Chief Political Writer
of the
The Trentonian
A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING NEWSPAPER
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November 14th Gov. Christie Whitman -  
Senator Bob Torricelli - 
State Sen. Bill Gormley - 
State Sen. Shirley Turner -
Jon Corzine -
This will be my last report on the weekly wins and losses of New Jersey politicians. I am stepping down as the chief arrow pointer to give someone else the chance to decide who had a good political week and who was a loser on the Jersey political scene. The governor is the biggest player in New Jersey politics and, as I depart, the prospects and direction of Christie Todd Whitman are not altogether clear. By taking herself out of the race for Frank Lautenberg's U.S. Senate seat, Whitman has weakened her own hand and dealt a huge blow to the Jersey GOP. Because there are almost twice as many Democrats as Republicans, their prospects of winning the senate seat without Whitman are slim. Whitman will continue to reign as a national media star because she is a smart-talking woman who represents the moderate wing of the Republican party. But in politics, you have to play to win and Whitman is no longer in the game. By next summer, if Texas Gov. George W. Bush needs to increase his voting power among women, Whitman could end up as the vice presidential candidate on the GOP ticket. If not, Whitman could become an ambassador, the head of the National Abortion Rights League or the next president of Rutgers. Its too early to tell. The prospects for the state's second most powerful political player, Sen. Robert Torricelli, are much better. Torricelli will undoubtedly get a great deal of heat this week after the rest of the New Jersey press figures out that he introduced the Claritin bill the day after Schering-Plough, which makes the allergy drug, made a big campaign contribution to Torricelli's Democratic Senatorial Committee. The move officially earns him a down arrow. But New Jerseyans won't complain too much about the Torch taking care of the pharmaceutical industry. The state's strong economy depends on the big drug companies doing well. Torricelli could also end up as a vice presidential contender next summer if Vice President Al Gore gets the nomination. What better way to counter the boring image of the Southern fried Gore than with Torricelli's wit and Italian flair. Barring that, Torricelli could run for governor and immediately clear the field of all other Democrats, including the ever-present Jim McGreevey. Jersey Democrats will wait until Torricelli decides what to do and they will go along with it. Any Democrat who thinks Torricelli doesn't have that much power should look at the political prospects of those Democratic U.S. Senate candidates who thought about challenging Torricelli's choice for the job, Jon Corzine. Congressmen Bob Menendez, D-Hudson, who was outraged because Torricelli did not back his candidacy is now on the Corzine team. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-Monmouth, who was squeezed out of the race by Torricelli forces in North Jersey will undoubtedly get on board the Corzine train too. And those folks who have sided with former governor Jim Florio, including Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-Passaic and Rep. Rob Andrews, D-Camden, can kiss their political futures good-bye, not that Andrews had a political future after his dismal performance in the 1997 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Corzine, who continues to rack up Democratic party support, has become not only the leading Democratic contender for the U.S. Senate nomination, he's actually the George W. Bush of the race. He's got more money than anybody and that Democratic vote advantage could be a big help in Corzine's beating any of the three remaining Republicans who are running for the U.S. Senate, State Sen. Bill Gormley, R-Margate, Rep. Bob Franks, R-Union and Essex Executive Jim Treffinger if the election were held today. Gormley was the big Republican winner this week who gained the most when fundraiser Lewis Eisenberg dropped out of the Republican competition. Gormley' gets an up arrow for his fundraising team which includes some real power players in the GOP like the Oscar nominated Flemington car dealer, Steve Kalafer and Republican wonder women Hazel Gluck and Judy Shaw. Eisenberg could easily join the Gormley team too once he makes sure that it wasn't Gormley's people who faxed his sloppy voting record to that big Newark paper just hours before he dropped out of the race. State Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Lawrenceville, must take home a down arrow too for her comment this week that requiring New Jersey school students to recite the preamble to the constitution was "brainwashing." Turner says the "all men are created equal" stuff is "outdated." We hate to see Turner wasting her time on such politically correct knee-jerk reactions. She's got some real battles coming up in the next few months. Turner is the Mercer County Democratic Chair, making her a leader in a party controlled by four or five male party bosses who make their deals in back rooms and on golf courses where women are rarely invited. Turner's big wins on November 2nd, including the Hamilton Twp. mayoral victory and Mercer's potential to deliver lots of Democratic votes gives her political leverage and may force the big boys to let her into the game. She also seems on the verge of endorsing Corzine, a move which will require a return of the favor from North Jersey party bosses. Turner has played her political cards masterfully, but it is not clear if she can break through the glass ceiling of New Jersey power politics where few women are ever allowed. Whitman forced her party to let her in the power circle, but having a high profile Whitman forced her party to let her in the power circle, but having a high profile and a personal fortune was a great help for the governor early on. As an African-American woman, Turner has a heavier lift, but she might make it, particularly if she doesn't get stopped by petty, down arrow behavior like calling the preamble to the constitution "outdated." Puh leese. Final up arrows go to State Sen. Don DiFrancesco, R-Scotch Plains, who is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for governor in 2001. Only Jersey's Bill Bradley has a better sense of timing than DiFrancesco and he thinks 2001 is his year. The soft-spoken Senate President will undoubtedly be underestimated by the Democrats, but nothing is more fun than watching DiFrancesco on the attack. He's so polite that his opponents often don't realize they've been beaten until they notice the bleeding bodies on the ground. Hamilton Mayor Glen Gilmore is sure to become a Democratic star who will be a big player in the McGreevery for Governor or the Torricelli for Governor campaigns and Mercer Executive Bob Prunetti has made himself a critical Republican power broker both in next year's U.S. Senate campaign and the race for the governor's office in 2001. Keep those arrows flying.
Jersey Republicans should use this lull between Election Day and Thanksgiving to try to figure out if there's anything they can do to stop the Garden State from fully developing its obviously Democratic tendencies. Gov. Christie Whitman has been New Jersey's Republican miracle, managing to eke out statewide victories even though only one-fifth of voters claim to be members of the GOP. But Tuesday night's Democratic victories could be the harbinger of things to come for the GOP even though the big Democratic wins were local. The insistence by Whitman and State GOP Chairman Chuck Haytaian that the Republicans did well just by holding their own and maintaining control of the Legislature on Election Night is true. But the GOP got lucky only because the Democratic campaign against them was so weak. It was easy to see the Democrats had no message, but the Republicans really didn't either unless you think "Vote Republican, we're not so bad" is a strong campaign theme. Whitman has to get the blame for the fact that Jersey Republicans had no compelling message. She may have dropped out of the Senate race, but she still has to lead the party. Sideways arrow. Which is not to say that Mercer County Republican Chairman Joe Constance has any right to grumble that Whitman didn't do enough to help the GOP slate in Hamilton. Nobody could have cleaned up the mess that Constance was largely responsible for creating. The down arrow for the Election Night debacle that left Hamilton Township in Democratic hands goes directly to Constance who oversaw a terrible campaign and then looked around on Wednesday morning for other people to blame. Even if Mayor-Elect Glen Gilmore was unbeatable, what excuse can Constance offer for not stepping in to put up a stronger opponent against Gilmore. Councilwoman Lisa Giardila comes to mind. Constance and the Pete Schroeder team got lots of criticism for their Willie Horton ad, but it was at least as dumb to put Mayor Jack Rafferty's picture on their campaign literature, thereby urging voters to endorse the same old thing. Voters obviously like new thinkers, which is why Jon Corzine gets an up arrow. Even before the 1999 elections were over, it was clear that Corzine, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, has gotten the upper hand on his rival, former governor Jim Florio. On Wednesday, Corzine was endorsed by Rep. Bob Menendez, D-Hudson, and Hudson County executive Bob Janiszewski, assuring that Corzine will do well in that huge Democratic County. Menendez has clearly decided to rally behind what he sees as a winning candidate. Corzine also gets points for working hard in the Assembly elections, stumping for candidates as well as writing big checks. Corzine is still a mega-money candidate, but by investing in local candidates and party machines, he makes it clear that he's not Steve Forbes. Bob Prunetti obviously earned an up arrow, too, for withstanding the big challenge from Democratic Freeholder Jim McManimon. Prunetti is now being mentioned for every political job, including governor, U.S. Senator and Ambassador to Italy. His strong stand in the face of a Democratic onslaught Tuesday night puts Prunetti in the top tier of Republican players. When the GOP sits down to try to figure out a message, they ought to talk to Bob. Gilmore obviously gets an up arrow, too, for the biggest political win in New Jersey on Election Night. Gilmore demonstrated a lot of class in his campaign to win Hamilton and managed to give voters there something to feel good about. Hopefully, Gilmore will truly usher in a new day, and not just set up a Democratic administration that looks just like the old Republican machine.
Sun Oct 31, 1999 The Halloween arrows turned up more tricks than treats for Jersey politicians, even after we threw everybody out of the running who is up for election on Tuesday. Gov. Christie Whitman gets a down arrow for the lousy reviews that are coming out of her $400 million program privatizing the state's vehicle emissions testing system. Last year the Whitman team tapped Parson Infrastructure and Technology Group to take over the testing even though state workers warned that the private company would cost twice as much. Now the bills are in and it's clear the state workers were right. But that didn't stop Parsons from getting an increase in their per-car inspection cost. Whitman should be ashamed of the deal because several highly placed Republicans, including her former press secretary, made a fair amount of money on it. But the feather-bedding is even worse when it turns out that the state is paying for something as overpriced as the Parsons takeover. The taxpayers who picking up the tab deserve better. Meanwhile, State Sen. Ray Lesniak, the Elizabeth Democrat who is the power behind political wannabes Jon Corzine and Jim McGreevey, gets an up arrow for a little bill he put out last week that would make it a crime to falsify a police endorsement in a campaign ad. Candidates are always claiming that they're backed by cop groups and if it turns out to be a lie, voters don't usually find out until the election is over. Lesniak's bill would mandate a fine for any candidate who put out a phony endorsement. Lesniak's proposal is not likely to usher in a new era of clean campaigning in New Jersey, but it's nice when a big power broker like him uses his muscle to help out all those less fortunate candidates who aren't able to win elections by buying millions of dollars worth of campaign ads. Unfortunately, the performances of two other big Democrats, Sen. Bob Torricelli and Rep. Rush Holt, D-Hopewell Twp., don't get the same rave reviews. Torricelli gets a belated down arrow for blocking the campaign finance reform bill in the Senate. Torricelli, who was acknowledged this week as one of the best speakers in Congress, made it clear that when it comes to cleaning up campaign finance, he's all talk and no action. When push came to shove, he led the opposition to campaign finance proposal which would have reduced the influence of special interests and big labor in American politics. We're sure the Torch has a very articulate explanation about how the bill wasn't good enough, but we don't want to hear it. The truth is that Torricelli is one of the best fund-raisers in the country. The current campaign finance laws work very well for him and he doesn't want to change them. How else would he have the campaign cash to contribute almost a quarter- million dollars to local candidates running next Tuesday? Holt has been working tirelessly these days in an effort to ward off attacks by a half-dozen Republicans who are poised to run against him next year. Unfortunately, this week he earns a down arrow for being in favor of Oregon's doctor assisted suicide law. Holt joined all the New Jersey Democrats who voted in favor of Oregon's law which allows doctors to prescribe lethal medications to terminally ill people who to kill themselves. Out west they call it "death with dignity." But reports from Oregon indicate that virtually all of the 23 people who used the law were mentally incompetent or severely depressed. With appropriate medical treatment some of them might still be alive today. Somehow, help with suicide is not what we expected from a patient's bill of rights. Down arrow for Holt. October 24
However, it was easy to hand out our first down arrow to Hamilton Democrat, Glen Gilmore, the attorney who is running for mayor. Gilmore has told us for weeks that this year's tax reduction in Hamilton is an "election- year gimmick" that resulted from some slick financial moves made last year by the Republicans who are running the show now. Gilmore accused Mayor Jack Rafferty and the Republicans in charge of "giving back money they stole from the taxpayers last year." But Gilmore provided no evidence to back up his charges. He also didn't gain our confidence when he told us that he couldn't say "right off the top of his head" just how big the Hamilton township budget is. How can you say you favor spending cuts if you don't even know how much is being spent? Down arrow for Gilmore. There's no evidence that the impact fee legislation will go anywhere tomorrow either. In fact, we're giving Schluter an up arrow for the impact fee legislation today because we think that's all he's going to get. Former congressman Richard Zimmer dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate this week even though hardly anybody knew he was in. The move has earned him a sideways arrow. Zimmer said he considered the race because polls show he's well-known among New Jersey voters. But like former governor Jim Florio, Zimmer was confusing name recognition with support. Zimmer's departure has nothing to do with the fact that Lewis Eisenberg, Whitman's fundraiser, is likely to get into the race for the Republican senatorial nomination next week. Eisenberg, a former Goldman-Sachs executive, doesn't seem to be able to stay away from this campaign even though his candidacy will be a drain on the GOP. Eisenberg has no political base and no name recognition, only money. But a bigger primary is good news for former Libertarian Murray Sabrin. The real truth is that the Democratic Assembly wannabes probably didn't want to have their pictures taken with the president. No candidate wants to become a victim of Clinton fatigue. Finally, there's an up arrow for Mercer Executive Bob Prunetti who had the guts to point out this week that lawsuits against gun manufacturers don't actually reduce gun violence. Signing onto the gun manufacturer lawsuits has been popular among New Jersey political candidates over the past few weeks as a quick answer to voters concerns about gun violence. The fact that all the lawsuits have been thrown out of court so far is almost never mentioned. Prunetti is taking a political risk by asking the right question because his opponents will surely portray him as some kind of pro-gun nut. But he's right and that's why he gets the arrow. Sun, Oct 17, 1999 Whitman called House Speaker Dennis Hastert last week and asked him to look at the FEMA Catch-22 that mandates deducting state grants flood victims get from any federal assistance they may be eligible for. But Whitman revealed her dark side when she intervened in the Elizabeth-Port Authority
war and took the side of big trucks. In a last ditch effort to stop the Port Authority from seizing
property in Elizabeth, Mayor Chris Bollwage set up a safety check point for trucks coming out of
the big terminal. He tied up truck traffic for several days and netted over 300 (three hundred)
trucks that had safety violations including bad brakes and bald tires. Whitman pressed Bollwage Whitman also lost points when she left with 250 (two hundred fifty) Garden Staters for
Panama to watch the Battleship New Jersey pass through the Panama Canal for the last time Senate President Don DiFrancesco, R-Scotch Plains, is in Panama with Whitman but he
gets an up arrow for scheduling his "Emergency Disaster Relief Act of 1999" for a vote. New Meanwhile, Mercer County Freeholder and County Executive wanna-be, Jim Finally, Murray Sabrin, the former Libertarian who ran for governor and then turned into a Republican U.S. Senate candidate demonstrated once again that he is not ready for prime time. This week Sabrin called to tell us that Democratic Senate candidate Jon Corzine has "communist inspired" ideas posted on his web site. Sabrin suggested that Corzine's universal health care proposals reflected similar ideas in the Communist Manifesto. We hoped we would never have to bring this up, but "red-baiting" results in an automatic down arrow. Sun Oct 10, 199 The Bush team wants to create a new kind of "conservatism with a smile" but the arrow-pointers think he's smart to separate himself from the pasty white guys like Speaker Dennis Hastert and Rep. Tom Delay who seem to be running the show down there. The drawling Bush is a dyed-in-the-wool Texan, but he clearly understands the art of the New Jersey political deal. Last winter when Senate President Don DiFrancesco and Assembly Speaker Jack Collins started booking New Jersey lawmakers on flights to Austin to meet the Texas governor, they promised early backing and financial support. In exchange, Bush promised to help raise money for Assembly Republicans and he's kept his part of the deal. Bush called Collins "the silver- tongued fox" and DiFrancesco, "Donnie Dee," making it appear that he and the Jersey leaders had been friends for years. But a thumbs up from George W. is not enough to overcome the colossal missteps that both DiFrancesco and Collins made last week. Collins threw the big Bush party in the middle of the flood zone without seeming to care what that might mean to the people who live there. He reportedly told the mayor of Bound Brook that he didn't have time to tour the flooded-out downtown and neglected to mention the local flood victims at all during the dinner program. No contributions to the Red Cross, no taking the leftovers from the big and largely uneaten dinner to the local shelters and, more importantly, no word aboutcalling a special session of the Legislature to appropriate some relief for flood victims. Meanwhile, many of theprotesters in Bound Brook remember DiFrancesco as the politician who came and said flood relief was on its way, but then reneged on his promise the next day. DiFrancesco says he's a team player with Whitman and Collins in the flood relief game, but he's getting most of the bad press for the politicians who are sitting on their hands. In these times of lush financial surpluses, there is no excuse forthis Republican's botching of flood relief. Even if they don't care about people, their paralysis is very bad politics. Down arrow for the legislative leaders. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate candidate of the week is State Sen. Bill Gormley, R-Mays Landing. Despite what some newspapers have reported, that's the same Gormley who did not vote for former governor Jim Florio's unpopular $2.8 billion tax increase. Almost a week after Tom Kean's dropout, a number of Republican party bosses are whispering in corners thatGormley is probably the best candidate they could put up against the Democrats. That doesn't mean he's got enough support to nail down the nomination, but it's enough to get him an up arrow. In the red-hot race for mayor in Hamilton, we award our first up arrow to Pete Schroeder, the Republican candidate. Schroeder was the winner in last week's first official debate even though his opponent, Democrat Glen Gilmore is a much better speaker. Gilmore makes a lot of sense when he says it's time for a change and he stresses big themes, like leadership and responsibility. Joe Fabrizi, the Independent Party candidate, also makes a strong case that both parties are too closely tied to special interests. But, Schroeder was the only guy who was willing to say that if he's elected, he'll politely ask Police Chief Richard Taylor to retire. No spin, no studies. No whining. That's up arrow behavior.
Sun, Oct 3, 1999 Gov. Christie Whitman got the highest approval ratings she's posted this year just as the Insurance Institute reported that auto insurance rates in New Jersey really have gotten cheaper.
Still, the news that most folks are paying almost $200 less for Whitman also earned points for speaking out for the frustrated people in New Jersey's flood zones earlier this week. Whitman called on President Clinton to take half of the $5.7 billion that he had set aside to forgive third world debt and forgive the loans of the victims of Hurricane Floyd here at home. So its an up arrow for Christie "the governor" Whitman but a big downer for Jesse "the Body" Ventura. Ventura blasted organized religion in a Playboy interview
this week: "It tells people to go out and stick their noses in other people's business." Guess Venura hasn't noticed that even those Democrats with similar atheistic tendencies have turned their support to "faith-based" social programs to solve intractable problems like drug addiction and teen pregnancy. The only programs that work seem tobe operated by "organized religions." The good news about "The Body" mouthing off is that the
political career of this pompous imposter is now dead. In a country where 92 percent of the public says they believe in God
and almost 80 percent attend religious services at least some times, politicians just can't say that kind of anti-religious Senate Minority Leader Richard Codey, D-West Orange tried to Codey failed, but an up arrow That probably won't earn him any points in the Republican caucus, but the arrow pointers likes politicians who aren't afraid to take a stand. State Sen. Bill Gormley, R-Mays Landing, also earns an up arrow for muzzling a room full of lawmakers. Before the new State Police Superintendent Carson Dunbar was We were going to give Assembly Speaker Jack Collins a down "He always said he's call a session if there was a good reason and this is a good reason," Sico said. That's not enough to earn him Collins an arrow, but it gets him off the hook. Bill Bradley continues to soar as Vice President Al Gore
limps back to Nashville. Bradley's got more money and better poll numbers and he even beat the veep to the punch on the home town
move. The Trentonian caught Bradley in Texas last week and asked "I'll just say that our campaign is strong because we're
running out of West Orange, New Jersey," Bradley said.
Sun, Sep 26, 1999
Two big arrow winners, Special FBI Agent Carson Dunbar and Democratic Senate hopeful Jon Corzine took the public stage for the first time and neither was docked points for getting a little emotional. Tears streamed down the cheeks of Dunbar, Gov. Christie Whitman's long awaited nominee to be the next State Superintendent of Police as he explained to reporters that he was prepared to take over the top cop job, which gives him no pay increase or enhanced pension status, because he wants to make the world a better place for his children. Dunbar's first press conference was a home run . He fiercely defended state troopers against what he called the "beating they have taken in the newspapers." Then he quickly dismissed any notion that his authority was being undercut by the enhanced oversight system that has been established through the Attorney's General's office by pointing out that the FBI is monitored in a similar fashion. Dunbar made it clear that he would be aggressive in attacking racial profiling practices among state troopers, saying that he believes he may have been racially profiled on the New Jersey Turnpike once. But he said that he did not believe the practice was as prevalent as many believed. Dunbar soft-spoken "thinking man's cop" approach is a contrast to the traditional "just the facts ma'am" approach of Acting Superintendent Lt. Col. Michael Fedorko and his predecessor Col. Carl Williams. Dunbar's and may be the first sign of how he plans to change the "culture" of the state police. Corzine's tears came as he walked onto the front steps of his huge house in Summit after having his campaign efforts blessed by a platoon of spiritual leaders including the influential Rev. Reginald Jackson, Executive Director of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey. With the strains of Eric Clapton's "We Can Change the World" floating over the lawn, Corzine eyes were unabashedly brimming over as he told the 200 people who gave him a standing ovation that their response was "overwhelming for someone not in public life." Corzine laid out a surprising detailed platform for a political rookie. He paid homage to Senator Frank Lautenberg, whose shoes he wants to fill. Humble is probably a good position for Corzine to take, but the truth is that he has already demonstrated that he is a better speaker than Lautenberg. Corzine sensitive baby boomer image will undoubtedly make former Governor Jim Florio, his Democratic primary opponent, seem even colder. A Quinnipiac College Poll released late last week showed that former governor Tom Kean would mop the floor with either Florio or Corzine if he got into the race for U.S. Senate but Kean won't say what he's going to do. His political teasing is putting New Jersey Republicans even farther behind than they already. We've never been convinced that Kean is the " 800 pound gorilla" that everyone thinks he is and with Corzine's impressive entry into the race, its time for Kean to either get in or step out before he critically damages the chance of any Republican to win the seat. His foot dragging is down arrow behavior. It was all uphill for Whitman's road to an up arrow after she finally named Dunbar and lifted the tolls on the Garden State Parkway. Whitman realized that folks who are driving on flood damaged roads have all the hassles they can manage. Whitman also continues to earn points for her close attention to the flood disaster. However, with the state awash in surplus funds, it is clear that she and other state leaders are going to have to figure out a way to get direct grants to businesses that were hardest hit by the Floyd washout. A sign in the window of a store in flood ravaged Manville last week read: "Politicians…no grants, no vote in November." Politicians from Sen. Bob Torricelli to Secretary of State Buster Soaries swarmed into the flood zone this week, so there's no doubt politicians got the message. Rep. Bob Franks, R-Union who represents the area, has been there around the clock. Our final up arrow goes to Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes, the multi-millionaire from Bedminster who pulled his money out of Princeton last week in protest of their hiring of Robert Singer. Singer is the so-called bio-ethicist who advocates getting rid of handicapped people. The more the arrow pointers read about this guy, the creepier he gets. We can't imagine how he got a job at Princeton. Forbes is being urged by some Republican big feet in Washington to drop his clearly doomed quest for the White House and run for the Senate from New Jersey instead. That would be a great boon for New Jersey Republicans, who need a hero since Whitman bailed out on them. Forbes may not be as well-known or as popular as Kean, but he does already have bumper stickers printed, which could get the GOP back in the game. Sun Sept 19, 1999 Gov. Christie Whitman -
Gov. Christie Whitman spent most of her first week of freedom from the U.S. Senate campaign running around in a rain slicker marshaling the troops to battle Hurricane Floyd. She was standing by at Bradley Beach when the big winds started to blow. Battening down the hatches against the tropical storm provided Whitman with a good excuse to avoid the raging Republican leaders around the state who have stopped being nice about Whitman's abrupt withdrawal from next year's Senate race. Many in the Jersey GOP are now feeling as abandoned as those poor Garden Staters who saw their homes washed away by the storm. Behind closed doors, Republicans will tell you that Rep. Bob Franks, who boldly skipped the routine "exploratory" phase of his campaign, is no Christie Whitman. Neither is Essex County Executive Jim Treffinger, who also jumped into the Republican Senate race this week despite the fact that his base in North Jersey is full of Democrats and he's got few friends south of Newark. Both Treffinger and Franks earn sideways arrows because their stunning mediocrity seems to have bolstered the spirits of the Democratic multimillionaire underdog, Jon Corzine who is now being picked as the winner in some quarters even though he still only gets 6 percent of the vote in most polls. The only good news the Jersey GOP got last week is that Lewis Eisenberg, Whitman's fundraiser and the head of the New Jersey Port Authority is seriously thinking about entering the race. Eisenberg, like Corzine, is a Goldman-Sachs alum and both command big bucks without breaking the banks of their respective political parties. Of course, some folks might be put off by the notion of two rich guys running against each other, but money always talks when it comes to politics. State Sen. Bill Gormley, R-Mays Landing, will undoubtedly jump in the race next week, but he'll only stay in if Eisenberg doesn't. That's bad news because Gormley is the wittiest candidate either side has come up with yet. Bill Bradley beat both Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George Bush in a Quinnipiac College Poll conducted in New York last week. The arrow-pointers have decided to give Bradley's award to Senate Minority Leader Dick Codey, D-West Orange, his New Jersey campaign chairman. Codey took a big risk by backing Bradley over the White House and it seems to be paying off. Politicians who take stands for things they believe in always get up arrows, even if we don't agree with them. We've also giving an up arrow to Mercer Executive Jim McManimon for coming out of the box first this week with some serious radio commercials. In his campaign to overthrow Mercer County Executive Bob Prunetti, McManimon had both guns blazing. The arrow-pointers love campaign season and look forward to the weeks ahead when candidates will fill the radio and cable television airwaves with good reasons to vote for them instead of their opponents. We know some folks hate this stuff, but frankly we prefer ads about local folks and issues over another commercial for a machine that burns fat on your buns and thighs. n n n CLARIFICATION Speaking of those McManimon ads: On Friday, in a column about the New Jersey Affordable Housing Network's charge that folks who oppose increased housing development are discriminating against poor, I noted that such twisted logic would mean that the AHN must think McManimon and Prunetti are bigots. As is clearly stated in the column, nobody called anybody a bigot and there's no evidence that either McManimon or Prunetti view the world in the same way that the AHN does.
Sun, Sep 12, 1999 Except for Bill Bradley, all of the arrows this week are a result of Gov. Christie Whitman's bombshell announcement that she'd rather not run for the U.S. Senate after all. Caught in the first wave of the aftershock, we're giving Whitman an up arrow for having the guts to walk away. In a state full of politicians ruled by blind ambition, Whitman seems to have charmed even her most rabid critics with the news that she just didn't have the stomach for the political games that were spoiling the fun of being governor. But the arrow-pointers are big fans of hardball politics and we're sorry the governor quit in the pre-game show. We were all primed to see her go after whomever the Democrats put up against her. Somehow the idea of a debate between Rep. Bob Franks, R-Union and Democrat Jon Corzine is not nearly as interesting as the prospect of having Christie on the stage. State Sen. Bill Gormley vs. former Gov. Jim Florio doesn't excite us much either, though we suppose that Florio deserves some kind of acknowledgment because Whitman backed down. Polls show the New Jerseyans overwhelmingly believe that Whitman is a better governor than Florio was so he's obviously better off with her out of the race. But we don't think her dropping out is enough to make people start liking Florio again. That's why his arrow is sideways. Franks, on the other hand, is the only Republican who has announced he's ready to pick up where Whitman left off. It's a whole new ball game and Franks gets the up arrow because it looks like he's got the best chance of going all the way. Franks says he believes the GOP should avoid a long and bloody primary and instead unite behind one candidate who can win. Coincidentally, Whitman told us the same thing, though she won't endorse anybody until after the Assembly elections. Over the past couple years, it has sometimes seemed that Whitman favored Franks over Senate President Don DiFrancesco, R-Scotch Plains, in their ongoing war to be the next governor. If that's true, Franks may have the inside track on Whitman's very important senatorial endorsement. Ironically, Franks has a very good chance of getting DiFrancesco's endorsement too, although nobody wants to be in the room when DiFrancesco gives the news to State Sen. Bill Gormley, R-Mays Landing, another top contender for he GOP Senate nomination. DiFrancesco has to go into the big loser box this week, not only because he lost the opportunity to be Acting Governor, but also because he's going to have to endorse a candidate and he'll be forced to pick between Gormley, who is his Judiciary Chairman and Franks, who lives in his county and has been his primary opponent for the gubernatorial nomination. DiFrancesco, who seems to have taken on a Zen-like approach to life since Whitman's announcement, has a way of making lemonade out of lemons, so we don't think he'll be down for long on this one. But the arrow-pointers are glad they don't have to make the decision for him. Meanwhile, up in New Hampshire, things are looking good for Jersey's own Bill Bradley. Some polls have him running neck and neck with Vice President Al Gore and he's raised almost as much money. According to Senate Minority Leader Dick Codey, D-West Orange, who is in charge of Bradley's campaign in New Jersey, the big guy is having lots of luck selling the notion that he's the guy who can bring back character and credibility to the Democrats. So for Dollar Bill, the arrow is up and in.
Sun, Sept. 5, 1999
Whitman also gets a boost by the news that Democrats have abandoned hope of winning back control of the U.S. Senate next year, mostly because they are running such weak candidates. Guess New Jersey isn't the only state that is coming up with Democratic candidates like Jim Florio for the U.S.Senate. Sanity seems to overtake some people on vacation and Senator Frank Lautenberg
certainly returned from a week on Martha's Vineyard with a huge dose of clear thinking. He Lautenberg's idea seems based on the radical idea that the people who pay for New Jersey highways ought to matter to the people who run them. What we loved most about Lautenberg's proposal is his idea of drawing a line on the
asphalt near the tollbooths to indicate when a traffic jam must be unjammed by opening the We have down arrows all around for the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus which
invited New Jersey State Troopers to testify before them on Monday and then turned into the Known racists? Are you now or have you ever been a racist? The arrow pointers have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to racism. But we're also
big on the old constitutional thing about being innocent until proven guilty as well as the stuff
about hearsay not being evidence of anything. We hope Watson-Coleman just wasn't thinking Same goes for Jersey's Bill Bradley who sucked up to big labor last week by gushing that
if he is elected president he and his wife Ernestine will be the first couple in the White House who Besides, Bradley's wrong. Both Ronald and Nancy Reagan were members of the Screen
Actors Guild. That excludes us, but he must know somebody. Sun, Aug 31, 1999
Gov. Christie Whitman is on vacation which means that State Senate President Don DiFrancesco, R-Scotch Plains, was officially the Acting Governor all last week. But most folks probably thought that Whitman had left Sen. Bob Torricelli in charge. While DiFrancesco signed a couple of bills, Torricelli was all over the state on a Hillary Clinton-like "listening tour," talking with New Jerseyans about everything from Medicare to property taxes. Torricelli has managed to make the morning papers somewhere in the state almost every day. He even got into a little shouting match with New York Gov. George Pataki that looked a lot like something Whitman would do. Torricelli is trying to block a new casino in the Catskills because he's afraid it will draw customers away from Atlantic City. Pataki said Torricelli shouldn't butt into New York issues just to "protect the interests of New Jersey." But protecting the state's interests is Torricelli's job. Up arrow for the Torch, no points for DiFrancesco. State GOP Chairman Chuck Haytaian is also a big winner this week. Haytaian and the Republicans had the most to lose from the Conservative Party lawsuit that would have forced county clerks to list independent candidates on the ballot the same way they list Democrats and Republicans. Since the Conservative Party had the most to gain by being given a top spot on the ballot, Republicans who compete for conservative voters were in a scary spot. But lots of northern Jersey Democrats party bosses were worried about losing their top ballot position, too, and both parties joined together to challenge the Conservative Party lawsuit. In a great but unsurprising victory for the status quo, the Republicans and Democrats won and the Conservatives lost, just like Haytaian said they would. Meanwhile, Sen. Frank Lautenberg gets no applause for trying to turn the polite "here's your hat, what's your hurry" comments of well-wishers into a story that big-time Democrats are pushing him to change his mind about stepping down from the U.S. Senate next year. Lautenberg has some impressive accomplishments as a senator but he's never been considered unbeatable. Whitman was 10 points ahead of him in the polls even before he decided to step down. Instead of trying to grab headlines, Lautenberg should take a lesson from Senate Minority Leader Dick Codey, D-West Orange, and put the best interest of his political party first. Codey wrote a letter last week to the Democratic candidates who are actually running for Lautenberg's seat and urged them to stop fighting with each other. It's important to note that there were people who pressed Codey to run for that U.S. Senate seat too, but he didn't feel he had to hold a press conference and talk about it. Finally, an up arrow for State Sen. Bill Schluter, R-Pennington, and Assemblyman Leonard Lance, R-Flemington, for continuing to push for a genuine truck ban. Mercer and Hunterdon County roads have become a shortcut for big trucks and the results have been deadly on Routes 29, 31 and 202. Despite the news last week that the Whitman truck ban has made a dent in truck traffic, Schluter and Lance are right when they say it isn't tough enough to stop the big rigs from tearing up small towns and squashing a lot of people on the highways. Schluter and Lance are pushing for a stronger ban, which will undoubtedly make the big truckers mad. But no matter how menacing those big rigs appear in the rear view mirror, the arrow-pointers want Schluter and Lance to know that we are behind them. Sun, Aug 22, 1999
Some folks who are hanging around the beach say that Senator Frank Lautenberg is taking long afternoon shore walks and reconsidering his decision to retire from the U.S. Senate. Lautenberg's re-entry would make it easy for Democrats to regroup. But we're betting he won't do it because its too late to knock Whitman off the ballot. Florio and Corzine would be Before she packed her bags, the governor spent most of the week traveling around the state handing out checks to towns and counties which is always a good summer strategy before Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Clare Farragher, R-Freehold, can't keep her foot out of her mouth. First, she told an old and not very funny Italian joke on the floor of the Assembly which offended a number of people. Then she issued an ingratiating apology letter to the Sons of Italy for her "lapse in sensitivity" in which she tried to rally New Jersey's proud Italian-Americans to join her in a fight against the History Channel and the Arts and Entertainment Network because they don't do enough positive shows about Italians. Can't somebody make Farragher stop this personal spectacle of political correctness? New Jersey's Italian-Americans aren't known for getting kicked around. Just ask Bob Torricelli and Don DiFrancesco. They don't need any help from Farragher. If Codey's bill becomes law both the taper and the tapee must be informed that a conversation is being recorded. As big fans of the wild and witty "Monica Tapes" the arrow pointers fear that Codey's bill will take all the fun out of wearing a wire. But we suppose its for the best, particularly if you live in Hamilton and your enemies have friends at the FBI. Finally, there's State Sen. John Adler, D-Cherry Hill, who earns an up arrow by continuing to ask tough questions about how HIP-New Jersey went belly-up. Adler's says a vast Republican conspiracy designed to get Whitman re-elected is the secret reason for the bad decisions that resulted in HIP-NJ's financial demise. The facts don't support his theory, but he gets an up arrow anyway because the Whitman team and the Republicans in charge of health care and insurance have done such a lousy job of getting their side of the story out. With a few very notable exceptions, most of New Jersey's GOP don't have a clue about how to talk to the public about a story like this and the result is that Democrats, who are all masterful spinners, always have a truckload of ammunition to use against them. Adler is one of the best and we're betting he'll be able to hammer on the HIP-NJ demise until the November elections. Sun, Aug 15, 1999 Gov. Christie Whitman - Gov. Christie Whitman usually has very good instincts about the kind of thing that bothers the public and the stuff which most regular people ignore. While many of us in the media predicted that the governor would be punished by voters for her $2.8 billion pension bond proposal, she pushed her deal through and the public didn't bat an eye. But her handling of the appointment of the next State Superintendent of the State Police may actually cost her political points because it has taken so long and attracted so much damning media attention. Whitman is on the brink of making Special FBI Agent Carson Dunbar the first African American to head the State Police, an accomplishment that may quickly overshadow all the hoopla and misinformation that has been floating around for five months since Carl Williams was fired. But her failure to control the message and insulate herself from the predictable race-baiting attacks from liberals and Democrats have done damage, even among her supporters. Whitman is viewed by her fans as a no-nonsense, take-charge kind of leader and the bumbling and unfocused search for a new superintendent has tarnished that perception. Still, the governor earns points for aggressive anti-drought action and her successful campaign fund-raising trip to Houston where she drew raves from the Texas crowd. That adds up to a sideways arrow for the week. But for presidential contender Bill Bradley, it is nothing but net in his up arrow shootout with the other guy running for the Democratic presidential nomination, Vice President Al Gore. Earlier this week when Jayson Williams of the New Jersey Nets contributed $1,000 to Gore, he told the veep's backers that he was a bigger deal in New Jersey than Bradley. We don't think so. And the polls show we're right. Up arrow for Bradley. The Clinton-Gore team also contributes to a sideways arrow for Assembly Minority Leader Joe Doria, D-Bayonne. The man who would be speaker held a press conference this week saying the poll numbers for Democrats look good. Doria also says he's raised about $3 million for Assembly races this fall and promises to give the Republicans a run for their money. He zeroed in on Mercer County where he says Hamilton's Assemblypeople, Paul Kramer and Barbara Wright, are the most vulnerable GOP targets in the State. It sounded like he had a solid battle plan until Doria told us he was bringing in President Clinton to campaign for his slate in October. He's got to be kidding. What Democratic Assembly candidates want the President out shaking hands for them? Well, maybe Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Princeton. But Gusciora earns a down arrow this week for his attack on Whitman's state financed commercials. It's not the attack that bothers us. Like all Democrats, it's Gusciora's job to attack the governor. But we expect a more thoughtful approach from a smart guy like him. Gusciora charges that Whitman has made more state sponsored TV ads than other governors and he wants her to stop. But shutting down Whitman's sound bites is old-time political thinking that goes against the flow of the 24-hour news cycle and the information highway. If Gusciora really wants to equal out the air time, he should come up with a plan to force all New Jersey cable outlets to air free political commercials on every channel. Instead of trying to get Whitman off TV, Gusciora needs to figure out how to get himself and everybody else on. That's the kind of proactive, paradigm shifting thing they're supposed to be so good at thinking up in Princeton.
Sun Aug 8, 1999 Gov. Christie Whitman's team sent us evidence of what they hailed as her 34th tax cut this week. The latest slash raises the amount of income seniors can earn before the government steps in. We admit she deserves a standing ovation for that one from old people and everyone who is ever going to be old. But we can't give her a full-fledged up arrow for the week because she's still digging a hole for herself in the state police superintendent selection saga. Granted, the leaks surrounding the search for a top trooper have been terrible and the reporting of this story will surely become a low point in the annals of New Jersey media. But Whitman could have avoided the past several months of anguish for herself and several of the superintendent candidates who have been forced to fall on their swords, if she had demanded that her search committee take a disciplined and air-tight approach to the process. Whitman has said all along that all the hoopla surrounding the selection will
be forgotten if she gets the right candidate, and she thinks Special FBI Agent
Carson Dunbar is the right candidate. But the folks who have read he results of
their job interviews and resume reviews in the paper won't ever forget. Sideways
arrow for Whitman.
Meanwhile, Whitman's possible foe in next year's U.S. Senate race, former
governor Jim Florio, had a terrific week. He got the endorsement of Michael
Murphy, the best-liked Democratic candidate for governor and somehow if "Murph"
supports him, Florio seems more likable, too.
Florio's longtime stand for gun control is also reaping benefits for him now
as that issue's time has finally come.
Senate Minority Leader Dick Codey, D-West Orange, gets an up arrow for
leading a couple hundred New Jerseyans up to New Hampshire last week to knock on
doors for Bill Bradley. Codey says it was hot in New Hampshire, too, but he
reports that Granite Staters were glad to get the New Jersey inside take on
Dollar Bill. Codey made a long shot bet when he decided to back New Jersey's
former senator and it's already paying off for him.
The arrow-pointers have heard far too many jokes about Hamilton congressman
Chris Smith's fight against the illegal trafficking of prostitutes from Russia
and Eastern Europe. This kind of thing shouldn't exist in the world but it does
and Smith is a hero to tackle it, particularly since it earns him no points at
home. Up arrow.
Finally, Rev. Reginald Jackson, Executive Director of the Black Ministers
Council, earns an up arrow for calling on Whitman's critics (including himself)
to step aside and let the governor go about reforming the state police.
Assemblyman Joe Charles, D-Jersey City, and the leaders of the Black and Latino
Legislative Caucus have made it clear last week that nothing Whitman will ever
do will be enough for them. But Jackson demonstrated he doesn't want to use the
State Police to make political points for Democrats when he told The Trentonian
that he and other critics should "back off" and let the new
superintendent implement Whitman's action plan. Sun, Aug 1, 1999 Senator Bob Torricelli -
With the Washington GOP betting on tax cuts as their best bet in next year's election, Torricelli couldn't get the political traction he needed to push his plan forward. But its likely Democrats will campaign on his plan next year because, unlike the GOP plan that passed the U.S. Senate Friday, Torricelli's tax cuts would have actually made a financial difference for working people. Torricelli went against his friend, President Clinton in putting up his tax cut deal. The Clinton tax cut proposal, which failed in both houses, was a joke, but New Jersey's other senator, Frank Lautenberg, voted for them anyway earning the senior senator a down arrow. We know Lautenberg hates the Torch, but he should have backed him on this one. Gov. Christie Whitman gets a down arrow too for giving us another week of a less than stellar performance in finding a new state police superintendent. The arrow pointers aren't impressed with her tepid approach to the big truck ban, either. Admittedly, the media scrutiny surrounding the top trooper selection has made it hard for Whitman to identify and make a deal with the kind of leader she needs to head up the state police. But the entire selection process has been amateurish at best and we suspect there's a world of law enforcement stars out there who would do a terrific job with our state police, but she hasn't managed to find them. Whitman also has underachieved in her initial effort to get big trucks off New Jersey roads. She knew the truck ban she instituted would have minimal impact on truck traffic, but she didn't pull out all the stops to see what she could really do to get rid of the big rigs. Letting the big trucks move through the state with impunity is a huge concession to the trucking industry and big business. Whitman should make the cutting edge move of declaring the big trucks a threat to clean air and public safety and let business figure out some other way to get things delivered. There's no point in preserving New Jersey's open space if the highways are going to be filled with killer megaton trucks belching pollution. Meanwhile, off the main road, we applaud State Sen. John Lynch, D-Middlesex for moving to cap teacher salaries when he was a Senate leader several years ago and we understand his outrage that the New Jersey Education Association tried to get back at him by distributing false campaign materials that linked him to the mob. That kind of thing is typical of the teachers union and it stinks. But when the courts through out his defamation suit last week we didn't feel a great deal of sympathy for the Middlesex party boss. Lynch's sanctimonious outrage at being smeared unfairly was particularly hard to take in light of his vicious attacks on former Attorney General Peter Verniero. During Verniero's confirmation hearings for a spot on the Supreme Court, Lynch tried to link Verniero's father to the mob with no evidence, other than his Italian name. Watching Lynch try to smear Verniero with the same kind of hearsay and half-truths that the teachers used on him we are convinced that in politics, what goes around really does come around. Finally, Whitman signed the KidCare reforms this week that will open the door to health insurance for lots more New Jersey children. We don't know why she didn't invite Sen. Joe Vitale, D- Middlesex to the bill signing, but he did the hard work on that legislation and he gets the up arrow.
Sun, Jul 25, 1999 Mercer County Exec Bob Prunetti -
The arrow-pointers are well aware that
we are currently entering Week 19 in the search for a new superintendent for the
State Police. But we're taking time out from the 24-hour coverage of that
riveting job interview process to point out that a few other things have been
going on around the New Jersey political scene, even in Gov. Whitman's office.
Starting with the numbers, Whitman is still way ahead in the latest poll
regarding next year's U.S. Senate race. In the words of Quinnipiac College Poll
director Mickey Carroll, "At this early stage, Whitman wins, no matter who
is on the ballot against her."
The score was Whitman 52 percent to 35 percent for former Gov. Jim Florio.
Investment guru Jon Corzine scored 22 percent against Whitman, even though
nobody knows who he is.
Whitman's high numbers and Florio's declining numbers should strengthen the
resolve among northern New Jersey Democrats to get somebody on the ballot
besides their latest ex-governor.
Whitman scored several other points this week, which could help her out in
next year's election. The National Research Council and New Jersey Public
Interest Research Group admitted that New Jersey beaches are cleaner than
they've been in more than a decade, and Whitman's Personnel Commissioner, Janice
Mintz, got some civil service reforms through that could begin to reduce the
ridiculous bumping rights practice that protects low-producing state workers.
sherry
Whitman also got an award from the American Medical Association for her work
against drive-by deliveries and in favor of HMO reforms. Democrats who are
hoping to use the so-called "Patients' Bill of Rights" being pushed in
Washington against Whitman may have a hard time.
Whitman also signed the Property Tax Reduction Bill, which may or may not
make any difference to voters. But added to the other stuff it's a no-brainer
that she deserves an up arrow for the week.
Meanwhile, state Sen. President Donald DiFrancesco, R-Scotch Plains, probably
deserves a down arrow for continuing to complain about being left out of the
interview process for the State Police superintendent's job. Once you've whined
on the record, it is time to move on. But in a very close vote, the
arrow-pointers have decided that DiFrancesco deserves an up arrow this week to
counter the bad-mouthing he's been taking for the delay in appointing a new
superintendent.
Reverend Reginald Jackson, head of the Black Ministers Council, has been
insisting since February that the state Senate leadership is the real reason
Whitman doesn't have a new top cop under contract. Jackson has repeated this
point so often that lots of people seem to believe it's true, even though
DiFrancesco keeps telling us that he could probably support any of the names
that have come up so far.
What is more interesting than the folks who think the Senate leadership is
the real power behind the top trooper search are those whimsical Democrats, who
seem to think that Whitman will look to the Assembly minority for direction on
who she should pick. Assemblyman Neil Cohen, D-Roselle Park, Assemblywoman Nia
Gill, D-Montclair, and Assemblyman Wilfredo Carraballo, D-South Orange, made a
statement this week backing Robert Buccino, a chief investigator at the New
Jersey Dept. of Law and Public Safety. Not to be outdone, Assemblyman William
Payne, D-Newark, issued his own statement in support of Carson Dunbar, the FBI
special agent who works in New York but lives in New Jersey. A spokesman for the
upper house said it appears the Assembly Democrats are suffering from
"senatorial courtesy envy."
Trenton's state Sen. Shirley Turner, who actually gets to vote on the top
trooper appointment, told us last week that it's her job to review whomever the
governor puts up and she's ready to go over the resume. We're glad somebody at
the State House understands the advise and consent process.
But the Assembly flame-out wasn't enough to result in Cohen's blowing his up
arrow for his annual move to free New Jersey beaches. Cohen understands that New
Jersey's requirement that you buy a license to walk on the Shore is clearly
inhumane. As mammals who came from the sea, we all have a desire to return to
the ocean stamped on our genetic code. It's wrong for the Shore towns to make us
pay money for that innate need. Up arrow for Cohen.
Likewise for Mercer County Executive Bob Prunetti, who reportedly has a
double-digit lead in the latest countywide polls. Democrats all over the state
are betting big time on a win in Mercer County, but so far, we've not seen the
McManimon train leave the station. July 18 We're pretty sure that means he'll keep his hands off the hired help, and we like it. It is probably a good omen for Bush that the guys running his ground game in New Jersey including Bill Palatucci, Rocco Iossa and Cliff Sobel, have been able to effectively put the Jersey GOP in Bush's camp a year ahead of the election. Meanwhile Vice President Al Gore's team, headed up by State Sen. Ray Lesniak, D-Elizabeth, has been forced to give up lots of territory to the Bill Bradley forces which are being rallied by Senate Minority Leader Dick Codey, D-West Orange. Whitman hasn't endorsed Bush but its hard to imagine she won't. As governors, they have operated with almost identical agendas. But Whitman didn't have as good a week as the Texas guy. She scores big points for instituting the truck ban on state roads throughout New Jersey that are being destroyed by the killer big rigs. But the governor's search for a new superintendent for the state police is starting to look like a Marx brother's routine. Its hard to control leaks when police are involved, but the profiles of the candidates who are emerging makes it clear there are some problems with the standard that is being set. Lt. Col. Andre Parker, the Illinois trooper who withdrew his name from consideration this week, seems to have forgotten that State Sen. Don DiFrancesco, R-Scotch Plains, questioned him extensively about his police experience during their short meeting last month. Parker asserted that DiFrancesco only asked him about his age and his college background, a claim that incensed Rev. Reginald Jackson, Executive Director of the Black Ministers Council, who is watching the top trooper selection like a hawk. The latest rumor is that Attorney General John Farmer is pushing Carson Dunbar, a Special Agent for the FBI who is said to have been an "integral part" of the investigations in the TWA Flight 800 crash and the World Trade Center bombing. The only trouble with those qualifications is that most analysts believe the FBI made huge mistakes on the Flight 800 investigation and the FBI has been charged with pulling informants out way to soon in the World Trade Center bombing. Besides, why do we need a terrorist expert to head up the State Police, an organization whose primary mission is highway security? Sideways arrow for Whitman. She's making this much harder than she needs to. State Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Lawrenceville gets an up arrow for being the voice of reality on the truck ban. Turner has written legislation that will cut New Jersey Turnpike tolls in half during off peak hours, a move that might actually work to get the trucks off local roads. She also is looking at ways to stop the damage that trucks are doing to a number of Trenton neighborhoods. "You take your life in your hands just to cross the street here," Turner told us. She is clearly one senator who won't be bought off by the truckers lobby. Newly installed Dept. Of Health Commissioner Christine Grant gets a big down arrow for moving forward on the creation of the so-called Bloodless Cardiac Surgery Demonstration Project which was approved by the Health Care Administration Board last week. New Jersey already has twice as many "bloodless cardiac surgery units" than we need but the demonstration project was created to allow Englewood Hospital a "backdoor" route to get a license to perform the surgeries too. Englewood's vice president is a long-time supporter of Whitman's and Grant was clearly appointed with marching orders to Englewood's request through. Political payoffs are never news in New Jersey but this one could affect our health. Statistics show that in states with too many bloodless cardiac units, more people die because unneeded surgeries are performed by people who don't do enough of them to do them well. Finally, a big up arrow for Bruce Springsteen whose big return to the East last week was a great reminder of what the soul of New Jersey really sounds like. Maybe "the Boss" should run for governor in 2001.
July 11th
July 4th
The report is more impressive than it seems at first glance. Changing any police force is a
tough job and most politicians avoid confronting cops because there's always political fallout. Whitman deserves credit for taking on the State Police instead of apologizing for them. But once again, she's making the fight much harder than it has to be because she has failed to build any coalitions to help her navigate between the rock and the hard place that she faces in choosing a new State Police Superintendent. The report gives the State Police low marks for administration and sensitivity, which seems to preclude the appointment of anyone from inside, but Whitman has not used it to lay the groundwork for the selection of an outsider, even with the Republican senators who must get her appointment approved. Senate President Don DiFrancesco, R-Scotch Plains and Judiciary Chairman Bill Gormley, R-Mays Landing were not given advance copies of the report even though Gormley plans to hold hearings on them. DiFrancesco continues to complain about being left out of the loop. Whitman appears impressive and "leader-like" when she insists that she will select a new superintendent on her own terms, but flying solo on this volatile issue will probably come back to haunt her. She gets points for the effort, but deductions for ball hogging. Sideways arrow. If we could, we'd give an up arrow to the tow-headed little boy who appeared in DiFrancesco's "childproof gun" ads last week, but they won't tell us who he is, so we'll give DiFrancesco the prize. The Senate President won the politically correct "childproof gun" war in a hot vote in the State Senate last week that will forever associate him with "childproof guns" no matter what his critics say. The vote may turn out to be an inconsequential legislative victory, but it will probably work to help DiFrancesco separate himself and many of his fellow Republicans from the GOP gun nuts in Washington. That could catch the attention of the 82 (eighty-two) percent of women voters in New Jersey who want gun control laws. Democrats and gun control advocates insist DiFrancesco's bill doesn't accomplish anything, but ultimately, that won't matter because they don't have as much money to buy ads as he does. Perhaps the best thing that happened to DiFrancesco last week is that the state gun toting lobby threatened to get him. If he's really lucky, the pro-gunners will picket him. The Senate President and gubernatorial wanna-be couldn't have a better enemy. Attorney General John Farmer was officially sworn in at Ellis Island last week where he delivered a magnificent speech and continues to dazzle the State House crowd with his thoughtful and decisive leadership. He earned his up arrow this week by marching in and taking over the Essex County Prosecutor's Office where Prosecutor Patricia Hurt has been on a taxpayer funded spending spree, scarfing up high priced office furniture and pricey "staff retreats." Hurt whines that she's being persecuted because she's an African-American woman, but that's bunk. She should step down now and sign up for a 12-Step Shoppers Anonymous program. Jon Corzine didn't have to do anything this week to win an up arrow. It fell right into his lap when Rep. Frank Pallone, D-Monmouth, dropped out of the Democratic Senate race after seeing there was no stopping Corzine. The Democratic multi-millionaire and investment guru has the official or unofficial backing of all the North Jersey party bosses that matter, including State Party Chairman Tom Giblin, who ended up at a private dinner of Corzine insiders in Summit last week. Former governor Jim Florio also bolstered Corzine's case that he's the only candidate who has the money to win when Florio only reported a half million in contributions on his FEC report, the same amount of cash which former party chairman and statewide unknown Tom Byrne reported. Money also wins an arrow for Assembly Minority Leader Joe Doria, D-Bayonne. Tipper
Gore netted a half million for the Assembly Democrats to use in November and gave a big boost
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