South Jersey Democrats are touting Cinnaminson native Anthony Mazzarelli, the head of the emergency medicine department at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, as a potential candidate for State Senator in the seventh district.  Mazzarelli is reportedly testing the waters for a 2011 Senate bid against four-term Republican Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park).  Allen could step down earlier to concentrate on her courageous fight against an aggressive form of cancer, a move that would trigger a November 2011 special election.  Mazzarelli joins Assemblymen Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) and Jack Conners (D-Pennsauken), and carpenters union official Troy Singleton as potential candidates.

In addition to   being a physician, Mazzarelli is also a bioethicist. Though he's mainly stayed behind the scenes, he's has been the de-facto leader of a group of emerging civic leaders in Camden and Burlington Counties.   He was also recently recognized as one of South Jersey's top physicians under 40 by Philly. One thing that may stand in the way of   getting him to run, however, is his independence. He proudly   proclaims his moderation on his weekend Philadelphia talk radio show   where he is known for presenting both sides of the major issues.   Still he is said to be an ally of South Jersey political leader George   Norcross, who is Chairman of Cooper Hospital, and he helped raise  money for Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

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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 >

As Christopher Christie begins to assemble an administration, it makes sense for local elected officials who want a full-time job to remember the Governor-elect's opposition to dual office holding.  The convention wisdom seems to be that Christie will allow a mayor or councilman, for example, to join his team, as long as they agree to not take a salary for their part-time post.

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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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A book signing tour for former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin does not included any appearances in New Jersey, according to a schedule released by her publisher.  In remarks at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Texas yesterday, Gov.-elect Christopher Christie said that he used national GOP surrogates sparingly and only invited people with whom he had a previous friendship, or those who came from a state where Democrats win elections.

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State law requires every local Board of Education to be a dues-paying member of the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA).  This unfunded mandate brings in about $7.3 million in revenues to the trade organization that represents local school boards.  The NJSBA operates at a profit each year, and has over $11 million in unrestricted cash and in certificate of deposits. 

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It appears that Gov.-elect Christopher Christie will nominate his running mate, Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Guadagno, to serve as Secretary of State.  The law creating the new post requires that the LG also hold another position (anything but Attorney General), but the statute is vague as to whether it must be a cabinet job.  Guadagno's nomination as Secretary of State is not Senate confirmable.

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When Bill O'Reilly asked former CNN anchorman Lou Dobbs if he will consider running against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) in 2012, Dobbs refused to rule it out.  "A lot of things are on my mind, I'm not going to be coy about that," Dobbs said.

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Political problems for the state's largest teacher's union continue to mount.  After going all out for Gov. Jon Corzine in the recent election, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) knows they have a potential problem with voucher-backing charter school enthusiast Gov.-elect Christopher Christie.  And in the Senate, it looks like Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), a protégé of Newark political leader Stephen Adubato, might replace Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence) as chairman of the Education Committee.  A fair assumption is that Ruiz will share Adubato's fervent support for charter schools. 

Turner could wind up a casualty of the contest for Senate President; she backed incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland), while Ruiz supported the likely winner, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

Christie's problem with the NJEA might be more than just politics - he appears to have different views on how to fix New Jersey's public school.  And he might have the upper hand, especially with a potential political ally running the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), who is expected to become the next Assembly Speaker, has not yet indicated who she will pick as the new Assembly Education Committee Chairman.  The incumbent, Joseph Cryan (D-Union), a strong NJEA supporter, is expected to vacate the post to become Majority Leader.  Oliver also has strong ties to Adubato - she is the Assistant Essex County Administrator (and Ruiz is the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Essex County Executive) - but statehouse observers say that Oliver is likely to pick a new chairman who would be supportive of the teachers union, a key player in the state's Democratic base vote.

Reportedly not under consideration to head the Education Committee is Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), who spent forty years as a public school teacher and is now vice chair of the panel.  Voss, Democratic leaders say, lacks intellectual heft to take on the post.  Instead, Democrats could turn to Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), a Cryan/Oliver ally and the current chairman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.  If Diegnan turns it down - the Middlesex County Democrat might want to stay where he is, considering the importance of Rutgers University to his district, the leadership might go with the highly-regarded Mila Jasey (D-South Orange), a former school board member but an ally of outgoing Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), or Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Twp.), a member of South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross' political organization.

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