Troy Singleton

South Jersey Democrats are touting Cinnaminson native Anthony Mazzarelli, the head of the emergency medicine department at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, as a potential candidate for State Senator in the seventh district.  Mazzarelli is reportedly testing the waters for a 2011 Senate bid against four-term Republican Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park).  Allen could step down earlier to concentrate on her courageous fight against an aggressive form of cancer, a move that would trigger a November 2011 special election.  Mazzarelli joins Assemblymen Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) and Jack Conners (D-Pennsauken), and carpenters union official Troy Singleton as potential candidates.

In addition to   being a physician, Mazzarelli is also a bioethicist. Though he's mainly stayed behind the scenes, he's has been the de-facto leader of a group of emerging civic leaders in Camden and Burlington Counties.   He was also recently recognized as one of South Jersey's top physicians under 40 by Philly. One thing that may stand in the way of   getting him to run, however, is his independence. He proudly   proclaims his moderation on his weekend Philadelphia talk radio show   where he is known for presenting both sides of the major issues.   Still he is said to be an ally of South Jersey political leader George   Norcross, who is Chairman of Cooper Hospital, and he helped raise  money for Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

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The decision of Assemblyman Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) to run for Burlington County Democratic Chairman could complicate a 2010 special election for State Senator if Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) were to leave the Legislature.  Allen is battling an aggressive form of cancer and recently had surgery.  She has a tough road ahead. 

If Allen were to resign, the Republican County Committee from the seventh district towns in Burlington and Camden counties would hold a special election convention to name a new Senator.  There has been speculation that Rev. Aubrey Fenton, a minister and former Burlington County Freeholder, could take the seat.  That would set up a November 2010 special election to fill the remaining fourteen months of Allen's term - an early referendum on Republican Christopher Christie's first months as Governor in a Democratic-leaning district Allen has won five times.  It would also be an early test for the new Senate President, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford), who topped Richard Codey largely because of the size of the South Jersey Democratic delegation.  A special election could be enormously expensive Sweeney and Democratic leader George Norcross battle the new Republican governor for a valuable Senate seat.

The high profile State Senate race would also come as U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) campaigns for a second term; there is substantial overlap between the third congressional district and the seventh legislative district. 

Three names have been prominently mentioned on the Democratic side: Conaway, Assemblyman Jack Conners (D-Pennsauken), and Troy Singleton, a former Deputy Executive Director of the Assembly and now the Director of Policy and Planning for the New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters.  Singleton, who took a leave of absence this year to run Loretta Weinberg's campaign for Lt. Governor, is a favorite of Camden County Democratic leaders who are not huge fans of Conaway. Read More >

The Corzine campaign has brought in Troy Singleton, a former Assembly Deputy Executive Director and now the Director of Policy and Planning for the New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters, as the top aide for State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor.   Patrick McKenna, already on the Corzine campaign communications staff, will be Weinberg's press secretary.

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PolitickerNJ.com will release our 2009 Power List of New Jersey's 100 most politically influential personalities on Tuesday, August 4. The list, first released in March 2000, is an Insiders List that includes policy makers, party leaders, fundraisers, lobbyists, labor unions, businesses, and associations and have assembled the ultimate list of New Jerseyans with clout, with an impact on politics and government in the Garden State -- everyone but elected officials and Judges.  Stay tuned!

In 2008, Atlantic City radio personality Harry Hurley was the Reader's Choice for #100.  In a two-day online poll that attracted nearly 2,900 voters, Hurley defeated Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson by a 35%-15% margin. Public Policy guru Jon Shure finished third with 12%, just narrowly leading Union County Manager George Devanney (12%). None of the other six candidates -- Cape May County GOP Chairman David Von Savage, attorney and Democratic fundraiser Victor Herlinsky, conservative political strategist Rick Shaftan, Burlington County GOP Chairman Mike Warner, and Jersey City political activists Bobby Jackson and Joe Cardwell -- finished in the double digits.

Hurley also won a 2007 Reader's Choice poll.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

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The announcement today that Javier Inclan has resigned his post means that Governor Jon Corzine is in the market for a new Deputy Chief of Staff. If Corzine moves to fill this post with his usual speed , then the job will be open for a while. But if Corzine decides to fast track – and if you believe that in Corzineland, the Governor is likely to name another minority (his Chief of Staff, Chief Counsel, and his two other Deputy COS’s are white), here’s a short list of potential candidates: Assistant Counsel Annette Quijano; Alberto Alvarez and Laura Matos, who work in the Governor’s office; Cabinet Liaison Larry Lewis; and Troy Singleton, a former Deputy Executive Director of the State Assembly and now a top aide to Carptenter’s Union leader Frank Spencer.

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Assembly Democratic Executive Director Bill Castner is short listed for Rob Andrews' House seatSixteen Democrats are under consideration for the first district congressional seat that Rob Andrews is vacating to run for the U.S. Senate, including Camille Andrews, the Congressman’s wife, according to a list sent out today by South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross.

On the official Norcross short list:

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The retirements of Congressmen Jim Saxton and Mike Ferguson offers the potential for an interesting game of political musical chairs.

In District 3, if John Adler goes to Congress, look for Louis Greenwald to replace him in the State Senate.  That will open up a sixth district Assembly seat that Cherry Hill might claim, although that decision will be made by party leaders.  Most of the Cherry Hill Councilmembers are potential candidates, and one interesting replacement for Greenwald would be Councilwoman Shelley Adler, whose husband could be a Congressman.  This is a safe Democratic district, and legislators picked at a Special Election Convention would be virtual shoo-ins for the November 2009 elections.

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