Gerald Cardinale

There's no question that 5th District congressional candidate Dennis Shulman is benefiting from a national environment that favors Democrats.  But in his native Bergen County, which holds about 65% of the district's voters, he's faced with what could be a less hospitable environment for his party.

Last month, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero was indicted on eight corruption counts.  So was the less-known but extremely influential general counsel of the party, Dennis Oury.  The investigation continues, with subpoenas continuing to land in towns and agencies across the county, and Republicans think they actually have a shot at picking up at least one freeholder seat on the all-Democratic board.

Ferriero did endorse Shulman in the primary against attorney Camille Abate, which led to him getting the coveted organization line.  But while the Democratic brand in Bergen may be tarnished, Shulman may be lucky to not be tied too closely with it.  In fact, he said it's never been raised once to him by a constituent on the campaign trail.

"Not a single person I've spoken to throughout the district, when I go to the fairs or football games... have ever referred to it. My race is a national race with national issues," he said. Read More >

State Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest) is so upset about what he sees as a lenient sentence for former Newark Mayor and State Senator Sharpe James that he’s fired off a letter to the editor of every daily newspaper in the state.

On Tuesday, James was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and fined $100,000.

Cardinale’s letter contains some criticism of U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martini, a former Republican Congressman who presided over the trial and sentencing of James. Cardinale said staffers toned down more pointed criticism of the judge.

“It’s struck me that (Martini) has become an enabler, even an apologist for this culture of corruption,” he said in a phone interview.

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The Senate and Assembly both passed laws disbanding and reforming the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards earlier this year.  But so far, only two of the new committee’s eight seats have been filled.

That’s because it’s hard to find people interested or eligible to serve, according to Rick Wright, executive director of the Assembly Republicans.

“We are going to make appointments, but like everyone else we’re having a hard time finding people,” he said.

The Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards has been widely considered a joke for most of its existence.  It averaged one sanction against a legislator every 10 years during its nearly four decade lifespan.  Meanwhile, filing toothless complaints with the committee became standard fare during the legislative campaign season, when candidates or their allies would file a complaint against an opponent and then issue press releases trumpeting it.

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A week before former Newark Mayor (and state senator) Sharpe James is scheduled to to be sentenced in federal court, five state senators are requesting the maximum sentencing.

"We implore you," state senators Bill Baroni (R-Mercer), Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth), Gerald Cardinale (R-Begen), Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), and Kevin O'Toole (R-Essex), said in a co-authored letter sent this morning to U.S. District Judge William Martini.

"I was surprised to see Sharpe James's attorney advocating for lesser sentencing," said Beck. "This is a mayor who openly abused his power in office. We are at a low point in terms of public trust, and if citizens don't believe in their public officials it erodes our ability to administer our democracy."

According to the Star-Ledger, James's attorneys plan to meet with Martini on Wednesday to urge him to impose far less than a decade in prison on the 72-year old former mayor, who was convicted earlier this year on corruption charges.

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Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex) won't vote "yes" for budget unless he can get passed $3.9 billion for schools construction. 

TRENTON - The vote on the budget today is expected to go along party lines in the Assembly, which means Democrats have the numbers to pass a $32.9 billion document over the objections of a Republican minority.

For at least one key legislator on the Senate side, however, his "aye" vote for the budget hinges on whether the governing body approves $3.9 in borrowing for schools construction in mostly poor school districts.

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The confusion over who gets to vote at tomorrow night’s election for Bergen County Republican Chairman appears to have ended.

State Sen. Gerald Cardinale will not sue the Bergen County Republican Organization to force it to restrict voting at tomorrow night’s chairmanship runoff to only those who voted last Tuesday.

Cardinale said that Ortiz never had the authority to declare that voting would be open to all county committee members – a responsibility that belongs to the BCRO’s election committee. The committee had previously ruled for restricting tomorrow night’s ballot. Election Commissioner Patricia DiCostanzo even sent a letter informing county committee men and women that only those who voted last Tuesday could vote tomorrow.

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Bergen County GOP Chairman Rob Ortiz, facing a runoff election with Bob Yudin, says that State Sen. Gerald Cardinale was "misinformed" when he criticized the incumbent for changing the election rules.

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Bergen County Republican Chairman Rob Ortiz and challenger Bob Yudin are furiously working the phones today in preparation for Tuesday’s runoff election for the party’s top seat.

The key to winning the chairmanship will be to appeal to the 115 voters who supported Ben Focarino last night before he was knocked out of the race. But, due to a rule reversal, Ortiz and Yudin will also have the opportunity to appeal to voters who missed last night’s election.

That has renewed controversy over whether or not to allow those who didn’t vote last night to vote next Tuesday.

When the results were read last night, Election Committee Chairwoman Patricia DiCostanzo announced that Tuesday’s runoff would be restricted to last night’s voters.

That first upset Yudin, who objected to it before acquiescing a few minutes later, while Ortiz’s supporters agreed with it.

But that ruling was apparently reversed this morning by Ortiz, allowing all county committee voters to participate.

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Assemblyman John Rooney (R-Bergen) hasn't decided whether he'll seek re-election to the seat he's held since 1983Assemblyman John Rooney (R-Northvale) has still not made a decision on whether he will retire from the legislature after his current term is up.

But Rooney, who after 25 years in office has become longest serving current member of the Assembly, said that the speculation that he will face a primary challenge from Washington Township Council President Bob Schroeder, a wealthy defense contractor and former gubernatorial candidate, is wrong.

“He’s absolutely confirmed that he’s not going to run against us,” said Rooney, who had the conversation with Schroder at his own birthday party last month, which also commemorated his 25th year in the Assembly.

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Bergen County Republicans feel that the scene is set for a competitive freeholder race.

Three incumbent Democrats are up for reelection to the all-Democrat board. There’s Bernadette McPherson, who just lost her mayoral seat in Rutherford by a landslide; David Ganz, who lost his mayoral seat in Fair Lawn to Republican Ed Trawinski in 2005 (although he was reelected to the freeholder board that same year); and the brand new Vernon Walton, a former Englewood councilman who lost that seat to Democratic Assemblyman Gordon Johnson in 2006.

“McPherson and Ganz, I think, are the soft underbelly of the Democratic freeholder board,” said Republican state Sen. Gerald Cardinale.

Add to the chastened incumbents a few local circumstances, like the growing EnCap controversy, the indictment of former Democratic state Sen. Joe Coniglio and having the popular Republican Kathleen Donovan on the ballot for reelection as county clerk, and some Republicans feel that they have the makings for a good race and a chance to win a Freeholder seat for the first time since Lisa Randall won one in 2003.

“The (Democrats) each have baggage,” said Republican strategist Thom Ammirato. “You’ve got great issues floating around them.”

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