As a blogger and political strategist I’ve been credited with writing, in real time, the political obituaries, of many candidates and office holders, Democrats and some Republicans, in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
This weekend I am sadly tasked with writing the real obituary for my father, Arthur V. Gallagher, from whom I inherited many traits, including the love for writing, politics and the conviction that government should be run efficiently to serve the people. Dad passed away peacefully last night at the age of 88, from non-COVID-19 related natural causes.
Assemblywoman Holly Schepsi, (R-Bergen) announced on facebook that she is one of the New Jersey residents on self-quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Police in a New Jersey town issued a warning Monday night about a product marketed as “Spray Sanitizer” at a 7-Eleven after mom shared photos on social media saying her son had been burned by the potentially-homemade chemical packaged 3-ounce, mini-sprayer bottles in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
River Vale police were called shortly after 8 p.m. to the 7-Eleven on Rivervale Road after an officer saw the photos “depicting a young boy with apparent burns to his arm and leg,” police Lt. John DeVoe said in a statement.“From the information that we received, approximately one dozen of the bo… Read the rest of this entry »
A 32-year-old man from Fort Lee in Bergen County is thefirst person in New Jersey to be diagnosed with coronavirus, the borough’s mayor told NJ Advance Media on Thursday.
The unidentified man was being treated for the illness at Hackensack University Medical Center, where he arrived on Tuesday and was placed in isolation, according to Mayor Mark Sokolich.
“It’s a presumptive-postive test for coronavirus that was performed by the hospital,” Sokolich said, adding that officials are waiting for the Centers for Disease Control to confirm the diagnosis.Sokolich said the man is in stable condition and… Read the rest of this entry »
Authorities arrested four men and seized $9.6 million in heroin following a month-long investigation into drug distribution, New Jersey State Police announced. Investigators seized 120 kilos of heroin, as well as methamphetamine, fentanyl and a huge haul of Percocet tablets in raids in Bergen and Burlington counties. State police and members of the North Bergen Police… Read the rest of this entry »
The Izod Center is being shut down, but several events, including the Ringling Bros. circus, will keep the lights on through March. (Mitsu Yasukawa | The Star- Ledger)
EAST RUTHERFORD — It began with Bruce. It apparently will end with elephants and clowns. The last act of the Izod Center will be the circus. State officials, who last week announced the closing of the aging arena in the Meadowlands by the end of the month, say they are working to move the remaining events… Read the rest of this entry »
Governor Chris Christie held a Town Hall meeting in Garfield, Bergen County this morning. Two video’s released by his office follow.
In the first video, Christie describes how he’s raring for for the fight with the legislature over the State budget that he expects over the next 60 days and appeals to the crowd for support.
In the second video, Peter, a student asked the governor for advice on how to handle a situation where someone is authority is bullying him. Christie responds as a father and as governor. Peter follows up asking Christie for a note excusing him for missing school.
Senator Loretta Weinberg has been creating a media storm touting Bergen County Assemblywoman Connie Wagner as the Democratic candidate to challenge Congressman Scott Garrett in the newly redrawn 5th congressional district.
The Star Ledger/NJ.com played along, mentioning Wagner most prominently in a piece about potential Garrett challengers.
Yet someone at NJ.com either doesn’t like Wagner or never heard of Google Images. They ran a 2008 file photo of Wagner with the article. Wagner looks a bit different in the more recent photo on her assembly website.
2008 Star Ledger photo of Assemblywoman Connie Wagner
Serena DiMaso will be elected Monmouth County Freeholder at the Title 19 convention of the Monmouth GOP Committee on January 14. Bob Walsh will withdraw during his speech before the convention.
Bill Spadea defeats Donna Simon and John Saccenti at a Title 19 convention of the 16th legislative district to fill the assembly seat vacated by the death of Peter Biondi. After recounts and law suits, the November special election for the seat is declared a tie between Spadea and Democratic Princeton Committeewoman Sue Nemeth. Another special election is scheduled for January of 2013.
Joe Oxley will be named Township Administrator and In House Attorney for Wall Township. The appointment will forward a statewide trend of municipalities hiring either attorneys or engineers as their administrators as a cost saving measure. Oxley is reelected GOP County Chairman by acclamation. Senator Jennifer Beck will give the nominating speech. Christine Hanlon will be Vice Chair.
Middletown will get a new Parks and Recreation Director. It won’t be Linda Baum or Pam Brightbill.
Jim McGreevey is ordained an Episcopal priest.
Jon Corzine remembers where he put the $1.2 billion.
Senator Joe Kyrillos will be the GOP nominee for U.S. Senator, defeating Anna Little and Joseph Rudy Rullo in the primary.
Congressman Steve Rothman defeats Congressman Bill Pascrell in the Democratic primary for the 9th Congressional District nomination. In the only surprise of the primary, former Bergen County GOP Freeholder Anthony Cassano, who had agreed to take one for the team in the 9th, was defeated when the Bergen County Tea Party Group organized a write-in campaign for Anna Little. Little was on the ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate. Having lost the Senate nomination to Joe Kyrillos, Little accepts the nomination, asks Kyrillos to host a fundraiser for her, and promises to move into the district if she wins. She doesn’t.
Maggie Moran defeats Vin Gopal and Frank “LaHornica” LaRocca in a close election for the Monmouth County Democratic Chairmanship.
James Hogan of Long Branch is the GOP nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District. Frank Pallone is reelected by 8%.
Jordan Rickards of North Brunswick is the GOP nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. Rush Holt is reelected by 15%.
On August 28, the second day of the Republican National Convention, the National Weather Service warns that Hurricane Chris is heading towards the Jersey Shore. Acting Governor Kim Guadagno gets on TV and says, “Get the heck off of the beach please.”
Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee for President of the United States. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will be the Vice Presidential nominee.
President Obama nominates Vice President Joe Biden to be Secretary of State. Biden submits his resignation as VP effective upon both houses of congress confirming his successor. President Obama nominates Hillary Clinton as Vice President. Speaker of the House John Boehner refuses to schedule confirmation hearings for the VP nomination on the constitutional grounds that their is no vacancy in the office. Obama makes them both recess appointments. Clinton is nominated for VP at the Democratic National Convention and Secretary of State Biden spends October in China.
Despite losing their home states of Massachusetts and New Jersey, the Romney-Christie ticket wins the electoral college by one vote, 270-269. The winning vote comes from Maine, one of two states that awards electoral votes by congressional district. Romney-Christie lose Maine 3-1 but win the election. Obama-Clinton file suit to challenge Maine’s method of awarding electoral votes. Romney-Christie counter with a suit in Nebraska, which they won 4 electoral votes to 1, using the same arguments that Obama-Clinton use in Maine. The U.S. Supreme Court decides both cases for the plaintiffs, 5-4, and determined that in all future presidential elections that electoral votes are awarded on a winner take all basis nationally. Tea Party leader Dwight Kehoe calls for the impeachment of the Justices who voted affirmatively, claiming that they don’t understand the 10th Amendment.
Robert Menendez defeats Joe Kyrillos for U.S. Senate by 1%.
U. S. Senator Frank Lautenberg resigns. In one of his last acts as Governor before ascending to the Vice Presidency, Chris Christie appoints Kyrillos to Lautenberg’s Senate seat.
Authorities arrested four men and seized $9.6 million in heroin following a month-long investigation into drug distribution, New Jersey State Police announced. Investigators seized 120 kilos of heroin, as well as methamphetamine, fentanyl and a huge haul of Percocet tablets in raids in Bergen and Burlington counties. State police and members of the North Bergen Police… 
