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Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik, left, and his ally, Councilman Jeffrey Cantor, who is currently serving in the Middle East while continuing to serve on the local governing body via satellite.

While his fellow party members took a frontline beating from Chris Christie on Election Day in Monmouth County, Mayor Jon Hornik quietly won two out of three council seats in Marlboro to preserve his majority in western Monmouth's largest, most voter-concentrated town.

"Gov. Jon Corzine lost Marlboro by over 30%, but I think Marlboro voters were smart enough to acknowledge what we're doing, said the 39-year old Democrat. "Notwithstanding the Christie tsunami, they believe Marlboro is moving in the right direction. We've cut operating expenses by 15%, and we've reduced total payments by 11% through furloughs, layoffs, attrition and retirement. Government is running well and lean. By year's end, we hope to dissolve our water authority, a completely unnecessary layer of government with 14 people working there set up for political patronage at a total annual cost of $5 million. We're really treating government like a business and we've acted more like a Republican than a Democratic administration.

"I have not spoken to him but I am fully behind Chris Christie right now, Hornik added. "I hope he stands firm and makes the tough decisions. You can't worry about getting elected in four years, that's a sure way to failure. He needs to 100% deliver on COAH (the Council on Affordable Housing, which Christie in the campaign promised to reform), a big factor for my residents. Christie has to undo COAH, it does not work."

Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford), right, with Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden)

ATANTIC CITY - Ready to be the next Senate President, state Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) just told a crowd of mayors, council people and govenrment types that now is not the time to drive marriage equality through the legislature.

"It's an important social issue," Sweeney tells NJN Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron in response to a question.

"If we learned anything in this last election it's that the main issue right now is the economy," Sweeney adds.

He says the legislature should consider marriage equality at another time.  

From left: Roberts, Sweeney, Aron, Kean and DeCroce

ATLANTIC CITY - NJN Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron has a panel on a stage here in one of the break-out-rooms of the Atlantic City Convention Center.

It's a familar group of legislative leaders, but in place of Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) sits Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

The Sweeney for Codey swap for this public television show taping anticipates Monday's senate Democratic caucus vore when Sweeney figures to defeat Codey.

So it's Sweeney and outgoing Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden) versus Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Westfield) and Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) on an Aron-anchored On the Record episode to air this coming Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

It's just starting.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Westfield), left, and Sen. Robert Gordon (D-Paramus).

ATLANTIC CITY - The legislative leadership transmogrifications are evident at the Atlantic City Convention Center, even if the good government intentions are nowhere visible outside whatever sessions convene behind closed doors.

A lot of people are talking about Senate President Richard Codey's party last night.

"An Irish wake," is how Sierra Club Executive Director Jeff Tittel describes the event.

More than a few people note that Codey appeared unflappable - even merry.

"Personable is not personal," explains another insider. "You have to understand the Irish. Whatever he's feeling inside, however personal he's taking this, will not take away from his ability to be personable."

Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac

ATLANTIC CITY - The members of Christie's transition team will break into specified groups tomorrow, according to team facilitator and counsel Brian Nelson of Shrewsbury.

"We're going to have a smaller number of groups to examine the issues than Gov. Corzine had four years ago," Nelson told PolitickerNJ.com. 

Proving Gov. Jon Corzine's loss in his hometown doesn't diminish his standing with defeated Democratic governors, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac huddled in a tight-knit circle of party stalwarts that included former Gov. Jim Florio here in the Atlantic City Convention Center at the 94th annual League of Muncipalities Conference.

Corzine suffered a bellweather gut-wrencher in Woodbridge two weeks ago, ultimately going down to Gov.-elect Chris Christie, 11,475 to 9,391.

Christie surfaced in Woodbridge two days later and triumphantly pounded pavement with the Democratic mayor.

Then McCormac surfaced a few days after that as a member of Christie's transition team.

McCormac, state treasurer in the administration of Gov. Richard Codey, will have a transition role in economic development.

Trenton Councilman Manny Segura

ATLANTIC CITY - Trenton Councilman Manny Segura hasn't made a formal annoucement regarding next year's mayor's race, but if he runs and wins he says he would only serve for two terms - max.

"Longevity is a killer in this line of work," said the councilman, down here for the 94th annual League of Muncipalities Conference.

His observation comes on the tail-end of Mayor Doug Palmer's two-decade tour of duty as Trenton's chief executive.

"I've got three priorities," Segura added. "Safety, safety and safety."

A graduate of Perth Amboy High School, Segura was a minor league baseball prospect when he first started organizing politically, first for Robert Menendez and later Joe Vas.

Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), left, with Gov. Jon Corzine on the eve of Election Day in Lawrenceville.

Up against a politically and geographically connected frontrunner, Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) this week continues to call assembly people in the Democratic caucus in an effort to secure backing for the speakership, according to party sources.

A veteran legislator and former Democratic state party chair, Watson Coleman naturally headed a short-list of successors to retiring Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden).

But the Mercer County product's difficulty in a state controlled by powerful political fiefdoms is she hails from a county that is the Democratic Party equivalent of Somerset.

If the measure included time in the trenches and advocacy of progressive party causes, she looked tracked to become the Assembly's first African American woman speaker.

Camden Mayor-elect Dana Redd has named Wendell E. Pritchett, chancellor of Rutgers University–Camden, and Susan Bass Levin, former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, as transition process co-chairs.

According to a release, the transition team will work to develop a number of initiatives, including public safety; health and family services; and a “Clean Camden” campaign that will seek to improve neighborhoods.

“I am pleased to announce the co-chairs of my transition team along with members of the working group,” said Redd. “Susan Bass Levin and Wendell Pritchett are two of the region's most respected leaders with proven track records in government, higher education, urban affairs, and public policy.  As Camden's next mayor, I look forward to implementing meaningful governmental reforms, improving service delivery for the residents and the small business community, and improving Camden’s standing in the region.”     

Ready to formally announce at noon in Veteran's Park on Dec. 11, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo says he has one campaign left in him: a third go at county executive next year before retiring to the private sector.

"My option is to run one more time here and then look at other options outside government, it's not to run for governor in 2013," said DiVincenzo. "I want people to look at my legacy in Essex County and remember that the two guys prior to me both did jail time. What I've done here is I've rebuilt parks and infrastructure.

"Nobody should be talking about that right now," added DiVincenzo, when asked about the 2013 gubernatorial election and prospective Democratic challengers to GOP Gov.-elect Chris Christie. 

"Chris will be re-elected if he does a good job," said the county executive, a Democrat and longtime friend of Christie's. "There is no question, if anybody can straighten out the state, it's him. He's a very tough guy and the people he brings around him will be critical. Look at everything he's done so far. As someone who runs a governent here, I'm very impressed. I talk to him regularly. He's handling transition very well. He's trying to bring in everyone and reaching out to both sides, Democrat and Republican. I pray that he's successful because we can't go on for another four years like this. People out here are hurting."

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, left, and Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford)

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo plans to formally kick-off his bid for a third term on Dec. 11th.

Over the past few days in particular, sources say the county executive has made the rounds and confirmed considerable support toward his re-election.

Although no one has emerged as a serious challenger to the popular county exec, there are hold-outs, notably Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser, and state Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark), who all believed DiVincenzo helped engineer Codey's collapse from his power projection platform as head of the state senate.

In his defense, DiVincenzo maintained that Codey was clearly wounded following the caucus reorganization vote after the 2007 elections.

When Sen. Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) defeated the Codey-backed Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) for senate majority leader, DiVincenzo said he read that as a sign that the Essex County -based Codey couldn't summon the votes to suppress Sweeney's upward mobility.