By Matt Friedman

Presented by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

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Good Tuesday morning!

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who’s running for governor in 2025, wants to end the county line.

“New Jersey does something different than most states in how the ballot is laid out and it creates a situation where a small group of people have the opportunity to pick a lot of the elected positions in a way that's fairly undemocratic,” Fulop said on a podcast that was posted Friday and picked up by POLITICO’s Daniel Han.

Fulop is the first major gubernatorial candidate to weigh in on New Jersey’s county line system, but that’s only because he’s the only one. Josh Gottheimer, who at this point I think it’s safe to say is a de facto 2025 gubernatorial candidate, has already come out in its defense, while another de facto candidate, Mikie Sherrill, dodged the question.

If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you don’t need me to explain what “the line” is and how political parties — to greater or lesser degrees — use it to their advantage in the primaries. Just let this old tweet of mine suffice.

Fulop, of course, is actively seeking the line in any county he can realistically get it. I don't see that as hypocritical. A candidate will always use any advantage they can get. Fulop as a candidate for mayor and council never made use of the line, as Jersey city elections are technically non-partisan. But as a top Hudson County Democratic official, Fulop has participated in a system in which local elected officials through backroom deals have decided which candidates win or lose the vaunted Hudson County Democratic primary line — one of the most potent ballot advantages in the state.

Regardless, there’s little chance any politician ever convinces New Jersey political parties to ditch the line. Even political outsiders who manage to break into the halls of power running against the line are unlikely to unilaterally disarm. It’s power that perpetuates power. If the line's going to end, it will be through the lawsuit against it — though I suppose a new administration could stop defending the line in court.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “In Hudson County, though, the senator’s legal drama is a more visceral affair: like the toppling of a king who ruled over an asphalt realm, with all the attendant speculation about how the spoils might be divided." — The Financial Times 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Vin Ciniello,  Jennifer Sciortino, Pete Sheridan. Missed Monday: Jim Holzapfel 

WHERE’S MURPHY? In Hoboken to deliver remarks at a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the terrorist attack in Israel.

POST HOC LOUGY RULING — “NJ has failed to address 'persistent racial imbalance' in schools, judge rules,” by The Record’s Mary Ann Koruth: ”In a case that could have momentous consequences for the state’s 674 school districts, a superior court judge has ruled that the state of New Jersey has systematically failed to address the problem of racial segregation that exists in its public schools. Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy agreed with plaintiff Latino Action Network that the state has a duty to correct ‘de facto’ segregation in schools — meaning segregation that is not the result of official policy — but his ruling issued Friday night stopped short of issuing orders or proposing a remedy. The ruling does not declare a clear winner in the case, meaning that the next step is for the case to go to trial or into settlement decisions. The “pre-trial” decision was based on facts, data, and expert opinions presented by both parties.”

SAYEGH WANTS A GARG ORDER — “‘Beyond insensitive’: Sayegh wants Murphy counsel to apologize for Paterson crime post,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Mayor Andre Sayegh is demanding that Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief counsel issue an apology for posting on social media Thursday night that Paterson has become ‘a much safer city’ just days after an outbreak of four homicides. ‘It’s beyond insensitive,’ Sayegh said on Friday morning. ‘You have people mourning in this city and they are taking a victory lap … Murphy’s chief counsel, Parimal Garg, posted about this year’s reduction in violence in Paterson on the social media platform called X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘The numbers don’t lie — we are seeing incredible progress in Paterson thanks to the efforts of AG Matt Platkin, First Assistant AG Lyndsay Ruotolo, and Officer-in-Charge Issa (sic) Abbassi,’ Garg posted … Besides issuing an apology, Garg should personally contact the families of the four homicide victims, Sayegh said”

— “Paterson police brass sue N.J. over state takeover of scandal-plagued PD,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “Sidelined top brass at the Paterson police are suing New Jersey’s attorney general, saying he overstepped his authority when he took over the scandal-plagued city police department. The lawsuit, if successful, could upend state control of a 300-plus officer department in New Jersey’s third largest city.”

NEEDLE EXCHANGE PLACE — DOH approves six new harm reduction center applicants, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: The Department of Health announced six new approved applicants to open harm reduction centers — which offer clean needles and treatment to drug users — marking a significant expansion of the centers in the state. So far, the Murphy administration has approved seven new applications to operate harm reduction centers in the state in 2023. Prior to that, there were seven such programs in the state.

LOCAL GOVERNOR ALWAYS WANTS TO DO STUFF — “What does New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy do all day? A look behind the scenes,” by The Record’s Katie Sobko: “Gov. Phil Murphy has already been working for hours on a rainy Tuesday morning in September before he sits down for a quick television segment with "Good Morning America" alongside his wife, first lady Tammy Murphy. New Jersey's senior senator, Bob Menendez, was indicted just five days ago. The Department of Justice recently called the pandemic response in the state’s veterans homes ‘multilevel leadership failure.’ And, closer to home, rumors are swirling about a political career for the first lady … A typical day for the second-term governor includes wall-to-wall meetings, public appearances and a lot of time on the move. Murphy spends hours a day on the go, commuting at least an hour from his Monmouth County home to his Trenton office, as well as traversing the state for events. NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey spent Tuesday, Sept. 26, with Murphy and his staff to experience a day in the governor's work as New Jersey's chief executive.”

—“Gateway Program leaders detail progress – and what’s ahead” 

A message from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital:

We at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital are deeply disappointed with United Steel Workers 4-200's extreme action to strike. No one benefits from the strike, least of all our nurses. The union should consider the impact it is having on them and their families. Multiple attempts to prevent the strike were rejected, including accepting the union's demands and offering arbitration. RWJUH is already among the highest-staffed hospitals in the state, and our nurses are currently the highest-paid in New Jersey.

STRAIGHT OUTTA THE SACK — “Ex-top cop helped Bob Menendez’s wife leave deadly car crash without sobriety test or handing over phone,” by The New York Post’s Isabel Vincent: “A retired top policeman helped Robert Menendez‘s wife-to-be leave the scene of her fatal car crash without a sobriety test or handing over her phone. The Post has learned that Michael Mordaga, the former director of Hackensack police and an ex-chief of detectives in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, was on the scene within minutes when Nadine Arslanian slammed her black Mercedes into Richard Koop in Bogota, NJ, in December 2018. Mordaga, 66, helped her leave behind the totaled car and take her belongings from it after quizzing the patrolman dealing with the crash on what he planned to do … The former top cop has himself been accused of ratting out Frank Lagano, a reputed member of the Lucchese crime family, leading to his execution in the parking lot of an East Brunswick diner he co-owned in 2007.”

—“Fatal crash involving Nadine Menendez is under new investigation,” by The New York Times’ Tracey Tully, Nicholas Fandos and Luis Ferré-Sadurní: “At some point, Ms. Menendez apparently called a friend, Rosemarie Sorce, the well-connected wife of a New Jersey developer and a prolific donor to Mr. Menendez’s Senate campaigns. In a statement to The Times, Ms. Sorce said her husband had invited Mr. Mordaga, a close family friend, to dinner that night with Ms. Menendez at I Gemelli, a restaurant in South Hackensack. The three of them drove to the accident scene in Bogota after Ms. Menendez called her about the crash”

TAJ CASH HAUL — “Menendez took huge contributions from family of ex-attorney general he sought to influence,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Among the people on a 2019 trip to India with Bob Menendez when he proposed to Nadine Arslanian in front of the Taj Mahal was Dr. Balpreet Grewal-Virk, an influential North Jersey Democrat and a close friend of the senior U.S. Senator from New Jersey. A video of the Menendez proposal shows Grewal-Virk, the vice chair of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, an active fundraiser, and the New Jersey Commissioner and Co-Chair of the Gateway cross-Hudson tunnel and bridge project, standing next to the couple. Grewal-Virk is also the cousin of Gurbir Grewal, who was serving as New Jersey’s attorney general at the time. Friends describe the relationship between Grewal-Virk and Grewal as ‘very close.’ … The Grewal family made some campaign contributions in the past but did not become politically active until after Gurbir Grewal became the Bergen County Prosecutor in 2016. Balpreet Grewal-Virk and her husband, Yogi, contributed $19,900 to Menendez’s campaign and political action committee. They’ve also donated more than $33,000 to other Democrats. Additional Grewal family members have given Menendez’s campaign and PAC an additional $18,000.”

RESIGNORELLO — “Signorello will drop out of NJ-7 race,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello III plans to drop out of the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed. Signorello’s departure will leave two Democrats remaining in the 7th district race: former New Jersey Working Families Party director Sue Altman and former U.S. State Department official Jason Blazakis. A third candidate, Summit Council President Greg Vartan, is considering entering the race but has not yet announced his plans”

—“Did Bogota police investigate Nadine Arslanian Menendez's crash according to protocol?” 

—“Half of Menendez donors drop out of Puerto Rico fundraiser next week” 

ISRAEL — At least 2 members of Congress were in Israel during attack, by POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity: Both Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) were in Israel over the weekend while extremist group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack at the country’s border with Gaza. Both congressmen have since left the country, according to their offices … Booker arrived in Israel on Friday, according to his office, ahead of a summit on the Abraham Accords at which he was scheduled to speak Tuesday. “Senator Booker and accompanying staff were in Jerusalem when Hamas launched their attacks against Israel on Saturday, and sheltered in place for their safety,” spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers said in a statement. “We are grateful that Senator Booker and our colleagues were able to safely depart Israel earlier today.”

—Stile: “'Gold Bar Bob' Menendez digs in with help from Republicans” 

—Moran: “Biden rejected Hudson Prosecutor Esther Suarez. Here’s why Gov. Murphy didn’t” 

—“All the Ukrainians need is ammunition: A Q&A with Tom Malinowski” 

Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of new episodes – click here.

INZELBUCKS — “Lakewood schools attorney made $5M in six years as district financial woes deepened,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Joe Strupp: “Board of Education attorney Michael Inzelbuch pocketed more than $5 million in legal fees in the past six years while serving as a leader in a district that recently requested $93 million in loans to balance the budget, analysis by the Asbury Park Press shows. Inzelbuch was paid more than $800,000 by the Lakewood School District in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, according to documents obtained and analyzed by the Press. That's after receiving more than $1 million in the two years prior. ‘He is the highest paid, by far, public employee in the State of New Jersey,’ said David Sciarra, founder of the New Jersey Education Law Center, which tracks such issues. ‘Governor, supreme court chief justice, he’s by far making the most money of anybody who is paid through public tax dollars.’”

BEACH ACCESS NOT EASY ON SUNDAY MORNING — “Let us continue blocking beach access on Sundays, Ocean Grove group asks judge,” by NJ Advance Media’s Rob Jennings: “A Jersey Shore landowners association is asking a state judge to intervene and allow it to continue restricting beach access in Ocean Grove on Sunday mornings in a summer tradition tied to the community’s Christian roots. The lawsuit filed by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is the latest development in a fight between the group, which oversees the community’s boardwalk, and critics over the influence of religion in public spaces in the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township. The state Department of Environmental Protection issued the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association a violation notice three weeks ago for using chains and padlocked barriers to block access to the Monmouth County beach from the boardwalk on summer Sundays between 9 a.m. and noon. The lawsuit filed by the association does not name the state as a defendant. Instead, the suit lists two opponents of the beach access rules by name and up to 100 others who allegedly entered the beach on Sunday this summer after being told of the association’s prohibition.”

THAT’S WHY THEY CALL PARAMUS THE PARIS OF CENTRAL BERGEN COUNTY — “A 'romantic' stroll in Garden State Plaza's parking lot? That's what developers envision,” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “The developers seeking to transform the Garden State Plaza say their vision includes a 1-acre "town green" where residents from across this notoriously car-centric borough would be able to gather for outdoor events or stroll through a ‘romantic little grove of trees.’ ‘People don’t have to come and spend money to enjoy the space,’ said Dan Avrit, a landscape architect for the applicants seeking to add hundreds of housing units and new retail in the mall's western parking lot. During Thursday night's Paramus Planning Board meeting, testimony continued for the first phase of the redevelopment, with a focus on the landscape plan.”

A message from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital:

—“Did Wayne school board member go too far? Warns of 'chaos' if newcomer wins race”

—“Unsubstantiated Monroe school board ethics charges piling up” 

—“Former Palisades Interstate Parkway cop accused of using police database to stalk victim” 

—“Bridgeton police officer pleads guilty to excessive force in 2017 pepper-spray incident” 

—“Hoboken Mayor Bhalla opens up about letter last year that said ‘we are ready to kill you’” 

'VOLUNTEERS' — “Largest Hindu temple outside Asia opens in New Jersey, built by 12,500 volunteers,” by NBC’s Sakshi Venkatraman: “The largest Hindu temple in the U.S. opens its doors Sunday in New Jersey. Built in the small township of Robbinsville, the 183-acre BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, named for its founding Hindu spiritual organization, rivals major Hindu temples on the subcontinent. ‘I wake up every morning and scratch my eyes thinking, ‘Am I still in central New Jersey?’ said Yogi Trivedi, a temple volunteer and a scholar of religion at Columbia University. “It’s like being transported to another world, specifically to India.’ … Built by 12,500 volunteers from all over the world, the Akshardham has been in the works since 2011. But it made headlines a decade later, when a group of immigrant laborers sued global organization Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, known as BAPS, which has temples around the world. The lawsuit alleged ‘shocking’ conditions, including forced labor, grueling work hours, inhospitable living conditions and caste discrimination.”

SHOCKING NEWS — “Electroconvulsive therapy, once stigmatized, is used by many in NJ to fight depression,” by The Record’s Scott Fallon: “Few medical procedures have been as stigmatized as electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, and yet are still being used on thousands of New Jerseyans every year when other treatment fails. The Carrier Clinic, one of New Jersey's largest psychiatric treatment facilities, performs about 4,000 such procedures each year. It is often the option of last resort for those who have spent years undergoing psychotherapy and trying different medications to abate depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions.”

—“N.J. has more remote workers than most states. Inside the battle to get employees back to the office”  

—“Parents of kids with autism are pushing for a 'first-of-its-kind' new N.J. housing project” 

—“Mets have not paid ex-N.J. governor Chris Christie for role with team” 

A message from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital:

We at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital are deeply disappointed with United Steel Workers 4-200's extreme action to strike. No one benefits from the strike, least of all our nurses. The union should consider the impact it is having on them and their families. Multiple attempts to prevent the strike were rejected, including accepting the union's demands and offering arbitration. RWJUH is already among the highest-staffed hospitals in the state, and our nurses are currently the highest-paid in New Jersey. Our top priority is our patients. We remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering the highest-quality care in the safest environment. We want to reassure our patients, their families, and our community that we continue to care without interruption. We remain fully open and continue to deliver the high-quality care they deserve.

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