Joe DiVincenzo

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo

NUTLEY – Notwithstanding his soulful exchange of professional and platonic respect with Chris Christie hours after Christie stepped down as U.S. Attorney late last year, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo says when it comes to statewide politics, he’s only focused on helping to reelect Gov. Jon Corzine and doesn’t anticipate getting a call to serve as Corzine’s running mate.

“I would always leave all doors open but my efforts are focused on getting the top of the Democratic ticket elected; we can’t lose that top person,” said DiVincenzo, now serving his second term in office and gearing up for a third term run next year. 

To this year’s end of aiding the governor, DiVincenzo will soon formally dispatch his chief of staff, Phil Alagia, to head up Corzine’s statewide political operations. 

The Governor in Essex on Wednesday evening.

WEST ORANGE – The Governor of New Jersey usually doesn’t wait long to address a collective of his own party, but this being Essex in a gubernatorial election year, the governor stayed on ice during a drum roll ceremony that was as much a buildup of Essex as it was a buildup to Gov. Jon Corzine.

Corzine didn’t appear to mind – and with reason.

“Barack Obama won nearly 250,000 votes in Essex last year,” the governor roared when he finally took the microphone. “If you give me 250,000 votes, this election’s signed, sealed and delivered” – a reference to the Stevie Wonder anthem a deejay played to introduce Corzine, subliminally strengthening the governor’s linkage to Obama, who  favored the song last year on the campaign trail.

The all-day buzz was that this Essex County Democratic Convention would present the unmistakable photo op of former Gov./Senate President Richard Codey (D-West Orange) and Corzine onstage together, arms raised in a ceremonial show of solidarity as the blockbuster credits rolled. 

Senate President Richard Codey (D-West Orange)

Democratic Party auditions are ongoing for the state’s first lieutenant governor, but if there are any white males interested in playing Banquo to Jon Corzine’s Macbeth, their soliloquies at present are decidedly understated – even inaudible.  

Sources close to state Senate President Richard Codey (D-West Orange), for example, say the former governor who shouldered executive office duties after Jim McGreevey’s 2004 bow-out, doesn’t want the lieutenant governor’s job, although some party insiders say the regular guy lawmaker – or someone like him - could provide the right bounce to a ticket headed by Gov. Jon Corzine.

New Jersey’s electorate breaks roughly into three ideological sections: 25% liberal, 25% conservative, and 50% moderate. 

Of course, Republicans will seize on spending during the last eight years and a budget ballooned from $25 billion up to $33 billion to brand Codey a bloated government Tip O’Neill lib, but the former governor’s coach and family man cred lends him the kind of Christmas card patriarch appeal arguably doable with suburban white moderates. And if Codey couldn't convince as a moderate, he at least would have little trouble wearing the label "political pragmatist."

At-Large Councilman Peter Cammarano, left, and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton)

SOMERSET – The influx of federal stimulus money dominated much of the conversation here Saturday night at the Garden State Equality dinner, with some Democrats privately terrified by the prospect of misspent money ballooning into a crippling headline just in time for the gubernatorial election.

As there are just two gubernatorial contests nationwide this year, New Jersey becomes the de facto frontline for President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, and what most anticipate will be a Meadowlands charm offense by the president on the eve of the election could boomerang badly for Democrats if they mismanage the historic infusion of cash. 

After meeting a week ago with Obama, who told governors to pay particular attention to ensuring stimulus transparency, Gov. Jon Corzine said New Jersey would receive $17.5 billion from the  federal aid package, or $7.5 billion in tax benefits, and $10 billion for Medicaid, and investments in highways, roads, bridges, mass transit, and healthcare information technology.

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove)

Insiders lay out several battlefields this year, and Republican or Democrat, it’s not two or three gulps of beer into a conversation before they spill the strategic terrain of the coming legislative contests.

The Democrats will put money into 1 to defend their incumbents there, and they will try to take down the Republican incumbents in 2. They’ll play in 8 again largely as a diversionary tactic, defend in 14 and – and this is big - heavily fortify 36, where the GOP last time came within 2,400 votes of stripping the Dems of a seat.

Representatives in both parties usually mention the last of these prospective showdowns as the most meaningful, a potential north Jersey version of the 12th District Karcher-Beck war in 2007, where both parties will likely lay down their heaviest barrage.

For the moment, Democrats feel they have some GOP civil war drama on their side, and are gleefully inclined to let the Republican body count mount at this fractious tri-county, multi-ego crossroads of Passaic, Bergen and Essex, before they get in and scrap in earnest to protect Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

Better to let the other side give itself a good going over before taking casualties. That’s the attitude.

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo today in the Hall of Records.

NEWARK – A soundtrack of Chris Christie’s favorite Jersey songster wailing on a mouth harp flooded the room as Essex County politicians and staffers filled the first floor of the Essex County Hall of Records, but Phil Alagia clarified that there was a reason why he didn’t select Springsteen’s magnum opus.

 “We were going to play ‘Born to Run’ but we realized that would not be a good song for him (Christie) today,” said County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo’s chief of staff and hard-nosed Democratic Party operative.

With a light touch, Alagia made sure people understood that DiVincenzo and company’s celebration of Christie’s seven-year service as U.S. Attorney should not be misconstrued as a statement of support for Christie should the Republican decide to run for governor and rebrand a battered statewide party.

“I’m 100 percent with Corzine,” he said.

Ditto DiVincenzo, the County Executive explained when it was his turn to herald Christie, who went 130 and 0 in pursuing corruption cases against public officials. Theirs is a special relationship, he admitted – indeed, a friendship - and not just because the man affectionately termed “Joe D” and Christie are both Newark natives.

Chris Christie today in Newark.

NEWARK - Thirteen hours after he strode out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the last time, a familiar Essex County scene unfolded here on another street in the Central Ward, where Chris Christie stood in front of a bank of microphones in a packed room at the Essex County Hall of Records.

After seven years of fingering corrupt politicians and putting them behind bars, Christie this afternoon allowed friends in that same, often troubled, public profession to shower him with some local love.

In a pull-out-all-the-stops event complete with Bruce Springsteen soundtrack and tears on cheeks as Christie struck a gratified and reflective mood, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and his staff heaped gifts and kind words on the crimebuster - one day after his resignation from office.

Trying to break through the bear-hugging Christie and DiVincenzo after the ceremony, reporters crowded the likely GOP gubernatorial candidate and prodded him about whether he intends to run  against incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine.

Senate President Dick Codey is New Jersey's most popular politician, according to an FDU poll released today
New Jersey voters’ feelings about Gov. Jon Corzine remain tepid, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind poll released today. 

Survey respondents are split on whether they approve of Governor Corzine’s performance, with 41% approving and 43% disapproving.  16% had mixed feelings or didn’t know. 

31% of New Jersey voters think Gov. Corzine is doing an “excellent” or “good job,” while 41% rate his performance as “only fair.”  25% think that he’s done a “poor” job in office.  Those numbers are basically the same as they were in an FDU poll conducted in June.

DENVER -- Essex County Executive Joe DiVencenzo may have said last week that he would consider running for Governor if Gov. Corzine left office early or decided not to seek reelection, but since arriving for the convention he’s been assured that won’t be the case.

“There’s no question Jon is going to be running for reelection. He’s been working this delegation very, very well.   He assured me that he’s going to be our candidate whether Obama wins our not.  He’s not interested in going to Washington,” said DiVincenzo. 

Gov. Jon Corzine, left, and former Gov. Brendan T. Byrne today in Newark.: Politicker photo

NEWARK - The presence of a beloved former anything in the world of politics invariably intensifies public scrutiny where it concerns that person’s successor, especially when that successor is currently in office.

So an Essex County favorite son, the 84-year old former Gov. Brendan Byrne standing beside Gov. Jon Corzine before a packed audience of county diehards today, created myriad opportunities for parallels.

On this day, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo’s unveiled the Gov. Brendan T. Byrne Plaza, honoring the former county prosecutor and governor with his own local monument.

"Because of everything he stood for," DiVincenzo said of Byrne, who served as governor from 1974-1982. "Because he stood for doing the right thing. Whether it was with (raising) the income tax or the Meadowlands, he always did the right thing."

Then DiVincenzo introduced Corzine, who would introduce Byrne.