Bill Payne

Former lawmaker Bill Payne doesn’t know if he’s going to run for his old seat in the Assembly next year against Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-Newark), but he appears less inclined to make a move than he was this past summer.

Payne’s longtime friend, state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark), told PolitickerNJ.com that he would urge the retired legislator not to pursue a run against Spencer.

“I’m supporting the re-election of every member of the Legislative Black Caucus,” said Rice, including the Mayor Cory Booker-backed Spencer, who won Payne’s South Ward-based seat in last year’s election.

County Chairman Phil Thigpen: Politicker photo 

NEWARK - It was appropriate that their office should stand across the street from the War Memorial. Sized up as a group, they were the veterans of a lot of Essex County wars.

The office setting, too, underscored tough times, like a set-piece out of "Glengarry Glen Ross.".

A former Countrywide home loan office that went belly up in a bad economy, this storefront a few doors down from the Robert Treat Hotel now houses the county’s Obama campaign headquarters, which officially opened Monday.

"You could say we’re one good thing to come out of them going out of business," said West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice, county campaign coordinator, standing in the split level, nearly wallpapered over now with Obama campaign signs.

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark): Politicker photo

DENVER - It was coming to an end in an Irish bar, only it wouldn’t actually end there. It would in another bar, a few blocks removed.

Two bars separated by one speech.

"It should be a walkover, of course," said U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark). "These guys - Obama and McCain - are neck and neck. I think it’s perhaps the trepidation about race that makes it that way, but we'll see."

In a few hours, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) would take the stage and accept his party’s nomination.

Payne, and his elder brother former Assemblyman Bill Payne, mingled among a respectably large crowd of guests in this, the last big, pre-Obama speech bash in downtown Denver at the Celtic Tavern, thrown by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson).

The Celtic Tavern is located near the light rail line, and soon the delegates and superdelegates and other guests would pile aboard and head out to Invesco Field to see and hear Obama.

In the meantime, the hosts brought Speaker Joe Cryan up onto the stage with the folk band to take a bow. Just as they were stepping over the microphone cords and getting ready to launch into the Irish songs, the bar door swung open and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy walked in, prompting Pascrell to make a special introduction.

It almost looked staged, as if a staffer had sent Healy a text message. Healy's a good Irish tenor with a rich, well-modulated voice.

But the mayor’s stride-in would astoundingly prove a premature entrance to the main event, for on this afternoon, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Union City) went to the front of the room.

South Ward Councilman Oscar James II in headquarters.

NEWARK- Oscar James II doesn’t know if he can win this primary fight down here in Newark’s South Ward, but if he can hold Lautenberg to a stand-off, and other ground-level Andrews allies in northern New Jersey can do the same, maybe South Jersey can deliver big for the underdog.

That’s the plan anyway.

In the meantime, there’s another war he’s fighting.

A two-year councilman representing the most sprawling ward in the city, James knows U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) is a longshot in his challenge of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). But as the Booker Team leader in the south, James wants to help bust apart the Payne family machine that has long controlled ward politics.

At age 75, Stephen Adubato Sr. continues to accumulate political allies by working both sides of the aisle and carefully engaging in battles that he can win. His organization captured Sharpe James’ State Senate seat (with Teresa Ruiz, a key lieutenant), he took out Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo (as he promised to do in 2006), picked up an Assembly seat (the one held by Bill Payne), and he continues to secure enormous funding for his power base, Newark’s North Ward Cultural Center. Adubato’s electoral success in 2007 was extraordinary, even as Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s candidate lost a race to Ron Rice.

Adubato is well-liked by New Jersey’s Governor and two U.S. Senators, has influence over Booker, and exercises substantial clout over the Essex County Hall of Records and the Newark City Council. He talks to just about every powerbroker in New Jersey. And this year, when he announced his support of Hillary Clinton for President, his endorsement was viewed as important enough to make Hotline, one of the nation’s most important political publications.

And while he’s a Democrat, Adubato has cultivated close relationships with key Republicans, like U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson, and State Senators-elect Bill Baroni and Kevin O’Toole.

While state Senator Ron Rice, Sr. is not supporting the Democratic candidate for the 29th district state Senate seat, Dick Codey is not fuming about it.

“I understand the dynamics involved. I understand the feelings,” said the state Senate President.

He’s been around long enough to know people get punched hard in this business, but Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo from district 29, the third ranking member in the Assembly and the highest ranking Latino, finds it no less difficult to fight off his anger.

"I wouldn’t change my vote, no, no way," he says. "I have absolutely no regrets about that vote."

It was the sales tax increase proposed during the budget season last year.

The governor wanted the Essex County delegation to vote for it but Caraballo didn’t do it, arguing the tax would unfairly impact his constituents, particularly those making minimum wage or less. Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo didn’t appreciate that, and neither did the governor.

A new political dynasty is being built in Essex County, headed by Congressman Donald Payne. Payne's brother, William Payne, is the Assemblyman from the 29th district, and his nephew, Craig Stanley, is the Assembyman from the 28th district. His son, Donald Payne, Jr., was elected to the Essex County Board of Freeholders in 2005 -- Democrats dumped incumbent Albertus Jenkins from the organization line to make room for him. Payne's cousin, Phil Thigpen, is the Essex County Democratic Chairman. Now, Bill Payne's son-in-law is eyeing a bid for public office: Wilfredo Benitzez, a Montclair attorney, reportedly wants to replace Democrat Joseph Brennan as the Essex County Surrogate. There was some talk of dumping Brennan, a former West Orange Councilman, in 2001. Since backing winners in hotly contested races for Mayor of Newark and Essex County Executive in 2002, Payne has emerged as one of the most powerful Democrats in Essex County.