Richard Codey

Mayor/state Sen. Brian P. Stack (D-Union City), left, in the ring with Gov. Jon Corzine.

UNION CITY - Gov. Jon Corzine campaigned here this evening with Mayor/state Sen. Brian P. Stack (D-Union City), his caravan pulling up to the blockade on New York Avenue moments after his rival, GOP candidate Chris Christie, departed with a contingent of Republicans who had just walked with Stack.

To Union City diehards like Henry Munker, Corzine's presence as a Democratic incumbent governor at the annual National Night Out street festival in a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans around 14,800 to 1,400 was less of an eye-opener than Christie's hour-long stride through with Stack.

"Never," was Munker's blunt response when asked when he last saw a Republican candidate for governor make the trek into Union City in search of votes. 

"I heard you had a vistor here," Corzine told Stack after the two men shook hands.

"Yes, we did," Stack said.

As they vie for the affections of their peers, and quietly gauge other state senators' interest in who they'd support for the senate presidency, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) and his prospective challenger from South Jersey, Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester), today each issued statements of support for Gov. Jon Corzine's candidate for governor, their colleague, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck).

“With his selection of Loretta Weinberg as the first ever candidate for Lieutenant Governor under the Democratic banner, Governor Corzine is making a definitive statement about his priorities in this race," said Codey. "During the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, we need responsible, compassionate leadership in New Jersey. I believe that the Corzine-Weinberg team has the dedication, commitment and vision to best serve the people of New Jersey moving forward."

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) has endorsed the re-election campaign of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  Codey served as Governor from 2004 to 2006, while Bloomberg was in his first term as Mayor.           

"When Mike Bloomberg took over as Mayor of New York City, he faced what seemed like insurmountable odds.  Not only was he replacing a popular mayor, but he was also tasked with steering New York out of one of its darkest hours.  Eight years later, there's no question that he passed this test with flying colors and has become the architect of some of the city's finest accomplishments," Codey said in a statement released today.  "When I became Governor of New Jersey, we got to know each other well, working closely on shared interests such as homeland security and rebuilding the region's economy and transportation infrastructure.  He blew me away with his intellect and his ability to cut right through the red tape, identify a solution, and go after it.

Codey praised Bloomberg's willingness to avoid partisan politics.

Kenneth Kaplan, left, the Libertarian candidate for Governor, and Libertarian LG candidate John Paff, right

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Kenneth Kaplan has picked John Paff, an open government advocate from Somerset County, as his running mate.  Kaplan says that if he wins, Paff would head the state Department of Community Affairs.

Paff, the chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Council, is been a longtime advocate of the state's sunshine laws.  According to published reports, he has pushed for lower fees for copies of government documents, for the public disclosure of court settlements, to obtain copies of online comments made by elected officials, and to incentivize attorneys for public agencies to comply with open records requests.

Kaplan, a  61-year-old Parsippany resident , was the Libertarian candidate for Governor in 1989. He made his first bid for public office in 1975 as a candidate for State Assembly against then-freshman Richard Codey. 

GOP Lt. Governor candidate Kim Guadagno will campaign without her husband at her site, but that’s because state law prohibits him from engaging in partisan political activity.  Michael Guadagno, like his wife a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, was appointed to serve as a Superior Court Judge by Gov. Richard Codey in 2005.  He was transferred to Ocean County last year after his wife took office as Monmouth County Sheriff.

Back when Bill Castner was running Joe Roberts' team, there was never any question that the Assembly Democrats dominated Dick Codey's Senate Democratic staff.  But now that Castner has moved to the Executive branch, Team Codey has so obliterated the Assembly Dems that officials were forced to invoke the "mercy rule" to limit further embarrassment to the lower house's majority staff.

Last night, Senate Democrats defeated Assembly Democrats 27-10 in a Golden Dome league softball game that was cut off after five innings because they were leading by more than fifteen runs.  The Senate Democrats scored eleven runs in the second inning alone, and held the Assembly team scoreless for the 3rd and 4th innings. Yoshi Manale, Matt Halpin, Todd Leon and Jay Gonzalez all hit home runs.

Sources say that Castner, now Gov. Jon Corzine's chief counsel, witnessed the carnage as a spectator.

"This win has been a long time coming for our team," said team captain Doug Wheeler, a former Senate Democratic staffer who remains loyal to Codey.  "Every year, our match-up with the Assembly Dems is one of the most intense games of the season, with the Assembly eking out a win by a couple of runs each time.  This year, we jumped to an early lead, made some great plays in the field, and came away with a little slice of retribution."

State Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark), foreground, campaigning for Obama with his son, West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice.

The early establishment reaction out of Democratic Party stronghold Essex County to LG prospect Randal Pinkett ranged from off-the-record outrage to on-the-record bewilderment to polite resignation.

Staring at a 12-point deficit in the governor's race and saddled with the responsbility of driving big Essex numbers in November for Gov. Jon Corzine, name Democrats here gaped at Corzine's rumored impending selection of a private sector African-American running mate. At least intially they question Pinkett's presence beside an incumbent schooled on Wall Street whose strong point was never his old-hand knowledge of politics and government.

"I don't know him, so I wouldn't have any comment about him," Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Phil Thigpen said of Pinkett. "The skills required to get elected and to get people to vote are not necessarily the same as the skills you need to make money. He hasn't been active in politics, to my knowledge."

State Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark) doesn't know Pinkett, but doesn't have a good feeling about him.

"People have relationships in business, and when they do, frankly, I get a little nervous when it comes to grassroots issues," said Rice of the 38-year old technology consultant from Franklin Township who's never held elected office. "Some of these business people should remain business people. Their trouble when they get into politics is they personalize what's good for them and they reach that point where they cross that line and can't see the people anymore."

If Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) is successful in his bid to replace Richard Codey (D-Roseland) as Senate President in November, Senate Democrats will have to decide who will replace Sweeney as Majority Leader.   And if Sweeney challenges Codey and loses, he could face a fight to keep the job he has now.  Either way, there could be a contested race for Senate Majority Leader.

Less than two years ago, Sweeney narrowly won the #2 Senate leadership post, defeating Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) by a 14-9 vote after Bernard Kenney (D-Hoboken) did not seek re-election.  Sarlo had Codey's strong endorsement.

Sweeney won by assembling a coalition of six South Jersey Senators, along with support from Democratic Senators in Middlesex and Union,  and Sandra Cunningham (D-Jersey City),  Brian Stack (D-Union City), and Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck).  Raymond Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) was Sweeney's kingmaker; he helped deliver five votes on the day of the election.

But Sweeney would not necessarily have the same coalition against Codey as he did against Sarlo.  He does not yet have the votes of Cunningham, Stack, Weinberg, and Joseph Vitale (D-Woodbridge), although Theresa Ruiz (D-Newark) is probably with him.

Council President Ed Marable, Jr.

The Orange City Council last night elected South Ward Councilman Ed Marable, Jr., council president.

The vote was 5-0-2, with only Marable and West Ward Councilman Hassan Abul-Rasheed abstaining.

"I'm motivated to make a difference," said Marable.

An attorney and Orange native, the new council president succeeds Councilwoman Lisa Perkins in the local governing body's command chair.

An unsuccessful off-the-line candidate two years ago for the 27th District Assembly seat occupied by jailed former Assemblyman/Mayor Mims Hackett, Marable later considered running for mayor of Orange.

Ultimately, the independent Democrat decided to back the man who would become that contest's eventual winner.

Sen. Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester)

Insiders say recurring signs indicate state Sen. Majority Leader Steve Sweeney's (D-West Deptford) ready to challenge state Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) for leadership in November, although Sweeney insists he doesn't know for sure at present.

"Discussions will take place in November," said the South Jersey lawmaker, whose remarks this morning in a 101.5 FM interview that he wants to be senate president "someday" instantly sent reporters' into fullbore Sweeney-seeking mode.

Sources close to Sweeney say there's a strong chance he will challenge the former governor for control of the caucus this year, and political animals add up the following as proof that he's inches away from that battle:  

He threw a bash in Atlantic City at the same time Codey partied with supporters;

He spoke at Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo's fundraiser;

He hauled up to Jersey City for a state Sen. Sandra Cunningham (D-Jersey City) fundraiser;