By Matt Friedman ([email protected]; @mattfriedmannj)
Just a day after Gov. Christie faced allegations of dehumanization over his FedEx immigrant tracking comments, my story on his gushing “fanboy” emails about Bruce Springsteen seemed to humanize him with a lot of people. At least, that’s based on what I saw on Twitter. Here’s the link to the story, in case you missed it. http://politi.co/1LFFpbn
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Then the governor went on Jimmy Fallon, where we were spared the Dad Dance. He told Fallon he might go “nuclear” at the next debate. Donald Trump was, of course, a big topic of discussion. The appearance comes as Christie remains mired in the presidential polls, both nationally and in early primary states.
Good Tuesday morning!
WHERE’S CHRISTIE? No public schedule from campaign or office.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Now Trump is running and boy is he just going out and he’s yelling and saying stuff. I thought that was going to be your thing.” — Jimmy Fallon to Chris Christie. http://bit.ly/1JJdzau
PREZ POLLS: Public Policy Polling shows Christie tied for 10th place with Rick Santorum nationally among GOP voters, at 2 percent. I’d give you more info but the full poll is not yet available. http://bit.ly/1JIht7N
Monmouth University Iowa caucus poll: Christie in 12th place at 1 percent. http://politi.co/1JIhGYI
VIDEO: Watch Christie’s Fallon appearance here: http://bit.ly/1JJe7gp
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STATE NEWS
PAID SICK LEAVE ON LIFE SUPPORT? — “N.J. Senate prez pushing for paid sick leave law, taxing hospitals,” by NJ Advance Media’s Susan K. Livio: “State Senate President Stephen Sweeney says he remains committed to passing legislation that would require businesses to provide paid sick days and for nonprofit hospitals to pay property taxes. But he doesn’t see either issue gaining momentum until after the Assembly elections in November. Developing a tax on hospitals — prompted by the June 25 court ruling that Morristown Medical Center should pay property taxes on most of its 40-acre property — is likely the easier challenge, Sweeney said during an editorial board meeting at The Star-Ledger.” http://bit.ly/1KXNDc1
JUST PAPERWORK — “Top Democratic fundraiser never registered with elections agency,” by POLITICO NJ’s Matt Friedman: “Ray Ferraioli, one of New Jersey’s top Democratic fundraisers, has been in the business for 15 years. But Ferraioli has never registered as a fundraiser with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), records show. Under ELEC’s regulations, professional campaign fundraisers are required to register with the commission, pay a $1,000 annual fee and file quarterly reports disclosing details of their fundraising activities.” http://politi.co/1JJhPH6
MASON OUT, BUT SOUNDS LIKE HER MONEY STAYS — “Flashpoint Hoboken: Mason Won’t Run for Reelection,” by PolitickerNJ’s Max Pizarro: “Councilwoman Beth Mason announced today that she will not seek reelection for a third term on the Hoboken City Council. Having represented Hoboken’s 2nd Ward since 2007, Mason pledged to remain involved and continue to help improve Hoboken.” http://bit.ly/1KXNky3
** A message from the J Street Education Fund: Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Americans are advocating that Congress support the nuclear agreement as the best way to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. American and Israeli security experts agree: The deal makes us safer. Get the facts at irandealfacts.org **
HECKUVAJOB — “FEMA wasted $3M on Hurricane Sandy N.J. field office, audit says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jonathan D. Salant: “The Federal Emergency Management Agency spent as much as $3 million unnecessarily as it set up a New Jersey field office to coordinate its response to Hurricane Sandy, the agency’s watchdog said in a report released Monday. By waiting until the storm hit rather than make arrangements in advance, FEMA spent as much as $1.5 million extra in renovation and leasing costs as it quickly settled on a site in Lincroft rather finding a cheaper location or trying to find room in existing federal office space, the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general said.” http://bit.ly/1KXOgST
—POLITICO NJ’s New Jersey delegation vote-tracker, Iran deal: Sept. 1, 2015: http://politi.co/1JJi595
DUHAIME, COMELLA, STEPIEN, DE PALMA — ALL GIULIANI ALUMNI — “Giuliani cozies up to Kasich,” by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: “Earlier this month, Giuliani, who unsuccessfully sought his party’s presidential nomination in 2008, attended a meet-and-greet for Kasich in the Hamptons … The meet-and-greet was held several days after Giuliani, appearing on MSNBC, praised the Ohio governor for his extensive political experience and said he was ‘ready to be president.’” http://politi.co/1UibhKF
THE DUMBEST CONTROVERSY EVER? — “Backlash after Trump takes selfies with Edison Democratic mayor, chairman,” by MyCentralJersey.com’s Sergio Bichao: “Some Democratic leaders in this deep-blue township are fuming that their municipal party chairman posed for selfies with Donald Trump during the Barclay’s tournament on Sunday. Chairman Keith Hahn took several photographs with the Republican presidential front-runner, who made a surprise visit to the Plainfield Country Club in this township. Further complicating matters is that Hahn also is a police officer for the township. He was part of a security detail of other Edison cops for Trump’s visit.” http://mycj.co/1UiaWHX
ALSO KNOWN AS JOHN BURZICHELLI’S CABLE ACCESS SHOW — “‘Drunk History’ premiere takes on New Jersey history,” by NJ Advance Media’s Vicki Hyman: “The episode mocks the ‘Bone Wars,’ the intense rivalry between two 19th century paleontologists, Othniel Charles Marsh (Christopher Meloni) and Edward Drinker Cope (Tony Hale), sparked by a battle over fossils in the South Jersey marl pit from which the first significantly intact dinosaur skeleton was ever unearthed … The show also familiarizes us with Hoboken’s Thaddeus Lowe (Greg Kinnear), the early aeronaut who tried to convince Abraham Lincoln (Stephen Merchant) that the Civil War could be won through military ballooning, and Arno Penzias (Justin Long) and Robert Wilson (Jason Ritter), two Bell Lab scientists whose discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation helped confirm the Big Bang Theory.” http://bit.ly/1KXMMrW
WHAT, SOUTH JERSEY PARENTS DON’T LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR CHILDREN’S BIRTHDAYS? — “Changes in NJ car-seat law take effect Tuesday,” by The Record’s Kara Yorio: “North Jersey parents have always looked forward to a child’s first birthday. Not only is it a great milestone and cause for celebration, it was the point where the law allowed car seats to be flipped from rear-facing to forward-facing. As of Tuesday, that changes. New Jersey law is falling in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations, which have said that children should remain rear-facing until at least 2 years old or weighing more than 30 pounds.”
TRENTON — “Assembly Dems assail cancellation of mental health expansion,” by POLITICO NJ’s Ryan Hutchins: “Fifteen Assembly members, all Democrats, said there has been no adequate explanation of why the state Department of Health canceled a request for ‘certificates of need for psychiatric beds and services’ last January, just weeks before a Feb. 1 deadline. The department said it did so in consultation with the Department of Human Services, and that it had found ‘no indication of present need for additional beds and services for this population.’” http://politi.co/1JIjq4g
THE STATUE OF YOU ARE NOT AT LIBERTY TO FIND OUT — “Liberty State Park advocates praise lawsuit against DEP,” by POLITICO NJ’s David Giambusso: “In 2014 the state Department of Environmental Protection awarded a $120,000 grant to New Jersey Future, a nonprofit consulting group, to recommend ideas that could generate revenue for the park, which is directly across from Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island … The DEP has turned down numerous requests filed under the Open Public Records Act for copies of the report, including one recently filed by POLITICO New Jersey. The state has said the document is “deliberative” and is therefore exempt from disclosure. In a suit filed in Superior Court in Mercer County, Jersey City resident William Bednarz said the protection does not apply.” http://politi.co/1JIk0io
PARKS & RECREATION — “Jersey City seeks to fire rec director for hiring sex offender: official,” by The Jersey Journal’s Terrence T. McDonald: “Jersey City officials are seeking to terminate the city’s recreation director, Ryan Strother, accusing Strother of hiring a registered sex offender and not taking ‘timely action’ to fire the worker.” http://bit.ly/1KXNDJh
IF YOU’RE MY AGE AND STRAIGHT, YOU HAD A CRUSH ON HER — “Actress and mathematician Danica McKellar joins Miss America judging panel,” by NJ Advance Media’s Amy Kuperinsky: “Once upon a time she was Winnie Cooper on “The Wonder Years.” Now a mathematician and education advocate, Danica McKellar has joined the Atlantic City judging panel for the 2016 Miss America competition.” http://bit.ly/1KXQ6mP
#1 WILL SURPRISE YOU… JUST KIDDING. IT WON’T — “South Jersey’s 30 Most Influential Figures, Elected and Otherwise Read more at South Jersey’s 30 Most Influential, Elected and Otherwise,” by PolitickerNJ’s J.T. Aregood: http://bit.ly/1KXRYMx
WHY NOT USE GTECH? — “Congressman holding lottery for Pope tickets,” from The Daily Record: “Congressman Leonard Lance is accepting requests from residents of New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District for tickets to take part in Pope Francis’ address to the U.S. Congress on Sept. 24.” http://dailyre.co/1JIi4Xa Pascrell, too. http://bit.ly/1JJeIyU
—“Christie’s Private Yahoo vs. Clinton’s Private Server,” by WNYC’s Matt Katz: http://bit.ly/1JIiahD
JUST LIKE PRIVATE JET FLIGHTS — “N.J.’s Menendez & Booker: Companies should disclose political spending,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jonathan D. Salant: “While company political action committees must regularly report their spending to the Federal Election Commission, political expenditures made with corporate funds are exempt from disclosure. Some of that money goes to trade associations or other nonprofit groups that have spent millions of dollars on behalf of federal candidates without disclosing who is funding those efforts.” http://bit.ly/1JIifBO
YOUR WATER — “Feds warn state DEP’s new rules could imperil NJ’s most pristine waters,” by NJ Spotlight’s Tom Johnson: In a letter to the N.J. DEP, the U.S. EPA “raised several concerns about pending changes to coastal, stormwater management, and flood-hazard rules. The rules, proposed by the DEP in June, also have sparked criticism from some environmentalists who fear the changes, if adopted, could increase pollution in New Jersey’s waterways, including those high-quality streams of exceptional ecological and recreational significance.” http://bit.ly/1JJce3w
A FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY WITH EXPERIENCE PROSECUTING CASES — “Ex-U.S. attorney: Christie comparison of Clinton to Petraeus has ‘no merit,’” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Arco — “Gov. Chris Christie has repeatedly said, as recently as Sunday, that Hillary Clinton should be prosecuted, in part, because she’s guilty of some of the same crimes that took down Gen. David Petraeus. But Petraeus’ prosecutor disagrees … Anne Tompkins, a Clinton supporter who is the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina who oversaw the prosecution of Petraeus, said in an op-ed published Monday that the former Secretary of State’s email controversy doesn’t currently warrant criminal prosecution. ‘The key element that distinguishes Secretary Clinton’s email retention practices from Petraeus’ sharing of classified information is that Petraeus knowingly engaged in unlawful conduct, and that was the basis of his criminal liability.’” http://bit.ly/1JIitsM
HIGHER ED — “Rutgers, Montclair, Stockton back ‘student achievement measure’ letter,” by POLITICO NJ’s Conor Skelding: “The chancellor of Rutgers and the presidents of Montclair State and Stockton universities have signed a letter asking the federal Department of Education to account for transfer and part-time students in its new college rating system.” The tool is meant to help prospective students assess colleges and universities. But the university presidents and chancellors argue in the letter that the traditional four-year graduation rate does not account for transfer and part-time students.” http://politi.co/1JIjbWK
IN ATLANTIC CITY — “Stockton: ‘Several’ offers made to buy closed Showboat casino,” by POLITICO NJ’s Ryan Hutchins: “Stockton University said on Monday that it weighing a number of potential offers for Atlantic City’s shuttered Showboat casino, which closed a year ago today and has since been purchased by the college. Stockton’s board of trustees held a meeting on Monday to discuss ‘several proposals of interest,’ the school said in a statement.” http://politi.co/1JIjn8z
LOOKING OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY — “Christie’s proposed bill would deliver even bigger tax breaks to NJ boat buyers,” by NJ Spotlight’s John Reitmeyer: “When the state Senate returns to Trenton for a voting session later this month it will consider a proposal that could end up providing a big tax break to those planning to buy a boat in New Jersey. The vote will be the latest step in an ongoing effort to boost boat sales that began earlier this year when lawmakers sent Gov. Chris Christie a bill seeking to cap the sales and use tax levied on yachts and other pricey boats purchased in New Jersey at $20,000.” http://bit.ly/1JJd4Nx
IN FRANKLIN LAKES — “Franklin Lakes-Express Scripts deal a boon for both sides, experts say,” from The Record: “In the deal, the borough agreed to lower Express Scripts’ property tax assessment by $31 million, almost one-fourth. In return, the company agreed to donate 84 acres of its woodsy 189-acre campus to the borough and — of key importance — to withdraw six years’ worth of outstanding tax appeals.” http://bit.ly/1JJeh7y
GIVE BANKRATE THE FINGER — “Bankrate.com: NJ 5th worst for drivers,” by The Record’s Richard Newman: “Burdened with high auto insurance and repair costs, densely populated New Jersey is the fifth-worst state in the country for drivers, according to a Bankrate.com study. A report released Monday by the online financial publisher graded the 50 states by comparing statistics on fatal crashes, car thefts, average commute times, gasoline spending, repair costs and insurance premiums.” http://bit.ly/1JJf3l2
THINK YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL IS HIGH? —“Bank tycoon loses tax fight over South Jersey mansion,” by The Courier Post’s Jim Walsh: “Banker Vernon W. Hill II and his wife have lost an appeal of the hefty tax bill on their palatial estate. A two-judge panel on Thursday upheld a 2008 tax assessment of $20.8 million for the Hills’ mansion in the 200 block of East Main Street.” http://vineland.dj/1JJfs7b
CHRISTIE LOVES TRENTON. HE USED TO WORK THERE — “Trenton’s Christie Problem,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Kate King: “Some here are feeling left behind by the governor and other state employees, who commute daily into the city but contribute little to the local economy. “I think he may have been to more places on his (presidential) campaign than he has here in the city of Trenton,” said City Council member Duncan Harrison, a Democrat.” http://bit.ly/1UNLLdd
THINGS AREN’T GREAT IN CAMDEN EITHER — “Spurt in homicides prompts new call for peace in Camden,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Michael Boren: “Nearly 150 people gathered in a park across from Camden High School on Monday to call for an end to the city’s violence, following six slayings in two weeks. ‘We’re not willing to say, “This is just how it is,”’ said Doug Logan, 44, a pastor who lives a few blocks from where twin brothers were found shot dead in a car on Aug. 21 … There have been 22 homicides in Camden this year, including one in which police fatally shot a man. The city had the same number of slayings at this time last year, which ended with 33 homicides.” http://bit.ly/1JJfMCM
OR ATLANTIC CITY — “Casinos urge Christie to sign laws,” by The AP’s Wayne Parry: “The group says failure to enact the laws will cost Atlantic City $50 million this year – money that would have to come from the city’s strapped taxpayers.” http://bit.ly/1JJfXhv
TRAPPED BEHIND SCOTT WALKER’S WALL — “Visits by Canadians to Jersey Shore down this year,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Suzette Parmley: “Before she left Quebec with family and friends to vacation at the Jersey Shore, Sophie Campeau-Lapierre envisioned seeing many fellow Canadians there. That was not the case earlier this month during a 5 1/2-day stay in Wildwood Crest. Visits by Canadians to the Jersey Shore have been curtailed this year by the falling loonie – Canada’s currency – against the U.S. dollar, experts say.” http://bit.ly/1JJgEr3
** A message from the J Street Education Fund: Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Americans are advocating that Congress support the nuclear agreement because it is the best way to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The J Street Education Fund has launched TV and print ads in key states, highlighting American and Israeli national security leaders, generals, and scientists who agree: The deal will block Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and make us stronger and safer. J Street is taking senior Israeli military officials across the country to explain why this deal is the best way to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat. National polls commissioned by J Street have demonstrated strong support for the agreement among American Jews. It’s vital that Members of Congress hear from constituents who have the facts. Get informed at irandealfacts.org. **