SWEENEY revives pay raise bill without book deal carrot — WEBBER ‘all in’ to replace FRELINGHUYSEN — NEARBY TEAM wins sporting event Presented by Pre-K Our Way

By Matt Friedman ( [email protected] ; @mattfriedmannj )

Assemblyman Jay Webber is “ALL IN!”


That’s what he said in a Saturday press release to announce his candidacy for the 11th congressional District’s nomination.

Webber is the first major candidate to announce in what’s shaping up to be a crowded GOP primary to replace Rodney Frelinghuysen. And Webber, a youngish, very conservative former state GOP chairman who already represents part of the district, is naturally well-positioned. He went hard right from the gate, denouncing the "angry intimidation of the far left who seek to 'resist' every idea that comes from someone who doesn't share their outlier extremism." (I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Webber doesn’t talk much about his Harvard Law degree).

That red meat will probably work in a GOP primary. But this is not an ultra-Republican district. It barely went for President Trump. And Webber has a long history of very conservative votes and statements.

The favorite to be the Democratic nominee, Mikie Sherrill, has a made-for-office resume as a former federal prosecutor and Navy helicopter pilot. What she doesn’t have is a voting record. Especially not a deep red one in a district that has turned purple thanks to 2011’s redistricting and President Trump.

In other news, congratulations if you’re a fan of the team that won the Super Bowl.

WHERE’S MURPHY? In Hackensack at 10 am for County Executive Jim Tedesco’s reelection campaign kickoff, followed by Newark at 1:30 pm for a net neutrality announcement and EO signing

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, Murphy speechwriter Derek Roseman, former Bergen County Freeholder Jim Carroll, District 36 GOP Chairman Joe Crifasi

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Whatever he is, he seems to be a gifted escape artist. That’s rare among politicians” — Rutgers Professor Ross K. Baker on Sen. Robert Menendez

WHAT TRENTON MADE

MURPHY: WHERE’S MY BOOK DEAL? — Sweeney resurrects contentious salary bill once linked to Christie book deal, by POLITICO’s Ryan Hutchins: The last time New Jersey lawmakers wanted to raise the salaries of judges, prosecutors, cabinet members and legislative staff, they had to include a big sweetener for Gov. Chris Christie. That 2016 deal, in which Democrats would have changed the law to allow Christie, a Republican, to profit from writing a book, collapsed amid fears the quid-pro-quo arrangement could have dented the approval ratings of lawmakers in competitive districts. Now, with Christie out of office, Senate President Stephen Sweeney is bringing back the controversial pay legislation. This time, he’ll need to convince a new governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, to sign off on the salary hikes — and to do so just as the new executive is finding his own footing in Trenton. Sweeney’s revamped bill is up for a hearing Monday in the Senate budget committee. The measure — now stripped of the book-deal language and no longer linked to a bill that would have ended a requirement that all public notices be placed in newspapers — could turn into one of the most important proposals of the new session” Read the report

AP INTERVIEW: MURPHY STICKS FINGERS IN EARS, SAYS ‘LALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU’ — “AP Interview: Murphy sticks to tax pledge, despite hurdles,” by The AP’s Michael Catalini: “Gov. Phil Murphy says he won't back away from promises to raise taxes on millionaires despite pressure he anticipates on state finances from the Republican tax overhaul and legislative concern over raising income tax rates. He spoke Saturday during an interview with The Associated Press, reflecting on the same liberal agenda he sketched in his inauguration address and saying that his core campaign promises to fully fund pensions and school aid, financed in part by a higher tax rate on incomes over $1 million, remain unchanged. The comments shed new light on what Murphy seems likely to introduce as he begins to prepare is his first budget, something he is expected to unveil next month during a speech to the Democrat-led Legislature. They represent a doubling-down on campaign promises but also leave unanswered questions about how Murphy will drive his agenda through a friendly but at-times skeptical Legislature, and how he'll finance the priorities. ‘I haven't changed on any of that, what we talked about on the campaign,’ Murphy said. ‘You should assume the things we talked about on the campaign trail continue to be the things we're going to try to get done as a governing matter.’” Read the report

NJ LAWMAKERS TO CLAIM THEY DIDN’T ACTUALLY SMOKE WEED — “Atlantic City mayor, N.J. lawmakers are Nevada-bound for legal weed tour,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brent Johnston and Susan K. Livio: “A handful of lawmakers and Atlantic City's mayor are headed to Nevada for a brief ‘fact-finding’ trip next week to learn from another casino-operating state's experience of launching a marijuana economy seven months ago. As hopeful entrepreneurs wait for the state Legislature and Gov. Phil Murphy to make good on a promise to legalize cannabis for adults, the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association and Nevada lawmakers coordinated the 2-1/2-day trip to educate eager and curious government officials and business leaders. Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam said he is paying out of his own pocket for the trip because he believes legal weed could "jump-start" the city's volatile economy. ‘The key for me is to get more knowledge on how they rolled out the process and understand the pros and cons,’ Gilliam said. ‘They have gaming like we do, so I want to figure out how those things coexist, and figure out to make it work for Atlantic City.’” Read the report

CORRELATION, CAUSATION… WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? — “Will legal weed make N.J. roads more dangerous?” by NJ Advance Media’s Payton Guion and Larry Higgs: “Monmouth County's freeholders voiced concerns over traffic safety last week when the board voted to officially oppose marijuana legalization, the first county government in the state to do so. State lawmakers also worry about people driving while high … Data out of Colorado would seem to suggest at some connection. From 2013 - the year before recreational weed became legal in Colorado - to 2016, traffic deaths in which a driver tested positive for marijuana jumped 127 percent, from 55 to 125, based on data from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. But while that data has been used to show an increase in the number of people in Colorado driving while under the influence of marijuana, it actually shows something different: That more drivers have used marijuana at some point in the recent past. Existing and widely available tests -- sampling blood, saliva and urine -- can't determine current impairment. ‘The only thing we can conclude from that data is that more drivers are consuming cannabis,’ said David Nathan, founder and president of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation. ‘It says nothing about more accidents.’" Read the report

—‘Legalize pot? Not so fast | Di Ionno” Read the column

—“Homegrown marijuana proposed for New Jersey” Read the report

NJ TRANSIT COMMUTERS THRILLED AT THIS NEWS — “Congressman's dream tunnel forges ahead,” by Crain’s Will Brederman: “A U.S. representative’s dream of a freight tunnel linking Brooklyn and New Jersey took a step forward Friday. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it inked a deal with two firms to “closely examine” two possibilities for improving the movement of goods between the Brooklyn waterfront and the Garden State. One is Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s long-sought freight rail tunnel under New York Harbor, an undertaking with an estimated $7.4 billion price tag as of 2014. The other is the expansion of the current ‘carfloat’ system, which off-loads containerized cargo from rail to barges at Brooklyn's 51st Street and 65th Street yards and ships them to the Greenville Yards in New Jersey, where it is again loaded onto trains.” Read the report

THE PHIL AND TAMMY SHOW — “Video: Governor Phil Murphy and his wife Tammy” Watch the video

POOR DAVID SAMSON — “Chris Christie took a parting shot at Bridgegate defendants. Was it necessary?” by The Record’s Mike Kelly: “In the waning hours of the last work day of 2017, as most people were looking forward to a long weekend leading to the New Year’s holiday, the Christie administration was quietly burning a few final bridges in the Bridgegate scandal. It was after 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 29. Deputies to the outgoing state attorney general, Christopher Porrino, filed a series of complaints in Superior Court in Trenton seeking to block Bridgegate’s three convicted felons — Bill Baroni, Bridget Anne Kelly and David Wildstein — from ever holding a government job of any kind in New Jersey. A fourth complaint, also filed in Trenton that afternoon, sought to bar David Samson, a former state attorney general who was the Christie-appointed chairman of the Port Authority during the Bridgegate affair, from future state government employment. Why the Christie administration took such a serious legal step on such an odd day and at such an odd hour — the last filing was at 5:23 p.m. — has sparked widespread speculation in recent weeks among legal and political experts.” Read the column

"Underage New Jersey college students could sip beer and wine under new legislation. But there's a catch," by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Some underage New Jersey college students can toast to this: A state lawmaker wants to allow them to have beer and wine. There’s just one small catch: They won’t be allowed to swallow it. Assemblyman John Burzichelli reintroduced the measure Thursday after first quietly introducing it last June. Under the bill, 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds would be exempt from the state’s ban on underage possession of alcohol if “the student tastes the wine or beer sample for educational purposes during the instruction of a required course for an enology (the study of wines) or brewing training program offered at an institution of higher education.” Read the report

500 MASTROS — “'Augmented' nuclear subsidy bill could cost $4B over 15 years," by NJ Spoglith's Tom Johnson: “Sen. Bob Smith called it greener than Ireland - a bill that aims to bolster a thriving solar sector, enhance state efforts to cut energy use, and promote carbon-free electricity that powers more than 40 percent of New Jersey homes and businesses. But the legislation (S-877) also may be one of the costliest measures taken up by lawmakers, a bill that when the tallying is done 15 years from now could end up costing utility customers more than $4 billion, according to an economic analysis for the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel. ‘It's a huge cost and whatever we spend here, it means we are going to have less to spend on other things,’ said Stefanie Brand, director of the division, and an opponent of the nuclear subsidy.” Read the report

—“Julie defends Menendez. Mike stands up for Frelinghuysen. Both praise Christie?” Read the report

—“N.J. lawmakers try again to spin off management of pension fund for police, firefighters” Read the report

—“State lawmakers call for 30 pages of reforms at New Jersey Transit” Read the report

THE INSIDE GAME — “Murphy’s Week 3 Grade,” by PoliticsDW’s David Wildstein: “Today is Phil Murphy’s 19th day in office and the end of his third week. This is where the honeymoon period begins to deteriorate. Private conversations with members of his administration and party leaders paint a picture of a governor who is struggling beneath the surface of a once-a-day photo op. Democratic legislators complain that they don’t get courtesy calls. Democratic party leaders are angered by slow responses to their requests. Reporters are already bitching about their lack of access, forcing them to fondly remember first term of the last governor. Worst of all: reports of serious infighting among Murphy’s senior staff is a sign of growing dysfunction within his administration." Read the report

THE TRUMP ERA

SWAMP DRAINING IN PROGRESS — “Husband of former Trump household aide scores government job,” by Politico’s Andrew Restuccia: “A home improvement contractor married to one of Donald and Melania Trump’s former household staffers is now working as an official at the Environmental Protection Agency, the latest example of someone with a personal connection to the Trump family finding work in the administration. New Jersey-based Steve Kopec joined EPA’s Region 2 office in New York as a special assistant on Dec. 18, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO. ‘Steve comes to us from private industry, where he fashioned his career around customer service and organizational efficiencies,’ EPA Region 2 Administrator Pete Lopez wrote in the memo. ‘Steve is an experienced manager with skills in team building, management and organization.’ According to public records, Kopec previously ran a contracting business from his home in Haskell, New Jersey, called Steve’s Tools in Motion. Kopec’s wife, Dagmara, previously worked for the Trump family in New York, according to a person familiar with her situation. Photographs posted on Facebook in recent months show the Kopecs visiting the White House and mingling with senior administration officials.” Read the report

MORE SWAMP DRAINING — “Trump set him free; now, Iowa slaughterhouse exec coming to Lakewood,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Stacy Barchenberger: “Sholom Rubashkin, whose 27-year prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in December, prompting celebration in many Orthodox Jewish communities, is coming to Lakewood. Rubashkin, a Iowa kosher meat processor who was convicted of more than 80 counts of financial crimes, is expected to speak at a fundraiser for a food bank, Tomchei Shabbos, which also uses the name Family Food Relief, organizers have confirmed. The Saturday night event, a men's only private affair, is the nonprofit's largest annual fundraiser.” Read the report

WHAT ABOUT BOB? — “After years of investigation, a sudden folding of the case against Menendez,” by The New York Times’ Nick Corasaniti and Kate Zernike: “Judge Walls had said he would not preside over the retrial, and the case was expected to go to Judge William Martini. Reflecting Mr. Menendez’s long and deep involvement in New Jersey politics, every other federal judge in Newark, where the first trial was held, had either passed or recused from the case; Mr. Menendez had helped sponsor several of the judges for the bench. Prosecutors had reason to feel anxious about arguing the case before Judge Martini. A former Republican congressman — he served in the House with Mr. Menendez in the mid 1990s — he has been an outspoken critic of government overreach. In one of the most prominent public corruption cases in the state’s recent histor … Judge Martini, too, decided to pass on the case, which would have moved it to Trenton. That move might have hurt the defense, because the pool of jurors would be less likely to include many Hispanics, who were considered sympathetic to Mr. Menendez. The government risked looking small with a case based primarily on a relatively lesser offense, of failing to report trips and gifts on disclosure forms. There was the chance that jurors would have decided the matter was not a federal crime, and better handled by the Senate Ethics Committee, which is conducting its own investigation.” Read the report

ALSO SENDS LETTER TO HIS DAD ASKING FOR MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS THIS TIME — “Reaching out to DiGaetano, Singh moves forward with U.S. Senate bid,” from InsiderNJ: “Engineer Hirsh Singh of Linwood wants the leaders in the Republican Party to know he’s serious about his U.S. Senate run. To that end, he sent a letter to Bergen County GOP Chairman Paul DiGaetano notifying the chairman of his intentions.” Read the report

—“Burlington County Democrats award Andy Kim ‘party line’ for 3rd District primary” Read the report

—“Malinowski wins Hunterdon convention” Read the report

—“CD5’s John McCann of Bergen: The InsiderNJ interview” Read the interview

—“Barbra Streisand opposes Trump-friendly N.J. Republican & other campaign fun facts” Read the report

—“Booker blasts release of Nunes memo, hopeful on DACA deal” Read the report

—“N.J. to Trump: Stay away from our 'treasured coastal communities'” Read the report

—“LoBiondo leads Congress in lung cancer legislation, new study” Read the report

LOCAL

TIME TO EXTRACT THE GIANT PEARL — “Oyster Creek, oldest nuke plant in the U.S., closing a year ahead of schedule,” by The AP’s Wayne Parry: “The oldest nuclear power plant in the United States will shut down in October, more than a year ahead of schedule. Chicago-based Exelon Generation says the Oyster Creek plant in Lacey Township, New Jersey, will close this fall. It had a deadline of Dec. 31, 2019, under an agreement with state authorities. The company says it is becoming too costly to operate the plant amid low power prices. In a release announcing the early shutdown, Exelon said the new timetable will help it "better manage resources as fuel and maintenance costs continue to rise amid historically low power prices." Bryan Hanson, Exelon's president and chief nuclear officer, said the company will offer jobs to all 500 Oyster Creek workers elsewhere in the company.” Read the report

—“Lacey mayor: Life will go on after Oyster Creek” Read the report

JAMEL HYPERBOLE — “Following Plainfield meeting, Holley lights into slate mate Cryan in LD20,” by InsideRNJ’s Max Pizarro: “In the aftermath of a Plainfield Democratic Committee meeting this morning, Holley responded to Mayor Adrian Mapp’s recounting of an episode that Mapp said involved Cryan presenting the option of Linden Mayor Derek Armstead for an assembly seat in the 22nd District should the ailing Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-22) be unable to continue … ‘What Joe Cryan did to Mayor Andrian Mapp and the City of Plainfield is appalling and disgusting,’ the assemblyman said. ‘He is nothing more than a modern-day Bull Connor, pitting African Americans against one another. I’ll be the first to remind Joe that he lives in an 80 percent minority district. Joe Cryan does not represent the 22nd legislative district. He had no authority to ‘bargain’ away a seat that is not vacant.’” Read the report

“Paterson mayoral candidate voted in Little Falls 14 times,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “A mayoral candidate who has said he lived in Paterson his ‘whole life’ voted in Little Falls 14 times since 2007, according to Passaic County election records. The candidate, Alex Cruz, voted in Paterson for the first time in November 2017, the election records show. Cruz has been a Paterson police officer since 1994 and president of the city’s police union since 2011. In response to a media inquiry about Cruz’ track record of voting in Little Falls, his campaign manager discussed the candidate’s residency on Friday afternoon. ‘While he once lived in Little Falls, he moved to Paterson more than a year ago and has lived in Paterson since then,’ said the campaign manager, Pablo Fonseca. Fonseca asserted that Cruz has lived in Paterson for longer than the one-year time-frame required for people to run for elected office, including mayor, within a particular town.” Read the report

BUILDING MAY BE VULNERABLE TO HUFFS, PUFFS — “A skyscraper made of wood? Newark developers give it a try,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Keiko Morris: “In the contest to attract office tenants, many developers stick with the tried-and-true combination of concrete, steel and gleaming glass. Lotus Equity Group is embracing a more natural material: wood. The Manhattan developer said it is planning an 11-story office building made with a wood structure for Riverfront Square, its 4.8 million-square-foot mixed-use development proposed on the site of the former Newark Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium and the old Lincoln Motel.” Read the report

BCRO DYSFUNCTION JOINS DEATH, TAXES — “Source: A DiGaetano departure sets up battle between Zisa and Langschultz for BCRO chairmanship,” by InsiderNJ’s Max Pizarro: “Bergen County Republican Chairman Paul DiGaetano is said to be in position to ‘resign soon, for the good of the party,’ a source told InsiderNJ. The chair irritated a wide swath of already divided Republicans when he ran for state senate last year and lost to state Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40). The source said the impending resignation sets up a showdown between last years LD38 senate candidate Kelly Langschultz (a New Milford Councilwoman) and former Hackensack Mayor Jack Zisa to chair the wounded and financially broke party organization, the source said.” Read the report

—“Former Monmouth County municipal judge admits ticket-fixing for revenue” Read the report

—“12 families displaced after blaze tears through Newark homes” Read the report

EVERYTHING ELSE

IT WOULDN'T BE A SUPER BOWL WITHOUT A NJ MASS TRANSIT SCREW UP — “Eagles fans stranded on disabled train, service delayed on PATCO after Super Bowl,” by NJ Advnace Media’s Thomas Moriarty: “As thousands packed the streets of Philadelphia early Monday morning in the wake of the historic Eagles' triumph in Super Bowl LII, the city's rapid-transit service with South Jersey found itself similarly swamped. On Twitter just after midnight, PATCO said the volume of travelers headed westbound into the city had delayed service on its trains. Eagles fans quickly took to Twitter to respond that not only was service delayed, but that a large number had been stranded on a stalled train, which the transit system indicated had become disabled at Ferry Avenue Station in Camden:” Read the report

NORCROSS TO KEEP GREEN HAIR ALL YEAR — “‘Well That’s Nice,’ Say Calm, Pleased Eagles Fans After Super Bowl Victory,” by The Onion: “PHILADELPHIA—Happily nodding their heads and shaking hands with each other in congratulations, thousands of pleased but calm Philadelphia residents reportedly said, ‘Well that’s nice,’ Sunday after the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. This sure is swell. Both teams played a good game, but I’m glad we came out on top,’ said local Eagles fan Jeremy Romano … At press time, sources confirmed that a group of celebrating Philadelphia fans on the street had grabbed dozens of empty beer bottles and placed them in the appropriate recycling bin. Read the “report”

'WHAT'S MAXWELLS?' BRO ASKS IN FIGHT OUTSIDE BAR DOWN THE STREET — “Hoboken music club Maxwell's Tavern is closing - again,” by NJ Advance Media’s Karen Yi: “Hoboken's legendary rock club, Maxwell's Tavern, which closed and reopened under new owners is shutting its doors once again. The leading rock club announced on Facebook it was ‘winding down operations’ and hosting two final shows this month. It's not clear what will happen to the space.” Read the report

PORT AUTHORITY OVER YOUR PRIVATE LIFE “Port Authority worker sues, alleging doctor visit recorded,” by The AP’s Larry Neumeister: “A Port Authority employee has sued the agency, saying it video-recorded her medical examination without her consent and she suspects it's a practice rather than an aberration. Charlene Talarico, a senior administrative secretary, sought unspecified damages in the lawsuit Thursday in Manhattan federal court, saying she suffered emotional distress and other damages. She also sought class action status on behalf of roughly 8,000 employees whose medical exams also might have been recorded. She alleged that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey covertly records employees during medical care at its facilities.” Read the report

—“South Jersey beekeepers stung by proposed state regulations” Read the report

— “Century-old elevator has kept Trenton Battle Monument closed for years” Read the report

CORRECTION — It’s easy to read the wrong column in FEC reports. And on Friday I wrote that 7th District Dem candidate Linda Weber raised $107,000 last quarter. That’s actually what she spent. She raised $89,000. My point was that Democrats are concerned about her fundraising. This correction actually underscores that.

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