Dan Reiman

WOODBRIDGE - When the doors of the Forge flung open, the two groups went in separate directions: the mostly Puerto Rican contingent from Perth Amboy headed drearily back to the bay town, while Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, South Amboy Mayor John O'Leary, Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman and their man for the 19th District, Craig Coughlin, headed straight for the Shannon Rose Pub and a raucous celebration.

State Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge) showed up - Coughlin's wife is his campaign treasurer. There's a bond there.

So did Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville), but the sitting 19th District lawmaker from the lower house wasn't a core circle player in this celebration of Coughlin's resounding win over retired Superior Court Judge Mathias Rodriguez and health care professional Jean Pierce tonight at a special party convention at this manor on the northbound side of Route 9.

"Craig was a great candidate with experience in all five towns and all three branches of government," said McCormac, whose county committee allies from his hometown were well-organized in getting out and providing the foundation for Coughlin's 170 winning votes, compared to 75 for Rodriguez and 25 for Pierce.

State Party Chairman Joe Cryan blew in for the hoopla, which had actually started earlier in the evening, back at the Forge, when people looked around and saw Woodbridge out in force and couldn't contain their glee. Those were going to be Coughlin votes.

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CARTERET - The barges and freighters come through here on their way to Raritan Bay and passing on the Friday before the Fourth of July, some of them give a blast to the crowd gathered at the Carteret Municipal Marina where Staten Island almost seems a strong sidearm throw away but where the band plays the obligatory Springsteen cover - lest anyone doubt this is the Jersey side of the river.

In this case it's "Pink Cadillac" as Gov. Jon Corzine heads through the corridor of tents mobbed with revelers eager for nighttime.

An old factory town literally split in half by the Turnpike, Carteret occupies a point on the Arthur Kill that looks like it could crack off with the weight of reinforced concrete and rustbelt reject silos, warehouses stacked almost to the water's edge and now clusters of condos. The feeling in the working class crowd Friday is more than upbeat on the eve of Independence Day, with plates of ethnic food reflective of more mixed culture than any one definable or dominant strain.

Politically it's not as commingled. 

While 12 of Middlesex County's 25 towns have more registered voters than Carteret, the 10,797 registereds here are 4-1 Democrat over Republican with half unaffiliated. 

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The Asbury Park Press is reporting that "federal and state law enforcement officials are investigating activities connected to the previous city administration headed by former Mayor Joseph Vas."  Wilda Diaz, who ousted Vas in the mayoral election last spring, confirmed that prosecutors have requested certain information.  This won't help Vas keep his State Assembly seat in 2009. Read More >

Joseph Vas, who won just 39% of the vote last month in his bid for re-election to a sixth term as Mayor of Perth Amboy, was elected Democratic Municipal Chairman last night. Vas, a two-term Assemblyman, defeated Jim Nanton, 35-6. Ray Geneske, the longtime Democratic Chairman and a staunch Vas ally, did not seek re-election.

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U.S. Senate candidate Rob Andrews added to his Middlesex County support today with endorsements from State Sen. Joseph Vitale, Assemblyman John Wisniewski, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, and East Brunswick Democratic Chairman Shawn Taylor.   State Sens. Barbara Buono and Robert Smith announced their support of Andrews yesterday.

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Yesterday's election results in Perth Amboy are a mixed bag for Mayor/Assemblyman Joseph Vas. Vas' slate eked out a very close election against candidates who made Vas' leadership of the city the focal point of the campaign. Despite the fact that Vas himself was not up for election, the race was viewed as a referendum on his leadership as mayor.

Vas, who is engaged in an uphill battle against former Assembly Speaker Albio Sires for the Democratic nomination in the 13th Congressional District, cannot be encouraged by the fact that nearly half the voters in his hometown voted against his endorsed council candidates. The split in Perth Amboy, where four years earlier the incumbent slate faced no opposition at all, could also encourage Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman and others to challenge Vas for his 19th District Assembly seat next year

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A sign that Perth Amboy Mayor Joe Vas' base in Middlesex County might have some holes in it: Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman took Assembly Speaker Albio Sires around and introduced him to attendees at the municipal reorganization meeting on New Year's Day. Vas has represented Carteret in the Assembly since 2004. U.S. Senator-designate Robert Menendez also attended the Carteret meeting.

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