Joe Ferriero

Republican state Senate candidate Clara Nibot says that her opponent, Loretta Weinberg, should not be spending her time fighting with Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero.

Instead, Nibot said, Weinberg should be addressing the $3 billion budget deficit that’s expected next year.

Assemblyman and Englewood City Councilman Gordon Johnson today answered Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joseph Ferriero’s call for him to step down from one of his offices with one word: “No.”

Ferriero has been criticizing Johnson, who’s a member of a rival faction of the party, for holding two offices while simultaneously calling on a more thorough dual office-holding ban as part of a series of reforms that he and his running mates, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, hope to push through Trenton.

Johnson said that he only ran for council after being approached by a group of concerned citizens to bolster the majority of members who are not aligned with Ferriero, and pledged that he would only serve one three year term, which expires in two years.

Bergen County Freeholder Connie Wagner will be the Democratic nominee for Bob Gordon's Assembly seatConnie Wagner will likely be the next Assemblywoman for district 38.

Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero has endorsed Wagner to fill the Assembly spot for Bob Gordon, who Ferriero endorsed earlier today to replace state Senator Joe Coniglio, according to Bergen County Democratic Organization spokesman Bill Maier.

Wagner, a Bergen County Freeholder and Paramus Councilwoman, will resign from both of those positions if she’s selected by the county committee and then elected as an Assemblywoman, said Maer.

Ferriero originally offered the position to Jim Tedesco under the condition that he give up his seat as mayor of Paramus. Tedesco declined.

Longtime rivals: State Sen. Loretta Weinberg and Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe FerrieroThe 37th district Democratic legislators sent Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joe Ferriero a letter last night expressing frustration at comments from the organization’s lawyer, Dennis Oury.

In Tuesday’s Bergen Record, Oury told columnist Charles Stile that he planned to go to court to challenge pay to play legislation passed in 2004 and 2005 that was sponsored by state Sen. Loretta Weinberg. The initial legislation set standards for choosing no-bid contracts and limited certain kinds of contributions, while a later piece of legislation allowed local governments to pass stricter pay-to-play laws.

Rob Ortiz didn’t have much time to celebrate his victory last night. After winning the Chairmanship of the Bergen County Republican Organization, Ortiz was given his first task: lock up the headquarters building.

The grind starts immediately for Ortiz. Tonight he’ll be back at headquarters, helping run an event with special guest 14th District Assemblyman Bill Baroni. Baroni, a primary author of the state’s Clean Elections legislation, is trying to drum up small donors in support of the 37th district Republican legislative candidates – about as long shot a slate as you can get in New Jersey, since they’re running against a ticket led by the ever popular Loretta Weinberg. But it’s a race Ortiz thinks is important to mount nonetheless.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg may have put aside hostilities with Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero back in April, but she’s not going to let up on criticizing him.

“He’s been a very prolific fundraiser. He has worked hard to get Democrats elected, and I give him a lot of credit for that,” said Weinberg. “But I would like the organization to be about something more than fundraising and who gets what contract.”

Sure, Hillary has a huge advantage in New Jersey, and she already has the backing of the state’s two most powerful elected leaders. But nothing’s certain, and if any other candidates hope to pull an upset, they’ll likely need the backing of these important Democrats who have not yet picked a horse.

This early in the race, the most important endorsements will come from political figures who can create buzz and raise money, according to Ingrid Reed Director of the New Jersey Project at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Closer to February, politicians with more grass roots support will have a greater impact.

“The purpose of these early endorsements… basically is to boost the person’s candidacy among leadership,” said Reed. “Because they’re the people who are paying attention.”

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg and Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero are a team: Democrats said today that Weinberg, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle will run on the BCDO line in the June Democratic primary with incumbent Freeholders Tomas Padilla, Elizabeth Calabrese and James Carroll.  Three Freeholder candidates initially recruited by Weinberg will remain on the ballot, as will her Sheriff candidate against incumbent Leo McGuire.

Former Assemblyman Matthew Ahearn says he will not seek the Democratic nomination for State Senate in the 38th district.  Ahearn, who switched from Democrat to the Green Party in 2003, had been mulling a Senate bid since federal prosecutors served State Sen. Joseph Coniglio with a subpoena last month in connection to a probe of legislators receiving an alleged personal benefit from state budget items.

Coniglio, a two-term Paramus Democrat, received $5,500-a-month as a plumbing consultant for Hackensack University Medical Center, who later received over $1 million in state grants.

In an open letter, Ahearn said that he ultimately decided against a Senate bid because of his own relationship with Coniglio.

"Whatever his legal problems are at this time and his own willingness to let the Chairman call the shots on matters of Senatorial courtesy and reform bills, I genuinely like the man and his wife on a personal level," Ahearn wrote.  "He took me door to door with him in 2001 and taught me a great deal about campaigns. Senator Coniglio quietly appreciated my independence from the Chairman while making it clear it was not the best political move in the world, not in the short term at least. He never disrespected me for my leave of absence from the party to do what I felt was right at the time by running a race to make pay to play in government an issue the voters understood better."

Bergen Democrats Should Return Dirty Lynch Money