| | | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by Anbaric Development Partners | Good Tuesday morning! You may remember when I reported former pastor, former gubernatorial candidate and now-congressional candidate Phil Rizzo sold his home to a church he's also the president of. And now he lives there property tax-free. That article caught the attention of a couple of Rizzo's former tenants, the Weintzetls, who 10 years ago rented a different house from Rizzo and to whom he owed nearly $15,000 after a 2015 judgment against him — one borne out of his own lawsuit that backfired. Rizzo didn't pay that judgment for years and, according to court papers, told the couple that they "would never see a dime" from him. It turned out they would see many dimes from Rizzo: 145,983 of them. After the couple filed a lawsuit against Rizzo in July he quickly paid what he owed, plus interest. The lawsuit alleged fraud because the court judgment was a lien against Rizzo, and thus according to the Weinzetls' attorney should have been settled when he sold his own house to his church. That raises a lot of questions. Did the lien show up in a title search? How was Rizzo's 2017 sale of the house to his own church allowed to proceed without settling that lien? (The lien did come up in a separate Monmouth County foreclosure action against Rizzo involving a different property, according to court documents I found online). But after years of stonewalling, Rizzo paid up so quickly after the Weinzetls' lawsuit was filed that it was dismissed before those issues were hashed out. I reached out to Rizzo, who reportedly is considering changing which district he's running in, but he didn't respond. That's too bad. Maybe there are simple explanations. But he's a public figure and should expect this kind of scrutiny. I also have questions about whether his house is still a tax-free parsonage, considering he said he's taking a potentially permanent leave of absence as a pastor and that his church has shut down its storefront. Read more about it here. WHERE'S MURPHY? No public schedule. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm obviously a huge fan of his dad. But Rob I know on his own merits, and I'm a huge fan. They are indeed father and son, but I know them each as their own person and as their own public servant." — Gov. Phil Murphy claiming that his endorsement of Robert Menendez Jr. had nothing to do with Sr.'s influence. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Historian/former congressional candidate and POLITICO contributor Josh Zeitz TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com PERSONAL NOTE: I received an incredible number of thoughtful emails about my father-in-law. Thank you all so much. And if I didn't respond, I'm sorry. It probably got buried in my inbox.
| | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners: It's a New Year and the need for swift action to address climate change is clearer now than ever. Anbaric believes in New Jersey's clean energy goals and stands ready to work together to accelerate the growth of the state's offshore wind industry. That's why we were thrilled to submit a robust bid package to deliver an efficient, cost-effective transmission system that protects the environment and the ratepayer. Learn more. | | |
|  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
WILL SWEENEY RUSH TO DO THAT IN HIS FINAL WEEK? — Murphy looks to extend public health emergency waivers as Covid cases soar, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that he has asked the Legislature to renew more than 100 of his pandemic-related executive orders, administrative orders, waivers and directives that would have otherwise expired next week. The requests stem from a bill Murphy signed in June that helped end the state's public health emergency, but allowed him and his administration to retain certain powers to oversee the state's pandemic response. Those measures were slated to expire Jan. 11, but Murphy is looking to renew them for 90 days, citing the rapid increase in Covid cases.
—Murphy to seek 90-day extension of New Jersey's school mask mandate ICYMI — "In major settlement, N.J. agrees to pay $52.9M to families over COVID deaths in state's hard-hit veterans homes," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "The state of New Jersey, which was accused of gross negligence and incompetence over its handling of the COVID outbreak in the state-run veterans homes, has agreed to pay nearly $53 million to the families of 119 residents whose deaths were attributed to the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic. An administration official, who confirmed the wide-ranging settlement on background, said the families on average will receive $445,000, based on arbitration proceedings … Two of the veterans homes — one in Menlo Park and a second in Paramus — reported some of the highest COVID-related death tolls in the nation. The coronavirus claimed the lives of more than 200 residents as the virus swept through the buildings, prompting the state to send in emergency assistance from the Veterans Administration and the National Guard. Both facilities remain the focus of an ongoing federal investigation." BUT PROJECT VERITAS SAID… — "As NJ calls for hospital reinforcements, Murphy doesn't revive COVID restrictions," by The Record's Scott Fallon: "Even as New Jersey officials asked for federal and National Guard strike teams to fill in for depleted hospital and nursing home staff on Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy did not revive any statewide restrictions or mandates as COVID continues to spread rapidly across New Jersey, stressing the health care system. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said Monday that she has asked FEMA to send reinforcements for health care workers who are unable to work after testing positive for the virus. She did not provide details on how many people FEMA would send or to which hospitals they would be deployed." JACK ATTACK — "I'm going to keep working toward a better NJ. Here's why," by Jack Ciattarelli for MyCentralJersey: "As the Republican nominee, my job, and that of my team, was to put the campaign in a position to win and, in so doing, create momentum for Republicans down ballot. We did that by being relentless and demonstrating positive energy; by raising critical issues that were not being discussed; by setting an example on how to talk about the issues, including ones typically troublesome for Republicans; and by matching the incumbent dollar-for-dollar in fundraising. We also campaigned for Republicans all over New Jersey. If I were to do it all again, would I do some things differently? Absolutely. We made real progress in New Jersey's Black and Brown communities. But we should have done more, as the values these communities share are very much consistent with Republican values on taxes, economic development, education and parental rights. I would also have done better communicating on issues specific to women's health, which I strongly support." IF SHE DOESN'T GET IT THEY CAN NAME AN ARENA AFTER HER — "Berdote Byrne emerges as top contender for state Supreme Court seat," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Superior Court Judge Maritza Berdote Byrne is under strong consideration to become the first Latina to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court, several sources have confirmed. Berdote Byrne is being vetted for the seat currently held by Justice Faustino Fernandez-Vina, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 on February 15. Another Latina Republican, Union County Assignment Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh, is also on a short list of potential Supreme Court picks. The nomination of Berdote Byrne, a Republican, might pave the way for the confirmation of Rachel Wainer Apter to replace Jaynee LaVecchia on the top court." —Rabner names LaVecchia's temporary replacement to state Supreme Court EDUCATION — "Lawmakers turn to retired teachers as remote learning returns to some school," by New Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov: "An Assembly panel unanimously advanced a measure Monday that would allow retired teachers and some professional educational staff to temporarily return to work without impacting the status of their pensions. The panel's action comes as school districts nationwide are facing a return to remote learning because of staffing issues related to COVID-19 infections. A surge in coronavirus cases has led the state's two biggest school districts, Newark and Jersey City, to return to remote instruction following their winter breaks. 'School districts are facing a pretty serious staffing shortage crisis right now,' said Jonathan Pushman, director of government relations for the New Jersey School Boards Association, which supported the bill." POLITICAL COMPLEXION — "NJ's incoming Legislature: More diverse, but not diverse enough?" by NJ Spotlight News' Colleen O'Dea: "The election of 16 new members to the New Jersey Legislature means that the body that takes office Jan. 11 will be a little more diverse than it was, but still does not come close to reflecting the state's population. Of the 120 state senators and members of the Assembly who will make up the 219th Legislature, 70% — or 84 of them — are white, non-Hispanic, and two-thirds are men. Still, that's better than the current Legislature, which is 73% white and 69% male. According to the 2020 U.S. census, New Jersey's population is 52% white and 49% male." MEDIA MOVES — NJ Advance Media's Blake Nelson, who played a big role in blowing open the Edna Mahan scandal, is leaving to move to San Diego. No word on his job plans. Buzzfeed has hired Katie Camero, of McClatchy, to be a New Jersey-based health reporter. And Bloomberg will be getting some help with its New Jersey coverage from Skylar Woodhouse —"Trailblazing scholar heads to the N.J. Assembly with eye on public access" — "These new laws for N.J. go into effect in 2022" —"Funding down, concerns up for public health in NJ, report says" —"Spevak joins Trenton firm" —Sullivan: "Good news: There's been a wholesale transformation of New Jersey's economy" —"Singleton elevated to Senate majority whip" — Oil train bill on track after amendments, though concerns over safety remain
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| | BIDEN TIME | |
WHO WILL GET THE COVETED ENDORSEMENT OF THE GUY WHO THREW THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER ON JAN. 6? — "NJ-04: Roger Stone will quarterback podcast host's primary challenge to Chris Smith," by Save Jersey's Matt Rooney: "One of America's most well-known political operatives is wading into the upcoming NJ-04 Republican primary. On Friday, Mike Crispi – a national podcaster for Right Side Broadcasting – confirmed for Save Jersey that he plans to launch a Republican congressional campaign next week for the seat currently occupied by long-time Republican incumbent Chris Smith. Crispi also confirmed for me that legendary operative Roger Stone will quarterback his campaign team."
IF HE WINS, NJ WILL HAVE ELECTED AN ERIK TO CONGRESS BEFORE AN ERIC, UNLESS YOU COUNT FREDERICK — Assemblymember Peterson, opponent of Statehouse vax-or-test rule, files to run for Congress, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman : Assemblymember Erik Peterson (R-Hunterdon), one of the most vocal opponents of the Legislature's vaccine-or-test mandate, filed paperwork Monday with the Federal Election Commission to run for Congress in the 7th District. Peterson, 55, will be the underdog in the Republican primary to take on Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), should he run for reelection. The Republican establishment has lined up firmly behind retiring state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Union), but at least two other candidates in addition to Peterson are running: 2020 U.S. Senate Republican nominee Rik Mehta and former finance worker John Isemann. Peterson did not return a call for comment on Monday. THE DIRTY TWO DOZEN — "Ex-Marine among 4 more suspects from N.J. charged in Capitol riot," by NJ Advance Media's Kevin Shea : "Four more suspects from New Jersey have been charged with participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol, federal court documents show. The suspects, all men, are listed by federal authorities as residents of Essex and Burlington counties, and two were allegedly inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office that day. Another allegedly texted an FBI agent shortly after the attack, saying a Facebook post was about to go live that would identify him as entering the Capitol on Jan. 6 and asked: 'Any fallout u think I should be aware of? … The cases, which authorities unveiled in the past few weeks, brings the number of Jan. 6 suspects from New Jersey, or with close ties to the Garden State, to over two dozen." —"Schneiderman announces campaign to take on Gottheimer"
| | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners:   | | |
| | LOCAL | |
RISE AGAINST YOUR INBOX — "If you've given Montclair your email address, an anti-hate group wants it," by Montclair Local's Louis C. Hochman: "Have you ever given Montclair Township your email address? Maybe you were looking to keep up on notices from the township health department in the pandemic, or you wanted a heads up if garbage collection was going to be late. If so, an anti-hate nonprofit wants to make its way into your inbox, to share what it says is a report that shows Black people in Montclair were more likely to wind up the subjects of police force in Montclair than white people from 2012 through 2016. The report, outlining those statistics and others the group says are of concern, has not yet been published or seen by Montclair Local. Rise Against Hate is suing Montclair after being denied access to the township's newsletter mailing list in a public records request. It's one of several such lawsuits the group has filed in the last several months against New Jersey municipalities that refused to release their own mailing lists."
MISCONLONDUCT — "Law firm corroborates misconduct allegations against Trenton clerk Matthew Conlon," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "A law firm investigating misconduct allegations against city clerk Matthew Conlon found 'substantial evidence' that he bullied and sexually harassed subordinates in his office, records show. In a 19-page report obtained by The Trentontian, the Maley Givens law firm found Conlon's three female accusers 'credible' and concluded that Conlon violated the city's anti-bullying and sexual harassment ordinances while also failing to meet his duties as clerk and records custodian. The firm interviewed witnesses, reviewed records and tried interviewing Conlon, to no avail, as he directed the firm's lawyers to speak with his attorney and accused them of trolling him on social media, records show. The trolling claim arose because the firm visited Conlon's LinkedIn page." THE BAYONNE THAT'S NOT IN FRANCE — "Bayonne mayor, campaigning and fund-raising for months, makes it official," by The Jersey Journal's Ron Zeitlinger: "Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, who has been campaigning and fund-raising for months, officially announced Monday that he is running for a third term in the May election. Davis, who was first elected in 2014 when he upset incumbent Mayor Mark Smith, has the backing of the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO). So far he has one challenger, City Council President Sharon Nadrowski, who ran on the Davis ticket in the 2014 and 2018 non-partisan elections … Davis has more than $132,000 in his campaign account, while Nadrowski has less than $150, according to the latest campaign finance reports, filed in October." —"Hoboken Councilwoman Fisher is first elected to come out against $241M school referendum" —"Hoboken Councilwoman Jabbour: 'I am proudly voting YES for the high school referendum' " —"Hoboken residents form group to campaign against school board plan to bond for $241 million high school" R.I.P. — "Woodbridge Councilwoman Drumm has died" —"Soriano assumes new role, as Barbiero takes office" —"[Staci] Berger running for Piscataway council seat" —" Why did a cop kill an unarmed Black man? 1 year later [Newark] still seeks answers. | Opinion" —"With no heat for 2 months, Jersey City apartment building tenants are fighting back" —" Sussex County commissioners to ask NJ AG for answers in nursing home COVID deaths" —"Galloway council set for shift to GOP in Tuesday reorganization meeting" —" Dover school board to swear in state's apparent first openly trans elected official" — "South Jersey makes new overtures to the LGBTQ+ community"
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| | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
CORRECTIONS — "What it's like to leave prison during a pandemic," by The New York Times' Hanna Yoon and David Gonzalez: "For 13 years, Richard Gonzalez had nothing but time. Now he can't find enough ... He was serving a sentence for armed burglary when he was released eight months early — in the middle of a global pandemic. In the fall of 2020, as the coronavirus spread quickly through prison populations, many states, including New York and New Jersey, released people early in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. New York State has released at least 3,900 people since the beginning of the pandemic. New Jersey released some 5,300 early. Richard was one of them. The path from an open cell door to home has always had its obstacles. Richard's sister — who works with the formerly incarcerated — has guided him in ways overworked agencies often can't. But for most people, piecing together a patchwork safety net is a daunting task. The recidivism rate in New Jersey is just shy of 30 percent … Genisis Goss returned to New York City in June, after serving a sentence for murder and robbery. A transgender woman who has long fended for herself, she came back to a place where waterfront promenades are now lined by luxury towers and her onetime havens have vanished … Still, some, like Mychal Pagan, found a silver lining: His application to a small nurturing community in the Bronx was accepted, providing him with a sanctuary to focus on his studies. We spent 12 months with Richard, Genisis and Mychal, as they were released into a new and uncertain world."
IF AN ARTICLE WITH A LIST IS A 'LISTICLE,' THEN AN ARTICLE ABOUT A TEST IS A… — "A COVID testing solution that can help keep kids in school in 2022," by The Asbury Park Press' Jerry Carino: " Test to stay, sometimes referred to as 'test and stay,' provides students who come into close contact with a COVID-positive person the opportunity to take a rapid test before entering the classroom. If they test negative, they don't have to quarantine at home and learn virtually. This system already is used in some states, including California and Illinois. The CDC calls it 'a valuable tool.' On Dec. 20, state health commissioner Judith Persichilli said New Jersey schools may begin using 'test to stay' programs in January. Of course, you don't just snap your fingers and start doing it. This requires staffing, training and preparation. With schools resuming today, the Garden State is behind the curve. 'We've been waving this flag for months with the department of health,' Gaeta said. 'We're ironically doing this in many other states except where it is arguably needed most right now — in Jersey. Most states don't have the financial resources to do test-to-stay. New Jersey does, and we are now seeing the CDC endorse the program in addition to many other districts well outside the northeast.'" —" NJ kids say they're stressed out. Crisis Text Line puts help right on their smartphones" —"The teams came to the Meadowlands, then they left. So what happened?" —Albright: " Airports, airships, American Indians, and more NJ facts" | | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners: Anbaric is proud to be a leading developer of electric transmission projects and the primary advocate for a transmission-first approach to offshore wind – in New Jersey and across the east coast. Anbaric has the experience needed to deliver offshore wind energy across New Jersey with an efficient, cost-effective transmission system.
That's why Anbaric was thrilled to submit a robust portfolio of projects to achieve New Jersey's clean energy goals in response to New Jersey's first-in-the-nation solicitation for offshore wind transmission. Anbaric's proposal will efficiently deliver wind power to shore, protect the environment, coastal communities, and the ratepayer, and can be developed to accompany the growth of the offshore industry. Anbaric is proud to be working with incredible partners, including Ferreira Construction, a seasoned New Jersey utility and civil contractor, to make this vision a reality.
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