Patrick Diegnan

Political problems for the state's largest teacher's union continue to mount.  After going all out for Gov. Jon Corzine in the recent election, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) knows they have a potential problem with voucher-backing charter school enthusiast Gov.-elect Christopher Christie.  And in the Senate, it looks like Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), a protégé of Newark political leader Stephen Adubato, might replace Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence) as chairman of the Education Committee.  A fair assumption is that Ruiz will share Adubato's fervent support for charter schools. 

Turner could wind up a casualty of the contest for Senate President; she backed incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland), while Ruiz supported the likely winner, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

Christie's problem with the NJEA might be more than just politics - he appears to have different views on how to fix New Jersey's public school.  And he might have the upper hand, especially with a potential political ally running the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), who is expected to become the next Assembly Speaker, has not yet indicated who she will pick as the new Assembly Education Committee Chairman.  The incumbent, Joseph Cryan (D-Union), a strong NJEA supporter, is expected to vacate the post to become Majority Leader.  Oliver also has strong ties to Adubato - she is the Assistant Essex County Administrator (and Ruiz is the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Essex County Executive) - but statehouse observers say that Oliver is likely to pick a new chairman who would be supportive of the teachers union, a key player in the state's Democratic base vote.

Reportedly not under consideration to head the Education Committee is Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), who spent forty years as a public school teacher and is now vice chair of the panel.  Voss, Democratic leaders say, lacks intellectual heft to take on the post.  Instead, Democrats could turn to Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), a Cryan/Oliver ally and the current chairman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.  If Diegnan turns it down - the Middlesex County Democrat might want to stay where he is, considering the importance of Rutgers University to his district, the leadership might go with the highly-regarded Mila Jasey (D-South Orange), a former school board member but an ally of outgoing Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), or Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Twp.), a member of South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross' political organization.

The Home News Tribune has urged the ouster of the most incumbent legislators this year: six.  The HNT called for the defeat of Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro), Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), Joseph Egan (D-New Brunswick), Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin), Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), and John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville).  Only Peter Barnes (D-Edison) survived the wrath of the editorial board.  But the HNT also endorsed three incumbent Democrats for re-election to the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders. 

The Courier-News wants five incumbents, all Democrats, to be defeated: Linda Stender (D-Fanwood), Gerald Green (D-Plainfield), Egan, Chivukula, and Diegnan.  They endorsed three GOP incumbents, Peter Biondi (R-Hillsborough), Denise Coyle (R-Bernards), and John DiMaio (R-Hackettstown) and Barnes.

The Courier-Post wants four Democratic legislators gone: five-term Assemblymen Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) and Jack Connors (D-Pennsauken); and two special election winners -- State Sen. James Beach (D-Voorhees), who went to the Senate after John Adler became a Congressman; and Assemblywoman Celeste Riley (D-Bridgeton), who won a special election convention earlier this year after Douglas Fisher resigned to become state Secretary of Agriculture.   The Gloucester County Times also advocated the defeat of Riley, and the Burlington County Times said Coway should go.

The Record endorsed Republican challengers running against Frederick Scalera (D-Nutley), Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus); they endorsed ten incumbents for re-election - seven Democrats and three Republicans.  The Record also called for the ouster of Democratic Freeholders in Bergen and Passaic counties.

The Press of Atlantic City endorsed a Republican challenger against freshman Assemblyman Matthew Milam (D-Vineland).  The newspaper backed five incumbents - one Democrat and four Republicans.

***MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE***

BARNES/DIEGNAN BILL PRESERVING DISMAL SWAMP IN EDISON CEREMONIALLY SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

(EDISON) - Assemblymen Peter J. Barnes III and Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. today issued a multimedia package on legislation they sponsored to help preserve Dismal Swamp in northern Middlesex County.

The measure was ceremonially signed Thursday by Governor Jon S. Corzine during a public event at the Triple C Ranch, part of the Dismal Swamp Conservation Area.

The Home News Tribune and the Courier-News today endorsed Republican Bob Jones in his long shot bit to unseat Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield) in the 18th district.  They also endorsed one of the Democratic incumbents, Peter Barnes III (D-Edison).

"Diegnan has long seemed much too quick to resort to higher spending and more taxes," said an editorial that ran in both newspapers. "Jones offers a strong streak of fiscal conservatism and a thoughtful nature. While we wouldn't envision him as a dynamic Republican leader, we can see him as a details-oriented worker bee crunching the numbers to make cost-cutting initiatives work.

Barnes "hasn't become as thoroughly jaded as many of his more veteran colleagues," the newspapers said.  "Barnes comes across as a straight-shooter willing to fight the right fights. We can criticize him for not beating the drum more loudly for reforms, and we might not agree with all of his views on appropriate government spending. But Trenton doesn't need an entire Statehouse filled with like-minded legislators. What it needs is more across-the-board integrity, lawmakers making their cases for the right reasons, and on the public's behalf, not their own."

The other Republican, former Helmetta Councilman Joseph Sinagra, "offers few specifics and little vision."

If the Assembly leadership elections go as expected, Joseph Cryan (D-Union) will give up the Education Committee chairmanship to become Majority Leader.   Democratic sources that Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), the vice chair of the committee and a retired public school teacher, is not under consideration for the post.  One possible candidate is Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), who chairs the Assembly Higher Education Committee; that could clear the way for Pamela Lampitt (D-Cherry Hill), who works for the University of Pennsylvania, to take that slot.  But Diegnan gets that his panel is of importance to Rutgers University, which is important to Middlesex County Democrats.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski received the endorsement of his home county delegation in his bid to become Assembly Speaker. Six Democrats live in Middlesex, and another legislator from Somerset says he'll also back the Sayreville Democrat.

The Middlesex County Democratic State Assembly delegation will back John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) for Assembly Speaker, potentially giving him an early lead in the race to succeed Joseph Roberts.  Joseph Spicuzzo, the Democratic County Chairman, announced the unanimous support of the delegation in a press release issued this evening.

In January, New Jersey will need a new Assembly Speaker who will represent the middle class, the middle ground, as well as the middle of our state," Spicuzzo said.  "No one will do a better job of bringing people together for the good of New Jersey than Middlesex County's own Assemblyman John Wisniewski.

Roberts recently announced that he will not seek re-election to the Legislature, where he has served since 1987.  Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) has said she will seek the post, and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Democratic State Chairman, is considered a leading candidate for Speaker. 

The Middlesex base could bring Wisniewski as many as ten votes in his leadership bid, depending upon the outcome of the general election.

Three Democrats who live in Middlesex are likely to win re-election to the Assembly in November: Peter Barnes (D-Edison), Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), and Joseph Egan (D-New Brunswick).  Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) is favored to win re-election, as are Wisniewski and his running mate, former Judge Craig Coughlin in the 19th district.

Another legislator, Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin), was included in Spicuzzo's release as endorsing Wisniewski.  Chivukula lives in Somerset County but represents a largely Middlesex district. 

Three other legislators, Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), Gerald Green (D-Plainfield), and Linda Stender (D-Fanwood), represent districts that include parts of Middlesex County.  They were not included in Spicuzzo's statement, which specifically said that "Middlesex County's Democratic delegation to the State Assembly unanimously supports John Wisniewski."

SOUTH PLAINFIELD- District 18 Assembly candidates Joe Sinagra and Bob Jones today responded to the negative telephone "push poll" being conducted by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield).

Assembly candidate Bob Jones, a member of the South Plainfield Board of Education, responded that, "Like Jon Corzine, Patrick Diegnan can't run a campaign on his record because his past 7 years in Trenton have consisted of votes for higher taxes and a cloud of ethical controversies. Diegnan has sunk to a new low by assailing 18 year-old high school students in his latest mudslinging attack."

ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

(TRENTON) - Landmark legislation that takes a broad approach to jumpstarting local economic development projects and creating new jobs by maximizing New Jersey's federal stimulus investments and promoting growth and development efforts vital to repositioning the state for long-term prosperity was signed into law today by Gov. Jon Corzine.

If Barbara Buono is elected Lt. Governor in November, it will trigger a special election convention to fill her 18th district State Senate seat.  Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield) would be the front runner, although former State Sen. Thomas Paterniti (D-Edison) and lame duck Edison Mayor Jun Choi could also emerge as candidates.  A Diegnan victory would trigger a second special election convention to fill his Assembly seat.

Buono's election as Lt. Governor would also create an opening for the Senate Appropriations Committee chairmanship - a slot that would be filled by the Senate President.  That puts a power committee chair in play during a possible Senate leadership fight.

More important to New Jersey politics if Buono is elected LG: she would immediately become a potential candidate for the 2013 Democratic nomination for Governor, when Jon Corzine would be term-limited out.  And if Corzine were to trade is own lame duck status for a post in the Obama administration (possibly in January 2013, if Barack Obama is re-elected), Buono would become the Governor of New Jersey.

ALBANO / DeANGELO / MILAM / DIEGNAN BILLS TO IMPROVE NJ’S CORPORATE BUSINESS LAWS CLOSER TO BECOMING LAW

(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assemblymen Nelson T. Albano, Wayne P. DeAngelo, Matthew W. Milam and Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. to simplify New Jersey’s corporate governance statutes is closer to becoming law.

The bills – part of a multi-bill package - were recently approved by the Senate after being approved by the Assembly in September. They now go the Governor.

“For New Jersey to be competitive as a home for industry in the global marketplace, we need laws that will allow them to operate in real time, using 21st century technology,” said Diegnan (D-Middlesex).