Latest news with #WalktoWashington
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A Gloucester County hotel developer has cleared a planning hurdle — again.
DEPTFORD TWP. — Two four-story hotels are approved for construction on a site off Route 42. This $20-million project has been set back almost a year thanks to legal actions taken by neighboring property owners. But the developer, SSN Hotels, received unanimous approval from members of the planning board at a hearing Wednesday night. SSN Hotels is attempting to add a Home2 Suites, offering 100 rooms, and a TownePlace Suites, offering 96 rooms, to the Deptford Township location. Board members approved essentially the same project presented one year ago, only to see lawsuits in a state court unravel its decision. The opposition is from the owner of two existing hotels on land adjacent to the proposed building site and from nearby homeowners. More: Another hurdle: Deptford hotels project trips over zoning issue Mayor Paul Medany lambasted the owner of the existing hotels before voting. 'As testified, there's a need for hotels in Deptford and this property was selected by the master plan to fulfill that need,' Medany said. 'The existing hotel may not want the competition, but competition is not a basis for the planning board to deny the application.' Earlier, in his final remarks, project attorney Damien Del Duca made the same criticism. Attorney Jeffrey Baron — representing adjacent hotels Courtyard by Marriott and Hampton Inn and Suites — was present, but was denied a chance to respond to the attacks. 'Now naturally, when you own two hotels next door and you don't want competition, you're going to highlight what we don't comply with,' Del Duca said. 'Because let's face it folks, Mr. Baron's client doesn't want competition next door. That's what he's here for.' Medany gave a lengthy list of reasons why he thought the plan deserved approval. The list included significant plan revisions and downscaling. The final design, however, still required exceptions from the zoning code. A detailed listing of reasons for a particular vote can be an important defense in the event of a legal challenge to a board decision. The prospect of legal action also was reflected in the mayor's final remark that there is nothing 'arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable' about the decision. A claim of 'arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable' decision-taking is standard language in lawsuits against planning and zoning boards. More: Why this South Jersey gubernatorial hopeful is walking away from 'Walk to Washington' 'I also think the applicant has met the burden of approval,' board Chairman Dave Wyatt said. Baron was able to cross-examine project engineer John Kornick and planner Tiffany Morrissey. But he was unable to either to acknowledge possible flaws in the plan or in the application process. Another attorney, Gary Zangerle, separately questioned the two professionals on behalf of Harmony Lane homeowners. Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times. Have a tip? Support local journalism with a subscription. This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Two new hotels are planned in Deptford Township, NJ along Route 42
Politico
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Politico
New Jersey's ultimate traveling schmoozefest draws big field of candidates for governor
More than a half-dozen candidates for governor of New Jersey descended upon Washington, D.C., to schmooze with some of the state's most well-connected businesspeople and political operatives in one of the state's oldest political traditions. The state Chamber of Commerce's annual 'Walk to Washington' train ride down the Northeast Corridor is historically one of the premier networking events for anyone seeking office. Train cars are stuffed with powerful lobbyists, businesspeople and nonprofit leaders, giving candidates a captive audience. But don't read too much into it, the candidates say. This year is different. The race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy will put the power of the political machine to the test. Without the state's infamous county line — which gave party-backed candidates a better spot on the ballot — conversations surrounding which candidate will benefit the political elite versus the everyday voter are dominating both party primaries. To prove their 'anti-machine' or 'political outsider' bona fides, some candidates — like Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Republican former state Sen. Ed Durr — have shirked party nominating conventions altogether this year. And the Walk to Washington was just another embodiment of the political class, they argued as a reason to skip the event. The walk returned this week after a five-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It came back in part because of the gubernatorial race, said New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Tom Bracken. (The long-running New Jersey tradition has also faced criticism in the past when women said they were harassed on the train.) The gubernatorial candidates who did attend said that it is part of their efforts to build a broad coalition for their campaigns. Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said that the event was helpful for him to listen to people's issues, though he acknowledged that the walk is 'the ultimate insider thing.' 'It's not really what I would do, but I'm here,' Baraka told POLITICO in between train cars on the way down to D.C. He said he appreciated that the event allows businesses to network and that it provided a panel Friday for the gubernatorial candidates to discuss the economy. But 'other than that, I'd be knocking on somebody's door, at a bar, at a barber shop or a thrift store.' The event had its fair share of campaigning. Democratic New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller walked the packed train cars with an aide handing out baggies of what he said were his favorite candies — Nerds and Smarties. Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer laid out 'uncap the SALT' salt shakers and miniature trains with his logo on the tables in a cafe car. And when attendees arrived at Union Station, they were greeted by people holding 'Carpenters for Sweeney' signs, in support of Democratic former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. 'This is one train trip,' Sweeney said to POLITICO in a crowded Amtrak car, adding that it gives him a chance to reconnect with people. 'You're not changing anybody's minds on this train, by any means.' Other candidates disagreed with the characterization of the walk as an 'insider event,' including Republicans Bill Spadea and Jack Ciattarelli, who was the only Republican candidate to take the chamber train down. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill said she does not 'look at stuff as just inside or outside,' and Republican state Sen. Jon Bramnick, who attended chamber events but did not take the train, called the conversation of insider vs. outsider 'absurd.' 'This is an event where you've got business leaders saying, 'Who are these guys running for governor, and do they have a sense of what New Jersey needs for the business community?'' Spadea said, calling the event 'exactly the opposite' of a gathering for insiders. Like Bramnick, he attended but did not take the train down. 'I don't see how you can skip an event like this and then credibly face the business community and say, 'Hey, I've got solutions for you.'' Spadea said he loves events put on by the chamber 'because it is a mix of Democrats, Republicans, independents.' 'When you remove the partisan politics out of the conversation — you heard every person up there, including these far-left Democrats — talking about cutting taxes,' he said. 'It's amazing. So it sounds to me like we have a consensus that New Jersey taxes are too high and need to be cut.' Friday's gubernatorial forum — which included Baraka, Bramnick, Ciattarelli, Gottheimer, Sherrill, Spadea, Spiller and Sweeney — was a relatively cordial affair, especially compared with the fiery Republican debate earlier this week. Before the chamber attendees, candidates cracked jokes with each other — 'It's great to have another Republican candidate,' Ciattarelli said after Gottheimer presented his economic plan — and agreed on some policy points, like cutting the state's corporate business taxes. There was just one comment from Spadea that elicited a jeer from the crowd: saying that 'We ought to be on the phone with Elon Musk' while advocating for a Department of Government Efficiency in New Jersey. Recent events in Washington also loomed over the event. Baraka expressed defiance 'no matter what the plutocrats are doing in D.C.' Bramnick, a moderate Republican, didn't want to talk about making New Jersey more like Washington. 'Well Elon Musk is not gonna be in my cabinet,' he said during the forum. 'I can tell you that right now … I am not gonna bring national politics into Jersey. Jersey is its own environment.' Spadea didn't only have his mind on President Donald Trump's Washington — while Murphy once famously said he wanted New Jersey to become the California of the East Coast, Spadea had a conservative analogy in mind. 'We will be Florida without the humidity,' he said at the forum. Murphy, who addressed the gathering on Thursday evening, said he didn't watch any of the debates to succeed him so far — and he doesn't plan to. 'I'm staying out of politics right now,' he said 'I've got my head down sprinting to the goal line.' The walk was just the start of a marathon of events for the gubernatorial hopefuls. On Sunday, the first Democratic county convention will be held in Hunterdon County, kicking off a weekslong dash across the state. (Republicans held their first convention earlier this week in Cape May County, where only Ciattarelli participated.) And even though there's no 'county line' this year — and criticisms about party bosses are still abound — some candidates still think there's still a benefit in taking part. 'I think it's not smart, actually,' Baraka said of skipping these events. 'I don't think you skip anything. I think those are tools. You don't leave them on the table. People invite you. You gotta go.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Jersey's ultimate traveling schmoozefest draws big field of candidates for governor
More than a half-dozen candidates for governor of New Jersey descended upon Washington, D.C., to schmooze with some of the state's most well-connected businesspeople and political operatives in one of the state's oldest political traditions. The state Chamber of Commerce's annual 'Walk to Washington' train ride down the Northeast Corridor is historically one of the premier networking events for anyone seeking office. Train cars are stuffed with powerful lobbyists, businesspeople and nonprofit leaders, giving candidates a captive audience. But don't read too much into it, the candidates say. This year is different. The race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy will put the power of the political machine to the test. Without the state's infamous county line — which gave party-backed candidates a better spot on the ballot — conversations surrounding which candidate will benefit the political elite versus the everyday voter are dominating both party primaries. To prove their 'anti-machine' or 'political outsider' bona fides, some candidates — like Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Republican former state Sen. Ed Durr — have shirked party nominating conventions altogether this year. And the Walk to Washington was just another embodiment of the political class, they argued as a reason to skip the event. The walk returned this week after a five-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It came back in part because of the gubernatorial race, said New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Tom Bracken. (The long-running New Jersey tradition has also faced criticism in the past when women said they were harassed on the train.) The gubernatorial candidates who did attend said that it is part of their efforts to build a broad coalition for their campaigns. Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said that the event was helpful for him to listen to people's issues, though he acknowledged that the walk is 'the ultimate insider thing.' 'It's not really what I would do, but I'm here,' Baraka told POLITICO in between train cars on the way down to D.C. He said he appreciated that the event allows businesses to network and that it provided a panel Friday for the gubernatorial candidates to discuss the economy. But 'other than that, I'd be knocking on somebody's door, at a bar, at a barber shop or a thrift store.' The event had its fair share of campaigning. Democratic New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller walked the packed train cars with an aide handing out baggies of what he said were his favorite candies — Nerds and Smarties. Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer laid out 'uncap the SALT' salt shakers and miniature trains with his logo on the tables in a cafe car. And when attendees arrived at Union Station, they were greeted by people holding 'Carpenters for Sweeney' signs, in support of Democratic former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. 'This is one train trip,' Sweeney said to POLITICO in a crowded Amtrak car, adding that it gives him a chance to reconnect with people. 'You're not changing anybody's minds on this train, by any means.' Other candidates disagreed with the characterization of the walk as an 'insider event,' including Republicans Bill Spadea and Jack Ciattarelli, who was the only Republican candidate to take the chamber train down. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill said she does not 'look at stuff as just inside or outside,' and Republican state Sen. Jon Bramnick, who attended chamber events but did not take the train, called the conversation of insider vs. outsider 'absurd.' 'This is an event where you've got business leaders saying, 'Who are these guys running for governor, and do they have a sense of what New Jersey needs for the business community?'' Spadea said, calling the event 'exactly the opposite' of a gathering for insiders. Like Bramnick, he attended but did not take the train down. 'I don't see how you can skip an event like this and then credibly face the business community and say, 'Hey, I've got solutions for you.'' Spadea said he loves events put on by the chamber 'because it is a mix of Democrats, Republicans, independents.' 'When you remove the partisan politics out of the conversation — you heard every person up there, including these far-left Democrats — talking about cutting taxes,' he said. 'It's amazing. So it sounds to me like we have a consensus that New Jersey taxes are too high and need to be cut.' Friday's gubernatorial forum — which included Baraka, Bramnick, Ciattarelli, Gottheimer, Sherrill, Spadea, Spiller and Sweeney — was a relatively cordial affair, especially compared with the fiery Republican debate earlier this week. Before the chamber attendees, candidates cracked jokes with each other — 'It's great to have another Republican candidate,' Ciattarelli said after Gottheimer presented his economic plan — and agreed on some policy points, like cutting the state's corporate business taxes. There was just one comment from Spadea that elicited a jeer from the crowd: saying that 'We ought to be on the phone with Elon Musk' while advocating for a Department of Government Efficiency in New Jersey. Recent events in Washington also loomed over the event. Baraka expressed defiance 'no matter what the plutocrats are doing in D.C.' Bramnick, a moderate Republican, didn't want to talk about making New Jersey more like Washington. 'Well Elon Musk is not gonna be in my cabinet,' he said during the forum. 'I can tell you that right now … I am not gonna bring national politics into Jersey. Jersey is its own environment.' Spadea didn't only have his mind on President Donald Trump's Washington — while Murphy once famously said he wanted New Jersey to become the California of the East Coast, Spadea had a conservative analogy in mind. 'We will be Florida without the humidity,' he said at the forum. Murphy, who addressed the gathering on Thursday evening, said he didn't watch any of the debates to succeed him so far — and he doesn't plan to. 'I'm staying out of politics right now,' he said 'I've got my head down sprinting to the goal line.' The walk was just the start of a marathon of events for the gubernatorial hopefuls. On Sunday, the first Democratic county convention will be held in Hunterdon County, kicking off a weekslong dash across the state. (Republicans held their first convention earlier this week in Cape May County, where only Ciattarelli participated.) And even though there's no 'county line' this year — and criticisms about party bosses are still abound — some candidates still think there's still a benefit in taking part. 'I think it's not smart, actually,' Baraka said of skipping these events. 'I don't think you skip anything. I think those are tools. You don't leave them on the table. People invite you. You gotta go.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why this South Jersey gubernatorial hopeful is walking away from 'Walk to Washington'
Republican gubernatorial candidate Edward Durr will sit out upcoming county party nominating conventions, saying 'establishment' leaders in most counties already know who they will support. 'That's what the political establishment does – they go into a backroom and decide who they are getting behind, who is getting the special interest money and who gets county party resources,' Durr said on Wednesday. 'Fortunately, without a county party line the establishment can be defeated. I will continue to take my campaign directly to the people, attending meet-and-greets and setting up my own where there are none.' More: The Trump effect: Offshore wind backers blame president for halting projects. Others cheer More: Waiting til April 15 to book a CPA is waiting too long Durr, 61, a Logan resident, said he also is skipping the "Walk to Washington," a New Jersey Chamber of Commerce-sponsored train excursion to Washington, D.C. 'I was invited on the train to Washington, I declined because I have no interest in riding a train filled with lobbyists and the political establishment for two hours,' Durr said. 'Besides, I don't know many working-class folks who have $700 to ride a train.' Approximately 900 people from the business, government and nonprofit sectors are expected to journey on Thursday for a two-day networking event that includes speeches by New Jersey congressional representatives. It has been five years since the last 'Walk to Washington' was held. Durr is a former state senator who represented the 3rd District for one term starting in 2022. Other GOP candidates for governor in 2025 are Bill Spadea, Jack Ciattarelli, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, Robert Canfield, former Burlington City Mayor Jim Fazzone and Justin Barbera. The first candidate debate in the campaign was held Tuesday night at Rider University in Lawrence Township, Mercer County. Canfield and Barbera were not present. Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times. Have a tip? Support local journalism with a subscription. This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: GOP candidate Edward Durr slams party conventions, chamber D.C. event
