Richard Codey

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton) today blamed party bosses for deal-making when they should have been focused on re-electing Gov. Jon Corzine.

"Party leaders undermined the governor by having a party leadership fight," said Gusciora. "They reinforced the message that if Corzine won, the reins of power would be handed over to special interests."

Asked on Election Day morning about the intra-party deal cultivated by South Jersey Democratic Party leader George Norcross III and Newark North Ward Democratic Party boss Steve Adubato, Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden) dismissed its larger-scale impact on voter production.

"It's inside baseball and affected very few people beyond Trenton," said Roberts of a North-South deal that would oust Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) in exchange for Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford), and launch Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) into the lower house leadership chair being vacated by Roberts.

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Senate President Richard Codey says the White House talked to him about running for Governor if Jon Corzine dropped his re-election bid, according to a must-read story in the Star-Ledger.  Codey says that Corzine was close to ending his bid for a second term last July, especially after a large group of Hudson County politicians were arrested on federal corruption charges, and said that White House political director Patrick Gaspard told him their internal polls had him leading Republican Christopher Christie. 

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State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), who will return to the Senate next year after losing her bid for Lt. Governor, has committed to supporting State Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) for Senate President, Democratic source say.  Weinberg becomes the 15th Democratic Senator out of 23 to back Sweeney in his bid to unseat the incumbent, Richard Codey (D-Roseland). 

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TRENTON - A few Democrats circulate in the big room here at the East Brunswick Hilton, sorting through the devastation with varying viewpoints and plans.

"It's hard for an incumbent in a recession," U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) says after lame duck Gov. Jon Corzine leaves the stage.

"Jon did a good job as governor, but the economic times are bad," Pallone adds. "That's all it comes down to. The economic times were bad, but we're on our way back."

There's Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), who endured his own drama this fall in which he apparently emerged on the losing end.

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WEST ORANGE - Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) did a robocall over the weekend for Gov. Jon Corzine, targeting suburban Essex County voters and reminding them about the governor's cap on property taxes, Codey told PolitickerNJ.com.

"Democrats will vote in the suburbs for Jon Corzine," said Codey. "The critical question will be whether he holds independent women, who flocked to him after the campaign hit the mammogram issue. One thing I find interesting is that (independent candidate Chris) Daggett has dropped out of the sky."

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Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo just introduced U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark), who stands at the podium in the Prudential Center now.

"Joe DiVincenzo's done a great job in Essex County, putting Essex County first," Payne tells the crowd. "I'm fired up and ready to go."

Moments earlier, Payne wouldn't commit to DiVincenzo's re-election when asked by PolitickerNJ.com. 

"It's a little early for that, isn't it," he said.

At issue is DiVincenzo's participation in shoving Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) out the door earlier this fall, offering thee argument that Codey didn't have the votes to withstand Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

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STATEMENT FROM SENATE PRESIDENT CODEY
ON CHRISTIE’S CONTRADICTIONS

 
(TRENTON) - Senate President Richard J. Codey (D- Essex) released the following statement today:

“Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie finally admitted yesterday in the New York Times what we have already known, his entire campaign has been based on empty promises and failed economic policies.  Christie now says he will not restore property tax rebates, will not roll back the sales tax, will use "one-shot" revenues to close the budget deficit, and will not reduce income taxes.  Christie is learning quickly that it's one thing to make promises as the candidate for governor and another thing to have to explain how you would implement these promises once you are in charge.

“The truth is the only economic policies that Chris Christie is staying true to are the same failed economic policies that George Bush employed that got the country into this mess, and now Christie wants to bring them to New Jersey.”

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BELMAR - Inevitably, observation of Assemblyman John McKeon's (D-West Orange) higher profile and intensified advocacy for open space and environmental issues coincides with Senate President Richard Codey's (D-Roseland) public battle to remain in the chair of senatorial power.

Those dynamics in the 27th District have created speculation that McKeon, alert to a shakeup as redistricting looms next year, may be angling to head the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) if Gov. Jon Corzine is reelected.  

"No one's asked me (about serving as DEP commissioner)," McKeon, who on Wednesday night co-chaired Caroline Kennedy's rally at the Barclay for Corzine, told PolitickerNJ.com.

He added, "I'm totally focused on my own re-election."

But Codey's situation may impact the 51-year old McKeon, as the sitting senate president faces the prospect next year of being unseated by Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) and the empowerment of Codey's political antagonists to redraw a district map for 2011 that would favor their closest allies and conceivably weaken the current legislative occupants of District 27.

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Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) says he won't run for re-election to the Gloucester County Board of Freeholders in 2011, and suggested that he might leave his post as Freeholder Director and his seat entirely before his current term ends.

Sweeney, who has a majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus backing his bid for Senate President, said his decision to leave his county post will not be affected by the outcome of his campaign to oust the incumbent, Richard Codey (D-Roseland).

"I still have to figure out how to transition out (of the freeholder director's position)," Sweeney told PolitickerNJ.com.  ""I got elected freeholder last year. It's a three-year term and for the record I was going to transition out anyway because there would be no way I could run for senator and freeholder at the same time, so right now it's just a timeline consideration." Read More >

Robert L. Brown, who served as a State Assemblyman and as the Mayor of Orange, died yesterday.  He was 62.

Brown was elected Mayor of Orange in 1988, and went to the Legislature in 1991, after redistricting moved incumbent Harry McEnroe (D-South Orange) to another district.  He defeated Montclair Councilwoman Delores "Bobby" Reilly by a 2-1 margin in the primary in this safe Democratic district. 

In 1993, Brown challenged incumbent Richard Codey in the Democratic Senate primary and lost by a 60%-40% margin. He lost his bid for re-election to a third term as Mayor in 1996 to Mims Hackett.

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