RONALD RICE

State Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark)

No, he's not hitting the panic button yet, but veteran state Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark) calls Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign to this point the worst he's seen from his perch on the frontlines of state politics. 

As far as Rice is concerned, Corzine's selection of state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) as his running mate is one more belly flop in a series of such campaign trip-ups.

"I think he just ran out of names," shrugged Rice, a state senator since 1986, who all along had hoped Corzine would select an African-American to serve as the state's first lieutenant governor.

"He's down to the wire here with the deadline being Monday, you follow me, and so he's just grasping at straws, no disrespect to my fine colleague, Senator Weinberg," Rice added. "Yes, she's respected. Most of us are respected. But overall, I am disappointed that the governor gave no serious consideration to minorities and African-Americans."

Corzine, in fact, did consider Rhodes Scholar/reality TV star Randal Pinkett as his running mate, but Rice didn't like the pick on its face, as Pinkett's resume, by Rice's reckoning, was heavy on private sector glam and slim on the public service side. 

State Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark), foreground, campaigning for Obama with his son, West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice.

The early establishment reaction out of Democratic Party stronghold Essex County to LG prospect Randal Pinkett ranged from off-the-record outrage to on-the-record bewilderment to polite resignation.

Staring at a 12-point deficit in the governor's race and saddled with the responsbility of driving big Essex numbers in November for Gov. Jon Corzine, name Democrats here gaped at Corzine's rumored impending selection of a private sector African-American running mate. At least intially they question Pinkett's presence beside an incumbent schooled on Wall Street whose strong point was never his old-hand knowledge of politics and government.

"I don't know him, so I wouldn't have any comment about him," Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Phil Thigpen said of Pinkett. "The skills required to get elected and to get people to vote are not necessarily the same as the skills you need to make money. He hasn't been active in politics, to my knowledge."

State Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark) doesn't know Pinkett, but doesn't have a good feeling about him.

"People have relationships in business, and when they do, frankly, I get a little nervous when it comes to grassroots issues," said Rice of the 38-year old technology consultant from Franklin Township who's never held elected office. "Some of these business people should remain business people. Their trouble when they get into politics is they personalize what's good for them and they reach that point where they cross that line and can't see the people anymore."

State Sen. Dana Redd (D-Camden)

Sources close to Gov. Jon Corzine have said for months now that he won't pick a white male for lieutenant governor.

Not enough balance.

A week ago three names seemed fairly solid in a firmament that nevertheless shifts daily: state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) and Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells.

If the first two were white, they were women, at least. But the fact that they weren't males wasn't the only obvious jump-off-the-page quality they shared.

Both women had reputations as elected officials who wouldn't easily get pushed around. 

Weinberg earned a rep - and endeared herself in the process to Corzine - as an enemy of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, while Buono aggressively sought the budget chairmanship despite efforts by leadership to install somebody more pliant.

Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington)

TRENTON - Now the session is in gear, with the promise of no surprise ending - it's a given the budget will ultimately pass in the hands of the majority Democrats - undercutting longterm suspense and compressing drama into short-burst senatorial speeches. 

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove) just did an Essex County Marc Antony impression, building sections of oratorical drama on top of one another, the impact of which Democrats tried to blunt by murmuring throughout.

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) finally intervened when O'Toole amplified outrage over New Jersey taxes to include the banks on Wall Street with the unmistakable line: "they're stealing our money."

O'Toole agreed to yield at last.

Both sides began trading.

Speaking after O'Toole, state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark) just announced that he plans to support the budget. He'd been an ornery holdout to the end.

State Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton)

TRENTON - Confronting a tableful of testifying labor backers who agree that the State Legislature should lean on Washington, D.C., to create universal healthcare, state Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton) stepped gingerly.

The longtime labor-friendly lawmaker noted his support of the Paid Family Leave Act, which passed in the state Senate despite every Republican except Baroni voting"no."

But today he raised a question aimed at the underpinnings of the opposition party when he said, "Barack Obama opposes single-payer healthcare. Is he wrong?"

Laughter filled the chamber as people waited for the answer.

The senator followed up with a "just wondering" question about whether Obama's rejection of single-payer healtchcare means he is too conservative on this issue.

Assemblyman/Freeholder Ralph Caputo (D-Belleville)

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Belleville) said he and his running mate, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark) refuse to underestimate the off-the-line challenger by former District 28 Assemblyman Craig Stanley (D-Irvington), despite Stanley’s failure to muster party support and a wide cash disparity.

“These contests are always difficult to predict and I never disrespect anyone,” said Caputo, who reported $51,000 raised and $31,000 on hand in his last state Elections Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) filing. “I’ve been campaigning so hard, my wife doesn’t even know who I am anymore.”

Caputo participated in Memorial Day events in both Belleville and Bloomfield yesterday and did the church circuit on Friday. His running mate, Tucker, reported raising $49,500 and $17,160 cash on hand. To date, the running mates have authorzied five campagn mail pieces, against zero from Stanley.

For Caputo, the early support of state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark) - who was Stanley's 2007 running mate - proved a critical momentum builder for the team.

Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos

North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato, Newark North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, attorney Elnardo Webster and others are set to host a fundraiser for Hoboken mayoral candidate Peter Cammarano in Newark on May 27th at the Maize Restaurant.

It is at least the second such fundraiser Ramos has spearheaded on behalf of Cammarano, who first became friends when the latter did some work for Ramos as an elections lawyer. Newark West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice has also backed Cammarano from the start of his campaign for mayor of the mile-square city.

Moreover, at his annual Italian-Irish awards ceremony this year, Ramos-backer, North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato honored Cammarano’s boss, elections lawyer Angelo Genova.

Cammarano is waging a contest against 4th Ward Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer in Hoboken’s June 9th runoff election.

Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer

TRENTON – Notwithstanding an 11th hour campaign effort to woo the African American community through church leadership contacts, the quiet terror in some Democratic Party circles that Gov. Jon Corzine’s candidacy has stalled irredeemably and creates little barriers-breaking hoopla in urban cities, prompted Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer today to defend the governor and call for an end to the negative back chatter, even as state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, maintained his resistance.

Palmer said there is much the governor must accomplish to be viable in urban New Jersey in a close contest, but he’s confident about Corzine’s ability to get it done between now and Election Day.

“Certainly he’s down in the polls because of the economy and on top of the economy everyday there is a story about the public employees’ furloughs and that’s hurting his base – the unions and families – and so he’s suffering a double whammy, but if you’re going to be behind, now is the time to be behind,” said the veteran mayor, a short-list candidate for lieutenant governor.

Essex County Democratic Chairman Phil Thigpen, State Party Chairman Joe Cryan, and Corzine political director Phil Alagia

WEST ORANGE - Even though Governor Jon Corzine and the Democrats don’t want primaries sapping their general election year strength, Essex County Democratic Chairman Phil Thigpen says former Assemblyman Craig Stanley’s off-the-line challenge of Democratic incumbents won’t boomerang organizationally on his more famous congressman uncle, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark).

“Don’t mess with Congressman Payne,” said Thigpen. “There is no end to the lengths to which I will go to protect him.”

Everybody has an opportunity to run for office if they have an interest, said Thigpen, and there’s no way he could stop Stanley from running – even if he can’t give him the party line.  

This afternoon, with his uncle, former Assemblyman Bill Payne, and his cousin, Freeholder/Councilman Donald Payne Jr. in attendance, Stanley officially announced his candidacy for the Assembly in the 28th District.

The Governor in Essex on Wednesday evening.

WEST ORANGE – The Governor of New Jersey usually doesn’t wait long to address a collective of his own party, but this being Essex in a gubernatorial election year, the governor stayed on ice during a drum roll ceremony that was as much a buildup of Essex as it was a buildup to Gov. Jon Corzine.

Corzine didn’t appear to mind – and with reason.

“Barack Obama won nearly 250,000 votes in Essex last year,” the governor roared when he finally took the microphone. “If you give me 250,000 votes, this election’s signed, sealed and delivered” – a reference to the Stevie Wonder anthem a deejay played to introduce Corzine, subliminally strengthening the governor’s linkage to Obama, who  favored the song last year on the campaign trail.

The all-day buzz was that this Essex County Democratic Convention would present the unmistakable photo op of former Gov./Senate President Richard Codey (D-West Orange) and Corzine onstage together, arms raised in a ceremonial show of solidarity as the blockbuster credits rolled.