Joan Voss

Political problems for the state's largest teacher's union continue to mount.  After going all out for Gov. Jon Corzine in the recent election, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) knows they have a potential problem with voucher-backing charter school enthusiast Gov.-elect Christopher Christie.  And in the Senate, it looks like Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), a protégé of Newark political leader Stephen Adubato, might replace Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence) as chairman of the Education Committee.  A fair assumption is that Ruiz will share Adubato's fervent support for charter schools. 

Turner could wind up a casualty of the contest for Senate President; she backed incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland), while Ruiz supported the likely winner, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

Christie's problem with the NJEA might be more than just politics - he appears to have different views on how to fix New Jersey's public school.  And he might have the upper hand, especially with a potential political ally running the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), who is expected to become the next Assembly Speaker, has not yet indicated who she will pick as the new Assembly Education Committee Chairman.  The incumbent, Joseph Cryan (D-Union), a strong NJEA supporter, is expected to vacate the post to become Majority Leader.  Oliver also has strong ties to Adubato - she is the Assistant Essex County Administrator (and Ruiz is the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Essex County Executive) - but statehouse observers say that Oliver is likely to pick a new chairman who would be supportive of the teachers union, a key player in the state's Democratic base vote.

Reportedly not under consideration to head the Education Committee is Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), who spent forty years as a public school teacher and is now vice chair of the panel.  Voss, Democratic leaders say, lacks intellectual heft to take on the post.  Instead, Democrats could turn to Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), a Cryan/Oliver ally and the current chairman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.  If Diegnan turns it down - the Middlesex County Democrat might want to stay where he is, considering the importance of Rutgers University to his district, the leadership might go with the highly-regarded Mila Jasey (D-South Orange), a former school board member but an ally of outgoing Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), or Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Twp.), a member of South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross' political organization.

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After a negative flyer her campaign issued cost her the endorsement of the state's second largest newspaper, Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) said she will change the way she campaigns.

"I think that I've matured as a candidate and as an assemblyperson, and if I choose to run again in the future, I will only do positive pieces," said Wagner, a freshman running for re-election with fellow incumbent Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee).  "And you can hold me to that."

The now infamous "Porn and Guns" mailer - which accuses Republican opponents Nicholas Lonzisero and Judith Fisher of having ties to the pornography industry and of renting space to a gun shop located near a school (both charges are based in fact, but stretched to logical extreme) - had even Democrats scratching their heads as to why incumbents in a relatively safe district would engage in slash and burn campaigning. 

Ultimately, it cost the two Democrats the otherwise wrapped up endorsement of The Record, which praised their legislative records and said the Republicans "offer mostly boilerplate Republican talking points."  Nevertheless, the paper called the flyer a "deal-breaker" and, in its last line, endorsed the Republicans.

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The District 38 Republican challengers are capitalizing on The Record's endorsement with thousands of robocalls.  

The paper's editorial said that the paper would have endorsed incumbents Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee) and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) had they not sent out a negative mailer associating their opponents with "porn and guns."

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin said that the two underdog Republicans – Ridgefield Councilman Nicholas Lonzisero and Fort Lee activist Judith Fisher – are capitalizing on the flyer's backlash.  

“Because of The Record endorsement in District 38, and because of the outrage at the two Democrats for charging the two Republican candidates with guns and porno, the campaign over the weekend is making tens of thousands of robocalls advising voters that The Record has endorsed two Republicans,” said Yudin. Read More >

The Home News Tribune has urged the ouster of the most incumbent legislators this year: six.  The HNT called for the defeat of Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro), Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), Joseph Egan (D-New Brunswick), Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin), Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), and John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville).  Only Peter Barnes (D-Edison) survived the wrath of the editorial board.  But the HNT also endorsed three incumbent Democrats for re-election to the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders. 

The Courier-News wants five incumbents, all Democrats, to be defeated: Linda Stender (D-Fanwood), Gerald Green (D-Plainfield), Egan, Chivukula, and Diegnan.  They endorsed three GOP incumbents, Peter Biondi (R-Hillsborough), Denise Coyle (R-Bernards), and John DiMaio (R-Hackettstown) and Barnes.

The Courier-Post wants four Democratic legislators gone: five-term Assemblymen Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) and Jack Connors (D-Pennsauken); and two special election winners -- State Sen. James Beach (D-Voorhees), who went to the Senate after John Adler became a Congressman; and Assemblywoman Celeste Riley (D-Bridgeton), who won a special election convention earlier this year after Douglas Fisher resigned to become state Secretary of Agriculture.   The Gloucester County Times also advocated the defeat of Riley, and the Burlington County Times said Coway should go.

The Record endorsed Republican challengers running against Frederick Scalera (D-Nutley), Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus); they endorsed ten incumbents for re-election - seven Democrats and three Republicans.  The Record also called for the ouster of Democratic Freeholders in Bergen and Passaic counties.

The Press of Atlantic City endorsed a Republican challenger against freshman Assemblyman Matthew Milam (D-Vineland).  The newspaper backed five incumbents - one Democrat and four Republicans.

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Democrats went over the top negative in the race for State Assembly in District 38, and it cost them the endorsement of The Record.  The re-election campaign of Assemblywomen Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee) and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) sent out a "Porn and Guns" mailer attacking Judith Fisher for her connection to the pornography industry because she owns a company that sells accounting software to Playboy, and Nicholas Lonzisero for renting space in a building he owns to a gun shop. 

"On the issues, we are more aligned with Wagner and Voss. They have an impressive body of legislative work already. But we, in good conscience, cannot ignore the negative tone of their campaign. For us, it is a deal-breaker," the editorial said.

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When you get this close to Election Day, there is no shortage of dumb comments that come from people who are either in public office or likely to win one.  But with Joseph Ferriero no longer in charge, what's coming out of Bergen county is sort of amazing.

The best line of the week came from Assemblyman Frederick Scalera (D-Nutley), who sought to lessen the effect of Ferriero's criminal conviction by noting that he also represents parts of Essex and Passaic counties: "We answer to three county chairs," Scalera said, not considering that some might think he actually answers to the voters.

The biggest stretch of the truth also came from two Democratic Assemblywomen, Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) and Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee).  Their campaign put out a mailer attacking Republican Judith Fisher of being an Internet pornographer.  Their evidence: Fisher and her husband own a firm that produces accounting software for intellectual property management.  One of their customers is Playboy.  Fisher's problem is that she's running in a Democratic district and doesn't have the money to respond - or talk about how Wagner and Voss were hand-picked for their seats by Ferriero, who liked candidates who didn't necessarily think entirely for themselves.

Democratic incumbents Julie O'Brien and Vernon Walton have seized on attacks against tobacco companies as a critical issue in a race for Bergen County Freeholder.  They are blaming GOP challenger John Driscoll, who is a field sales representative for Lorillard Tobacco, for his role in enabling children to smoke cigarettes.  "As a mother and a grandmother I know how hard it is to keep kids away from cigarettes. John Driscoll's efforts aren't helping.  It takes your breath way," O'Brien said.  Maybe it's smart politics that O'Brien has shifted the debate away from property taxes and Ferriero (by the way, he picked her too). 

A Republican Council candidate in North Arlington taped a one-hour conversation with four Democratic leaders, including Mayor Peter Massa, where the Democrats outline a plan to give him "money, appointments and power" in exchange for dropping out the race.  What remains to be seen is whether the bad guy is Republican Chris Johnson, who may have solicited a bribe, or the Democrats, who may have violated the same state law that sent the Mayor of Carney's Point to jail.

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Bergen County Republicans are enraged by a Democratic mailer that attacks the 38th District Republican Assembly candidates over "porn and guns."

The mailer hits recipients with an image of the word "porn" spelled out in computer keys above "guns" spelled out in bullets.

"If you make your money on porn or guns, then you have something in common with the Bergen Republican candidates," the front of the mailer reads.  Turn it around, and the flyer says that Republican Assembly candidate Judith Fisher is a "consultant to one of the largest pornographic companies in the world" and that her running mate, Ridgefield Councilman Nick Lonzisero, rents property to a gun shop located next to an elementary school that is promoted by the National Rifle Association - "the same organization that's been lobbying to allow assault weapons in New Jersey." 

"It is so despicable. It shows the two Democratic candidates are wallowing around in the sewers with pig manure," said Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin.  "You can quote me on that." 

The flyer's style is fairly typical of Bergen County's notoriously down and dirty political scene.  What is unusual is that it was issued in a district that is considered a relatively safe bet for incumbents Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee) and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) to win.

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NEW LAW SPONSORED BY CONNERS, VOSS & TUCKER WILL HELP STUDENTS WITH DIABETES

Law Allows Diabetic Students to Self-Medicate in School; Provides Training for Teachers, Aides and Bus Drivers

(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assembly members Jack Conners, Joan M. Voss and Cleopatra G. Tucker to create individualized health care plans for students with diabetes and training in diabetes care for school employees was recently signed into law by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.

“Diabetes is a disease that requires constant personal management,” said Conners (D-Camden/Burlington). “Until now, state law required students with diabetes to visit the school nurse for any and all medication, which was at best unfair to their education and at worst dangerous to their health.”

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Four Bergen County Democrats -- Valerie Huttle (D-Englewood), Gordon Johnson (D-Englewood), Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) -- are expected to endorse Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) for Assembly Speaker today.  Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) also says he's voting for Oliver.  That would bring her hard count to 39.

Five incumbents seeking re-election have not yet disclosed their choice in the race for Speaker: Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), Elease Evans (D-Paterson), Nellie Pou (D-Paterson), Joan Quigley (D-Jersey City), Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus), and Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilon).  A seventh incumbent, Anthony Chiappone (D-Bayonne), who is under indictment, has been tossed from the Democratic Caucus.

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If the Assembly leadership elections go as expected, Joseph Cryan (D-Union) will give up the Education Committee chairmanship to become Majority Leader.   Democratic sources that Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), the vice chair of the committee and a retired public school teacher, is not under consideration for the post.  One possible candidate is Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), who chairs the Assembly Higher Education Committee; that could clear the way for Pamela Lampitt (D-Cherry Hill), who works for the University of Pennsylvania, to take that slot.  But Diegnan gets that his panel is of importance to Rutgers University, which is important to Middlesex County Democrats.

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