The Rev. Pastor Reginald Jackson of Orange, a Democratic backer of Jon Corzine's but a staunch advocate of school vouchers, today praised Gov.-elect Chris Christie for selecting vouchers proponent Bret Schundler to head the state Department of Education.  

"Bret Schundler has been one of the forerunners in terms of advocating for school choice and charter school education," Jackson told PolitickerNJ.com. "I commend Gov-elect Christie. I think it's a good choice. Chris Christie has made it clear that education is a top priority, and I'm not sure he could have made a better choice."

In Trenton today to support Christie's selection of former Jersey City Mayor Schundler as a member of the press conference audience, Jackson is a member of the E3 group, a champion of private school vouchers to stimulate competition in education.

An early fundraiser and backer of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign as a core member of the Group and general election supporter of Barack Obama's, Jackson endorsed Corzine for governor last year over Christie following a presentation both candidates made at Jackson's Orange church.

I certainly did not want to see Jon Corzine re-elected, but I am not one of those pundits writing a political obituary claiming that he was one of the worst governors in the history of New Jersey.  The Corzine years were not without notable accomplishments.  Most significantly, the outgoing Governor can take credit for 1) revising the Abbott school funding formula so that state school aid follows the disadvantaged student; and 2) tightening the cap on school district spending. 

TRENTON - Working the hallways outside the Senate chamber with Trenton Mayoral candidate Manny Segura, Martin Perez projected no great confidence in lawmakers passing in-state tuition for the children of undocumented workers, one of his signature issues as the leader of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey (LLANJ).

"The only chance we have is today, because (Gov-elect Chris) Christie said he would not support the bill if it comes to his desk and we would have to wait another four years," said Perez, whose group last year ultimately backed Gov. Jon Corzine for re-election despite Perez's own misgivings about the incumbent and a split within the organization.

"The issue here is we made an investment in these kids and we need a return on our investment," Perez explained. "I hope Republicans understand the issue, but (Senate Minority Leader Tom) Kean told me he will allow people to vote their conscience. The conscience isn't there yet.

"We're expecting Democratic legislators to support us," he added, but confessed he doesn't think the votes will pan out.

TRENTON - A well-heeled pest at this point to his most energetic detractors, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) looked like a hero last Thursday on the rostrum with time ticking down to some of those late arriving gay marriage proponents who wanted an ally in high places.

Nearly simultaneously, in county politics, the veteran outgoing Senate President doubled down - to all appearances - with good government fervor to deal the forces of Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo a humiliating blow when Codey rejected Joe D. chief of staff Phil Alagia's appointment to a seat on the Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Board of Directors with an invocation of senatorial courtesy.

Codey's counter punching in the face of those twin organizations that dethroned him - South Jersey Democrats and DiVincenzo's Essex Democrats now have the former governor determinedly playing the role of cloakroom outlaw.

Today, one day before he steps down as Senate President to cede the job to the man who beat him, state Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney of South Jersey, he defended himself.

"I block a guy who between three public jobs would be one of the highest paid people in the state, and now they want to block my appointments," asked Codey, a reference to DiVincenzo forces threatening to retaliate with their own version of senatorial courtesy in the persons of core allies state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark) and state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair).

With the Giants and Jets playing their last games at Giants Stadium, New Jersey newspapers have published numerous articles on the subject of “My Greatest Giants Stadium Memory.”  As a pro football fanatic, I attended numerous Giant and Jet games over the years, and one would expect me to cite such contests as the 2000-2001 NFC Championship game or the 2000 Monday Night Football game in which the Jets came from behind 30-7 to score a 40-37 overtime victory over the Miami Dolphins.

As a political person, however, my leading Giants Stadium memory did not take place on the gridiron.  In fact, it occurred nearly six years before Giants Stadium opened and spanned a period of two years: 1970-1972.

Bleak.

That's how Hunterdon County Freeholder Director Will Mennen describes the shot term prognosis in his home county.

"We're anticipating a reduction in the ratable base of five and a half percent," Mennen told PolitickerNJ.com. "These are not the easiest of times."

But the election last year of Gov.-elect Chris Christie - who received a boost of about 21,000 votes out of Hunterdon when he would have been happy with 15,000 - gives Mennen heart.

"A lot of what we do follows what the state is doing, and with Christie as governor you'd figure his administration will take a more aggressive stand on spending cuts, so we can follow on those coattails," said Mennen, 43, an attorney and the former deputy mayor of Tewksbury who is serving the final year of his first term as a freeholder.

NEWARK - This morning, on the northern end of Newark, Gov.-elect Chris Christie attended the North Ward Center's Three Kings celebration at the Cathedral Basilica, while U.S. senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez took turns at a podium in front of the ticket counters at Newark Liberty Airport and called for beefed up security measures at the site of a holiday breach.

"This can be attributed to a management failure," Lautenberg said of Sunday's incident, when a man walked through an exit door and left undetected and unidentified.

"An individual wasn't doing his duty, and you can't have that kind of breakdown," added Lautenberg. "We're not going to have an execution out here, we're going to make sure we understand what took place."

"Failures are unacceptable," Menendez said. 

Although they haven't yet in the context of their updated relations - beyond back and forth chest thumping in the newspapers over transit funding, soon the paths of the two Democratic senators will converge with that of Christie.

NEWARK - U.S. Rep. Donald Payne wouldn't endorse anyone for mayor of Newark when given the chance today at Newark Liberty International AIrport, where he joined senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez to call for more airport security improvement.

"There's been much better communication between our offices now in the past year since the conflict," Payne said of the office of Mayor Cory Booker.

The referenced conflict was the 2008 South Ward district leader battle in which Booker tried to take down the elder statesman and ended up getting soundly whipped.

"Things have improved," Payne admitted.

Although old school Newarker Clifford Minor, Booker's challenger in the mayor's race, is courting Payne, it's unlikely the congressman will break from Booker.

No great personal affection or history binds the two men.

As he awaits his inauguration as the 55th Governor of New Jersey, here's a Christopher Christie trivia question: when President George W. Bush nominated Christie to serve as the United States Attorney for New Jersey in 2001, who were the other two candidates in the race for federal prosecutor?

The best Christmas gift Santa can give working folks is a free society