Samuel Plumeri

Michael Fedorko, a former Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, will be the new Director of Public Safety and Police Superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, sources told PolitickerNJ.com.  Fedorko will replace Samuel Plumeri, who was nominated today to serve as a member of the New Jersey Parole Board.  Fedorko has served on the New Jersey Casino Control Commission since 1999, and his new post will enable Gov. Jon Corzine to replace appoint a new commissioner.

Former Mercer County Sheriff Samuel Plumeri is expected to be nominated to a seat on the New Jersey Board of Parole, possibly as early as today, Democratic sources told PolitickerNJ.com.  That creates an opening for his $209,353-a-year job as Director of Public Safety and Superintendent of Police of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  The Port Authority can promote from within, or seek applications from other law enforcement officials - a move that might likely appeal to several politically connected Sheriffs in New Jersey.

Samuel Plumeri is expected to resign his post as Police Superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and will be moving into a state government post, possibly as the Board of Parole.  The move takes him out of contention for appointment as the next U.S. Marshal.  Plumeri, a former Mercer County Sheriff and Democratic County Chairman, has been actively seeking the Marshal post, but it appears he was not a serious contender.

Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire has withdrawn his name for consideration for U.S. Marshal, and is instead recommending Bergen County Freeholder Tomas Padilla for the post.  Former Mercer County Sheriff Samuel Plumeri, the Director of Security for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has been actively seeking the post.

In February, U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman had backed McGuire over Padilla and sent a letter to Democratic U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez asking that the Sheriff replace Republican James Plousis in the U.S. Marshal post.

The massive number of new appointments being processed by the White House has the vetting process a little backed up.  That has caused a delay in President Barack Obama's formal nomination of Paul Fishman as New Jersey's new U.S. Attorney.  Because he has won endorsements from U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, Fishman has the job.  But Obama won't nominate him until the vetting is done, and he must still compete with other nominees waiting to be confirmed on a busy Senate calendar.  In the meantime, Ralph Marra, Jr. will continue to serve as Acting U.S. Attorney.

Also delayed is the appointment of a new U.S. Marshal to replace Republican James Plousis.  Lautenberg and Menendez have not yet made a recommendation to the White House, and that is where the process begins.  The candidates in that race are the same: Samuel Plumeri, the Director of the Port Authority Police and a former Mercer County Sheriff, and Gov. Jon Corzine's choice; Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire, who has the backing of U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman (D-Fair Lawn); and Bergen County Freeholder Director Tomas Padilla, who is also a Hackensack policeman.

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, left, is backing Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire for U.S. Marshal over another Bergen candidate, Freeholder Director Tomas Padilla, right.

In a letter to New Jersey's two United States Senators, U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman today endorsed Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire for U.S. Marshal.  This is significant because Rothman has chosen McGuire over another candidate for the post, Bergen County Freeholder Director Tomas Padilla.  It will be hard for Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez to ignore the Rothman endorsement since he is the Democratic Congressman from Bergen County. 

Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez wants to succeed Jim Plousis as U.S. Marshal

Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez is quietly seeking support to become New Jersey’s next U.S. Marshal, but sources with knowledge of the selection process say the career law enforcement official is not on the short list of candidates at this time.  The leading candidates are former Mercer County Sheriff Samuel Plumeri and Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire – both are very much announced candidates and are actively lobbying for the job -- with Bergen County Freeholder Tomas Padilla looming large as a potential contender.

Perez, a former State Police captain and public school teacher, served as Jersey City’s Deputy Police Director before defeating four-term Sheriff Joseph Cassidy in the 2007 Democratic primary.

Add another name to the list of possible candidates for U.S. Marshal: Tomas Padilla, the Bergen County Chairman.  Sources with direct knowledge of the appointment process suggest that Padilla, a Latino and a career law enforcement official - he's a Hackensack police captain - could quickly emerge as a serious contender for the federal post if he tells decision makers he's interested.   Padilla , a Freeholder since 2002, would become the first Latino to serve as New Jersey's U.S. Marshal.

If Padilla became U.S. Marshal, the Bergen County Democratic Committee would need to hold a special election convention to replace him on the Board of Freeholders.  In November 2009, there would be a special election to fill the remaining fourteen months on Padilla's term - provided that the vacancy occurs before early September.)  This would put three of the seven Democratic seats on the Freeholder Board up for grabs this fall.

The race for U.S. Marshal has no clear favorite, according to Democratic sources familiar with the selection process.  The leading candidates are former Mercer County Sheriff Samuel Plumeri, who now heads security at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire.  Gov. Jon Corzine is pushing Plumeri, but the recommendation of importance will come from the state’s two Democratic U.S. Senators. Plumeri and McGuire are both actively seeking the post.

Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire, with Freeholder David L. Ganz, is a possible candidate for U.S. Marshal in the Obama administration

Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire is actively campaigning to become New Jersey's next U.S. Marshal when Barack Obama takes office as President next month.  McGuire, a two-term Sheriff and former policeman, has been using his political contacts to seek support from the two voters who will ultimately decide who Obama picks: U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg.  McGuire's resume was submitted to the transition office last week.

Sources say that Gov. Jon Corzine, who does not have a vote in this election, is actively pushing Samuel Plumeri, a former Mercer County Sheriff who now heads the police force of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.