Local

The decision of Assemblyman Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) to run for Burlington County Democratic Chairman could complicate a 2010 special election for State Senator if Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) were to leave the Legislature.  Allen is battling an aggressive form of cancer and recently had surgery.  She has a tough road ahead. 

If Allen were to resign, the Republican County Committee from the seventh district towns in Burlington and Camden counties would hold a special election convention to name a new Senator.  There has been speculation that Rev. Aubrey Fenton, a minister and former Burlington County Freeholder, could take the seat.  That would set up a November 2010 special election to fill the remaining fourteen months of Allen's term - an early referendum on Republican Christopher Christie's first months as Governor in a Democratic-leaning district Allen has won five times.  It would also be an early test for the new Senate President, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford), who topped Richard Codey largely because of the size of the South Jersey Democratic delegation.  A special election could be enormously expensive Sweeney and Democratic leader George Norcross battle the new Republican governor for a valuable Senate seat.

The high profile State Senate race would also come as U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) campaigns for a second term; there is substantial overlap between the third congressional district and the seventh legislative district. 

Three names have been prominently mentioned on the Democratic side: Conaway, Assemblyman Jack Conners (D-Pennsauken), and Troy Singleton, a former Deputy Executive Director of the Assembly and now the Director of Policy and Planning for the New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters.  Singleton, who took a leave of absence this year to run Loretta Weinberg's campaign for Lt. Governor, is a favorite of Camden County Democratic leaders who are not huge fans of Conaway. Read More >

Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) told The Star-Ledger today that Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Trenton) has dropped her campaign to become assembly speaker.

Oliver, who is expected to ascend to the speakership as part of a deal between north and south Jersey Democrats to install state Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) as senate president, claimed the votes for the position in September.  Watson Coleman, however, continued to campaign for it until this week.

If she is voted to lead the lower legislative house, Oliver will replace retiring Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden).    

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Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr. (D-Delanco) wants to be the next chairman of the Burlington County Democratic Committee, setting up a potential contest to lead the troubled organization.  

“What made me decide to run was that we have a need for a county party that functions.  We have a lot of important races coming up in the near term, and quite frankly we’ve had under the old regime dysfunctional leadership that’s led to problems getting things done,” said Conaway in a phone interview from the League of Municipalities convention in Atlantic City.  

Conaway, a medical doctor, practices internal medicine at Cooper University Hospital.  He has served in the assembly since 1998, and ran unsuccessfully for Congress against former U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton (R-Mount Holly) in 2004.  

Facing pressure from South Jersey Democrats, former Chairman Rick Perr resigned in August over his involvement in a PAC that raised money for former Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, who was arrested on corruption charges in July.  Since then, Alice Furia, long-time party activist and vice-chair, has headed up the party.

Furia will remain as chairwoman until June, when the county committee will elect a new leader. 

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In Monmouth County, there is speculation that Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider will not seek re-election in the May 2010 municipal election.  Of course, there is talk all the time that Schneider won't run - usually just before he does.  Some locals think the number one reason he'll seek re-election could be spite: his desire to stop rival Brian Unger, a City Councilman, from becoming his successor.

Long Branch is one of seven towns with non-partisan mayoral races next year, along with Newark, Paterson, Trenton, Bayonne, West Orange and Manchester.

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An interesting tweet from Newark City Councilman Ronald C. Rice about soon-to-be Senate President Stephen Sweeney: "I am here n AC w/ Sen Sweeney & if/when I c him, I am going 2 give him a piece of my mind on the issue of marriage equality. Fu$%@ng sellout."  Rice might also want to spend a couple of minutes with his father, State Sen. Ronald Rice, who is a likely no vote on marriage equality.

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New Jersey residents narrowly support legalizing same-sex marriage but do not consider it a high priority, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning.

By a 46% to 42% margin, New Jersey residents think same sex couples should have the right to marry, while 12% are unsure.  If the legislature were to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage, 52% said they would accept it, while 40% said they would support a constitutional amendment banning it.  

In California last year, residents voted in favor of Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to recognize marriage as between only a man and a woman, overturning a California State Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples have right to marry.  And earlier this month, Maine residents voted to repeal the state’s gay marriage statute.  

But pollster David Redlawsk said New Jerseyans appear more likely to accept legalization of same sex marriage.  

“While this tests opinion outside the intensity of a campaign to ban gay marriage, as occurred in California, there is more of a ‘live and let live’ attitude in New Jersey than in many other states that have dealt with this issue,” he said.

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Pardner, you’re a busy person. You need a news  round-up you can just nibble on, and then get on with your day.

So here goes, NJ buckeroos:

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State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) wants Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) to “honor the commitment he made to me” on the marriage equality bill she sponsors.  

Weinberg issued a statement this evening in response to Sweeney’s comment at the League of Municipalities today that “the main issue right now is the economy” and the senate should consider the gay marriage bill at an unspecified later time.

“As the prime sponsor of the Marriage Equality Act, I am urging our current Majority Leader to honor the commitment he made to me to move this important civil rights bill forward. We have the ability in the legislature to talk about this bill and address the economic crisis at the same time,” said Weinberg. “I received commitments from the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as from Majority Leader Sweeney that they would allow this bill to move forward. It will be a disappointment to so many in the grassroots of our party as well as to me personally if this commitment is not honored.”

Update, 9:42pm -- Citing a miscommunication with Sweeney, Weinberg offered this revised statement:

“I think there has been a miscommunication between Steve Sweeney and myself.  I look forward to talking to him personally.  It really is up to Senate President Dick Codey to make a decision about pushing this bill forward, and the Judiciary Committee Chair [state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) has informed me that he will post the bill.”

 

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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.  

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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.

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