PAULSBORO - Even as he praised Gov. Jon Corzine at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new South Jersey port, Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) signaled that he is indeed embroiled in an intra-party leadership fight, as he lashed out at his rival, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), calling Codey's effort to get him to sign a 2007 letter agreeing not to challenge him "crazy."

"You're kidding me, I said, 'you can't be serious about this,'" Sweeney recalled of his reaction to a request Codey made moments after Sweeney emerged from the caucus room, having secured the senate majority leadership position in a head-to-head with state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge).

Anticipating a power play from his political enemy - and Sweeney ally, South Jersey Democratic Party leader George Norcross III, Codey wanted Sweeney to write and sign a letter promising that he would not challenge Codey for the senate presidency.

Sweeney said he was taken aback.

"You want a letter? I said, 'Dick, come on.' I said, 'What's this, this is a joke.' And since that time he has shown me as little respect in two years as senate majority leader as is possible. This was 2007 and I had just gotten elected majority leader - the caucus elected me - and in his paranoia he was insisting that I sign a letter, and I said, 'What do you want me to do?' Here.'

"He is so paranoid to hold onto his leadership that he threatens people and forces them into the ground," Sweeney added. "It was silly to sign a letter. I said, 'You're kidding me.' I wrote it. I couldn't believe he was asking me not to run against him. I wrote, 'I'm not running for senate president,' and I dated it that day.'"

Sweeney took the letter as a threat.

"Are you kidding me? He put a gun to my head."

But Codey issued a statement disputing Sweeney's recollection of events, and quoting directly from the letter he says Sweeney wrote in his presence. 

"Anyone that knows Senator Sweeney I'm sure finds it laughable to think anyone would be able to bully him," Codey said of his mammoth adversary. 

"Sen. Sweeney asked to meet with me privately to apologize for breaking his word to me that he was not going to run for the majority leader position," Codey added. "It was a cordial meeting.

"He then expressed his desire to win back my respect for him for doing this, and he told me that he would be supportive of our efforts for the next four years with me as senate president.

"Sen. Sweeney is wrong. He did not write, 'I'm not running for senate president' in the letter. What he wrote was, 'I, Stephen Sweeney, will support Dick Codey for senate president 2009. Signed Stephen Sweeney.' Unfortunately, I've had to respond to mischaracterizations of events. Having said that, no good can come out of this type of debate, as we have more important things to concentrate on right now. In the future, we should not be criticizing or debating each other publicly or privately, as no good can from that."  

Sweeney said given the bad blood and disrespect that's welled up in the interim - Codey's fault, in Sweeney's judgment - the fact that he dated the letter on the day in question signifies to him that his word was only good for that day.

"He wants to blackmail someone who's just won the senate majority leadership," Sweeney said. "If I didn't sign a letter he was going to ensure I get nothing - that i was nothing. He should submit the letter and show it to everyone."

Sources close to Codey say the letter was a gentleman's agreement offered in good faith to diffuse what Codey's people say looked like a certain attack from South Jersey after they understood that Sweeney would not pursue the senate majority leadership post but would be content with serving as budget chair.

"It wasn't a joke," said a source. "On reorganization day two years ago they (Sweeney and Norcross) had lied, and said he just wanted to be budget leader - then he says, 'I want to be majority leader.'"

Gov. Jon Corzine said he does not believe the ongoing cloakroom drama of Codey versus Sweeney impacts the governor's race, and again refused to choose sides when pressed today at the groundbreaking.

Asked directly if his shoulder-to-shoulder shovel shot with Sweeney signified that he intends to stand by Sweeney against the sitting Senate President, Corzine said, "Absolutely not. This is about jobs, jobs, jobs - jobs for the people of the State of New Jersey, the people of Paulsboro, and the people of the State of New Jersey. We are in a recession created by Washington Republicans and we're putting people to work. We're doing what's important to the people of New Jersey in the way of roads, highway and school construction."

"I'll handle it myself," the Senate Majority Leader said when asked if he expected Corzine's support in his challenge of Codey.

Sweeney estimates that the new petroleum tanker port, scheduled to be open in 2012, will create 2,500 onsite jobs in this Delaware dockside town and potentially 20,000 jobs in the region.

A South Jersey ironworker turned politician, Sweeney in his leadership quest last week secured the endorsement of powerful North Jersey Sen. Brian Stack (D-Union City), who countered his North Jersey neighbor state Sen. Nicholas Sacco's (D-North Bergen) declaration of support for Codey.

"Brian Stack is a dear friend who realizes we are one state and we shouldn't be factionalized," Sweeney said. "I value his support. I'm focusing on Jon Corzine's campaign, but it was wonderful of Brian to come out."