Christie, Sharpton coming to Jersey City next week for prisoner reentry event

Governor Chris Christie and the Rev. Al Sharpton are two of the featured guests who will speak at the third Annual Prisoner Rentry Conference in Jersey City on Thursday. The conference, which will be hosted by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, will be held at Saint Peter’s University’s Mac Mahon Student Center at 47 Glenwood Ave.… Read the rest of this entry »

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Kevin Kane lands a job in the Fulop Administration

Freehold Borough Councilman Kevin Kane has landed a $65,000 per year job as the assistant director of Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s Office of Tax Abatement and Compliance.

The five term Democrat councilman who ran for Monmouth County Clerk last year against Christine Giordano Hanlon is responsible for the day to day operations of the office when the director is not at work, according to his Linkedin profile.  The office is charged with ensuring “adherence with all municipal ordinances, administrative codes and state statutes relating to tax abated development projects in Jersey City. The Compliance Office, reporting directly to the Business Administrator, is responsible for documenting all non-compliance issues and violations of the Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) and Project Employment and Contracting Agreements (PECAs).” Kane recommends to the director any and all actions to be taken as a result of non-compliance in a specified project.

Prior to joining the Fulop administration, Kane was the Vice President of Operations for a Freehold based janitorial company owned by his parents.

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Gopal Pushes Hornik for Governor, Bashes Monmouth Republicans

Vin Gopal and Jon Hornik, photo via facebook

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is publicly calling for Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik to run for governor in 2017.

In a Letter to the Editor published on APP.com,  Gopal sings Hornik’s praises as a “socially conscious and fiscally ressponsible” Democrat who was elected in three time in a town that voted for Chris Christie for Governor and Steve Lonegan for U.S. Senate over Cory Booker in 2013. Gopal said that should Hornik run for governor, he would have Vin’s unwavering support.

I wonder how Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Senate President Steve Sweeney and former Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, all presumed Democratic candidates for governor who have contributed generously to Gopal’s Monmouth County Democratic campaigns, feel about this.

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Sharpe James, Bernie Kerik discuss ‘dehumanizing’ criminal justice system

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Federal prosecutors subpoena Port Authority over claims Christie retaliated against Fulop, report says

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What if Menendez resigns?

Senator Bob Menendez, left, and Congressman Frank Pallone, making like chimpmunks at the 2012 Belmar St. Patrick’s parade. Photo credit Charles Measley

First of all, Senator Bob Menendez might not even be indicted.  Leaks out of the Justice Department have been notoriously unreliable since Chris Christie resigned as U.S. Attorney in 2008.

If Menendez is indicted, he probably will not resign. In his press conference this evening, the Senator defiantly insisted on the “appropriateness and lawfulness” of his relationship with Dr. Salomon Melgen, the Florida ophthalmologist who is Menendez’s friend and benefactor. He declared that he is not going anywhere.

If, as CNN speculates, Menendez is charged with corruption this month, it could be Halloween before he goes to trial. Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was indicted in January of 2014.  His trial didn’t start until late July and didn’t end to early September.   Unless Menendez makes a deal to avoid prosecution that includes his resignation, there is not likely to be a Special Election to fill the Senate seat until next year….2016, the year of the next presidential election.

If Chris Christie is still Governor in 2016 and Menendez’s seat becomes vacant, he will get to choose the next Senator and set the date a special election.   There could be a mid-year Special Election or the Special Election could be on the same day as the presidential election.  There’s no way to know now what is likely to happen.

Still, the prospect of a Senatorial vacancy stirs speculation and the phone lines among both Democrats and Republicans have been burning this afternoon since the news of the possible prosecution broke.

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U.S. Attorney issues new subpoenas in Christie investigation

MMM photo by Art Gallagher

Federal prosecutors have widened their investigation into the relationship between Governor Chris Christie’s office and his 2013 reelection campaign, according to a report at The Wall Street Journal.

WSJ reports that U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s office has subpoenaed documents related to government meetings that Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop claims were canceled after he declined to endorse Christie’s reelection.

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Bridgegate: Emails tie Christie’s staff to George Washington Bridge lane closures

Governor Chris Christie and Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly. Photo via facebook

Emails and text messages published by NorthJersey.com  appear to implicate Governor Chris Christie’s Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Ann Kelly in the planning of the George Washington Bridge lane closures that disrupted traffic in Fort Lee for a week last September.  The documents support contentions by Democrats in the legislature and media reports that the lane closures were executed as political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for failing to endorse Christie’s reelection.

NorthJersey.com’s extensive coverage can be found here.

Prior to today’s revelations, the Christie Administration’s official story was that the lane closures were order by Christie’s top appointees to the Port Authority of NY/NJ, David Wildstein and Bill Baroni, as a traffic study regarding the appropriateness of Fort Lee having three dedicated toll lanes to the George Washington Bridge.

The documents show that Christie’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, and the Governor’s chief spokesperson, Michael Drewniak, participated in conversations on how to respond to media inquiries about the lane closures.   Stepien was named Christie’s choice to replace Sam Raia as Chairman of the NJ GOP yesterday. The documents also indicate that Baroni was very concerned about how Christie’s staff evaluated his testimony before the Assembly Transportation Committee on the lane closures in November.

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Hornik For Governor?

Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik. Photo via facebook.

When the news broke that Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik was eyeing a run for governor,  he asked for MoreMonmouthMusings’ endorsement.

So here goes: MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Mayor Jonathan Hornik for the Democratic nomination for governor in the next gubernatorial election, whenever that is.

Much of the political news out of the League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City last week centered around the developing race between State Senate President Steve Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. Almost as an afterthought, PolitickerNJ reported, yesterday, that Hornik wanted his name added to the gubernatorial mix.

PolitickerNJ.com spied veteran Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik at the cocktail  parties and meet-and-greets in Atlantic City last week and as Democrats prepare  for Senate President Steve Sweeney versus Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Hornik  said he wanted to add his own name to the gubernatorial sweepstakes.

“I would definitely not rule out running in 2017 or before,” said Hornik. “I  love being mayor of Marlboro, and I am running again in two years, but I think  we have a story to tell.”

Hornik won re-election in 2011 with nearly 70% of the vote.

This year, Incumbent Republican Gov. Chris Christie won 75% of the vote in  Marlboro while Hornik’s Democrats went 3-0 in local contests.

Just weeks from Governor Chris Christie’s reelection, the race for the next Democratic gubernatorial nomination has already started because Christie’s presidential prospects could result in a Special Election for Governor in 2015 or 2016.  Should Christie resign as governor to become a full-time presidential candidate, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno would become governor. There would be a special gubernatorial election for the remainder of Christie’s term as part of the next general election, unless the resignation happens within 60 days of the next election.

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Rahm Emanuel Cancels Booker Fundraiser In Wake Of Chicago Shootings

I never would have thought I’d have more respect for President Obama’s first Chief of Staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, than I have for Cory Booker.

The contrast of the two mayors actions in the face of murderous violence in their cities makes having a higher regard for Booker than Emanuel impossible.

Emanuel was scheduled to be in Jersey City tonight to rally the troops and raise money for Booker.  A late night shooting occurred in Chicago last night that left 13 people wounded, three in critical conditions, including a 3 year old.  Emanuel canceled his trip to New Jersey.  Booker, who was not even scheduled to be at the Jersey City rally because he left Newark yesterday for California to raise money for his U.S. Senate campaign, called off the Emanuel event which was also to have featured Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.

The Booker campaign declined to say why they canceled the event, but you don’t have to be Rush Holt to connect the dots.

The eleventh murder in less than a month occurred in Newark yesterday afternoon.  This morning two Newark teenagers were arrested for yesterday’s shooting death of Quivon Wilson, 23.

Unless he gets on a plane and comes home, Booker will be disco dancing in San Francisco tonight with the “San Francisco Young Professionals for Cory Booker.”

Booker is scheduled to spend the weekend in California, though Monday night when Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are co-hosting a big ticket fundraising dinner for him.

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