Sumter's surprising decision
Good Wednesday morning!
This seemed to come out of nowhere: Assemblymember Shavonda Sumter announced Tuesday she would not seek reelection in November.
'While I have been successful in amplifying the economy, health, social and restorative justice needs of the constituents in the district and those throughout the entire state throughout my tenure; the time now is to seek other opportunities where I may deploy my talents, gifts and skills,' Sumter said in a statement.
It's not as though Sumter was tired of politics. She briefly put her name in for the House seat now occupied by Nellie Pou, and ran for Pou's seat in the state Senate, losing a special convention election by just one vote. And while Sumter's statement suggests she's seeking a new job, or perhaps in the process of getting it, last I checked she was and CEO of the Children's Aid and Families — a non-profit that paid her over $280,000 in 2023, according to its 990 form.
The announcement was a surprise to me, but wasn't so much of a surprise to the Bergen and Passaic County Democratic chairs that they didn't have a replacement lined up: Passaic County Commissioner Orlando Cruz. Without a county line, we'll see if that endorsement wins it for him. There are already some other candidates.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sadaf Jaffer, Ryn Melberg, Jonathan Pantano
WHERE'S MURPHY? At Woodbury Junior-Senior High School at 10 a.m. for a budget announcement and to promote a ban on cell phones in schools. Media: 'Ask Governor Murphy' on News 12 at 4 p.m.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: '"I'm not supporting any more of their nominees going forward.' — Sen. Andy Kim while expressing regret for voting to confirm Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary
TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com
WHAT TRENTON MADE
EDUCATION — 'N.J. schools rank among worst in U.S. in key area as kids recover from 'COVID slide',' by NJ Advance Media's Nyah Marshall: 'New Jersey ranked 43rd in the nation when it came to students improving their math scores between 2019 and 2024, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard released last week. The report, conducted by researchers from Harvard and Stanford universities, used test scores to measure how well students in grades 3 to 8 regained academic skills lost when schools were disrupted during the pandemic. The report also found New Jersey students ranked 24th in the nation in bouncing back on reading tests after COVID school disruptions. State Department of Education officials said the study's findings align with their projections based on statewide assessment scores. Efforts are underway to address performance gaps, state officials said.'
POST-COVID, STUDENTS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A PERCENTAGE IS — 'N.J. promises to cap school district funding cuts at 3% this year,' by NJ Advance Media's Brianna Kudsich: 'New Jersey school districts will not see their state aid decreased by more than 3% this year, state officials announced in a memo sent Tuesday. The cap on cuts is in stark contrast to last year when some school districts saw double digit decreases as the state fully implemented a new school funding formula. The memo sent to school districts Tuesday outlines the state funding reduction cap districts can expect for total state funding when creating their 2026 fiscal year budgets. 'This limit will apply to the four primary aid categories — equalization, special education, security, and transportation aid as calculated under the 'School Funding Reform Act of 2008,' the memo said. … One education advocate had a mixed reaction to the news of the cap on school funding cuts, saying the cap 'portends difficult times' for districts that might receive the full 3% reduction.'
N.J.'S LONG TRADITION OF BAG MEN HAS BEEN THREATENED — 'Bring back plastic bags like Trump did for straws, N.J. lawmaker says,' by NJ Advance Media's Steven Rodas: 'Assemblyman John Azzariti Jr. (R-Bergen) announced on Monday legislation to repeal the law that restricts businesses from selling or distributing single-use plastic carryout bags, paper bags, polystyrene foam (similar to Styrofoam) service products and plastic straws. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in a similar vein in February: ending the federal procurement of paper straws. ... Although Azzariti's legislation was the first proposed since Trump's executive order, Republican lawmakers last January introduced a similar bill that hasn't moved. Jersey Shore groups say that after the ban beach sweeps have turned up less plastic trash and recycling centers point to fewer bags gumming up the works at facilities. In contrast, Azzariti said in a statement 'the unintended consequences of the law are starting to negate any environmental benefits. ... Just because your intuition tells you something is going to be true, science can prove you wrong.''
THE DAILY DODO — With newspaper legal notices deadline approaching, NJ poised to delay it again, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: New Jersey lawmakers are preparing to punt for a second time on how governments publish legal notices, three weeks after the state's largest newspaper stopped printing. Legislation introduced last week, NJ A5343 (24R)/NJ S4136 (24R), would allow public bodies to continue publishing the notices in their designated 'official newspaper' until the end of the year, following a previous law that gave them a reprieve until March 1. The bill is already scheduled for hearings Thursday in the Assembly State and Local Government Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee.
YOU WOKE UP THIS MORNING… — 'Requests for gun carry permits hit record highs in January,' by New Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov: 'The number of New Jersey residents seeking permits to carry handguns has hit record levels two and a half years after a U.S. Supreme Court decision limited the state's ability to deny such applications. Authorities processed 4,282 applications for carry permits in January, the highest number on record, just months after exceeding 3,000 approved applications for the first time in October, according to data maintained by the state attorney general. In the two years before the Supreme Court ruling, the highest number of these applications in a given month was 102.'
—'It can be a pain to get solar panels on your N.J. home. Lawmakers want to change that'
—'N.J. civil rights groups mount campaign to pressure lawmakers on immigration protections'
—'$6M+ in social equity tax funds sitting unspent, cannabis agency says'
—'Smartphone users oblivious as they tap away their rights'
—'Q&A: Can mediation really help to desegregate NJ schools?'
—'Phil Murphy picks George Helmy for Rutgers University Board of Governors'
—'Gingrich backs 'Trumpy mayor' Kranjac for governor'
—'Burzichelli seeks BPU investigation of PJM's regional pricing system for electricity'
—'Salem commissioner announces Assembly run in LD-3'
TRUMP ERA
THE FRESHMAN — ''We can heal this country, but only if we try': NJ's Andy Kim begins his Senate term,' by The Record's Katie Sobko: 'On a Tuesday in late January, Sen. Andy Kim arrived at his office to an onslaught of emails and calls from constituents worried about the federal funding freeze set to start in less than 12 hours. … From his temporary basement office in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, he scrambled to a committee meeting, to the press conference, back to the committee meeting and then to a floor vote — all before lunch. … According to Kim, this is par for the course since he started his first full term at the beginning of the year. Kim had been appointed to fill the last few weeks of former Sen. Bob Menendez's term at the end of last year. As he begins his term in the Senate, Kim has found himself at the center of a dilemma facing members of his party not only in Congress, but at every level of government: Do they attempt to work with President Donald Trump? Or do they resist his agenda, which appears to be on course to try to radically reboot the federal government?'
—''Call your congressman': NJ residents flood lawmakers' phone lines as Trump agenda unfolds'
'LGB' — THE STONEWALL RIOTERS WERE CHANTING 'LET'S GO BRANDON' — 'Black transgender NJ woman led the Stonewall Uprising. Now her family fights for her,' by The Asbury Park Press' Ilana Keller: 'The 1969 Stonewall Uprising was a turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, and the protests at the Manhattan gay bar following a police raid were largely led by trans and queer people of color. Among them was Elizabeth native Marsha P. Johnson. Today, following the removal of references to transgender and queer people and history from the Stonewall National Monument website, it is Johnson's family left to fight. The references were scrubbed from the Stonewall website and other federal sites late last week following multiple executive orders from the Trump Administration that target the trans community. The Stonewall site now reads: 'The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.' ;This is not just an erasure of words — it is an erasure of history,' said James Carey, Johnson's cousin and president of the Marsha P. Johnson Family Foundation.'
—'Medicaid is big target as Republicans look to slash social programs'
—''Don't blame us for Trump,' say Arab, Muslim voters in New Jersey'
—'Anti-Musk activists protest outside Kean's office'
LOCAL
INZELBUCKS — 'Lakewood Public Schools attorney makes millions in unusual, but lucrative, pay structure,' by The Asbury Park Press' Joe Strupp: 'Lakewood Schools now have their own $6 million man. Unlike the old 1970s television series starring Lee Majors, in which the U.S. government spent that amount to reassemble him after a crash, this big money moniker refers to how much taxpayers have compensated Lakewood Board of Education Attorney Michael Inzelbuch. Thanks to a generous and unique contract, he has been paid more than $6 million by the school district since 2017, far more than any other New Jersey public school lawyer, according to an analysis by the Asbury Park Press of his invoices obtained through the Open Public Records Act. For instance, Jersey City Public Schools, which has five times as many students as Lakewood, has spent $1.2 million on legal fees in the same period … The state agreed to loan the district $65 million, just a portion of the $104 million district leaders requested. Superintendent Laura Winters recently said more is still needed or the district may face a shortfall at the end of May.'
TRY 'ABC123' — 'NJ prosecutor says Paterson councilman should go to jail over cellphone passcode dispute,' by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: 'The New Jersey Attorney General's Office wants to send Paterson Councilman Michael Jackson to jail to force him to disclose the passcode for his personal cell phone that state investigators seized more than 600 days ago. Jackson has asserted for the past 14 months that he can't remember the phone's access code. Last year, the councilman provided the attorney general's office with some potential codes, but they did not work, officials said. Deputy Attorney General Frank Valdinoto last week disputed Jackson's professed memory loss, calling it 'a charade.' … Jackson's lawyer, Scott Finckenaur, countered that his client has offered sit down with state investigators to help them reset the passcode, but that the state has not taken him up on those offers. … Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed during a hearing on Feb. 12 called putting Jackson in jail 'a severe remedy' and asked the two sides to try some additional steps before he decides whether the councilman is deliberately defying a court order to provide the phone's code.'
LETTING IT WATERSLIDE — '$100M Showboat waterpark building assessed at $376,600, now up for tax break,' by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: 'City tax records show Bart Blatstein's Island Waterpark, described as a $100 million project, is assessed at only $376,600 for improvements. It apparently has not been reassessed since construction finished and the waterpark opened in July 2023 at the Showboat Resort Atlantic City. Now, City Council is contemplating giving the property a five-year tax abatement on improvements, without knowing what the real assessed value is. Council introduced an abatement ordinance last month, and it's expected to have its public hearing and final vote Wednesday. … If approved, the property would pay no taxes on improvements in the first year of the abatement, and payments would phase in with 20% in the second year, 40% in the third, 60% in the fourth and 80% in the fifth.'
HOBOKEN COULD BENEFIT FROM TRUMP'S RUSSOPHILIA — 'Russo declares for mayor: 'I honestly think I'm the best suited to run' Hoboken,' by Hudson County View's John Heinis: 'Hoboken 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo has formally launched his bid for mayor after months of speculation, stating in an interview 'I honestly think I'm best suited to run this city.' Russo has been in the conversation for the non-partisan November 4th contest ever since he was re-elected with ease in 2023, showcasing a strong fundraising prowess ever since. With Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour and former U.S. Treasury official Dini Ajmani already declared, Russo is the third candidate to join the race.'
— 'DEP approves Brownfield Development Area application for Atlantic City's Bader Field'
—'Diane and Sharon 2 best friends' unlikely deaths renew fears of possible 'cancer cluster' in [Woodbridge]'
—'Massive I-80 sinkhole that has closed eastbound lanes will take 3 weeks to repair'
—'Jersey Shore lawmakers, Ocean County commissioners aim to recruit more EMT volunteers'
—'Paterson's Hinchliffe will be home to new men's, women's USL pro soccer teams'
—'[East Greenwich] woman's emotional support chickens land her in a legal battle'
EVERYTHING ELSE
THE STATEHOUSE ALWAYS WINS — ''Abusive' — The word that may put gambling VIP programs on trial,' by Casino Reports' Jeff Edelstein: 'One New Jersey lawyer is using a single word added to the state's Consumer Fraud Act in 2022 in an effort to stop online sportsbooks and casinos from what he sees as predatory behavior targeting problem gamblers. Matthew Litt, a Chesterfield attorney — who doubles as the town's mayor — has emerged as a leading figure in gambling addiction-related litigation, and he sees the addition of the word 'abusive' to the state's consumer protection laws as potentially transformative in court battles over VIP programs. ... Prior to the 2022 amendment, Litt explains, courts interpreted the Consumer Fraud Act narrowly. 'They've interpreted it to only mean something that's deceitful or misleading,' he said. 'The addition of the word 'abusive' sends the message to the courts that it's not just limited to something that's misleading or deceitful.' This distinction is crucial in cases involving agents for gambling firms' VIP programs, who Litt argues aren't necessarily deceiving customers, but rather exploiting their addiction.'
LOL — @bern_hogan: 'Sources: @NYCMayor is considering Randy Mastro as a possible replacement for First Deputy Mayor or the other Dep Mayor departures.'
—'Historian spent 15 years finding out how a Monmouth enslaver got away with murder in 1784'
—'NJ Catholic diocese's moves to quash sex abuse investigations stir new pain | Opinion'
—'Saved by an Army vet, a bald eagle named Freedom now calls a [Turtle Back Zoo] home'
—'NJ pet store owner shot in face with crossbow weeks after bizarre parrot theft'
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Vox
18 minutes ago
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The Supreme Court's blessedly narrow decision about religion in the workplace, explained
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Such exemptions could also potentially permit employers with a religious identity to exploit their workers. In Tony and Susan Alamo Foundation v. Secretary of Labor (1985), for example, the Court considered a religious cult that operated a wide range of commercial businesses. These businesses paid no cash salaries or wages, although they did claim to give workers food, clothing, and shelter. The cult sought an exemption from minimum wage laws and similar workplace protections, but the Court disagreed. A too-broad decision in Catholic Charities could have potentially undermined decisions like Alamo Foundation, by giving some employers a broad right to ignore laws protecting their workers. But Sotomayor's opinion reads like it was crafted to hand Catholic Charities the narrowest possible victory. 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Newsweek
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AOC Scrambles New York City Mayoral Race With Endorsement
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