WEBBER FOR ASSEMBLY

WEBBER FOR ASSEMBLY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2007 CONTACT: (973) 581-1027

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . .

“Webber Faces Different Political Landscape Now,� Fred Snowflack, The Daily Record, January 31, 2007

Jay Webber was totally unknown four years ago when he scared the political pants off of state Sen. Robert Martin, R-Morris Plains, in the 2003 Republican primary.

Webber shot at Martin from all angles, or rather from all right angles. Webber, who has degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Law School on his resume, was so poised and articulate on the campaign trail that expectations for him rose quickly. After six weeks of campaigning, some in the party thought he had a real shot of winning.

In the end, Martin, who kept the party establishment on his side, won rather easily. Webber could take solace in the fact people were so impressed by him that some were surprised and disappointed when he lost. That was a pretty good transformation for someone who had started as an unknown.

This time around, the landscape is different. Webber formally kicked off his campaign for the state Assembly in the 26th District a few days ago. His opponent is Larry Casha of Kinnelon. Martin is not running again, and Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio, R-Montville, is running for his Senate seat. That creates the Assembly vacancy. Assemblyman Alex DeCroce, R-Parsippany, is also in the race, but most assume he'll win easily, leaving Casha and Webber to fight for the district’s other seat.

Casha has been active in the party longer than Webber. But Webber also has some prominent people on his side, namely Frank Druetzler, the recently retired freeholder and mayor of Morris Plains. Druetzler, a moderate, seems worlds apart from the conservative Webber. He also has been close friends with Martin. But there was Druetzler the other night, introducing Webber to about 50 supporters gathered at the Morris Plains home of Sal and Lisa Cortese. Both Webber and Druetzler are, at least, Met fans.

Webber is a sincerely religious man, and his campaign kickoff began with an invocation, which is something you don’t see every day.

Asked beforehand, how he would separate himself from Casha, Webber said, “If I can articulate principles and a vision for New Jersey, I'll be satisfied. Then, it’s up to the voters.�

Later, when addressing the crowd, Webber attacked the Democrats.

He complained about scandals at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and the School Construction Corp., the Highlands Act and the Democrats’ “extreme social agenda.�

For good measure, Webber, a lawyer who once clerked for then-state Supreme Court Justice Peter Vern[ie]ro, said we need a legal system that reflects the will of the people rather than the “whim of a judge.� It’s always a bit disingenuous when lawyers, who should – and probably do – know better attack judges for doing their job. But that’s politics for you.

A more relevant point is that Webber’s condemnation of the big, bad Democrats in Trenton convinced nobody in the room. That’s because they didn’t need to be convinced. Webber was speaking to Republicans. As the campaign unfolds, Webber should tell voters why he would be better than Casha, or for that matter, DeCroce. We know he doesn’t like the Democrats. The same goes for Casha.

The crowd last week included a handful of Republicans from Passaic County. It’s easy to forget that the 26th district includes three towns in Passaic: Bloomingdale, Pompton Lakes and West Milford.

Frank Hannan, the vice chairman of the West Milford Republican party, said he likes Webber’s devotion to principle and that, Webber will have the line in Passaic, “If I have anything to do with it.�

While we don’t know what Hannan’s pull is, we do know that having the line, which is an endorsement by the county Republican organization and a favorable ballot position, is significant. Whoever gets it probably could count on about 60 to 70 percent of the vote in the three Passaic County towns. That would mean something in what probably will be a tight election. Morris, of course, does not have a line.�
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