Joe Donohue

TRENTON -- Municipal and county contributions for primary campaigns can now be searched and sorted online by contributor, and the same information will be available for general election candidates early next year, the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) announced today.

Jeffrey Brindle, the ELEC executive director, made the announcement with some fanfare at the agency’s headquarters in Trenton this morning.  Although the information has been available for statewide and legislative campaigns since 1999, those looking to search for a specific contributor to local candidates used to have to pour through each candidate’s report.  

“More than $5.5 million was contributed during this year’s primary to local candidates through the state.  These donations can now be sorted by contributor and analyzed electronically,” said Brindle. “If someone receives a public contract, any citizen can simply key in his or her name.”  

Brindle said the commission began the initiative partly in response to pay-to-play, and partly to increase ELEC’s profile with the general public.  People he encounters who aren’t involved in politics or government, Brindle said, often don’t understand what ELEC does.

Former Star-Ledger Statehouse reporter Joe Donohue is joining the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).

Donohue, who took a buyout from the Ledger last year and moved on to become an Assistant Treasurer for the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, will serve as a Deputy Director with responsibilities in communications, legislative outreach, and development of “white papers” on campaign finance trends, according to a press release from the commission.

“Joe Donohue brings to this position a wealth of experience in campaign finance issues and a reputation for fairness that will greatly assist the Commission’s efforts to protect the integrity of the State’s election finance system and to encourage a more engaged electorate,” said Brindle.,” said ELEC Executive Director Jeffrey Brindle.

Politicker.com managing editor James Pindell was elected to the Capital Beat Board of Directors

Capitol Beat, an association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, gave out awards over the weekend for the bets of statehouse reporting in 2008.  The Star-Ledger won honors in three categories: In the Single Report category, first place went to Susan Livio and Mary Jo Patterson for their story on “Problems Beset Program for Troubled Kids”  Patterson, the wife of former Star-Ledger political reporter David Wald (now the spokesman for Attorney General Anne Milgram) has taken the newspaper buyout, while Livio will remain at the Star-Ledger.

Dunstan McNichol and John Martin won second place honors in he In-Depth Reporting category with their story “Waiting in pain” McNichol and Martin have both accepted buyouts. Joe Donohue, who is leaving the Star-Ledger to join the Gov. Jon Corzine's administration, won an Honrable Mention in the Beat Reporting category.

Sources familiar with the Star-Ledger newsroom say that Robert Schwaneberg, Joe Donohue, Rick Hepp, Dunstan McNichol, Kate Coscarelli, Matt Reilly and Tom Hester Sr. are among the veteran reporters who have accepted a buyout agreement.   Josh Margolin, Claire Heininger, Susan Livio and Tom Martello are part of the group that will stay on.

Two longtime Star-Ledger reporters, Robert Schwaneberg and Joe Donohue, are among a group of reporters who will accept the newspaper's buyout offer and retire this year, according to sources familiar with the Star-Ledger newsroom. Schwaneberg covered the state judiciary for many years (before his wife, Helen Hoens, was named Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court) and is now covering the race for United States Senator.  Donohue covers the statehouse.

Sources at the Star-Ledger say that publisher Jim Willse has decided that all reporters should carry digital cameras and will be required to capture still shots and video while they are covering stories. The sources say some of the reporters are not happy to have the new photographer responsibilities added to their work load.

The hype on Bob Martin, the self-funding Republican Senate candidate in the 15th district against Shirley Turner, turned out to be exactly that. Martin has raised $124,221 and spent $106,925 -- not exactly an exorbitant amount in a strong Democratic district, and less than half what his campaign boasted he was spending. He's been outspent Turner, who has $445,141 in her warchest to spend if she was nervous, which she is not. So basically, Martin is a self-funder being outspent by his opponent in a district his party hasn't won since 1993.