Bye, Bob

Politico

17-06-2025

Bob Menendez goes to prison today, and to be honest I feel kind of cheated.
Not just because of the massive amount of corruption the disgraced senator was convicted of.
It's more because he's not keeping a promise he made after pretty much every New Jersey Democrat abandoned him.
'I know where all the skeletons in closets are, I know who all the players are in and out of government, and the issues most important to the people of Hudson County,' he said back in November 2023.
Well, Bob, we're still waiting. Given the ex-senator's grip on the Democratic Party when he was in power, his reputation for ruthlessness and what we already know about politics in his native Hudson County, I don't doubt he knows of more skeletons in the Garden State than there are in the Paris catacombs.
But we never saw the bones. Instead, we got groveling for clemency to President Donald Trump from Menendez's Twitter, making the unconvincing case that his prosecution, brought by a Biden-nominated U.S. attorney, was political persecution.
Menendez may at some point convince Trump to grant him clemency. But I'm not sure what political advantage Trump would draw from it at this point, since even far-right conspiracy theorists who often have the president's ear don't seem to think Menendez is a victim of the 'deep state.' We can only speculate as to what other reasons the president might issue him a pardon or commutation, if he does.
It's fitting that the senator's indictment set off the series of events that ultimately ended the county line — the kind of ballot structure that emboldened the senator by making it harder to challenge him in a primary, and which made installing his son in Congress that much easier.
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WHERE'S MURPHY — No public schedule
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'It's Jersey baby. New Jersey is my home state. Since I was a kid, fishing on the shore and spending time in places like Wildwood, Asbury, and Atlantic City was always so fun to me. I even lived there and had a barbershop in Plainfield, so going back feels like returning home, surrounded by familiar faces.' — George Clinton, on performing in New Jersey. (I think Clinton has had at least as much influence on popular music as the more often-acknowledged New Jersey greats.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Ivan Alvarez, Ben Dworkin, Alex Hermann, Matt Miller, Joe Piscopo
WHAT TRENTON MADE
CLERGS — Clergy abuse investigation can go to grand jury, state Supreme Court rules, by POLITICO's Dustin Racioppi: New Jersey's attorney general can move forward with its yearslong investigation into clergy abuse by empaneling a special grand jury, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. The unanimous ruling ends a lengthy court battle over the state's authority in church affairs and allows the attorney general's office to proceed with a 2018 initiative to probe abuse within religious ranks … The attorney general's office created the Clergy Abuse Task force in 2018 following a Pennsylvania grand jury report … Court documents show the five dioceses in New Jersey, led by Camden, appeared before a Mercer County Superior Court judge, Peter Warshaw, in May 2023. Camden challenged whether the state has the authority to present its findings to a grand jury but withdrew its objection last month. Warshaw ruled in favor of the Camden diocese, and an appellate court affirmed it. The state Supreme Court reversed the ruling Monday, meaning New Jersey may someday produce a report similar to Pennsylvania's.
— 'Timeline: Key dates in NJ's legal fight over investigating clergy sex abuse scandal'
AFFORDABLE GROUSING — 'NJ affordable housing rules upheld in latest court ruling, but towns win some relief,' by The Daily Record's William Westhoven: 'A judge has rejected another effort by 29 New Jersey towns to block aspects of the state's affordable housing mandate. But state Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy did grant the municipalities a partial victory, freeing them from having to share data directly with the chief housing advocacy group in New Jersey, the Fair Share Housing Center. Both sides claimed a win in the June 11 ruling … The ruling, delivered in Mercer County, 'effectively invalidates illegal provisions contained in the Affordable Housing Directive and requires the Administrative Office of the Courts to issue corrective guidance,' said a statement from Local Leaders For Responsible Planning … 'It's ridiculous that Mayor [Mike] Ghassali is trying to spin this loss as a victory,' [Fair Share's Joshua Bauers] said in a statement. 'Essentially, his lawyer claimed some language in the new law should be read in a way that no one was claiming it should be read, everyone agreed that no one thought that's what it meant, and the court agreed.''
NO SURRENDER — Bill Spadea has been nearly silent online, where many of his supporters are, but in a Sunday Twitter post suggested he won't be calling Jack Ciattarelli to congratulate him on winning the primary any time soon. 'Hey guys, Happy Father's day to all! Remember, ignore all the misinformation and nastiness coming from the other side. They fear our principled and focused movement so they continue to attack, disparage and lie. Announcements on future plans coming soon,' he wrote. 'BTW, happy to disappoint the haters, but we aren't going ANYWHERE. That's right, still DIGGIN' IN! Stay tuned…'
— Opinion: 'Will NJEA and its supporters finally face a reckoning?'
— 'NJ to receive $125M in latest settlement with Purdue Pharma over opioid crisis'
— 'New Jersey gambling revenue up 20.5% in May; even in-person casino win saw a boost'
— 'Counseling by chatbot? New Jersey legislators act to ban AI in therapy'
TRUMP ERA
L'EGGO MY PREGO — Platkin's fight with crisis pregnancy centers makes it to SCOTUS, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case stemming from Attorney General Matt Platkin's investigation into a crisis pregnancy center operator in New Jersey. Crisis pregnancy centers have been a target of abortion rights supporters who say the facilities misrepresent themselves as medical facilities. The centers are generally run by faith-based groups and try to dissuade women from getting abortions. In 2023, Platkin sent a subpoena to a crisis pregnancy center operator, First Choice Women's Resource Centers, seeking the records including identities of their donors. The appeal before the nation's highest court is narrow in scope. First Choice is asking for the ability to challenge Platkin's investigation in federal court directly. A federal appeals court previously said that First Choice must first challenge the investigation in a state court.
NJ 11TH FOR CHANGE. OR THE SAME. DEPENDS — 'The race is on – sort of – for Mikie Sherrill's House seat,' by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: 'For the next five months, ambitious politicians in New Jersey's 11th congressional district will be in a strange sort of limbo. Their local congresswoman, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), is now the Democratic nominee for governor, meaning that there could be a special election for Congress coming up in the near future. If Sherrill wins the gubernatorial race this fall, candidates from both parties looking to succeed her will have an extremely short runway to run for her seat. But if Sherrill doesn't win, and if she decides to run for another term in the House in 2026, then any discussions of her successor will instantly become moot. With Democrats single-mindedly focused on electing Sherill and a Democratic State Assembly from now through November, few party leaders want the distraction of a divisive primary raging through the fall for a special election that may not even end up existing. The timing of a hypothetical special election, too, remains unclear thanks to legislation pending in the state legislature.'
DEAD ENDEZ — Nancy Solomon's 'Dead End' podcast, which focused on the Sheridan murders, this month is focusing on the career of Bob Menendez.
— Senate GOP tax bill would hit politically explosive Medicaid provision
— 'ICE detainees barred from lawyer visits as N.J. center cracks down after escape'
— 'NJ's EV industry in limbo as state joins suit against Trump policy'
LOCAL
99 GOOF BALLOONS — 'Up, up, and away: Balloon costs soar in Newark school district,' by TAPIntoNewark's Therese Jacob: 'Last November, the Newark Board of Education held an all-schools fair, hoping to interest Newark families in the variety of schools they can choose from … participants got to see 25-foot balloon arches, walk under ceilings filled with iridescent balloons and take pictures in a photo booth. For that colorful welcome, the district paid Balloons for Party LLC, Hillside, N.J., $7,415 for the four-hour event. Balloon spending at the district has been expanding since Roger Leon became superintendent in 2018. Since then, the district has written checks worth over $225,000 to companies who have the word 'balloon' in their name … TAPinto Newark is diving into the spending — outside of books and teachers — of the state's largest school district in its Where The Money Goes series. At $1.5 billion, the school district's budget is larger than the Newark municipal budget of $970 million. New Jersey state taxpayers outside of Newark pay the vast majority of the Newark public schools' budget … In addition to balloons, operating checks obtained through Open Public Records Act requests show other party-related spending, such as a $10,000 carpet installed for a four-hour event at a school in March of this year. This video shows the company Party Factor installing the carpet over the gym floor at Newark Vocational High School for the district's Women's Leadership Conference. Party Factor also rented party supplies to the district, including drapes to hide the gym's walls for $4,987 and 300 gold-colored 'chiavari' chairs for $2,400.'
SEWER POLITICS — Another alleged phantom candidate appears in Camden County, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: A campaign to get an alleged spoiler candidate on the ballot for mayor of a big Camden County town is in danger of failing. But on primary day, Gloucester Township independent mayoral candidate Keith Gibbons and his supporters turned their suspicions to another newly emerged candidate who filed to run as an independent despite having no visible campaign, and whose petitions were signed and circulated in part by members of the Camden County Democratic machine. Gibbons — whose own candidacy is being challenged by a local Democrat — suspects both the Republican write-in candidate and the independent are 'phantom candidates.' Such candidates are effectively just names on paper, whose candidacies are not intended to win but to draw votes from or obscure Gibbons' candidacy. According to Gibbons, Democrats are seeking to hobble him in order to secure Democratic Mayor David Mayer a fourth term. Gibbons could present a real threat. Last year, he helped lead a successful effort to thwart the $143 million sale of the town's sewer system to a private company the mayor works for.
NEWARK — 'Controversial power plant for Newark gets go-ahead,' by NJ Spotlight News' Michael Sol Warren: 'A new contract to build a gas-fired power plant at a sprawling sewage treatment facility in Newark allows construction to begin on a project fiercely opposed by community activists, local elected leaders and environmentalists. The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission's eight-member board voted Thursday 6–2 to award a $232 million contract to Skanksa to build the project. The vote came at the end of a marathon virtual meeting attended by more than 150 people, including roughly four hours of emotional public comment that left many speakers weeping.'
THE FARMER IN THE HOLMDEL — 'Holmdel farmer fears eviction when handshake deal not honored; Township rejects extension,' by the Asbury Park Press' Olivia Liu: 'After 108 years, Patrick DePalma is afraid his family will be evicted from their century-old farm by the end of the year. 'I have no plan B. This is my livelihood and they're taking my livelihood away,' DePalma, who owns DePalma Farms and Greenhouses, said. 'Plan B is: I'm done.' The farm has a unique lease-back contract with the township. The family wants a five-to-seven-year extension to their lease. The township voted on a rare Friday morning committee meeting to put the farm out for bid, maintaining that it is required to do so. The DePalma family has owned their farm since 1917. But then an inheritance dispute in 2000 threw the farm's future into question. DePalma's father was one of 12, all of whom had a stake in the family farm, DePalma said.'
THE SACK IS TORN — 'Hackensack Board of Education suspends superintendent of schools halfway through contract,' by The Record's Megan Burrow: 'The city Board of Education has suspended the superintendent, Dr. Thomas McBryde, just halfway through a three-year contract to lead the school district that began in January 2024. Jennifer Harris, the school board president, referred questions to Jason Nunnermacker, the school board attorney, who confirmed that McBryde was suspended, but said he could not comment further on the decision. The board will vote Wednesday on whether to appoint Andrea Oates-Parchment as acting superintendent … McBryde was told Thursday to pack his belongings and leave the building, according to Scott James-Vickery, the former school board president who voted to hire McBryde in December 2023. When he abruptly resigned from the board late last year, James-Vickery said he was concerned about the shifting dynamics of the school board … 'Removing a superintendent is not a simple process,' James-Vickery said Monday. 'Dr. McBryde has a multi-year contract that will likely end up having to be paid out.''
— 'Smalls' daughter to mom: 'We'll see who has the last laugh' in child abuse case'
— 'After rabblerouser wins in Rockaway, the games begin'
— 'Tapped out: No quick fix in sight for Trenton water crisis'
— 'Atlantic City-area economy sees 4.2% growth in first quarter, report says'
— 'Paterson police internal affairs opens separate office, in effort to reassure public'
— 'Faulty Jersey Shore drawbridge to be replaced in 2028 at a cost of $163M, DOT says'
— 'Rent for $100 a week? Why [Long Beach Township] town bought an old motel to house lifeguards'
R.I.P. — 'Long Branch shooting takes life of fledgling TikTok influencer Chrystofer Whyte'
EVERYTHING ELSE
LONG READ — 'Shocked and shattered: A fearless N.J. cop is dead. A 14-year-old boy is charged. How their paths tragically crossed.'
THE TRUE HERO OF FLAG DAY — 'Pork roll, egg and cheese-eating contest winner in Seaside Heights takes home $500,' by the Asbury Park Press' Sarah Griesemer: 'Seaside Heights has a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich-eating contest. On June 14, seven hungry competitors gathered outside Jersey Roll Bar & Grill on the borough's boardwalk for the restaurant's big event. Participants were challenged to eat as many of the breakfast sandwiches — stacked with three slices of pork roll, two eggs and two slices of cheese — as they could in 10 minutes. Winner Robert McGee ate seven sandwiches, which earned him $500.'