Good Monday morning!
It’s been a few days, but I wanted to use this space to reflect on the changes we saw at the “Walk to Washington” last week, because I think it’s important.
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As Sam Sutton noted in Playbook on Friday, there were anywhere from 150 to 200 fewer people on the train than in years past. Sue Livio, one of the reporters who wrote an investigative story on Trenton’s culture regarding women, reported that Verizon pulled its sponsorship of Thursday’s morning breakfast. That said, it’s unclear why Verizon dropped out, and was considering it as a “cost cutting move” as early as last year.
As a female reporter covering the event, I have to say I personally felt a lot more comfortable going on the train this year. It was great to chat with sources all in one spot, and I had much more fun than I usually do.
One of the people I spoke with was Jay Lassiter, a columnist at InsiderNJ, who had this to say about the Chamber trip: “It's a forum where people can network. … If we can't figure out how to adjust this event, and for it to go away, that would be too bad.”
Now there’s no reason to think the event will go away, but I think that with time, Trenton will adjust. There's bound to be debate in coming years about whether this lobbying event should exist at all. As long as it does exist — and as long as New Jersey insiders and reporters view it as an event that's vital to attend and cover — they should be able to do it in an environment where everyone feels safe and respected. It may take some time, but I believe that’s well within our reach.
While Matt is out, please send tips (and puns) to klandergan@politico.com and ssutton@politico.com.
TWEET OF THE DAY — “So that happened. Last night, the saga continued and I got to meet @jeremiahfraites and Wes Schultz before @thelumineers played in DC” — @HerbNJDC, the muse for The Lumineers. Read the backstory here.
DAYS MURPHY HAS SPENT OUT OF STATE SINCE BECOMING DGA CHAIR: 17
WHERE’S MURPHY? — Holding a press conference on coronavirus preparedness
WHAT TRENTON MADE
NO SHOW OR ‘POLITICAL HIT JOB’? — “Grand jury subpoenas records of powerful state senator accused of being a no-show in lucrative municipal job,” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman: “A state grand jury is seeking payroll records and court logs in connection with state Sen. Nicholas Scutari’s tenure as municipal prosecutor for Linden, according to a subpoena obtained by NJ Advance Media, in the wake of charges by city officials that he was often a no-show in the highly paid part-time job. The startling disclosure of a criminal probe involving the powerful Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee comes amid a bitter, escalating political feud between Scutari and Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, a party rival who claimed the senator barely showed up to work when he was getting paid to be in court for the city. Scutari, a lawyer who served as municipal prosecutor for 15 years, was fired from the appointed post in early 2019. He has vehemently denied the mayor’s allegations and threatened a lawsuit for slander. The grand jury subpoena, served through the city’s police department Friday afternoon, asked for payroll records, court appearance logs, records showing Scutari’s use of time off, and payments made to others who served as acting municipal prosecutors when he was not there.” … Scutari, reached by phone Friday night, was unaware of the subpoena, but said he was happy to cooperate and discuss the matter with authorities. ‘What we have is a political hit job by the mayor,’ he said. Scutari added that he had not been contacted by investigators. ‘First I’m hearing of it, is from you,’ he said.”
GOOD NEWS — “Coronavirus in New Jersey: Patient at Bayshore Medical Center does not have it,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Joshua Chung and Erik Larsen: “A patient at Bayshore Medical Center who was suspected of being infected with the coronavirus does not have the illness, the New Jersey Department of Health announced Saturday night. There are no other persons in New Jersey who are currently approved and awaiting testing for the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a prepared statement from the department. ‘Most New Jersey residents are at low risk for novel coronavirus,’ said state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. ‘If individuals are having symptoms, the illness is much more likely to be caused by common respiratory viruses such as flu or the common cold.’ The patient had been isolated at the hospital and had undergone tests by the New Jersey Public Health Environmental Laboratories, officials said. No information has been provided about the identity of the patient at Bayshore or the circumstances that led health professionals to suspect that the person was possibly infected with the virus.”
I THINK MATT FRIEDMAN IS AVAILABLE — “Panel to regulate legal weed in N.J. finally gets its first member. But it needs 4 more.,” by NJ Advance Media’s Amanda Hoover: “Months after many in the marijuana industry expected to see the Cannabis Regulatory Commission up and running, only one top state official has made his pick. Senate President Stephen Sweeney has selected Krista Nash, a South Jersey social worker married to Camden County Freeholder Jeff Nash, two sources familiar with the nomination told NJ Cannabis Insider. The other positions, slated to be filled by Gov. Phil Murphy and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, remain vacant. The commission came with the passage of the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Act, which expanded the state’s medical marijuana program. It established the commission to take control of the medical marijuana program from the Department of Health. It called for five members; three appointed by Murphy and one each by Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Coughlin, D-Middlesex.”
MURPHY CAMPAIGN — ROI-NJ published an interview on Friday with Brendan Gill, a top adviser to Murphy, in which he defended himself and the culture of the Murphy campaign. But the article was pulled, and no longer appears online. I reached out to Tom Bergeron, editor of the website, and he declined to comment.
Then on Sunday, the Star Ledger’s Tom Moran published an op-ed in which he slams the Gill interview, writing: “This, folks, is retaliation. It’s an attempt to slime [Julie Roginksy], and that sends a powerful message to other women who might want to step forward. So far, I’ve spoken with seven women who have complained, and three of them insisted I hide their names because they are afraid of exactly this treatment. How many more women are out there, I can only guess.”
There is still a second article up on ROI-NJ about Gill, in which he says that campaigns are “different now.” Bergeron writes: “That’s why he bristles at an allegation that Murphy’s campaign was anything less than professional. ‘We had individuals who had the responsibility of overseeing HR,’ he said. ‘We had two campaign counsels. They set up the process. They drew up the employee handbook, and the agreements that people signed. They set all those processes up.””
OFFSHORE WIND — New Jersey releases solicitation schedule for 7,500 MW of offshore wind, by POLITICO’s Samantha Maldonado: “The state Board of Public Utilities has released its plan to achieve New Jersey’s offshore wind goal of 7,500 megawatts by 2035. According to the new schedule, a solicitation for the next 1,200 megawatts will be opened by September, with an award to be made by the second quarter of 2021. The project is expected to be operating commercially by 2027. Four more solicitations — two for 1,200 megawatts each and two for 1,400 megawatts each — will occur every two years until 2028, with the final award granted in early 2029. Gov. Phil Murphy more than doubled the state’s offshore wind goal in November, promising that the BPU would update the solicitation schedule outlining how the wind projects would be procured.”
COMING SOON, MY POWER LIST WITH CRAIG FROM CRAIG’S CAFE AT #1 — “ROI-NJ reveals its ROI Influencers Power List 2019,” by ROI-NJ Staff: “‘How do you pick the list? It will be the second-most asked question this week, right after, ‘What defines influence?’ Here's the answer: the list is put together by ROI-NJ editor Tom Bergeron and the ROI staff, with input from numerous power players around the state. We make sure to talk to people in all industries and sectors and get a variety of responders in all definable metrics: position, gender, geography, ethnicity and age."
TRUMP ERA
PELOSI RALLIES IN SOUTH JERSEY — “Nancy Pelosi and top N.J. Democrats rally South Jersey voters ahead of 2020 election,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Pranshu Verma: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and New Jersey’s top Democratic brass descended on Camden County Saturday to rally local Democrats ahead of the 2020 election and ramp up support for Rep. Donald Norcross, the Democratic congressman representing Camden. ‘How many times have we said this is the most important election of our time,’ Pelosi said, to rousing applause. ‘Nothing compares to this. … Understand the difference the election makes.’ Pelosi and Norcross, along with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker, brought supporters to their feet in a college gymnasium by underscoring how critical voter turnout will be in the general election. Norcross implored voters to get to the polls to help ‘turn the White House blue.’"
WHITE HOUSE — Murphy has ‘productive and positive’ White House meeting, by POLITICO’s Ryan Hutchins: Gov. Phil Murphy met today with senior staff at the White House to discuss transportation, the economy and the coronavirus outbreak, his office said. ‘Following recent conversations with President Trump, the Governor met with the most senior members of the White House staff and had a productive and positive conversation that touched on economic growth, infrastructure investment, and Coronavirus preparedness,’ spokesperson Dan Bryan said in a statement. Murphy had spoken with the president after the recent National Governors Association meeting in Washington.
LOCAL
LOOK UNDER YOUR SEATS...YOU GET A SET OF ENTIRELY REDACTED EMAILS! — “Why some South Jersey towns want the state's public records laws revised,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Vincent Jackson: Some South Jersey municipal officials would like to see the state’s Open Public Records Act reviewed and reformed as the law closes in on its 20th anniversary. Municipalities cite privacy concerns, abuse of the law for commercial gain and ever-increasing costs to taxpayers. It’s not about the average citizen requesting a copy of an ordinance, they say. It’s about the invisible fence company that wants a listing of all dog license holders in a township, or interior designers seeking all new construction permits.
EVERYTHING ELSE
AWFUL ACCUSATIONS — “Top Rutgers athletics official accused of bullying, creating toxic workplace in latest charge against department,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matthew Stanmyre, Keith Sargeant and Susan K. Livio: “A top Rutgers University athletic department official bullies employees in an often-abusive workplace and has faced two formal complaints during his 33-month tenure at the university, according to a half dozen current and former employees. Michael Szul, who was hired as Rutgers’ senior associate athletic director for finance, administration and planning in May 2017, was accused of racial discrimination and creating a hostile work environment in separate complaints filed with the school’s human resources department, according to six sources familiar with the complaints. Although Rutgers senior vice president for external affairs Peter McDonough said both formal complaints were ‘found to be meritless,’ the six sources interviewed by NJ Advance Media claimed the university has allowed Szul to stay in his powerful role despite ongoing inappropriate conduct with his staff. The employees also contend the lack of action against Szul is part of a broader trend inside the Rutgers athletics department — one that allows inappropriate and at times abusive behavior to fester unchecked.”
— N.J. AG: Pro-gun ‘sanctuary’ resolutions mean nothing but could put police at risk
— “The NJBIZ Podcast, Walk to Washington edition: Ray Lesniak on tax breaks”
— “Bill Would Boost Financial Literacy for Some of State’s Poorest Citizens”
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Some final thoughts from the Chamber trip - Politico
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