Richard Codey

Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange)

ORANGE - Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver's (D-East Orange) first foray into Essex County politics was as a kamikaze freeholder candidate in the 1990s running on a line with renegade state Sen. Richard Codey (D-Roseland).

Codey won and Oliver lost, and now years later it looks as though Senate President Codey's headed for a leadership defeat in his caucus as Oliver musters support on top of support in her quest to be the first African American woman speaker of the Assembly, but in the process faces a home county in which a Codey defeat could mean civil war.

Oliver has yet to announce the support of any assembly people from Essex County, but she's working on it, while also respecting, she says, political protocol and the reality that Essex County Democratic Chairman Phil Thigpen still stands with Codey.

"I am attempting to ameliorate Essex County; I believe Chairman Thigpen will avert a civil war and at the end of the day Essex County will be together," she insisted, speaking to the stunning news this morning that Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) summoned enough Democratic caucus backing to beat Senate President Codey when the senate reconvenes after the gubernatorial election on Nov. 3rd.

Among the fourteen backers (including Sweeney himself), two senators declaring their support for South Jerseyan Sweeney over Essex County's own Codey are county employees, state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark) and state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair).

The fact that Oliver also works for the county as an assistant county administrator sent waves of anxiety through those Codey forces concerned with the concentration of too much power in the office of County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. seeking a third term next year - probably not without a fight at this point.

Now with the real threat of a Codey retaliation against DiVincenzo, Oliver said the boss factor - namely DiVincenzo's closeness to North Ward Leader Steve Adubato and Adubato's alliance with South Jersey Democratic leader (and Sweeney-backer) George Norcross III - is a non-issue.

"I am the most independent person ever elected," said the assemblywoman from East Orange whose five and a half years in the legislature make her the second longest-serving assemblyperson from the Essex delegation after Assemblyman John McKeon (D-West Orange).

Veteran Democratic operative Joe Cardwell was arrested in July as part of Operation Bid Rig

It wasn't exactly a clandestine meeting.

Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) -- who could be the next Senate President -- was spotted last night at the Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City dining with state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Jersey City) and political operative Joseph Cardwell, who was arrested in July on corruption charges.

While the three ate in the restaurant's dining room, Freeholder Bill O'Dea held a low-dollar fundraiser in the catering room next door.  Two sources who attended the fundraiser reported seeing Cardwell handing out cards for his legal defense fund to guests who trickled into the restaurant's bar from the O'Dea event.   

Reached by phone, Cardwell said he ate with the two senators, but declined to elaborate on what they talked about.   

"The Senator was discussing business. I was just there," he said. 

Sweeney has been campaigning hard for the Senate Presidency, and this morning announced that he has the votes needed to topple incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland).  Cunningham, however, was not among the thirteen Democratic Senators he listed as supporting his bid. 

Democratic sources say that Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) has the inside track on becoming Senate Majority Leader.  She committed to support Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) for Senate President before Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) did.  If Sweeney wins - he has fourteen of the 23 votes in the Democratic Caucus - and if Buono takes the number two post, it opens up the Appropriations Committee chairmanship.  There is some talk that Sarlo will take the Appropriations post and that Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) will become Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman.

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) outside his West Orange office this afternoon.

WEST ORANGE - Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) smiled as he considered the news of Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney's (D-West Deptford) upper-hand in their play for backing in a caucus leadership fight.

Sweeney's commitment of support from 14 members in a 23-member caucus appears to give him enough to defeat Codey, who's served as senate president for six years.

"I don't have a comment," said Codey to reporters as he walked out of his office and made for the parking lot.

He turned and his smile widened as he quoted Sweeney's comment about their leadership battle.

"One hand behind his back?" Codey said. "One hand behind his back?"

The unexpected announcement late this evening by John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) that he would drop his fledgling campaign for Assembly Speaker and support Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) is a clear sign that key North Jersey Democrats will back Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) for Senate President, Oliver for Speaker, and possible Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) for Assembly Majority Leader.

Support for Oliver, a relatively obscure Essex County Democrat, is reminiscent of the surprise move in 2001 to dump Joseph Doria (D-Bayonne) as the likely Speaker and replace him with freshman Albio Sires (D-West New York).  Oliver is a protégé of Newark Democratic leader Stephen Adubato, who is a close political ally of South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross.  She is the Assistant Essex County Administrator. 

If there is a deal with South Jersey, Oliver could potentially start the race with between sixteen and eighteen votes, depending on who wins the hotly contested first district Assembly race.  And if there is a deal with Cryan, Oliver could add four more votes out of Union County.   Wisniewski could put her at 21.

NEWARK - With a deepening sense of alarm, state Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark) observes the leadership battle between his longtime ally state Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) and Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

But he still believes Codey will prevail and hold onto his leadership chair against the South Jersey lawmaker whose close ties to South Jersey Democratic Leader George Norcross III worry Rice.

"I'm with Codey," said the veteran senator. "We're together because, agree or disagree, we're about people. You read the papers and you see the headlines. You've got these networks pushing, pushing, pushing - people pushing behind the scenes who aren't elected to anything. Scary. Codey's always had an independence about him. If Sweeney's senate president, no one's going to be able to breathe. Anyone who's honest with themselves knows that. I've been there a long time, and it's starting to stink in Trenton."

Rice said other members of the Legislative Black Caucus who would have a vote in the Codey-Sweeney contest - namely state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair) and state Sen. Sandra Cunningham (D-Jersey City) - personally told him in the past that they are with Codey.

"Codey has been good to our caucus members and in the end I don't see our members divorcing themselves from Codey," Rice said. "There's a big difference between Codey's world and relationships, and Sweeney's world." 

Regarding the potential for Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) to play Essex County counterweight in a lower house leadership role to Sweeney in the event the South Jersey lawmaker dethrones Essex County's own Codey, Rice said, "That's a bunch of hogwash. I've been around too long to buy that. The only reason they're throwing her name out there is to mess with Bonnie (Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), who's a short list candidate for speaker)."

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) says a well-known Republican research consultant has requested his financial disclosures.

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) took the preemptive step today of announcing that he is the target of an opposition researcher. 

Christopher Lyon, who typically works for Republican candidates, filed an OPRA request for Codey's financial disclosure forms going back to 1974 - his first year in the legislature.  In a press release, Codey - while not naming anyone - insinuated that Lyon is connected to rival Democrats who are challenging him for the senate presidency. 

Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford), who is backed by South Jersey power broker George Norcross, is taking on Codey in an intra-party battle that has played out in the media for the last month.   

"This is typical of what you go through when you oppose certain people in New Jersey.  It's despicable," said Codey.  "I'm not a candidate for public office, so who would have a motive to do this?  It also begs the question of whether anyone who would choose to associate themselves with such a morally reprehensible figure is cut from the same cloth."

Codey has in the past explicitly charged Norcross with being behind opposition research against him.  After attorney Mark Sheridan - who is general counsel to the Republican State Committee - filed dozens of OPRA requests regarding Codey's former insurance company's contract with various municipalities, Codey told the Star-Ledger that he suspected Sheridan was working at the behest of Norcross.  Sheridan denied it, telling the paper they were made on behalf of an unrelated client.

Lyon's last known foray into New Jersey politics was on behalf of state Sen. Tom Kean, Jr.'s (R-Westfield) 2006 U.S. Senate campaign against Bob Menendez (D-Hoboken), when he tracked down a taped recording of Menendez ally Donald Scarinci asking a Hudson County contractor to hire someone as a "favor" to Menendez. 

Reached by phone, Lyon responded generally to Codey's release and would not say who hired him.  

"I'm not going to dignify it with a comment other than it's just plain silly," he said.

Frank "Pat" Dodd (D-West Orange), above, wanted to serve as second two-year term as Senate President, but dropped out when Majority Leader Matthew Feldman (D-Teaneck) had the votes.

Post-Election Day politics in New Jersey might feature as many as five contested races for Legislative leadership positions: Senate President, Assembly Speaker, Senate Majority Leader, Assembly Majority Leader, and Assembly Minority Leader. 

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) faces a challenge from Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).  Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) is retiring; Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman is running for Speaker against John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville), and possibly against Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) and Sheila Oliver (D-Adubato).  Those races create openings for Majority Leader; perhaps more importantly, the contests create campaigns for Senate Judiciary Chairman and for Budget and Appropriations committee chairmanships in both houses.

Some of New Jersey's best leadership fights:

There is speculation among key Democrats that Senate Judiciary Chairman Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) will endorse Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) for Senate President, possibly as early as this week.  Sarlo had previously refused to publicly state his preference, but late last week supporters of incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland) had listed the Bergen County Democrat as one of their likely votes in the upcoming leadership fight.  Sarlo would represent a major defection from the Codey camp.

Sarlo's relatively early endorsement of Sweeney extends an alliance with South Jersey Democrats that began when he backed U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-Haddon Heights) over incumbent Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) in the 2008 U.S. Senate primary.  That alliance could help him win a race for Majority Leader, with Sweeney's backing.  Sarlo was Codey's candidate for Majority Leader in 2007, but was defeated by Sweeney.

Republican District 36 candidates Don Diorio of Carlstadt, left, and Carmen Pio Costa of Nutley.

GARFIELD - Thirty-six District Republican Assembly candidates Don Diorio of Carlstadt and Carmen Pio Costa of Nutley figure they can target their rivals on plenty of issues, from property taxes to the EnCap debacle, to the incumbent Assemblymen Gary Schaer's (D-Passaic) and Fred Scalera's (D-Nutley) record of regularly voting with Gov. Jon Corzine.

But the GOP tag team trying to compete in this 2-1 Democratic-leaning district have received little press attention as they run their property tax relief campaign and fail to capture the attention of a depleted press corps focused mainly on the big ticket gubernatorial election.

The Schaer-Scalera campaign is ready to launch their first wave television ads - with former Gov. Richard Codey (D-Roseland) in a starring role, days after Pio Costa and Diorio sat in the living room of Rico Benigno - a Goliath and David juxtaposition 36 days before Nov. 3rd.