Rodney Frelinghuysen

New Jersey's congressional delegation voted 8-5 along party lines in support of a House resolution voicing disapproval of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who shouted "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress last week.  Democrats John Adler, Rob Andrews, Rush Holt, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne, Steven Rothman, and Albio Sires voted yes.  Republicans Rodney Frelinghuysen, Scott Garrett, Leonard Lance, Frank LoBiondo and Christopher Smith voted no.  The resolution passed 240-17.  Seven Republicans voted yes and twelve Democrats voted no.

United States Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) is the eighth richest member of Congress, according to a list compiled by Congressional Quarterly.  

The publication ranked the 50 richest members of the House and Senate combined.  Lautenberg, who has $48.88 million, made his fortune by co-founding Automatic Data Processing.  

The only other New Jersey member on the list is U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding), the scion of a centuries-old political dynasty, who ranks 14th with $18.5 million.
    
 

Parsippany, the largest town in solidly Republican Morris County, has not had a Republican mayor in fourteen years.  In 2005, Democrat Michael Luther won his first term as mayor by a scant 39-vote margin - a contest that spent two years in court.  Luther faces Republican Councilman Jamie Barberio this fall.  If Luther wins, look for some Democrats to recruit him to run for State Senator in 2011 against the incumbent, Joseph Pennacchio (R-Montville).

Parsippany (pop. 50,649), is a town of ticket-splitters.  Despite Democratic victories in the last four mayoral races, Republicans have held a firm grip on the Township Council. Barack Obama and Frank Lautenberg both carried the town by more than a thousand votes in 2008.  Robert Menendez lost it by less than 100 votes in 2006, and Jon Corzine lost it by less than 700 votes in 2005.  But Republicans like Pennacchio and U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) carry the town easily as well.

Gov. Jon Corzine might have pulled a rabbit out of his hat by suddenly finding an extra $400 million for his budget, but the political trick of the week goes to Morris County Democratic Chairman Lewis Candura.  Frustrated by his inability to select a new Superintendent of Elections to replace the late Rosemary Travaglia without having State Sens. Anthony Bucco (R-Boonton) and Joseph Pennacchio (R-Montville) block the gubernatorial appointment, Candura picked Frank Herbert, a 78-year-old retired English teacher from Rockaway.  Herbert served one term as a Democratic State Senator from Bergen County (1978 to 1982), and Senate rules do not permit senatorial courtesy to be used to block a former member of the upper house.

Herbert is actually a good pick for Morris County Democrats: younger than the state's current senior United States Senator, he first won public office in 1969 when he was elected Waldwick Councilman.  He won a race for Bergen County Freeholder in 1973 -- the Watergate landslide year -- defeating future Congressman Harold Hollenbeck.   (Hollenbeck, elected to the State Senate in 1971, opted to run for Freeholder instead of re-election.)

Defeated for a second term as Freeholder in 1976, Herbert ran for an open State Senate seat in 1977.  The 39th district had gone Democratic in 1973, elected Raymond Garramone to the State Senate and two Democrats to the State Assembly.

Instead of seeking a second term in the Senate, Garramone instead ran for Governor -- unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Brendan Byrne in the Democratic primary.  The Republicans ran John Markert, who had won one of the Assembly seats in 1975.  But Byrne carried the 39th in the general and helped Herbert score a 53%-47% victory in the Senate race

Four years later, the Republicans ran Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest), who had lost an Assembly race in 1977 but won in 1979.  Cardinale easily defeated Herbert, 58%-42% -- a margin of nearly 11,000 votes.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) is a lucky man after surviving a robbery at his home early Saturday morning.  Lesniak can be a bit of a lightening rod in New Jersey politics, so his story will spark political water cooler conversation for the next few days, at least. 

When it comes to crime, New Jersey politicians are more accustomed to being the offender that the victim.  But Lesniak is not the only victim.  In 2007, U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) helped Washington, D.C. police officers arrest a man who stole his wallet.  NBC4 in Washington said that Frelinghuysen "was walking in the Georgetown section of the city about 9:30 p.m. when he was approached by a group of young men. The congressman told officers he felt someone grab at his wallet. But when he turned, the person started running away. Frelinghuysen began chasing the man and was joined by two D.C. police officers who happened to be driving by." An 18-year-old man was arrested

One memorable legislative crime victim was Assemblyman Silvio J. Failla of Hudson County, who was in his first term in Trenton when he was murdered by a pimp and a prostitute outside a bar in Neptune. At 62-years-old, Failla had an fine resume for a legislator: he studied to be a pharmacist at Columbia University, went to law school, and then became an undertaker. He spent twenty years as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Funeral Home Directors Association, eleven years on the Hoboken Board of Education, and in 1965, and six weeks as the Mayor of Hoboken.

U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) was the only member of the New Jersey congressional delegation to vote against legislation to pass a 90% tax on bonuses over $250,000 at financial institutions that received federal bailout money.   The House passed the measure 328-93, with U.S. Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding), Leonard Lance (R-Clinton), Frank LoBiondo (R-Ventnor) and Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton) among the 85 Republican Congressmen who backed the measure.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) has raised $73,200 from The PMA Group, and helped them secure $2.4 million in earmarks for their clients.

Five New Jersey Congressmen helped secure earmarks for clients of a Washington defense lobbying firm while receiving campaign contributions from their PAC or employees, according to a review by Congressional Quarterly.  The firm, The PMA Group, is closing their lobbying practice after allegations that their founder funneled donations through bogus donors.  The earmarks were in the 2008 defense appropriations law, and the contributions are since 2001.

Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) collected $29,129 in campaign contributions, and is credited with a solo earmark of $2.5 million and assisting with another $4.8 million earmark.  Steven Rothman (D-Englewood) is credited with securing a solo earmark of $800,000 and helping with other earmarks worth $.24 million.  He has received $4,000 in campaign contributions since 2001.  Frelinghuysen and Rothman both serve on the House Appropriations Committee.

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-- "Just whose side is Christie on???"

LONEGAN: CHRISTIE NEEDS TO BACK UP THE MEN WHO ENDORSED HIM

KENILWORTH -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan today praised the five New Jersey house members who voted against Barack Obama's inflationary pork barrel "stimulus" package, including four who endorsed Chris Christie, and urged Christie to join him in backing up the New Jersey Republican Congressional team.

State Sen. Joe Kyrillos, a former GOP State Chairman, will serve as chairman of Chris Christie's campaign for Governor.

State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos will serve as Chairman of Christopher Christie's campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor, and four of the five Republicans in the state congressional delegation will serve as Co-Chairmen.

U.S. Reps. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton), Frank LoBiondo (R-Vineland), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) and Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) are also part of Christie's statewide leadership team.

"I am honored to stand with Chris Christie in his noble fight to bring genuine reform to New Jersey," said Kyrillos, who served as GOP State Chairman from 2001 to 2004.   "There is no doubt that Chris Christie will unify not only our party, but all New Jerseyans.  This team speaks to his regional and ideological appeal all across the state." 

Smith called Christie "a man of honor, integrity, and backbone."

"He has the skills and ability to lead our state during this time of turmoil and economic struggle," said Smith, a Congressman since 1981.

The New Jersey House delegation voted along party lines in support of President Barack Obama’s $89 billion economic stimulus package.  New Jersey’s eight Democratic Congressmen voted yes, while the five Republicans voted no.