Wilfredo Caraballo

Republican Miquel Sanabria is making his third run for the State Assembly in overwhelmingly-Democratic 29th district.  He first ran in 1977 against Democrats Willie Brown and Eugene Thompson, winning a little more than 5% of the vote. His second bid was in 2005, receiving 5% again in his race with Wilfredo Caraballo and William Payne.   This fall, he will face the winner of the Democratic primary, where Caraballo and his son, Nico Caraballo, face former Assemblyman Albert Coutinho and Cory Booker's Deputy Campaign Manager, Grace Spencer.

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The hard luck guy in district 29 filed to run for re-election today with his son, Nico, at his side, whose name will be on the ballot with his father's, more as a way of ensuring that Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo's name doesn't end up getting lumped with Linden LaRouche or the long lost step son of Ross Perot.

Caraballo wants good ballot placement, and the veteran knows he needs to run with someone to make that happen.  

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Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo says he will run for re-election in the June Democratic primary, despite losing the support of the local Democratic organiation.

“I am as passionate today about serving my constituents as I have ever been," said the Seton Hall University Law Professor, who served in Gov. Jim Florio's cabinet. "The people of the 29th district know my record of service and my accomplishments. They know me as their strong and experienced advocate. I have every reason to believe they will return me for a seventh term."

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ASSEMBLY PASSES CARABALLO/BARNES/BURZICHELLI BILL RAISING PENALTIES FOR GAS PIPELINE VIOLATIONS

(TRENTON) - The General Assembly today passed legislation Assemblymen Wilfredo Caraballo, Peter J. Barnes, Jr., and John J. Burzichelli sponsored to enhance the safety of residents who live near natural gas pipelines.

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Assemblyman William Payne is actively seeking support for a State Senate bid in the 29th district. The incumbent, Sharpe James, the former Mayor of Newark, has not yet announced whether he will seek re-election to the Senate seat he has held since 1999.

Democrats close to Newark Mayor Cory Booker say that Payne is not under serious considertion for the Senate seat. City Councilman Luis Quintana has been widely viewed as the front-runner to replace James in the Senate. He is a close ally of Booker.

The 74-year-old Payne, a five term legislator, is the brother of Congressman Donald Payne. His nephew, Craig Stanley, represents the 28th district in the Assembly, and a cousin, Philip Thigpen, is the Essex County Democratic Chairman. Another nephew, Donald Payne, Jr., is an Essex County Freeholder and Newark City Councilman.

There continues to be considerable speculation that Democrats will dump Wilfredo Caraballo, who also represents the 29th in the Assembly. Caraballo angered Essex Democrats last year during a fight over the state budget.

In the 28th district, Essex County Freeholder Bilal Beasley has announced that he will challenge veteran State Senator Ronald Rice in the Democratic primary. Rice, who was defeated by Booker in the '06 mayoral race, says he is running again. Beasley is also an Irvington Councilman.

Democratic insiders suggest that Assemblywoman Oadline Truitt will not seek re-election. Truitt won a Special Election Convention in early 2005 to replace Evelyn Williams, who resigned after just a few weeks following her arrest on shoplifting charges. Williams had replaced the late Donald Tucker.

The leading candidate to replace Truitt on the Democratic line is Ralph Caputo, a two-term Essex County Freeholder. Democratic sources say that Stanley will seek re-election on Beasley's ticket.

If Caputo wins an Assembly seat, he would return to Trenton after a 36-year absence. He was a 29-year-old Republican when he was elected to the State Assembly in 1967 -- running on a countywide ticket that included future Governor Thomas Kean. He served two terms before losing his 1971 re-election bid, and made a political comeback as a Democrat in 2002 when he defeated an incumbent in a race for Freeholder.

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GOVERNOR CORZINE SIGNS CIVIL UNION BILL

TRENTON – Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed legislation giving same-sex couples the right to enter into civil unions, ensuring them equal treatment under the law and providing them the same protections, benefits and responsibilities as individuals in a marriage.

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GOVERNOR CORZINE SIGNS LEGISLATION ESTABLISHING
NEEDLE EXCHANGE PILOT PROGRAMS

TRENTON

– Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed the “Bloodborne Disease Harm Reduction Act,’’ which allows up to six municipalities to establish needle exchange programs as part of a demonstration project. The bill also appropriates $10 million for drug treatment. Read More >

CARABALLO: MERKT DRIVES OFF A CLIFF
ON TWISTY ROAD TO PROPERTY TAX REFORM

(TRENTON) -- Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Wilfredo Caraballo said that if Assemblyman Richard Merkt ever tires of his position in the Legislature, he could have a brilliant career as a travel agent given that his comments today were all over the map.

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MERKT BLASTS CARABALLO'S ATTEMPTS TO SWEEP ETHICS REFORM UNDER THE CARPET

As Assembly Republicans continue to press Democrats who control the Assembly for a voting session to pass comprehensive ethics reform legislation, Assemblyman Richard Merkt today blasted Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo for his repeated blatant attempts to sweep the issue under the carpet.

Merkt pointed out that, for the past two years Assembly Republicans have tried to pass a comprehensive ethics reform package only to be thwarted by the majority party. Caraballo, D-Essex and Union, has often voiced his opposition to ethics reform claiming it's an issue the public really doesn't care a lot about.

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CARABALLO: TRUE REPUBLICAN COLORS ON PROPERTY TAX REFORM IS A WHITE FLAG
Speaker Pro Tem Blasts GOP Leader DeCroce for Deriding Property Tax Reform Efforts As 'A Colossal Waste of Time'

(TRENTON) - Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Wilfredo Caraballo today said Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce revealed the depths of his party's indifference toward the plight of New Jersey property taxpayers on Monday when he called the Legislature's special session on property taxes "a colossal waste of time and talent."

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