The debate on debates

The debate over debates is great political theater, even to political insiders, even though real voters are hardly ever influenced by these kinds of process stories.  Rob Andrews and Dick Zimmer, in the Democratic primary and general election, respectively, tried to make a huge deal about the reluctance of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg to debate in 2008.  Lautenberg eventually debated, both times during the final week of the campaign, and his voters didn't hold his initial hesitation against him.

The move by New Jersey Network to move the gubernatorial debate from October 1 to October 22 was seen an beneficial to Gov. Jon Corzine, who is not required to participate in the two official debates sanctioned by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission because he is not accepting public financing.  Corzine preferred late debates, but now says he'll be part of the debate whenever it is held.  Republican Christopher Christie and independent Christopher Daggett, both the recipients of matching funds, strongly opposed NJN's petition to change the date of the debate as a carrot toward Corzine's participation. 

Representing NJN, anchorman Jim Hooker confirmed that the request to move the debates was done without consulting the other two sponsors, Gannett New Jersey and the Philadelphia Inquirer.  At some point, expect ELEC to change their sponsorship application process to ensure that all sponsors are on the same page. 

The four ELEC commissioners rarely vote along party lines, but they did that on Monday in a 2-2 vote on a motion to change the debate schedule.  Democrats Jerry Fitzgerald English and Albert Burstein, both former legislators, voted to move the debate to October 22, while the normally less partisan Republicans, Peter Tober and Amos Saunders, voted against any changes.  Saunders, a retired Superior Court Judge who hasn't been involved in partisan politics for decades, was especially strong in his opposition to any adjustments to the calendar. 

ELEC's public hearing offered an interesting exchange  between Burstein, the 86-year-old former Assembly Majority Leader who sponsored New Jersey's gubernatorial public financing law in the 1970's, and Bill Baroni , the 37-year-old Republican State Senator from Hamilton who led the opposition to any alteration of the debate schedule.  During his five terms in the Assembly, Burstein was respected by both parties as one of the most intellectually talented legislators in Trenton.  Baroni, who has emerged as one of the intellectual heavyweights of the Senate, could be the Burstein of his generation.

Burstein started out in politics in 1959 as counsel to the Jersey City Charter Commission and became active in Tenafly politics in the 1960's.  He was elected to the State Assembly in 1971, when legislative redistricting created a new Englewood/Teaneck seat that leaned toward the Democrats.  Running with Byron Baer, Burstein beat Jim O'Dowd (who would later serve as Bergenfield Mayor and Bergen County Freeholder) by 2,335 votes.

When legislative districts were redrawn for the 1973 elections, the newly-created 37th became even more Democratic.  But neither Burstein nor Baer got the chance to challenge the incumbent Republican Senator, Joseph Woodcock.  That opportunity went to Bergen County Democratic Chairman Matthew Feldman, a former Teaneck Mayor who had served in the Senate from 1966 to 1968.  Feldman easily beat Woodcock and Burstein and Baer coasted to win second terms.

Democrats picked up 26 Assembly seats in 1973, and enjoyed a 66-14 majority. After just one term, Burstein was already fast-tracked for leadership in the Assembly.  He became a candidate for Majority Leader, but his campaign collapsed when aides to Governor-elect Brendan Byrne brokered a deal that made Feldman the Senate Majority Leader and Joseph LeFante (D-Bayonne) the Majority Leader of the Assembly.

LeFante became Speaker in 1976 when S. Howard Woodson resigned to become a Civil Service Commissioner.  But Burstein was passed over again for Majority Leader, with the post going to William Hamilton (D-New Brunswick). 

Following LeFante's 1976 election to Congress, Burstein challenged Hamilton for Speaker, but dropped out just before the voting began.  A deal had been made to give Christopher Jackman (D-West New York) the Majority Leader post, leaving Burstein as the Assistant Majority Leader.

Hamilton was elected to the State Senate in 1977, and Jackman succeeded him as Speaker.  Burstein ran for Majority Leader and won, defeating Ernest Schuck (D-Barrington).  (For extreme political junkies: after losing the race for Majority Leader, Schuck hired a more politically astute young aide named George Norcross.)

Burstein became a candidate for Congress in 1978 and many observers felt he had a good chance to oust the incumbent, Harold Hollenbeck, a freshman Republican who had beaten embattled Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Helstoski in 1976.  Two other potential Democratic candidates, State Sen. Anthony Scardino (D-Lyndhurst) and Baer, who had nearly beaten Helstoski in a bizarre 1974 primary, dropped out and backed Burstein.

But Burstein wound up losing the Democratic primary to Nicholas Mastorelli, the Executive Director of the North Hudson Council of Mayors.   While Burstein carried the Bergen portion of the ninth district, Mastorelli won huge margins in North Bergen, Union City and Secaucus.  Mastorelli won the primary by 2,390 votes, 51%-43%, but lost the general election to Hollenbeck.

After the 1979 election, when Republicans picked up ten Assembly seats, Burstein was defeated for re-election as Majority Leader by Alan Karcher (D-Sayreville).  Burstein, no longer in line to become Assembly Speaker, and with Feldman still occupying the Senate seat, declined to seek re-election to a sixth term in 1981.  Bennett Mazur took his seat; after Mazur's death in 1992, Democrats elected Loretta Weinberg to the Assembly.

Burstein has served on the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission since 2004.

It's likely that Burstein would not have beaten Hollenbeck in 1978; it was Jimmy Carter's mid-term election, and the incumbent won by eleven points, 49%-38% over Mastorelli (Helstoski ran as an Independent and took 13%).  But it is important to point out that if Burstein did win, there would have been no House seat for Robert Torricelli to run for four years later.