Stephen Sweeney

State Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex).: Politicker photo 

Nothing’s ever rock solid in politics, but the top of the Trenton power heap may contain more potential for movement than usual in the lead-up to Statehouse reorganization come January.

Two possible factors include Speaker Joseph Roberts’s (D-Camden) imminent departure from the Assembly, and the possibility that a newly crowned Obama administration would haul former Wall Street guru Gov. Jon Corzine out of New Jersey to crunch numbers in Washington.

In the thicket of this political drama, it’s difficult not to identify Senate President and former Governor Richard Codey (D-Essex) as a protagonist.

"I’m just a kid from Orange," Codey told a packed auditorium in his native Essex County town last month - but he’s also a former governor, who by all appearances liked the job and enjoyed great popularity.

Recent court case may have been “easy” but Sweeney applied a double standard.

As he stood with futility against a bill he believes would ravage his 39th GOP Assemblyman Vince PolistinaLegislative District, Assemblyman John Rooney took little joy in noting a personal milestone.

For while 2008 marks the Bergen County Republican’s 25th anniversary as an assemblyman, it is also the low point of his legislative career.

"My towns got destroyed last night," said Rooney, a day after the majority Democrats passed a $32.9 billion budget, which includes 25% cuts in aid to all of the 28 municipalities in Rooney’s district, and eliminations of property tax rebates for residents in the $150,000 to $250,000 income range.

Monday also brought the Democrats’ successful if ignominious - by Rooney’s reckoning - passage of a bill requiring the construction of affordable housing in affluent towns.

Not thrilled with some of the budget provisions, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) presided over its passage. 

TRENTON - With a majority arguing that the state pension system needs to get on better financial footing, the Senate tonight passed a package of state worker pension reforms by a vote of 30-8.

Sen. Stephen Sweeney of South Jersey introduced the controversial proposal in what he described as a bipartisan vein.

"I make my living as a union leader," Sweeney told the Senate chamber. "You can go out of business if you don't manage your funds properly. These are modest not major reforms."

Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex) won't vote "yes" for budget unless he can get passed $3.9 billion for schools construction. 

TRENTON - The vote on the budget today is expected to go along party lines in the Assembly, which means Democrats have the numbers to pass a $32.9 billion document over the objections of a Republican minority.

For at least one key legislator on the Senate side, however, his "aye" vote for the budget hinges on whether the governing body approves $3.9 in borrowing for schools construction in mostly poor school districts.

Sen. Stephen Sweeney heads for the budget committee. 

TRENTON - Five 11th hour bills dropped by Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-Salem) have set up a horse trading situation here in the Statehouse during the budget session.

The Assembly Budget Committee passed the $32.8 billion budget by a vote of 7-4, with one abstention by Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Salem). In their majority caucus, rank and file Democrats didn’t want to touch Sweeney’s controversial bills targeting state workers, according to sources.

Now the Assemblyman Louis Greenwald-chaired budget committee pounds through a number of other bills to be included in time for Monday’s full Assembly budget vote.

Pallone to Andrews: Don't come backThe bad blood between U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) and his congressional colleagues seeped around the edges of Election Day as U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6) today called "absurd" the public exhortations by Andrews’s allies for the congressman to return to his House seat.

A little over two months ago, Andrews abandoned his claim to the seat he held for 18 years to run for the U.S. Senate. On the campaign trail, Andrews repeatedly denied that his wife, Camille, was merely keeping the seat warm for him should he fail.

After his Election Night concession speech to U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), the congressman reiterated his commitment not to reclaim the seat that Camille Andrews won the same night, burying her primary opposition by a more sizable margin than her husband was simultaneously buried by Lautenberg.

But in a Courier-Post article today, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts and Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney both urged Andrews not to give up his seat.

That left Pallone fuming over what he sees as the South Jersey Democratic Organization trying to create public traction for Andrews to make an "aw, shucks" reclamation of his House seat - and to once again fail to keep his word.

Earlier this week, Assemblyman Paul Moriarty announced that he wouldn’t stand for reelection for his other elected office: mayor of Washington Township (the one in Gloucester County).

The announcement came less than a week after Moriarty’s name surfaced as a potential replacement for first district Rep. Rob Andrews, who’s vacating the seat to take on incumbent Senator Frank Lautenberg in the June primary.

If U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews decides to run for Senate and the first congressional district suddenly becomes an open seat, Republicans will stick with their man: Dale Glading.

If Rob Andrews decides to primary Frank Lautenberg for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, state Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney will be in his corner.

“I think (Lautenberg) has done a good job, but I think Rob Andrews will do a great job,” he said. “All you have to look is Rob Andrews’ performance numbers in South Jersey – they’re off the charts.”

Sweeney is the latest South Jersey Democrat to come out for Andrews. Both are closely allied with power broker George Norcross. Other Norcross allies have already come out for Andrews should he choose to run, including state Sen. Jim Whelan and Burlington County Democratic Chairman Rick Perr.

Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, however, attended Lautenberg's campaign kickoff rally yesteray.