Dick Codey

CORRECTION:  The original version of this story contained the line "Lesniak says he won’t get entangled in the affairs of the lower house, but if Oliver becomes the next speaker, many legislators will have an easy excuse to vote for Sweeney over Codey."  The second clause of the sentence was written by the author for explanatory purposes and was not said by Lesniak.  The way the sentence was structured, it came off that way.  PolitickerNJ.com regrets the error. 

Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver’s (D-East Orange) sudden frontrunner status to be the next Assembly Speaker has direct implications for the Senate leadership contest: she and Senate President Dick Codey (D-Roseland) are both from Essex County.

“I can’t imagine that either house would be interested in having both leadership positions from the same county – that would be unprecedented and not good.  But that’s stating the obvious,” said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Elizabeth), who is a key vote in the Senate leadership contest between Codey and state Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

Lesniak says he won’t get entangled in the affairs of the lower house.

At the time Lesniak made the statement to PolitickerNJ.com, he was undeclared as to who he would support for Senate President.  An hour later, Sweeney released a list of his supporters that included Lesniak.  

“Getting this behind us is very, very important. The sooner we resolve this, the better.  Although I would very much like Steve and Dick to have a standstill agreement, neither of them are going to stand still until after the election.  So quite frankly it would be naïve to propose or even think it’s possible,” said Lesniak.  “The next best thing would be to make a decision sooner rather than later.”

Senate President Dick Codey (D-Roseland) said that the next Assembly Speaker will “have large shoes to fill” after Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) retires.

“Joe Roberts’ leadership and commitment will be sorely missed in Trenton.  He has been one of the most steadfast and dedicated public servants that Trenton has seen in nearly a quarter of a century,” said Codey, who lauded Roberts’ record on legislation that dealt with property tax relief, affordable housing and autism.  

"While there were times when we had policy differences, they never became personal and Joe and I always got along.  Joe was the consummate legislator and a true gentleman to work with whose sole goal was always to help the citizens of New Jersey,” read the rest of Code’s statement.   “I have been very fortunate to be able to say that, like Congressman Albio Sires before him, Joe is a friend. The next Assembly Speaker will have large shoes to fill and I look forward to continuing the working relationship Joe and I forged as Speaker and Senate President with the next Speaker.”

With four months to go before the election, Assembly Democrats have a nearly three-to-one cash advantage over the Republicans.

The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee has $989,244 on hand to Assembly Republican Victory’s $334,429, according to reports filed yesterday with the Election Law Enforcement Commission.  

Democrats raised more than twice as much as Republicans last quarter, taking in $397,624 to the GOP’s $176,889.  

All 80 assembly seats are up this year, although only a couple districts at most are considered competitive.  The bulk of both parties’ money will likely be spend in District 1, where Democrats Nelson Albano (D-Vineland) and Matt Milam (D-Vineland) are expected to have a tough race against Cape May County Republicans Michael Donohue and John McCann.  

Democrats also have a large monetary advantage in the state Senate, where there is only one special election this year in South Jersey that is not expected to be competitive.  The Senate Democratic Majority has $927,699 on hand to the Republicans’ $442,333.  Democrats took in $132,675 last quarter to Republicans’ $101,468.

Steve Adubato and Jeanne Fox on the set of "Caucus: New Jersey"

Independent gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett will be “On the Record” this weekend with host Jim Hooker, airing Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and on Monday at 6:30 a.m.

On Reporters Roundtable, hosted by State House correspondent Zachary Fink, the AP’s Angela Delli Santi, The Record’s Charles Stile, The Atlantic City Press’s Derek Harper and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari will discuss the Governor’s furlough plan, the state budget and the Republican gubernatorial primary.

Steve Adubato hosts Senate President Dick Codey and Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox on his two shows this weekend.

Codey will join Adubato and co-host Pi Roman on “Inside Trenton” to talk about ethics and Democratic legislators’ take on the Gov. Corzine’s budget, airing Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Fox will appear on NJN’s “Caucus: New Jersey” to discuss how the Governor’s Energy Master Plan will provide economic growth and "green collar" jobs, after which Adubato will discuss renewable energy with PSE&G President and COO Ralph Larossa, airing Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on WNET.  

Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie maintains his lead against Gov. Corzine in an FDU PublicMind poll released this morning.

Christie leads Corzine in a head-to-head general election match up by nine points, 42% to 33% -- almost the exact same margin of an FDU poll released a month ago.

"Sometimes timing is everything," said FDU pollster and political scietist Peter Woolley. "He's the only incumbent governor up for reelection this year as the financial crisis hits."  

The Governor’s approval rating is at 40%, while 49% of respondents disapproving, while his favorability rating is even lower.  Thirty-three percent have a favorable opinion and 56% have an unfavorable opinion.  Christie’s name recognition now stands at 62% -- 5% more than a month ago – and he is viewed favorably by 31% and unfavorably by 12%. 

State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington) said today that she is probably not interested in a seat on the soon-to-be-expanded Senate Judiciary Committee.

“When you change committees you have to give up one, and while I think Judiciary would be an excellent committee, I would be hard pressed to give up one of the two I have,” said Allen, who is the ranking Republican on the Education Committee and the second ranking minority party member of the Health Committee.  

Under a rules change proposed by Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) and agreed to by Republicans, the Judiciary Committee will add two new senators, one Republican and one Democrat, to expand its membership from 11 to 13.

State Senate President Dick Codey (D-West Orange) today appointed state Sen. Loretta Weinberg to fill a vacant seat on the Judiciary Committee.

“Loretta Weinberg is an ideal choice for the Senate Judiciary Committee,” said Senator Codey in a statement. “Few members rival her passion and commitment to justice and equality. She brings with her an independent spirit and nuanced approach to government that will help ensure a thorough vetting of all gubernatorial nominees, particularly judicial candidates.”

The seat opens up as state Sen. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) prepares to resign after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Codey earlier tapped state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) to chair the committee.

State Sen. Frederick Madden (D-Washington Twp.) will be the new Chairman of the Senate Labor Committee.

Senate President Dick Codey (D-West Orange) has tapped state Sen. Fred Madden (D-Washington Township) to chair the Labor Committee.

State Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Jersey City) has been named vice-chair.

The chairmanship opened up after former Chairman Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) was named to replace state Sen. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) as chair of the judiciary committee. Adler was elected last month to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Fred Madden is a natural fit to helm the Senate Labor Committee,” said Codey in a statement. “Clearly he has the experience, having already served as Vice Chair. He also has a demonstrated commitment to laws that protect workers’ rights and foster job growth, the bedrock of a healthy workforce.”

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Speaking on a conference call a few hours prior to joining congressional candidate Dennis Shulman to appeal to commuters at Hoboken Terminal, Senate President Dick Codey asked what New Jerseyans have to gain by sending U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) back for another term.

“If you look at it now, what do we gain by sending Garrett back? People in the Republican Party say he’s a marginal figure, and he’s a marginal figure in the minority,” he said.