Joseph Coniglio

The conviction of former Newark Mayor/State Sen. Sharpe James is another victory for U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, the front runner for the 2009 Republican nomination for Governor.  Since becoming federal prosecutor in 2002, Christie has won a conviction or plea agreement against every public official indicted by a federal grand jury.

Several key GOP leaders approached Dr. Mehmet Oz, a nationally prominent cardiothoracic surgeon from Cliffside Park, to enter the race for U.S. Senator – but without success. Despite his national fundraising contacts and Oprah Winfrey’s infatuation with him, at some point Republicans will just stop asking Oz to run for office. He was mentioned as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2006, and as a State Senate candidate against Joseph Coniglio in 2007.

Since the Bergen County-based 38th legislative district was created, every State Senator has eventually failed to win re-election. Republican Frederick Wendel, elected in 1971, lost to Democrat John Skevin in 1973. Skevin was defeated by Republican John Paolella in 1981, and Paolella was ousted by Democrat Paul Contillo in 1983. Contillo was unseated by Republican Louis Kosco in 1991, and Kosco lost in 2001 to Democrat Joseph Coniglio. Coniglio dropped his bid for a third term after the 2007 primary after published reports that he was the target of a federal criminal probe.  He was indicted last week.

Today's Washington Post references a 2006 $2 million federal earmark U.S. Senator Barack Obama helped secure for the University of Chicago, where his wife, Michelle Obama, worked as the vice president for community and external affairs.  Former State Sen. Joseph Coniglio was indicted yesteday for helping secure a state Christmas tree grant for Hackensack University Medical Center that employed him as a plumbing consultant.

Joseph Coniglio dropped his State Senate re-election bid last year after published reports that he was the target of a probeThere is considerable buzz today -- with no confirmation -- that the U.S. Attorney's office will announce the indictment of former State Sen. Joseph Coniglio. Following published reports, Coniglio acknowledged last summer that he was the target of a federal criminal probe stemming from his employment as a plumbing consultant with the Hackensack University Medical Center while helping the hospital obtain state funds. Coniglio dropped his bid for re-election to the Senate after Democratic polling showed his seat to be at risk.

Joe Coniglio is the target of a federal criminal probeBergen County GOP Chairman Rob Ortiz has filed a formal complaint with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission regarding former State Sen. Joseph Coniglio’s use of leftover campaign funds – about $90,000 – to pay for his legal expenses. ELEC ruled on Wednesday that former State Sen. Wayne Bryant, who is under indictment, could not use his warchest to pay attorney fees. Coniglio is the target of a federal criminal probe.

Now that ELEC has rejected Wayne Bryant’s request to use leftover campaign funds to pay for his legal defense, what happens to Joseph Coniglio, who has already spent $90,000 from his warchest to pay his lawyer?

Governor Jon Corzine will fill the Republican seat on the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission “within weeks or even days,” according to his spokesman, Jim Gardner. The seat has been vacant since Corzine named Judge Theodore Davis to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of Camden in December 2006.

Earlier this week, ELEC postponed a decision on the use of campaign funds to pay attorney fees in a criminal corruption case by a 2-1 vote, with the lone Republican Commissioner voting against the postponement. Republican National Committeeman David Norcross sharply criticized Corzine for leaving the GOP seat vacant for more than a year, calling it “inexcusable.” Norcross, a former ELEC Executive Director, said the law requires the commission to be bi-partisan.

The vote by the Election Law Enforcement Commission to postpone a ruling allowing a candidate to use campaign funds for their legal defense in a criminal matter was along party lines: Democratic Commissioners Jerry English and Albert Burstein voted to postpone the issue, while Republican Commissioner Peter Tober voted no.

While state law requires ELEC to be equally divided among both political parties, Democrats have enjoyed a 2-1 majority since December 2006, when Governor Jon Corzine named one of the Republican Commissioners, retired Judge Theodore Davis to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the City of Camden. 

Had the Republican seat been filled, it is possible that the motion to postpone the decision would have been tied at 2-2 – lacking the votes to pass.  That would have forced ELEC to act today.

The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission is expected to issue an advisory opinion in about two weeks on former State Senator Wayne Bryant’s ability to use his leftover campaign funds to help finance his legal defense.  Bryant, who has about $650,000 in his warchest, has been indicted on twenty counts of official corruption.   Another former State Senator, Joseph Coniglio, has already used about $90,000 from his campaign account to pay his lawyer.  Coniglio, who is the target of a federal probe but has not been charged, dropped his bid for re-election last year.