Annette Quijano

Bobby Kennedy, Jr., right, with Gov. Jon Corzine

ELIZABETH - First came Caroline Kennedy, then Patrick Kennedy, and tonight at the Portuguese Social Club, Bobby Kennedy, Jr. appeared in support of Gov. Jon Corzine.

Heedless of specific state issues, Kennedy went right for the jugular.

"We cannot reward Republicans for what they did to this country during the eight years prior to Barack Obama," said the son of the late Attorney General and 1968 candidate for president. "How can Chris Christie come over and seriously run for governor? It's time for them (Republicans) to sit down and let someone else run the state."

More than one thumb and forefinger blew a shrill and long whistle of approval into the big room amid resounding hand claps.

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State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, above, is unhappy with the way Attorney General Anne Milgram handled the prosecution of a Democratic Councilman from their district

ELIZABETH - Union County party allies of Gov. Jon Corzine are leveling hard charges at someone who's used to doing the charging herself: Attorney General Anne Milgram, whose pursuit of a voter fraud case against Roselle Council President Jamel Holley this month resulted in a virtual dead end.

"Disappointment is an understatement," state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) said of Milgram, the Corzine administration's attorney general, for bringing charges against Holley in the first place.

Already feeling antagonized by the presence of corruption buster former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie in the governor's race, Democratic Party operatives in at least two or three of their base voter-rich regions, including Unon, have for months felt dogged by Milgram, who indicted Holley by accusation on Aug. 27th with illegally filling out portions of fewer than 30 absentee ballots.

In a Thursday letter to the Union County Local Source, Lesniak and his legislative colleagues, Assemblyman Joe Cryan (D-Union Twp.) and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth), ripped Milgram over what they see as her unjust targeting of Holley, which might have had ruinous consequences for a young man seen by his allies see as a comer in Union County Democratic Party politics.  

Union County's four Democratic Assembly members formally backed Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) for speaker today, including Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), who was in the running for the top spot.    

The move solidifies the a North-South Jersey deal connected to the senate leadership contest, where Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) yesterday announced that he had the votes to topple Senate President Dick Codey (D-Roseland).

Cryan is said to be the leading contender for Majority Leader.

In addition to Cryan, who is also the state Democratic chairman, Assemblywomen Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth), Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) and Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Gerald Green (D-Plainfield) said, through a statement released by Union County Democratic Chair Charlotte DeFilippo, that they would back Oliver.

CRYAN & QUIJANO HAIL CORZINE ADMINISTRATION FOR COMPLETING NEW PARKWAY/I-78 LINK

(UNION COUNTY) – Assemblyman Joseph Cryan and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (both D-Union) on Thursday praised Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s administration for finally completing the long-awaited connection between the Garden State Parkway northbound and Interstate 78 westbound.

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U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) is playing a key role in a statewide effort to increase voter turnout among Latino voters for Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election campaign.  This weekend, Menendez presided over a meeting in New Brunswick that was attended by over 200 statewide Latino leaders, including U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York), State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), Assemblywomen Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Camden) and Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth), Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (D-Newark) and Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus), Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz, Paterson Mayor Joey Torres, and Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), center, campaigns with Trenton Councilman Manny Segura and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Eliabeth) at the annual Dominican Parade in Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH - State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), the Democrats' candidate for lieutenant governor, walked the entirety of a long parade route as grand marshal of the Dominican Festival, a colorful, merengue-textured event that today was marred by violence.  

"There are always going to be some knuckleheads out there," said Paterson At-Large Councilman Rigo Rodriguez.

The incident - not connected to the campaign - occurred a few minutes after Weinberg criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie for failing to disclose his $46,000 mortgage loan to U.S. Attorney underling Michele Brown.

"He forgot that he's receiving $500 a month?" wondered Gov. Jon Corzine's running mate, who capped a weekend of Latino outreach with this Dominican spectacle.

It got rough once Weinberg climbed into a car and departed after completing the parade on foot with Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth), and Trenton Councilman Manny Segura.

EGAN & QUIJANO BILL TO HELP STATE ENFORCE WORKER COMPENSATION LAWS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

(TRENTON) – Legislation Assemblyman Joseph V. Egan and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano sponsored to give the state an additional tool to effectively enforce New Jersey’s worker compensation laws was signed today by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.

The law (A-3569) allows the state to issue a stop-work order against an employer found to have knowingly failed to provide workers’ compensation coverage, misrepresented employees as independent contractors or provided false, incomplete or misleading information concerning the number of employees.

“Most employers responsibly and properly classify their workers and pay workers’ compensation premiums, but some skirt the law,” said Egan (D-Middlesex), the Assembly Labor Committee chairman. “That puts workers at risk and hurts responsible employers who play by the rules. This is, quite simply, an additional tool to help enforce our workers’ compensation laws.”

***MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE***

ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS WELCOME HOME THE 50TH INFANTRY BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM

(TRENTON) - Assembly members Jack Conners, Annette Quijano, Upendra J. Chivukula, Linda Stender, Wayne P. DeAngelo and Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman today issued a multimedia package expressing their warm welcome home to the New Jersey National Guard members of the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (50th IBCT).

The nearly 3,000 soldiers who volunteered to serve in Iraq were honored today during ceremonies in Trenton.

The return of the 50th IBCT marks the end of a one-year deployment to Iraq - the largest New Jersey National Guard deployment since World War II.  While deployed, the unit played a pivotal role in transferring authority of Baghdad's "Green Zone" back to Iraqi forces and were responsible for the humane treatment of more than 20,000 detainees throughout Iraq.

QUIJANO & RILEY BILL TARGETING LANDLINE TELEPHONE RENTALS CLEARS ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE

(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assemblywomen Annette Quijano and Celeste Riley requiring phone companies to get each residential customer who rents or leases landline telephones to annually affirm their willingness to continue doing so was released today by an Assembly committee.

Gov. Jon Corzine addresses the crowd at Friday night's LLANJ 10th Anniversary Gala at Rutgers University.

NEW BRUNSWICK – Midway into Gov. Jon Corzine’s speech to the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey (LLANJ), a powerful and expanding grassroots organization celebrating its tenth anniversary, the door flung open and former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie strode into the room. 

He took a seat.

Murmurs ensued. 

The two men had shared a stage at Newark’s North Ward Center, and now they were once again in close proximity with the potential for their general election showdown building as Corzine rattled off what he argued were his achievements of particular interest to the Latino community before a receptive crowd of LLANJ members.

Moments later, Christie would seemingly bash Corzine in his absence and make his own case for why Latinos should consider his candidacy, basing his argument in part on his record of choosing minorities for jobs at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and on his commitment to dramatic public education reform.