Alfred DeCotiis

There's a report in tomorrow's edition of Inside EPA, a Washington-based publication that follows the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that former New Jersey Commissioner of Environmental Protection Bradley Campbell is on the short list to become EPA Administrator if Barack Obama becomes President. Campbell served as Regional EPA Administrator in the Clinton administration before Gov. James E. McGreevey named him to his cabinet in 2002. 

Campbel's desire to run the EPA is not exactly a secret.  But don't expect Campbell's name to remain on the short list for long, if it's really there now: he's made some powerful enemies among New Jersey Democrats after Campbell went public with his opposition to the controversial EnCap project in Bergen County.

Campbell told The Record last October that he viewed EnCap as a "terrible bait and switch" by the developer and wanted to stop public financing of the plan because it was "a scandalmonger's dream" that could cost taxpayers upwards of $70 million. And Campbell says that the deal "could expose 'pay to play' aspects of the financing plan by drawing attention to the involvement of the politically connected DeCotiis law firm."

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Which Democratic presidential candidate is the real “agent of change”? 

That was the topic of The Record’s Charles Stile’s column on Tuesday.

In his political column previewing last night’s Hillary Clinton for President fundraiser organized by Bergen County Democrat Chair Joe Ferriero, Stile questioned the legitimacy of Clinton’s reform message.

A group of Democratic power fundraisers have committed to raising “at least $1 million” for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign at a December 12 event at the State Theater in New Brunswick. More than 75 party fundraisers met last week at the MWW offices in East Rutherford for a meeting sponsored by “The Group” – the unofficial name for John Graham, Michael Kempner, Alfred DeCotiis,William Harla, Rev. Reginald Jackson, and Mayor Meryl Frank, who are the leaders of Clinton’s New Jersey finance operation. Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan attended the meeting.

It's no secret that former state Environmental Commissioner Bradley Campbell wants to be the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under a Democratic President. That might explain why Campbell has gone public with his opposition to the controversial EnCap project in Bergen County.

Campbell told The Record that he viewed EnCap as a "terrible bait and switch" by the developer and wanted to stop public financing of the plan because it was "a scandalmonger's dream" that could cost taxpayers upwards of $70 million.

More than 200 people attended a Hillary Clinton for President fundraiser last night at the home of MWW President/CEO Michael Kempner that raised a reported $250,000. John Graham, Alfred DeCotiis, and Bill Harla also played a role in the event. Clinton also raised a reported $140,000 at Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop's fundraiser.

John Graham, co-chair of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s finance committee in New Jersey, recalls the moment he received that phone call from John Kerry on Election Day in 2004.

John F. X. Graham and former Rep. Herbert Klein, at a Clinton finance committee meeting at Pal's Cabin in West Orange Tuesday nightIt was early evening, and the Massachusetts senator thanked Graham for delivering the state’s 15 electoral votes.

Graham put the phone down thinking he had just been speaking with the next president of the United States.

Then he turned on the television in bed, and watched Kerry lose the election.

The last time Graham spoke to Kerry, he told him he wouldn’t be raising money for him this year -- or next. Kerry was mortified, said Graham, but the candidate’s inability to secure the win sent the Democratic Party fund-raiser in search of someone else. He swears he gave all of the prospects a thorough review: Barack Obama, John Edwards, others who have already dropped out of the presidential race, including Mark Warner and Evan Bayh.

And Hillary Clinton.

Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign say they can raise $1 million at a New Jersey event on June 18. Kerry '04 New Jersey Chairman John Graham, Democratic National Committeeman Alfred DeCotiis, MWW President Michael Kempner and the Rev. Reginald Jackson will be heading up Clinton's fundraising operation in New Jersey, and have set a $25,000 minimum to serve on their campaign executive finance committee, and $10,000 for their finance committee.  They have a meeting set up for April 24th in West Orange.

Mark Warner's decision not to seek the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination puts a fundraising superstar back on the market: John F.X. Graham. The Co-Chairman of John Kerry's New Jersey campaign is extremely popular among Democratic insiders and his decision to sign on for Warner was viewed as a major coup for the former Virginia Governor's fledgling campaign. Graham, Alfred DeCotiis, the head of a politically active North Jersey law firm and a Democratic National Committeeman, and Michael Kempner, who opened a powerful lobbying firm after working as Bob Torricelli's top fundraiser) had brought the virtually unknown Warner instant credibility in New Jersey political circles.