows, by POLITICO’s Caroline Petrow-Cohen: A majority of New Jerseyans approve of the job Gov. Phil Murphy is doing, though most don't believe he's had any major policy accomplishments, according to a Monmouth University poll released Wednesday. Of the more than 800 New Jersey adults surveyed, 53 percent said they approve of Murphy’s job performance, while 35 percent said they disapprove.

The governor’s approval rating peaked at more than 70 percent in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Murphy gets positive ratings from 84 percent of Democrats, 46 percent of independents and 16 percent of Republicans, according to the poll. Murphy’s approval rating has remained consistent over the past two years, but only about three in 10 respondents said they believe the second-term Democratic governor has had major accomplishments during his time in office.

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OPIOID SETTLEMENTS — New Jersey could get $508M from nationwide settlements related to opioid crisis, by Caroline: New Jersey has joined nationwide settlement agreements with multiple pharmacy chains and drug makers to resolve claims related to the opioid crisis, Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Wednesday. CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, as well as drug makers Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan, have agreed to pay a collective $20.1 billion to states and local governments as redress for their roles in the opioid crisis. New Jersey could receive more than $500 million of that, according to a release from Platkin's office.

PRICE FOR OFFSHORE WIND REMAINS IN THE WIND — “Lease costs for offshore wind firms at NJ facility unknown,” by The Associated Press’ Wayne Perry: “A second offshore wind firm agreed Wednesday to lease space in a state-built, taxpayer-financed staging facility for such projects, but how much either of them will pay remains unknown. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced that Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC signed a letter of intent with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to lease 35 acres of land at the New Jersey Wind Port. That facility ... will cost the state up to $500 million to build. It is designed to be an incubator for offshore wind projects .… But what he did not say was how much Atlantic Shores would pay for the three-year lease, which has options for additional extensions."

MURPHY: LENGTH OF RECESSION IS RECEDING — Murphy tells business leaders he expects a 'short-lived recession', by POLITICO’s Daniel Han : Gov. Phil Murphy told a group of business leaders in South Jersey on Wednesday that he's anticipating a “shallow” and “short-lived recession” is on the horizon. “The challenge we have is not to control the war in Europe or the supply chain — although we'll do everything we can — but to outperform what our economy does generally,” Murphy said during a keynote speech at a Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey event. “I'm in the camp of a shallow, a meaningful but a shallow, fairly short-lived recession. And part of the reason I believe that is that there's an enormous amount of liquidity on the sidelines.”

— The Record: “Gov. Main Street? Or President Murphy? Who did we see at NJ's State of the State?”

— POLITICO: Head of Waterfront Commission to retire, leaving vacancy at uncertain time

— POLITICO: New Jersey to get $14M for school-based mental health programs months after calls to defund them

— POLITICO: Acting commissioner's absence from State Board of Education meeting fuels rumors of unrest at DOE

— NJ Advance Media: “N.J. cannabis board offers priorities for 2023: medical patients, municipal acceptance, social equity | Q&A”

— Sweeney: “N.J.’s mushrooming offshore wind industry is a boon for jobs and the climate”

— The New Jersey Globe: “[Das] returns to statehouse as Coughlin staffer”

— Moran: “Murphy for president? Why it ain’t going to happen”

— ROI-NJ: “Industry leaders glad to hear Murphy talk liquor licenses — but they have some ideas of their own”

— NJ Advance Media: “Stores in N.J. would have to offer paper coupons under proposed bill”

— NJ Biz: “Former NJ Superior Court Judge Fleming joins Genova Burns”

— Trentonian: “ Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson named to United Way board of directors”

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BIDEN TIME

GUN LITIGATION WATCH — SCOTUS: New York gun laws can stay in place, for now, by POLITICO’s Anna Gronewold: New York’s concealed carry restrictions can be enforced as legal challenges continue, the Supreme Court said. The short, unsigned decision issued Wednesday deferred to an appeals court that held off on blocking several portions of the law amid requests from the state. The Supreme Court last summer struck down New York’s requirement that applicants show good cause to carry concealed firearms in a landmark decision affecting gunholder restrictions across the nation.

— NJ Globe: “Most N.J. Dems vote with GOP to create committee to get tough on China”

LOCAL

HAZARDS — “Explosive, flammable, carcinogenic: NJ neighborhoods put at risk by the hazards next door,” by The Record’s James O’Neill and Scott Fallon: "A yearlong NorthJersey.com investigation into the potential risk for a hazmat emergency in the region found that: There are 159 sites in 21 of the more industrial communities in southern Bergen and Passaic counties that store potentially hazardous materials, according to state data — and that doesn’t include the ubiquitous gas stations or dry cleaners that dot the downtowns and local thoroughfares. More than 600 different materials were reportedly stored at the facilities, from acetic acid to zinc phosphate. Some can burn the eyes, throat and lungs. Some can cause cancer. Some are flammable and explosive."

— The Record: “Tenants often most at risk are in the dark on how close dangerous chemicals lurk”

TRENTON MAKES, THE WORLD TAKES (TIME TO COUNT) — “Judge orders hand recount of Trenton council race decided by one vote,” by The New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “Trenton City Councilwoman Jennifer Williams has been in office for nearly two weeks, but a Superior Court judge today ordered a hand recount of the election that put her there, potentially causing further turmoil in an already-chaotic election cycle for New Jersey’s capital city. The recount is likely to be conducted this Saturday. Williams won the runoff for Trenton’s North Ward, held on December 13 after a series of snafus, with 427 votes to her opponent Algernon Ward’s 426.”

EDISON — “Fired Edison worker alleges retaliation, hostile work environment in lawsuit,” by MyCentralJersey’s Suzanne Russell: “A township worker who was fired is suing the township and unnamed others alleging workplace harassment, retaliation and discrimination in violation of his civil rights. In the lawsuit filed Monday, Anthony DeAmorin, who served as a special assistant to former Mayor Tom Lankey before being fired by Mayor Sam Joshi's administration, alleges he was fired because he supported the mayoral campaign of Republican Keith Hahn, who lost to Joshi. The lawsuit also claims that the township violated the state's Law Against Discrimination by not accommodating his disability - stress, anxiety and related medical issues such as hives.”

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MILLVILLE — “Latino defendants were treated differently in N.J. municipal court, official tells state investigators,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Gray: “A court official interviewed by investigators about claims that Latino defendants were discriminated against in a Cumberland County municipal court said those with Latino-sounding surnames appeared to be treated differently when it came to scheduling their cases, according to a document obtained by NJ Advance Media. The official, who worked temporarily in Millville Municipal Court for several months last year, said in a statement to investigators that the staff appeared to schedule some defendants for in-person court hearings based solely on their Latino-sounding last names. Other defendants were given the option of virtual hearings. Marie Keith, administrator of Bridgeton Municipal Court, said she noticed the unusual treatment and reported it to the judge while she was temporarily filling in at the Millville court, according to her Dec. 20 statement to investigators.”

— Burlington County Times: “Could a new, permanent homeless shelter come to Burlington County?”

— The Asbury Park Press: “Unhappy with NJ deal for Ciba Superfund pollution site? Speak out in Toms River”

— The Press of Atlantic City: “Hodgson named assignment judge in Ocean County”

— The Courier Post: “Court to reconsider sentence for ex-Gloucester cop who slapped girl”

— The Associated Press: “NJ protester sentenced for helping set police car on fire”

— Chalkbeat Newark: “Incoming Newark high school students may take new entrance test”

— NJ Advance Media: “Hudson County officials hopeful of Murphy’s plan to ease limits on liquor licenses but some restaurateurs have concerns”

EVERYTHING ELSE

WEED BRINGS DIFFERENT KIND OF HIGH — “High cost of legal cannabis in New Jersey irks customers,” by The Monitor’s Sophie Nieto-Munoz: “ If you’re shopping for cannabis at Rise dispensary in Bloomfield, the most you’ll shell out for an eighth is $70. A short walk from the 8th Street PATH station in Manhattan, the highest price for an eighth at the new Housing Works Cannabis Co. dispensary is $60. At Rise, most eighths are $60 or more. At Housing Works, most are below $60. … Officials with the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the agency that oversees the state’s medical and recreational cannabis industries, have conceded in the past that the price of marijuana remains high, but says that as more dispensaries open, that should change.”

RUTGERS UNMASKED — “Rutgers students will not need to wear masks in class this semester after union loses appeal,” by NJ Advance Media’s Rob Jennings: “Rutgers University’s decision last fall to make face masks optional in most indoor settings has been upheld by a state panel. In a 4-0 vote, the state Public Employment Relations Commission sided with Rutgers last month over three faculty unions that argued educators should be given the option to mandate masks in their classrooms due to COVID-19 concerns. The ruling upheld an Oct. 11 interim order allowing Rutgers to proceed with lifting the mask mandate pending a final decision by the commission. During the dispute, the state university had briefly reinstated its mask mandate in libraries and allowed professors to decide whether they wanted to require students to wear masks in their classrooms.”

— Hudson County View: “HRH: Dispute over Bayonne Medical Center isn’t over despite what CarePoint & Alaris claim”

— NJ Biz: “Bed Bath & Beyond closing 62 more stores, including 4 in NJ”

— Press of Atlantic City: “AtlantiCare, HBCU seek to teach next generation of medical professionals”

— ROI-NJ: “St. Joseph’s Health CEO Kevin Slavin announces retirement”

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