Senator Brian P. Stack’s (D-33) 12 par sec kessel run to South Jersey today to show his support for Senate President Stev Sweeney (D-3) brought to mind at least one other big North on South supply dump against the backdrop of statewide power stakes.

It was 2007, and the late Jim Whelan Democrat, was in a real general election dogfight with Republican Sonny McCullough for control of the LD2 senate seat.

Hoping to hold onto his senate presidency and aware of the ever-gathering storm against him in South Jersey, then-Senate President Dick Codey (D-27) dumped a late $800K on Whelan, partly in an effort to build a Democratic Majority, but also in a concerted attempt to build votes for his own security on the senate throne.

That money was for naught, in the end, at least when it came to the latter mission for Codey, as Whelan, once elected, backed Sweeney for senate president in 2009.

Another person who did?

Stack, from the north – a critical vote, in fact; but one that most insiders saw coming. The man Stack replaced, Senator Bernie Kenny, had been a stout Codey ally, and part of Stack’s decision to go after the seat and cause Kenny’s retirement came with the built-in political logic of his sympathy for South Jersey.

Once he got to the senate, Stack immediately huddled up with Whelan and state Senator Jeff Van Drew (D-1), who first arrived there as part of the same freshman class who moved up to the coveted chamber from the assembly.