Michael Aron

The first gubernatorial debate between Democrat Jon Corzine, Republican Christopher Christie, and independent Christopher Daggett will air on New Jersey Network (NJN) tonight at 8:00 PM.  The 90 minute debate will be broadcast live from NJN Studios in Trenton. 

NJN News anchor Jim Hooker will moderate the debate, and candidates will take questions from three panelists: Michael Aron of NJN News; Bob Ingle of Gannett New Jersey; and Cynthia Burton of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The debate will be simulcast on NJN Public Radio and will be available on the web at njn.net. The debate will also be aired on C-Span.

PolitickerNJ.com's Matt Friedman will live blog during the debate at www.PolitickerNJ.com.

New Jersey Network lost a bid to move the first gubernatorial debate from October 1 to October 22 after a New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission vote was deadlocked 2-2 along party lines.

About an hour after ELEC's meeting concluded, Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign indicated that it would be willing to participate in both of the commission's debates regardless of the date.

"The Corzine campaign reiterates its position that the public is better served having the two gubernatorial debates later in October," said Corzine spokesman Sean Darcy.  "Our position notwithstanding, we are prepared to participate in both ELEC sanctioned debates regardless of whether or not the NJN debate is rescheduled for October 22nd."

Corzine's agreement to participate is likely to make an ELEC meeting set for Wednesday to revisit the debate schedule issue moot.  NJN Public Affairs Producer Ed Rodgers, who testified at the meeting, could not immediately be reached for comment, so it is not yet clear whether the network will continue to pursue the date change.

NJN Interim News Director Michael Aron sought the date change after the Corzine campaign told him that the Governor would not attend the October 1 debate.  Although the Corzine campaign implied that the incumbent would attend the debate on October 22nd, they never formally agreed to it - a sticking point for the commissioners today, along with the fact that the Corzine camp has not said why they can't attend on the originally scheduled day.

"Is no one really as deeply disturbed as I am by the fact that the Corzine committee has given us no reason for their inability or unwillingness for October 1?" said Commissioner Amos Saunders, a retired Superior Court Judge from Passaic County.  "I don't know what's going on, but I would hope at least for the courtesy of a reason.  I don't know if there is a reason, if it's not political gamesmanship."

The proposed change would also force a change in the debate for lieutenant governor, which currently scheduled for October 8 but is required to take place between the two gubernatorial debates.  It would also compress the debate schedule into a one week time frame ending less than two weeks before Election Day.

The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission will meet on Monday afternoon to discuss a request from New Jersey Network News Director Michael Aron to move to gubernatorial debate from October 1 to October 22 to accommodate the schedule of Gov. Jon Corzine. 

This is one of two official debates mandated by ELEC as a condition of accepting public financing.  While Corzine, who is not taking matching funds, is not obligated to participate, he has the option to since he has spent more than $340,000 so far.  The other two candidates, Republican Christopher Christie and independent Christopher Daggett, are required to take part in the ELEC debates.  Christie and Daggett have opposed moving a debate that would now occur fairly late in the campaign.

"The Corzine camp told us they would not participate in an October 1 debate but would give serious consideration to a debate in the latter part of October. In the interests of a full public discussion, we are working with ELEC to try to set up a debate on October 22nd," Aron said in a statement to PolitickerNJ.com this week.

Excerpts from an interview between legendary Jersey City political insider Paul Byrne and New Jersey Network senior political correspondent Michael Aron on NJN's On the Record, aired on Sunday, June 15, 2003.  Byrne had been indicted on charges that was the bagman for Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski, who later went to jail for accepting bribes. He later pleaded guilty to tax evasion and extortion charges and faced 30 to 37 months in a federal prison.  Byrne died in May, 2005 at age 59, just days before a federal judge was set to sentence him.

"There are two things that all men want to keep during the course of their lives: those are their sport jackets and their best friends.  I'm now reduced to just my sport jackets.  I'm very upset about what's happened to him, but it was foreseeable."

"Practically five years ago he started losing interest in the government itself.  But when we came to the period that everyone in New Jersey calls the Twelve Days of Torricelli, and he was on the losing end, he just gave up.  He didn't want to be in public office anymore and he started drinking heavily."

"I didn't know there was $100,00 in his file cabinet.  Sadder than that, during the period when he had the $100,000 in his filing cabinet, both his children were in distress and trouble and on welfare and he didn't help them."

"We started during the '77 period.  Thomas F.X. Smith was expected to become the Mayor [of Jersey City] and we expected to win on the first round ballot.  So what I did was convince Mayor Smith to put Janiszewski on the ballot as an Assembly candidate because we needed a bright Polish guy to fill out the ticket.  That's normal in urban politics.  So that's how he became an Assemblyman.  But he became a star real quick.  He became an outstanding legislator while in the New Jersey Assembly.  I think he was named legislator of the year at one time."

"During the entire period of our association and friendship -- and I admit I was his best friend his entire life -- he was great at public policy.  He was great at the politics of it, but had the other side to him and the other side was the dark side.  I spent most of my career, aside from advising him, cleaning up after him.  I felt like the guy with the big broom behind the two elephants.  I include [Janiszewski's wife] Beth in that too.  So essentially I would be helping to eliminate the problems that would in any way affect his public personality."

"He only had two people on his staff he could count on.  His executive secretary, Janet Lauro, who's still on the county [payroll] and she was essentially his younger sister and she tried to keep him from falling off the edge."

"He should have quit, and we talked about it many times.  He would tell me 'I don't want to do this anymore.'"

"Hudson is no different than any other county in the state.  I was amused by his public comment about the brazen bribers.  Picture this, if you will: the county courthouse in Hudson County.  Brazen bribers arrive at the county building.  They knock down the front door.  They evade the Sheriff's officers. The break into the County Exec's [office].  They disarm his personal security, and they throw him up against the wall and stuff his pockets with $100 bills.  That's not real."

"You have to understand that both he and Beth controlled the entire operation.  So when he didn't want to participate, Beth would become the CEO and all the directors would report to her. She would decide what was going on."

"If you recall the Los Angeles Convention -- he called me up and was on the verge of tears and said 'nobody wants to talk to me, even Ray Lesniak.'"

"He didn't even fight.  He was totally for [James E.] McGreevey until [Robert] Torricelli made it known that he had an interest in running [for Governor].  And by the way, I supported that.  Torricelli walks on water.  When it came time to fight for the nomination, he and Beth went off sailing in Key West.  We couldn't get him.  The didn't even recharge the battery.  It was like 'OK, we're going to do this, but it's not going to work anyhow.'"

"The joke in Hudson County is he had all this money in his file cabinet but he never picked up the tab in his life.  If you went to dinner with Bob -- and I still care about him even though it's a weird relationship -- but if you went out to dinner with him there was no chance you were going to see his credit card.  None.  None whatsoever."

"You can't do this stuff by yourself.  You need helpers.  You can't have any CEO put themselves in a position where they're going to be able to accept bribes."

"This incident in Hudson itself has to deal with Bobby Janiszewski, not the county itself.  It depends who's the boss, who's in charge."

"I was upset that I spent my entire life with him and he would just throw my name in the hopper.  Everybody's part of the food chain.  He's following in the footsteps of [convicted ex-State Sen.] David Friedland."

"I'm one of his closest friends and advisors, but when I talk about helpers, I'm talking about the structure of the government.  No County Executive or leader can do anything unless he has  people in place that will follow his lead without him having to issue an order."

NJN Senior Political Corespondent Michael Aron this weekend welcomes Assemblyman John Burzichelli, (D-Paulsboro), Assemblyman Albert Coutinho, (D-Newark), Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, (R-Little Silver), and Assemblyman David Wolfe, (R-Brick) to discuss the state budget on his interview program On the Record.

On the Record airs this Sunday, May 24, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.; and on Monday, May 25, at 6:30 a.m.

On Reporters Roundtable, Aron will discuss the state budget deficit, the Republican Gubernatorial Primary and the re-nomination of Justice Barry Albin with Derek Harper of the Atlantic City Press, Claire Heininger of the Star-Ledger, Josh McMahon of newjerseynewsroom.com, and Michael Symons of Gannett New Jersey.

Reporters Roundtable airs tonight, May 22, at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, May 24, at 10 a.m.; and airs on NJN Public Radio on Friday at 10:30 pm; On the Record airs on Saturday at 10:30 pm. Both programs are web cast and archived at www.njn.net. 

Rick Wright's home in Burlington County.

New Jersey Republicans can rest easy, as Assembly Republican Executive Director Rick Wright did have a John McCain sign on his front lawn this autumn after all - even if the yard space was shared with a Barack Obama sign.

The hot-button question of the contents of Wright's lawn was injected into state politics this weekend when gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan, appearing on NJN's "On the Record" with host Michael Aron, responded to Wright's defense of Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) by raising the issue.

"Mike, Mike, you want to ask Rick Wright a question for me?" Lonegan said to Aron.  "Ask him whose sign he had for president on his front lawn this last election.  That will tell you something about the Republican Party in New Jersey... From what I understand, and the photos I see, it was Barack Obama's." 

The Obama sign, Wright said, was put there by his Democratic wife, Susan (he prefers that her last name not be used).  The two met when she worked across the hall from him at the Assembly Democrats' office, and she now works as a Deputy Attorney General. 

"My feeling is that if Steve Lonegan's campaign is built on spying on my house and not worrying about property taxes and spending, that's the reason why Steve Lonegan is not doing so well," Wright said.  "What Lonegan failed to mention was that when they took the picture, there was a McCain sign in the front lawn."

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan does a one-on-one with NJN’s Michael Aron this week on “On the Record,” airing Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and Monday at 6:30 a.m.

On NJN’s “Reporters Roundtable with Michael Aron” (actually hosted this week by reporter Zachary Fink), statehouse reporters will discuss the public employee unions’ lawsuit over furloughs, the budget and the race for governor.  The show features Gannett’s Michael Symons, The AP’s Angela Delli Santi, The Record’s John Reitmeyer and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari, and airs tonight at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m.

Steve Adubato, Jr. hosts three shows airing this weekend.    

On Thirteen/WNET at 12:30 p.m., “Caucus: New Jersey with Steve Adubato” features FDU PublicMind Executive Director/pollster Peter Woolley and Star-Ledger reporter Brian Donahue, who hosts the Ledger Live internet broadcast.  Adubato also hosts part two of “Healthcare for Ethnic Families” on “Caucus’  ““Families in Focus” series on the same channel Sunday at 8 a.m, and will have U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez on “Inside Trenton,” co-hosted by Pi Roman, to talk about President Obama’s budget, the economic stimulus and the federal bailouts.  “Inside Trenton” airs Saturday at 8:30 a.m. on Thirteen and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on NJN.

Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) Executive Director Fred Hermann calls it "Selection Tuesday."

The commission, which requires all candidates who receive public campaign funds to participate in two debates, will farm out the hosting of the Republican gubernatorial primary debate to two applicants on Tuesday, April 7.

Three television stations that are partnered with newspapers, civic groups and a public university have applied for the two spots. 

In one corner are the ABC affiliates from New York and Philadelphia, who applied to host the debate along with the League of Women Voters of New Jersey.  In another is My9, whose reach is limited to the New York media market but has the added heft of being partnered with the state's two biggest dailies: The Star-Ledger and The Record, and William Paterson University.  Finally, there's NJN, working in collaboration with The Asbury Park Press and The Philadelphia Inquirer - which has hosted an ELEC gubernatorial debate each year since the commission started requiring them in 1989.

So far, it looks like only two candidates will be eligible to participate: former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie and former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan.  The other three, Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R-Mendham), Franklin Township Mayor Brian Levine and entrepreneur David Brown, are not likely to raise the $340,000 necessary to qualify for public financing, making them ineligible to participate.

Christie, who as the frontrunner in the race might stand to benefit by facing more candidates than just his closest rival, said that he would like to see the other three Republican candidates participate as well.

"I can tell you how difficult it is to raise money out there, and I don't think money should be involved in the decision at all," he said.  "I've watched Rick Merkt, Brian Levine and Dave Brown travel all over the state."

The ELEC commissioners will consider a number of factors in picking the two winners, according to Hermann: the networks' audience reach, pre-debate publicity, time slots, audience selection (if there is an audience) and geography.

If elected, Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie would seek a series of reforms that would ban elected officials from taking a  salary if they have a full-time public job, force legislatures to disclose business conflicts or abstain from voting on issues where they have a stake, eliminate the grandfathered in dual office-holding loophole and make more information about state spending available on the internet.

Those were four of seven proposals Christie made in a conference call with reporters that touched several times on the corruption trial of former Democratic state Sen. Joe Coniglio (D-Paramus) and his own record as U.S. Attorney.

Christie also said he wants the legislature to create a constitutional amendment to make way for initiative and referendum, eliminate "blatant conflicts of interest" on state commissions, change the anti-pay-to-play executive orders to include labor unions and force former elected officials convicted of offenses that touched on their jobs to give up all of their pensions-not just part.

Christie said that he wanted to time his proposals with Coniglio's ongoing trial, in which witnesses have testified about the ways in which the former state Senator secured millions of dollars in payments to the Hackensack University Medical Center, where he worked as a $5,000-per-month consultant.

Using Coniglio as an example, Christie said that he would pressure the legislature to institute a law requiring all legislators to fully disclose any financial interests relating to any law they're voting on, or else abstain from voting on the legislation.

"That's not the policy we have right now, and given what's going on in the court house, this policy is aimed at making sure there are no more Joe Coniglios in the State Legislature," he said, adding in response to a question that it was necessary to have the option to abstain because many legislators are lawyers and, because of attorney/client privilege, cannot disclose those interests.