LD38 Flashpoint: Veteran Eustace Likely Won’t Fritter Away in the Assembly
It’s not a done deal, but Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-38) – who apparently laid down a senate or bust gauntlet behind closed doors in party talks – is said to probably be on his way out of elected office, likely to an authority.
It isn’t settled yet, but it’s leaning in that direction at the moment.
Eustace couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on the same day he sat with Bergen County Democratic Committee Chairman Lou Stellato.
In the aftermath of news regarding the retirement of state Senator Bob Gordon (D-38), the Bergen County Democratic Committee went with Assemblyman Joe Lagana (D-38) over Eustace for the same senate senate seat that both assemblymen craved.
Rather than hang around the Assembly, Eustace will head for the exits, sources say.
Part of the political problem he faces is a double dose of diminished power, most of it really not his fault, but the consequence of larger seismic shifts.
The former Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee chairman found himself deprived of that perch after Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) reshuffled the power deck in the assembly, and promoted fellow Middlesex brand name Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin (D-18) to supplant Eustace.
Eustace, and others in the North Jersey political orbit, had stood by Coughlin’s predecessor Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32), waiting for that leadership scuffle to get resolved, some of them hoping for the promotion of Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-36) – or someone else from the northern political sphere. But it didn’t happen, as Essex split from the rest of the so-called quad Northern County alliance and went with South Jersey and Middlesex to make Coughlin and restore Steve Sweeney to the senate presidency.
Eustace – and others – found themselves dropped to the back of the chamber.
The loss to Lagana for a promotion to the senate represented a second slap that Eustace – a chiropractor by trade and seasoned governmental veteran – reluctantly – and peaceably – accepted.
The meeting wasn’t contentious.
If Eustace saw a path to the senate, he would have taken it, but it wasn’t there, so he went the job route.
Where have you gone, Steven Goldstein? The LGBT community turns its lonely eye to you. Woo hoo hoo. Garden State Equality in particular and the LGBT community in general has clearly ceased to be a force to be reckoned with since Steven left to do whatever he is doing these days. Reed Gusciora is on the verge of not being elected Mayor of Trenton and may or may not run for re-election in 2019.
As long as GSE and the LGBT continues to follow the lead of the Democratic establishment, it is only a matter of time before they will go back to being as ignored as they were before Steven assumed the mantle of leadership that he did. Maybe they will get around to aligning themselves with the state’s Bernie Sanders-aligned insurgents, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Like most progressive subgroups, the LGBT community is clearly more than satisfied to have their caucus and not feel any pressure to accomplish anything of consequence. They got their marriage equality. Who cares about any of the other fights that need to be fought and won?