Richard Codey

Matt Reilly, the former deputy chief of the Star-Ledger statehouse bureau, will be the new communications director for the Senate Democrats. An award-winning journalist, Reilly replaces Jim Manion, a former Associated Press statehouse reporter who is retiring after a long career in the Senate Democratic office.

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Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to seek re-election to a second term in 2009.

Look for former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to file papers this month as a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor.   The former federal prosecutor is expected to become the establishment GOP candidate in a primary against former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan, the leader of the conservative wing of the New Jersey GOP.   Two other candidates, Assemblyman Richard Merkt and Franklin Township Mayor Brian D. Levine, are also mulling gubernatorial bids.

Incumbent Jon Corzine is expected to seek a second term as Governor, and is likely to run unopposed in the Democratic primary.  Not since Brendan Byrne faced nine rivals, including two Congressmen and a member of his own cabinet, in 1977 has a sitting Governor faced serious opposition for the nomination of his or her own party.  Corizne has struggled to win the approval of voters, but he's a Democrat in a very blue state, and he is expected to spend a huge amount of money to get re-elected.  It will be hard for any Republican to beat him.

If budget issues or e-mails make it impossible for Corzine to continue his race, look for a spirited Democratic primary with Senate President (and former Governor) Richard Codey as the front runner.

New Jerseyans will elect a Lieutenant Governor for the first time in 2009.  The new state law requires the winners of the major party gubernatorial primaries to pick a running mate, much like vice presidential candidates are designated after a presidential nominee is picked.

Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester)

Although they represent different parts of the state, County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and state Sen. Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney with a few exceptions – the sales tax fight two years ago comes to mind - usually end up on the same side.  

This time, however, it’s not looking as though the two men are going to get eyeball to eyeball on the state pension deferral, which Sweeney opposes and DiVincenzo supports.   

It’s one of those moments when two politicians whose careers have run along parallel lines suddenly veer into each other’s path and create an unmistakable flashpoint.   

DiVincenzo desperately wants the legislature to sign off on Gov. Jon Corzine’s brainchild bill enabling counties, municipalities, and school boards during an economic downturn to defer their state pension payments by 50 percent over a three-year period, which would total $1.3 billion.

Fomer New Jersey and Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Ray Durkin, and his son, Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin

At Mayfair Farms Restaurant in West Orange on Saturday, the St. Patrick’s Guard of Honor of New Jersey hailed Ray Durkin, or the chairman, as they call him here in a nod of respect to his many years of service to the Democratic Party. 

Full-blooded and hybrid and old and new country Irish fathers and their sons - Giblin, Byrne, Stack, Barrett, McCarthy, Baroni, Mac Donald, O’Toole and Codey – for one afternoon absorbed any and all of New Jersey’s other ethnic groups into the arms of Durkin’s Irish-America.  

Durkin, who led the Essex County Democratic Organization from 1980 to 1992 in addition to serving as chair of the state party from 1985 to 1989, was the 68th St. Patrick’s Guard of Honor on a list going back to 1940 that includes President John F. Kennedy, Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., and governors Richard J. Hughes, Brendan Byrne and Richard Codey.  

In accepting the award, the former Newark City Firefighter and head of the West Ward Young Democrats who has been lowkey politically over the course of the past 12 years, said he was most proud of his wife and five sons, including Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin, who introduced his father on Saturday.

TRENTON –Law enforcement officials are investigating a powdery substance in an envelope that arrived today at the Senate Majority Office and for a short time emptied the work area.

The envelope was addressed to “Gov. Codey,” according to Lieutenant Gerald Lewis of the New Jersey State Police Department.

“We received a call at  12:15 p.m.,” said Lewis.

Police evacuated the offices and a hazmat crew seized the envelope containing the suspicious substance.  Former governor Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) was in his district office this afternoon.

John Rooney, the longest serving member of the New Jersey State Assembly, has not yet made a decision about seeking re-election to a fifteenth term in 2009.  The 69-year-old Bergen County Republican has been battling some health issues lately, and hinted last year that he might not run again.  Rooney also faces the threat of a contested GOP primary now that Republicans who have been at odds with him in recent years control the county organization.

Rooney was first elected to the Assembly in 1983, when he won a special election to replace Joan Wright.  Wright became Director of the state Division of Women under Governor Thomas Kean.

If Rooney retires, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts would become the senior member of the State Assembly.  Roberts won an Assembly seat in a 1987 special election following the death of Francis Gorman.

Lawyers will be the minority on the 2009 State Senate Judiciary Committee headed by engineer Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge)

For the first time since the new State Constitution was approved in 1947, a majority of members of the 2009 New Jersey State Senate Judiciary Committee -- six of eleven -- are not lawyers.  Chairman Paul Sarlo and Vice Chairman John Girgenti are not attorneys, as is fellow Democrat Loretta Weinberg.  Among the Republicans, Gerald Cardinale (who serves as the unofficial ranking Republican), Joseph Kyrillos and Jennifer Beck are not attorneys.

The lawyers on the Judiciary Committee are Democrats Raymond Lesniak, Nicholas Scutari, Robert Smith and Nia Gill, and Republican Bill Baroni. 

Senate President Richard Codey, who is responsible for the non-lawyer a majority -- a move some pols are applauding -- is one of a few non-lawyers to serve as Senate President.

Wally Edge's mea culpa to Senate President Richard J. Codey.

A report published two weeks ago in The Inside Edge that Senate President Richard Codey would pick Sandra Cunningham, not Frederick Madden, to chair the Senate Labor Committee if Paul Sarlo moved to Judiciary was just plain wrong.   Realizing that Madden was the most senior member of the Senate without a committee chairmanship, Codey promised to give the South Jersey Democrat strong consideration the next time a slot became available.  It is now apparent that Madden was always going to get Labor, and that Cunningham was not a candidate for this particular position.  Codey kept his word.

More on Codey’s word: on Sunday, the Senate President will read The Night Before Christmas during a performance of the Boston Pops at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.  Our sources, hopefully correct this time, say that Codey has edited the classic story to reflect some of his own views.  That ought to be fun.

PATERSON – On a mid October morning, state Sen. Paul Sarlo’s (D-Bergen) wife found him unconscious in the couple’s bed, suffering the effects of a pulmonary viral infection in conjunction with a sever acid reflux condition.

Early reports out of the hospital weren’t good.

Over a month later, Sarlo says he has made a full recovery as he prepares to assume the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee to succeed U.S. Rep.-elect Jon Adler (D-Camden).

“My recent episode puts a lot of things in perspective,” said the 40-year old Sarlo. “What I learned is the need for balance. I am in great shape and truly honored to be able to serve as chairman of such a prestigious committee and to play a vital role in our Constitutional duty to vet and examine all executive and judicial branch appointments.”

Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth)

TRENTON – Members of the state Senate Judiciary Committee this evening responded favorably to news that state Sen. President Richard Codey (D-Essex) is poised to name state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) as committee chairman.

No one expressed any concern that Sarlo, an engineer by trade – lacks legal training.

“Paul’s an able guy and he’s been in the senate several years now,” said state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth). “He will bring a non-attorney’s perspective, which I think will be refreshing to many. I would urge Paul to take our institutional responsibility seriously, that we should not be and the people expect us not to be, a rubber stamp for the executive branch, despite the fact that governor and majority party are the same party.”

In terms of Sarlo’s close relationship with Codey, whom critics of the senate president regard as a control freak, Kyrillos said, “That’s not news.”