The ELEC meeting that wasn’t

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Good Tuesday morning!

A state Election Law Enforcement Committee meeting that had been scheduled for this morning has been canceled.

But wait, how can an agency whose commissioners all resigned have a meeting in the first place?

After writing letters of resignation in protest of the “Elections Transparency Act” — which, among other things, aims to oust ELEC Executive Director Jeff Brindle and retroactively cut the agency’s statute of limitations on enforcement from 10 years to 2 years — former commissioners Stephen Holden and Marguerite Simon attempted to rescind those letters and hold the meeting.

Holden said that he didn’t have an acknowledgement from the Murphy administration for his letter and figured it may not have gone through. He also said that he didn’t expect Murphy to take over a month to appoint his replacement. But the Murphy administration emailed him acknowledgement and acceptance of his resignation on Friday night. And so yesterday, ELEC canceled the meeting.

Holden told me he really wanted to explore the statute of limitations in light of The Record’s recent report about how Senate President Nick Scutari didn’t properly disclose around $600,000 in expenses over the last 15 years. “We always have to be aware of special legislation, that is legislation that serves a person’s personal financial interests. The article by [Record reporter] Ashley Balcerzak — that sort of explains to me why the retroactive two-year statute was such an important part of the midnight modifications to the bill,” Holden said.

So much for that.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “[I]t’s easy to step away from New Jersey politics when New Jersey politics has already stepped away from you.” — New Jersey Working Families Alliance’s Sue Altman on George Norcross

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Cassandra Gatelein, Barry Kaufman, Tom Wilson

WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule

WHAT TRENTON MADE


NJ TAXPAYERS TO THE RESCUE — Rutgers unions vote to ratify new contracts, by POLITICO’s Caroline Petrow-Cohen: Three Rutgers unions voted Monday to ratify new contracts with the school to increase salaries for their faculty members across-the-board and strengthen job security for part-time workers. Ninety-three percent of voting members of the unions favored ratifying a total of five tentative agreements with the school. The votes come a little less than a month after the school and unions reached tentative agreements to end a historic, five-day strike.

MOBBED DEEP WATER PORT — “On the NY-NJ waterfront, the legacy of the mob endures,” by The CIty’s Tom Robbins: “It was the flies buzzing around the trunk of the silver Acura parked behind the Huck Finn Diner in Union, N.J., that first drew notice. On closer inspection, the diner’s owner detected a foul stench. He called the police. Inside the trunk was the decaying body of a gangster, a reputed member of the Genovese crime family who managed the mob’s rackets on the New Jersey waterfront. Lawrence Ricci, 60, had gone missing two months earlier amid a corruption trial in Brooklyn. He had been accused of conspiring with officials of the International Longshoremen’s Association to win contracts from the union’s benefit plan for mob-tied firms — charges of which he was acquitted after he disappeared … That was in 2005, and no other waterfront mobsters have turned up dead in any car trunks in the 18 years since Ricci met his fate. But in many ways, the nearly century-old legacy of organized crime is still felt along the sprawling New York–New Jersey port, even as the bistate agency established to clean up the docks — the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor — has been marked for extinction.”

NORCROSSED OUT? — “What does Norcross’ ‘retirement’ mean for Steve Sweeney?” by InsiderNJ’s Max Pizarro: “For all his SUV tire-tearing energy up north ahead of 2025, the former senate prez after all still projects as a guy from the south, whose base caved in under a red wave (even as North Jersey strengthened its blue power credentials); and who subsequently got ejected from the Democrats’ redistricting commission on orders from Democratic State Party Chairman … LeRoy Jones … But Sweeney still commands a larger than regional role by virtue of his lifelong leadership position within the Building Trades, a strong labor collective in this state, and the bedrock for 150K workers across multiple professional disciplines. That organization, it can be argued, maintains a political edge, and Sweeney with it, by virtue of the respect he wields therein.”

TEENS WITH 24-HOUR ACCESS TO HARDCORE PORNOGRAPHY ON THEIR PHONES ARE CORRUPTED BY LIBRARY BOOKS — “Porn and loathing in N.J.?” by NJ Advance Media’s Adam Clark: “Roxbury High School’s library has books with illustrations featuring full frontal nudity, a woman sucking a strapon and ‘every sex act you can imagine,’ [Christina] Balestriere told the township board of education at the end of its March 6 public meeting. Despite concerns from parents, school librarian Roxana Caivano refused to remove the books … ‘You’re allowing Roxana Caivano, with the support of the administration, to endanger students’ …

“Kristen Cobo quoted a passage from a high school library book — ‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’ — in which characters discuss oral sex using the words ‘eat her p—y.’ ‘Roxana Caivano appears to be luring children with sexually explicit material,’ Cobo said. ‘This is the behavior of a child predator.’ Ten days later, Caivano sued both women and two other residents for defamation in a pivotal case that underscores how the nation’s explosive debate over sex education and book banning has devolved into vicious personal attacks…”


TRACTOR FIRES: THE GARDEN STATE VERSION OF DUMPSTER FIRES — Tractors started catching fire. It cost the state $4 million, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: The New Jersey Department of Transportation spent an extra $4 million in 2022 to hire contractors to cut grass along highways and state roads after the state sidelined over 140 tractors because three of them caught fire, according to records obtained by POLITICO and a DOT spokesperson. Nearly half the fleet of tractors remains out of service as they undergo fire-preventative renovations, according to DOT spokesperson Jim Barry, costing the state resources in addition to the millions it paid to hire interim contractors … The state filed the complaint against the company from which it purchased 147 John Deere tractors and mowing attachments in 2018 and 2019, at a price of approximately $11.4 million, according to the complaint.

ARDEN STAT — “Murphy makes it law — drivers can’t get a ticket for these license plate frames,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “Have a license plate frame proclaiming your love for pets, sports teams or anything else? The fear that drivers will get a ticket if the frame encroaches on the words “New Jersey” or “Garden State” on their license plates, will end under a law signed by the governor. Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation into law Monday that makes the previously offending frames and brackets legal, as long as they don’t totally obscure the words that identify a license plate as being from New Jersey … The old law resulted in a ticket if the frame touched or partly covered the words ’New Jersey’ or ‘Garden State’ — even if the words could be read. The law takes effect on June 1, according to the legislation.”

—“Shifting policy on prison placement of transgender people sparks scrutiny”

—Persichilli walks back mifepristone comments, saying restrictions would ‘unfairly limit access’

—“Assembly panel will consider bill to ban sheriffs, county clerks from being county chairs”

—“Designer got $200K from Murphy admin to pick pricey furniture for Statehouse remodel”

—“Job protections for temp workers go into effect”

—“Unfamiliar names, familiar fireworks mark NJ’s 2023 primary election”

—“N.J. program pairing mental health workers with cops ‘could reform policing as we know it’”

R.I.P. — “Bob Shinn, Ex-DEP Commissioner, Assemblyman, Dies At 85”

R.I.P. — “John Kolesar, Associated Press’ Statehouse bureau chief in 1950s and 1960s, dies at 96”

BIDEN TIME


—“N.J. officials call on feds to write rules for landmark gun law passed a year ago”

—“Tim Alexander to run again for Democratic nomination in 2nd Congressional District”

LOCAL


OCEAN COUNTY — “‘I don’t feel safe’: Ocean County ignored slain homeless woman’s pleas; paid estate $1.5M,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Kathleen Hopkins: “Alecia Perreault was terrified. At just 89 pounds and largely crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, she begged her social worker to move her from the crime-ridden Seaside Heights motel where she had been placed by the Ocean County Board of Social Services. “There’s always screaming fights and cops are constantly there for other people and I don’t feel safe anymore there,” Perreault, 29, wrote about the Offshore Motel in an email to her Board of Social Services case worker on April 4, 2021 … Twenty-three days later, Perreault was dead, strangled in her room at the Offshore by a violent career criminal who was living in another motel down the block. The county Board of Social Services last year paid $1.5 million to Perreault’s estate to settle claims related to her death. The settlement was reached through mediation before any lawsuit was filed … Now, the victim’s mother — angered by a recent statement from Ocean County Commissioner Jack Kelly about the adequacy of the county’s programs for the homeless — is speaking out about her only child’s tragic demise.”

SEASIDE LOWS — “Ocean County homeless ‘dehumanized’ living among grime, crime and bugs in motels,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Erik Larsen: “With a population of almost 650,000 — larger than the states of Vermont and Wyoming – Ocean County has no full-time homeless shelter or transitional housing for the 114 people on average who are placed in some form of emergency housing here each night. Currently, about 700 people in the county are receiving some type of government assistance to supplement the cost of their housing, according to data from the Board of Social Services. To house people seeking emergency shelter, the county relies mostly on 10 motels in Toms River and Seaside Heights — with one in Atlantic County — that it contracts with to serve that function. In every case, these motels make most of their money during the summer tourism season but supplement their business all year round by putting the homeless up at the cost to the taxpayer.”

PUSHING DOWN DAISY — “Judge tosses employee’s lawsuit against Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “A judge recently dismissed clerical employee Daisy Vargas’ whistle-blower lawsuit accusing Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes of retaliating against her. New Jersey Superior Court Judge Stephan Hansbury ruled on April 28 that Vargas failed to provide sufficient facts showing she knew of any wrongdoing by Valdes, that she tried to expose any misconduct by the prosecutor, and that she suffered retaliation for any such activities. Vargas’ complaint accused Valdes of requiring her to do numerous personal tasks … calling her ‘Crazy Daisy’ after the two women had a falling out over the duties she was performing for her boss.”


GLOUCESTERF**K — “$5M roadwork contract wasn’t a COVID ’emergency,’ says report alleging N.J. county broke law,” by NJ Advance Media’s Nyah Marshall: “Gloucester County violated New Jersey law by wrongfully fast-tracking a $5 million road construction job without public bidding or notice at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state comptroller said … The comptroller’s office, the state’s independent watchdog agency, said last month that Gloucester County violated state law by granting the $4.98 million roadwork project to a contractor without opening it up for public bidding or advertisement. However, Gloucester County officials said they were “acting in good faith” and believed they didn’t need to follow normal bidding laws because they thought the roadwork qualified as an “emergency” project under COVID-19 regulations at the time … Under Governor Phil Murphy’s COVID-19 executive order … a contract could be awarded without public bidding or notice, but only under emergency circumstances that could impact public health, welfare or safety, the comptroller’s office said.”

TRENTON MAYOR GOES TO REAL SISTER CITY BUT HEADLINE GETS COUNTRY WRONG — “Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora visits sister city in England,” by The Trentonian: “While the big news in England had to do with the coronation of a new King, Trenton’s mayor made a visit to St. Helier, Trenton’s sister city in the British Isles. Mayor Reed Gusciora made an official trip to the Isle of Jersey and visited Trenton Square where a stone displays his name and the inauguration date of Trenton Square to commemorate the sister city relationship.”

A VERY SIRES INJURY — “Voters in West New York, North Bergen go to the polls Tuesday for mayoral, commission races,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “If the events at an early voting location Sunday in West New York are any indication, Tuesday’s municipal election will have more drama and bad actors than a Spanish telenovela. The mother of one of the candidates for the five-member commissioner board was injured when she went down face-first into the pavement outside the 52nd Street polling site, and depending on who you ask, the 78-year-old was either pushed or tripped. The incident spurred claims of harassment, electioneering and even a vehicle being struck. Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez, running on a slate headed by current Commission member Cosmo Cirillo, posted photos of her injured mother and her account of what occurred. Meanwhile, the opposition slated, headed by former Rep. Albio Sires, quickly denied any wrongdoing and said, if anything, Jimenez’s mom deliberately parked her vehicle — adorned with campaign signs — within 100 feet of the polling location, which is illegal.”

—“Jimenez says mother injured herself after being harassed in West New York”

—“Why are some Jersey Shore schools suspending so many students?”

—“Few voters take part in West New York early voting”

—“Hackensack reaches $24M contract with hospital to cover municipal services”

—“Why activists are taking a ‘wait-and-see’ approach on Paterson Police Department takeover”

—“LIUNA holds huge rally blasting worker exploitation at One Journal Square in Jersey City”

EVERYTHING ELSE

TYPECAST — “Tom Hanks, world’s most famous typewriter fan, gives vintage machine to Lacey man,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Jerry Carino: “The package arrived via FedEx in mid-April, and 40-year-old Ian McAndrew opened it with the enthusiasm and anticipation of a kid on Christmas morning. Out came a 1934 Underwood portable typewriter, hunter green with four rows of keys — and fully functional. It was accompanied by a typed note. ‘Tom Hanks here. I am presenting you with this typewriter. Do with it as you please. Service it, keep as is, repair and keep or sell. Display or use …. ‘ … Hanks didn’t just sign the note. The famed actor and typewriter enthusiast signed the machine itself. ‘I was absolutely amazed,’ McAndrew said. ‘It’s a thing of beauty.’”

—“NJ’s ‘overlooked’ icon: Why Yogi Berra’s family pushed for a movie about Yankees legend”

—“Redlining’s impact persists in NJ, officials say, as lending by local banks draws scrutiny”

—“Officials: Possible meteorite damages Hopewell Township home”