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. 

In a warm-up act response to what many insiders believe will be her role as Corzine Defender Number 1 on the campaign trail as New Jersey’s first candidate for lieutenant governor, state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) defended the governor today against former Republican Gov. Thomas Kean.

Referring to a Star-Ledger article, Buono took issue with Kean’s reference to Corzine as a “Philistine governor” because Corzine proposes to cut arts funding below the statutory level.

State Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan Twp.), right, greets Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Colts Neck) at last Thursday's SCFRW dinner.

MONTCLAIR - Already discouraged that last week’s budget hearings’ kickoff contained what she saw as mostly the hand-wringing of lobbyists and government types citing insider budget figures rather than the input of real-impact New Jersey residents, state Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan Twp.) criticized the Democrats’ upcoming commissioners’ hearings timetable as morre kabuki theater intentionally designed to squelch debate. 

That assessment drew a stern denunciation and denial from state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen), who chairs the budget committee. 

A minority party member of the committee, newly sworn into the senate after beating Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) in a special election earlier this year, Karrow questions the Democrats’ time tables for public hearings of Gov. Jon Corzine’s $29.8 billion budget, and especially objects to what she sees as less than adequate slots for department heads to break down their respective budgets.

BUONO: 'COURT RULING VALIDATES NEW SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA'

EDISON – Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, the Chairwoman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and author of the legislation establishing a new school funding formula, issued the following statement today regarding Bergen County Superior Court Judge Peter Doyne’s finding that the new funding formula provides for the “thorough and efficient” education to which every child in New Jersey has a right:

“Today’s ruling regarding the new school funding formula is welcome news for New Jersey families. Judge Doyne’s recommendations validate the year-old formula and represent a significant step toward more equitably funding school districts throughout the State.

BUONO STATEMENT ON PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING AT MONTCLAIR UNIVERSITY

MONTCLAIR UNIVERSITY – Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, and Chairwoman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the public hearing held at Montclair University on Governor Corzine’s proposed FY 2010 Budget:

“Today’s hearing was incredibly useful in getting insight from the people who will be directly impacted by the cuts proposed in the FY 2010 State Budget. While we have a constitutional responsibility to produce a balanced budget, we also have a moral responsibility to produce a fair budget, which does as much as possible to minimize fiscal pain for New Jersey’s residents.

BUONO BILL TO STRENGTHEN PROTECTIONS FOR VICTIMS OF STALKING SIGNED

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono which clarifies the type of conduct which constitutes stalking under New Jersey’s statutes, to provide better protection for victims of stalking, was signed into law by Governor Corzine over the weekend.

“The victims of stalking often suffer long after their stalker has been apprehended, living in a state of fear, anxiety and emotional distress as a result of their being targeted,” said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. “This new law provides for enhanced protections for those victims, while updating the provisions of the law that apply to stalking in the digital age to better reflect the realities of the crime. While we can’t give the victims back the lost sense of security stolen from them, we can make sure that they are protected from further victimization, and that stalkers face penalties which match the severity of the crime.”

PREVIEW - SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE TO HOLD NORTH JERSEY PUBLIC HEARING ON BUDGET

Hearing Will Be First of Its Kind To Be Streamed on Legislature’s Web Site

TRENTON – On Tuesday, March 24th, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold a public hearing on the FY 2010 Budget at Montclair State University to give North Jersey residents an opportunity to weigh in on the Governor’s proposed spending plan.

“Regional public hearings offer a unique chance for the Committee members to interact directly with the people, and get input from folks in all walks of life on how to craft a better budget for the State of New Jersey,” said Senator Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex, and Chairwoman of the Budget Committee. “Something as important as the State Budget cannot be crafted in a vacuum. We need to be open to any and all constructive suggestions from the people we represent to put together a spending plan which meets the priorities of the Garden State.”

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) thinks that Gov. Jon Corzine should consider gender in picking a Lieutenant Governor, but not as a top priority.

"I would hope that it is a woman.  I think that since it is a new job it would be another breakthrough for women in the state.  But I don't think that's a basic requirement," she said.

Weinberg said that the three potential candidates that she's heard the most speculation about - state Sens. Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford), Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) and Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Trenton) would all bring valuable traits to the job.

Another name for the list of potential Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor, according to one party leader, is former state Commerce Secretary Virginia Bauer. She first appeared in the public eye as an advocate for 9/11 families after her husband was among the casualties of the attack on the World Trade Center.  She later became state Lottery Director and now serves as a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  Bauer is a senior vice president at Covenant House, and in 2007 married Donald Steckroth, a federal bankruptcy judge.

There are some leaders among the Democratic base who are strongly pushing Gov. Jon Corzine to consider a woman as his running mate.  Other possible candidates often mentioned by Democratic insiders include Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen), Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), Assemblywoman Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D-Cherry Hill), Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells, and Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz.