Bonnie Watson Coleman

Assembly Human Services Committee chair Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) is mulling a bid for Assembly Speaker

Look for a fourth candidate in the race for Assembly Speaker: Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) has spent the last two days testing the waters to seek the post.  Oliver is the Assistant Essex County Administrator, which means strong ties to County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and Newark Democratic leader Stephen Adubato.  Essex County has the state's largest Assembly delegation - nine votes.

Oliver would become the second African American woman to run for Speaker, joining Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing).  Watson Coleman said on Wednesday that she would run.  Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Democratic State Chairman, and Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) are also looking at the race.

Oliver's chances of becoming Speaker could be boosted by a leadership change in the upper house, where Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) is considering a challenge to Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland).  It is unlikely that Essex Democrats would get both slots, and more likely that they would if the Senate Presidency goes to South Jersey.

The 57-year-old Oliver is seeking her fourth term in the State Assembly this year.  She represents District 34, which includes East Orange, Montclair and Clifton.  She is a former Essex County Freeholder and East Orange Board of Education President, and lost her bid for Mayor of East Orange in the 1997 Democratic primary by just 51 votes.  She is currently the Assembly Speaker Pro-Tempore and the Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee.

WATSON COLEMAN: SPEAKER ROBERTS A ‘TRUE GENTLEMAN AND LEADER’

(TRENTON) – Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) released the following statement today after Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D-Camden) announced he won’t seek re-election:

“It has been my honor and privilege to work with Speaker Roberts these many years, especially the last four as part of our leadership team. I am grateful for the opportunity he has given me to play an integral role in setting the progressive agenda of our caucus.

“Joe Roberts is a true gentleman and leader whose work to improve the lives of New Jerseyans will resonate for years to come..."

In her bid to become Assembly Speaker, Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) has the strong backing of the leader of her home county Democratic organization.

"Allow me to jump in with my wholehearted support for favorite-daughter candidate Bonnie Watson Coleman for the Speaker's position in the New Jersey Assembly if current Speaker Roberts announces that he will not seek another term," Mercer County Democratic Chairman Richard McClellan said in an e-mail to PolitickerNJ.com. 

McClellan called Watson Coleman, the current Majority leader and a former Democratic State Chair, a " tireless and energizing leader for the causes that Democrats and the citizens of this state hold most dear."

"She is an effective bridge between the northern and southern wings of our party and is universally respected among her peers and among party leaders," said McClellan.  "Eschewing any other adjectives which others might chose to apply regarding her race and gender, I support Assemblywoman Watson Coleman for this position because she is simply the best person for the job. End of story."

The Rev. Pastor Buster Soaries

The Rev. DeForest "Buster" Soaries said he's calling other African American leaders today to build support for Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) as the successor to retiring Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden), and threatened to back pedal from any involvement in the gubernatorial election unless Gov. Jon Corzine throws his support to Watson Coleman.

"The Democrats cannot continue to expect to get loyalty from African Americans," said Soaries, a Republican turned Democrat who served as secretary of state under former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman. "We deferred to conventional politics over the selection for senator and lieutenant governor. If Bonnie Watson Coleman is overlooked - if conventional politics negates serious consideration - we're going to respond vociferously."

Democratic Party sources place Watson Coleman, a former chair of the state party organization, and Assemblyman Joe Cryan (D-Union), the current state chair of the party, in the top tier of those legislators most likely to pursue the top position in the legislature's lower house.

Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman says she'll run for Assembly Speaker

Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Trenton) is candid about her hope to succeed Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden), who will announce his retirement at a press conference this afternoon.  

“Having had the opportunity to serve the caucus in a leadership position in legislature, I believe ascending to the speaker’s position is a natural extension based on the work I’ve already been doing,” Watson Coleman told PolitickerNJ.com in a conference call.

Watson Coleman said that she was still waiting for official word of Roberts’ retirement, and that she would support him for another term if he wanted to run again.  

“Whatever he does I’m going to be happy for him. It’s just been a real honor and pleasure to be a part of his leadership team,” she said.

Watson Coleman said that her Trenton-based district is “like Switzerland” – neither north nor south Jersey, which traditionally split control of the two houses.  

“I believe that the legislators from the Mercer area have consistently looked at the needs of the state from north to south, east to west. We’re not north Jersey localized or south Jersey localized, and I think people appreciate that and understand that,” she said.  

Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) does not want to address the prospect of running for Speaker just yet.

“I’ve got a job that I’m going to focus on as chairman of the party, working to get Democrats elected,” he said.  “I’m as accountable as anyone for making sure we retain the Assembly majority, so I’m just going to keep my focus there and see where things go.”

The Star-Ledger reported last night that Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) will not seek reelection after over a year of speculation about whether he would remain.   Cryan’s name has frequently surfaced as a potential replacement.   

Cryan has led the Democratic State Committee since 2006 and has been in the assembly since 2002, where he currently serves as Deputy Majority Leader.  He is also an undersheriff in Union County.

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) might not be seeking re-election, but that doesn't mean he'll be leaving the Trenton.  State Sen. Dana Redd is a shoo-in to win election as Mayor of Camden in November, and that means she'll have to resign her Senate seat by January 1, 2010 in order to assume her new office.  Roberts is considered a potential candidate to replace Redd in the Senate.

The new Legislature will organize on January 12, which is when Roberts' current Assembly term and leadership position expires.  His pending announcement tomorrow - officially, he will tell the Camden County Democratic Committee first - will be the start of the race for Speaker.  The outcome of the races for Governor and Senate President will be critical factors in picking the next Speaker. 

Rumors of Roberts' departure from the Assembly have been circulating for more than a year, and Democratic insiders say that the leading candidates will be Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Democratic State Chairman.  Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) is also a potential candidate.

WATSON COLEMAN HAILS CORZINE ORDER BOOSTING WOMEN- & MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES

(PRINCETON TWP.) – Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) released the following statement Friday after Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed an order ensuring women- and minority-owned businesses benefit from economic stimulus projects:

“The global recession hit hard, but thanks to President Obama’s stimulus package and initiatives pushed here by Gov. Corzine and the Democratic Legislature, New Jersey is seeing significant progress.

“Just last month we added 13,000 private sector jobs here in New Jersey. That’s a positive trend that bodes well for businesses and workers alike. We still have work to do, but we’re making progress on that today as well..."

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts will have no problem keeping his job, if Democrats hold the Assembly and if he wants it. But there is some speculation that Roberts is eyeing Dana Redd's State Senate seat, which is almost certain to open up in January.

Some Democrats think Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) might be interested in moving up to the Senate in January, if Dana Redd wins her race for Mayor of Camden.  Roberts has been Speaker for nearly four years, and while he is fully engaged in the campaign to retain the Democratic majority in the lower house, more than a few Democrats sense that he's ready to move on.  Redd is an almost certain winner.

Roberts move to the upper house would trigger an election for Assembly Speaker, with Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), and Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) as the leading contenders. 

Sources say that Louis Greenwald (D-Voorhees), Nellie Pou (D-Paterson), and Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) are also possible Speaker candidates, although clearly in a third tier category.  Even below them on the list are John McKeon (D-West Orange) and Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus), who fancy themselves as future Speakers, but appear to be just pretenders to the throne.  (Prieto's own Assembly seat could be in danger in 2011 if Democrats fail to win the Secaucus mayoral race following the arrest and resignation of Dennis Elwell.)

Part of the race for Speaker will be influenced by the results of the gubernatorial campaign and closely tied to the potential contest for Senate President between incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland) and Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

WATSON COLEMAN CALLS ON HORIZON TO ACCEPT MEDIATION

(TRENTON) – Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) today called on Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to agree to mediation by state Public Advocate Ronald Chen to resolve its contract dispute with Capital Health System.