Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 12/4/2023
Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think this was the shot in the arm we needed. The truth is coming out….This is starting to connect with other unions. They understand their families, their loved ones are going to be in this healthcare system and they are not getting the appropriate care.” – AFL-CIO President Wowkenach on the RWJUH/USW nurses deal
TOP STORY: RWJUH and USW Local 4-200 Nurses Reach Tentative Deal
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and United Steelworkers Nurses Local 4-200 reached a tentative deal to end the nurses strike, which has been ongoing since the beginning of August.
The state’s congressional delegation helped expel NY Rep. George Santos for Congress, with all voting in favor of removing him, the sixth time in the nation’s history a member of Congress was expelled.
Former SCOTUS Justice O’Connor passed away, according to NJ.com.
Little by little, the perpetual VBM list is shaping off-year elections, according to NJ Monitor.
PA Senator Fetterman says Senator Menendez’s allegations are ‘much more sinister‘ than expelled Rep. Santos’, according to SaveJersey.
Former Governor Whitman addressed Brookdale Community College students.
NJ and PA are duking it out on X, according to the Daily Journal.
ICYMI: Murphy reiterates agreement to sunset CBT; Murphy, DEP announced adoption of Clean Cars II; residents unaware/undecided about Murphy, Kim Senate candidacies; Dems held onto majorities
In CD8, the HCDO endorsed incumbent Rep. Menendez for re-election. Hudson mayors endorsed Menendez. A new poll hit testing Menendez and other potential challengers, according to Hudson County View.
In LD29, the Division of Elections asked a ‘forgotten’ independent candidate if they will contest the election, according to the Jersey Journal.
ELEC reported that independent and candidate spending was high this election cycle.
Irvington Mayor Vauss endorsed Tammy Murphy for Senate.
ICYMI: Senate proxy war likely; Dem leaders coalescing around Tammy Murphy; Schaffer lays out Murphy support; Tammy Murphy launches Senate candidacy; in CD9, the crux amid war; Republicans huddle in AC; Senate pressing question centers First Lady; Codey threw support to Murphy; Who’s Up And Who’s Down post-election; parental rights issue lost big
The Senate Economic Growth Committee will hold a hearing on bills to promote pet and animal welfare.
ICYMI: Groups rallied at the Statehouse against CBT sunset; CBT debate heating up; Murphy took action on bills; Blum will serve as Collazos Gill COS; Scutari reaffirmed as Senate Pez; Bucco reaffirmed as Minority Leader; Coughlin reaffirmed as Speaker; DiMaio reaffirmed as Minority Leader
Heavyweights Leonard Lance and Ray Lesniak go head-to-head on the Julie Briggs Show.
Sixty years after the assassination of JFK, gun violence plagues the nation, and is on the increase in the years following the COVID pandemic.
Download and read Insider NJ’s 2023 Insider 100: Power publication.
Download and read Insider NJ’s special edition publication ranking the top 25 county chairs, Insider NJ’s Gaming, Sports, and Entertainment special edition publication, Insider NJ’s 2023 Labor publication, Insider NJ’s 2023 Insider 100: Policymakers publication, Insider NJ’s FY2024 Budget special edition publication, and Insider NJ’s Out 100: LGBT Power List, compiled by Jay Lassiter.
Take a look at Insider NJ’s 2023 All-Inclusive Power Packages for our publications and specials editions this year.
In Old Bridge, the BOE voted to ‘acknowledge’ support for the state policy governing transgender students.
In Atlantic City, AC Electric union workers reached a tentative deal to end the strike, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Clifton, the fire chief retired, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Hawthorne, former Mayor Goldberg passed away.
In Jersey City, former Mayor McCann maintains a highly spirited social media account, according to the Jersey Journal.
In Morristown, a judge dismissed the Cohome lawsuit against the town, according to Morristown Green.
In Neptune City, the first female mayor was elected, according to The Coaster.
In Newark, the city agreed to pay police academy cadets for overtime, according to NJ.com.
In Oakland, the mayor asked for an election recount, according to the Bergen Record.
In Palisades Park, the clerk filed a complaint against the mayor, according to the Bergen Record.
In Princeton, the planning board voted to approve a new master plan, according to PlanetPrinceton.
In Red Bank, becoming a ‘transit village’ could change parts of town, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Trenton, the council held an emergency meeting to deal with the departure of the clerk, according to the Trentonian.
In Union City, there are new restrictions in public parks, according to the Jersey Journal.
ICYMI: In JC, O’Dea kicked off candidacy, McGreevey launched candidacy as mayoral battle begins, could lead to HCDO war; in Parsippany, Hernandez appears headed to win; in Clark, mayor charged; in Bayonne, city grappling w/ gentrification
Insider NJ columnist Jay Lassiter writes ‘An Apology to Casino Workers (and patrons) we Harmed‘
Insider NJ legal analyst Joe Hayden writes ‘Which Criminal Case Poses the Most Political Danger to Donald Trump?‘
Insider NJ columnist Alan Joel Steinberg writes ‘Michael Corleone, Hyman Roth, Tammy Murphy, and Andy Kim‘
Insider NJ columnist Carl Golden writes ‘A Memory of Nov. 22, 1963‘
Insider NJ columnist Anjali Mehrotra writes ‘Lose the Double Standard‘
AROUND THE WEB:
Christie explains why he’s staying in the race. | Moran
Tom Moran, Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- Chris Christie can’t admit it, but he’s too smart to think he has any chance to win the Republican nomination. His time passed in 2012, back when the adults ran the show. He might not even qualify for the next debate.
$3.2M study will reevaluate how to protect this stretch of Jersey Shore beaches
Steven Rodas, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- A $3.2 million study will help re-assess how federal engineers protect 21 miles worth of beaches at the Jersey Shore, federal officials said this week. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering reinforced dunes, berm modifications, submerged artificial reefs, groins, flood walls, sand back passing and other measures for the project area.
N.J. mayors spend cold night outside to raise funds, awareness about homelessness
Nyah Marshall, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- Dozens of people — including a few New Jersey mayors — slept outside in tents, on tarps and on pieces of cardboard Friday night for the annual “A Night in Cold” fundraiser for homeless people in Morris County.
Blame Game: Response to Ballot Snafu ‘Thinly Veiled Political Hit Piece, Davis Says
Al Sullivan, TAPinto Bayonne
- Reports blaming Jamie Davis, the wife of Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, for an election snafu that left one candidate’s name off the ballot in the November general election, are just attempts to retaliate against him, he told TAPinto. As first reported by New Jersey Globe, Pablo Olivera, a perennial candidate who has run for office fourteen times, was left off the ballot for the New Jersey Senate seat in New Jersey’s 29th Legislative District, which covers Harrison and East Newark.
Judge to rule on push to dismiss lawsuit lodged by election watchdog against Gov. Murphy
Nikita Biryukov, NJ Monitor
- A Superior Court judge will decide next week whether to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges provisions of a recent overhaul of New Jersey’s campaign finance law unconstitutionally targeted the state’s campaign finance regulator as part of a conspiracy to remove its longtime director. The suit, lodged in state Superior Court in Mercer County in April, targets sections of the Elections Transparency Act that allowed for a one-time change to how the governor appoints members of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Jeffrey Brindle, the longtime director who retired on Nov. 1, claims the change was engineered to force his ouster.
Marc Berson, famed developer and favorite son of Newark, has died
Tom Bergeron, roi-nj.com
- Marc Berson — lawyer, developer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, favorite son of Newark — died Saturday. He was 79. Berson is best known as the chair of the Fidelco Group, which he founded in 1981, but he will be most remembered for his impact across the state — particularly in Newark. Ray Chambers, a longtime close friend and business partner and noted philanthropist in his own right, gave Berson the highest of accolades.
For NJ’s Palestinian Americans, a phone call can bring news of more death
Taylor Jung, NJ Spotlight
- One November morning, Noreen Rashid’s uncle woke her up at 6 a.m. crying. “I kept asking him who was dead because I knew someone was dead,” said Rashid, a Morris County resident who has family in Gaza. “And he told me ‘Ahmad and his daughters.’ And I was in so much disbelief. I was like, my grandmother was with them … is my grandma dead?’ And he kept shaking his head.”
North Jersey Jews face a divide as some speak out against Israeli policies
Hannan Adely, NorthJersey.com
- Hands shot up across the room at the Montclair Library on a recent Sunday after a Quaker activist and author began his talk with this question: Do you agree that all people deserve dignity and respect?
More whistleblowers are needed in Trenton to battle corruption
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- When a City of Trenton employee accused fellow workers of padding time sheets with bogus overtime hours, the shrill sound of her whistle pierced walls in the capital city. Light shined on the gravy train that had allowed employees of the Bureau of Environmental Health, a division of the city’s Health & Human Services, opportunities to pad paychecks with dirty money.
Looking to donate? Find a food pantry near you
Kaitlyn McCormick, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
- Are people in your community starving? Odds are, yes. The Food Bank of South Jersey reported serving about 160,000 South Jersey residents a month in 2023, a telling increase from a 112,000-person average last year. According to the food bank, more pounds of food will also be distributed in 2023 than in the last two years.
Why Murphy’s big booze reform plan to transform N.J. restaurant scene failed
Derek Hall, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- Top New Jersey state lawmakers appear ready to abandon the large-scale liquor license reform Gov. Phil Murphy has championed all year long as thousands of brewers and restaurant owners across the state are left wondering what comes next or if they’ll even be able to stay in business.
Enough whingeing over congestion pricing, governor. Do your job. | Editorial
Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- Manhattan’s congestion pricing system moved a step closer toward its launch next spring, and most New Jerseyans are smoldering over the prospect that they’ll have to lay out another $10 or $15 whenever they drive south of 60th Street during business hours.
Murphy celebrates “a full week of declining numbers” then says “status quo of lockdown will remain until new cases and fatalities decrease.” So, which of Murphy’s statements is accurate? He said 2 opposite things in a single paragraph of speaking.
He;s “vacationing” at his villa in Italy, while Covid surges and the state is paralyzed by “remote work”…………translation: NO WORK
That is what happens in practicality when they are “suspending their disbelief” (HR Clinton) in real numbers and going on predictive models to make decisions. And then after doing that, they vote with “feelings.”
lmao imagine supporting lockdowns after the largest mass death event in american history and calling that a feeling driven conclusion? maga chuds never fail to disappoint
keeping up with the news
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What I — and most of the women I know who are passionate about cosmetics —like about make up isn’t that the right gloss can make your lips poutier or that false lashes can make your eyes more doe-like. Rather, it’s how women can communicate messages and express ourselves through makeup. Certainly it’s not our single factor of communication, but it’s one of many forms of expression that allow us to showcase our individual styles.
keeping up with the news
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So….about those 56 machines in Bergen… <<>>
Murphy running for President is LAUGHABLE. Nased on what??
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Increasing Use of Cosmetic Products & Their Side Effects
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Murphy doesn’t want to be the president, he wants to be a state trooper.
Nice article! thanks for sharing the post!
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lETS NOT FORGET that during the pandemic Donald Trump sent the MERCY, a fully equipped, COVID prepared Hospital ship to save lives of victims and healthcare workers . But Murphy in his wisdom would rather send Patients back to nursing homes that were ill-equipped to treat these patients so they could die , rather than utilize a life-saving gift and be like NY governor Cuomo, another anti-Trump
tool.
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Gun owners don’t have to talk about guns because they know that they have to come out and vote to protect their constitutional right to bear arms. The Supreme court decision has affirmed that right and somehow our “leaders” haven’t learned how to read.
NJ is one of the most corrupt and racist places to live. There’s “0” accountability for the criminal acts, corruption, and unfair treatment of the people of this state. It starts with our governor who cares less for truth and honesty. Continue to ruin the lives of the citizens of this state.
How about those unintended consequences.
New Jersey mandating that all cars being sold by 2035 be electric is telling us what we can or cannot buy with our own money. There will always be gasoline powered vehicles because of the power produced by internal combustion compared to the power produced by batteries; which is to say the more power the bigger the battery to the point of rediculousness. My thought is that if the state wants fewer gas powered vehicles on the road it should create a mass transit electric powered system that would emphasize convenience for commuters and everyday shoppers. Of course that would mean vehicles weighing tons more because of the size of batteries and that creates a whole other question of where to dispose of them (also for elelectric car batteries), since they are composed of highly toxic materials that can’t be burnt or buried. These are unintended consequences no- one is willing to grapple with until its too late. I think by 2035 th he electric car fantasy will go the same way the offshore wind farm has gone.
Stephen Brickman
206 Stonehenge Dr
Phillipsburg,NJ 08865
Stephen.Brickman@gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone
The military serving in the Middle East represents every state in the Union. Those are our sons and daughters, Moms and Dads and yet we are very little to protect them, or REALLY retaliate when they’re attacked. Governor Murphy is the Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, and past chair of the National Governors Association and yet you never hear him mention about any requests either organization makes to Biden to be more aggressive about protecting our kids in harms way. It’s as though it doesn’t seem to matter to them. No wonder we look so weak to the rest of the world.
Teaneck property taxes pays for the school budget. Teaneck High School students walk out. Is a Hamas military shuffle march property tax bill included?
I’m a conservative and I do believe life begins at conception but the problem is that each mother is responsible for that life and it is in the realm of her mental and physical health that she will either bring it to term or abort it. This should not be a political decision and should not be be dictated by thousand of strangers. The Supreme Court turned it over to the states but it still remains personal for the mother and her family.
I don’t think it should be an “agenda item” for any political party. A state medical society may want to impose a time frame within which an abortion can occur but even that may be subject to the mother’s doctor’s discretion.
I say just quit discussing it and leave it up to the mother a father.