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Good Monday morning!

On Friday night, the Election Law Enforcement Commission released 11-day pre-election reports that it hadn’t planned to publicly disclose until this Thursday. Even if it potentially meant a Friday night news dump, it was a move toward transparency.

There were two organizations in particular whose pre-election reports I wanted to see: Brighter Future Forward and Jersey Freedom. Both are running ads aiming to hurt Republicans, and both have ties to South Jersey Democrats. The latter is particularly shady, engaging in that long regional tradition of pushing what appear to be “phantom candidates.”

So imagine my surprise Friday night when neither group’s report was available online. I called a source at ELEC, who told me that Brighter Future Forward — which I consider the less sketchy of the two groups and which filed a registration form with ELEC on Oct. 19 — had filed reports but after the 5 p.m. deadline. That means we should know who’s funding it this morning, when ELEC releases the reports filed after the deadline. (We do know the Carpenters gave $1 million to it). But “Jersey Freedom”? Last I heard, as of a little after 7 Friday night, the group had not filed anything with ELEC.

I’ve said it before: This year is a test of the Elections Transparency Act’s dark money disclosure provisions. Given that ELEC told me Jersey Freedom hadn’t filed anything , you have to wonder if whoever is behind “Jersey Freedom”, which is now airing ads on Fox News, plans to file anything at all. Do they plan to blow through disclosure requirements, figuring any potential punishment is worth the secrecy? (We’d ask Jersey Freedom about it directly but their only contact information is a P.O. box.)

Another test of the dark money disclosure law is whether some of the shadier groups that operate in New Jersey politics actually disclose their donors, or if we find out they’re funded shell 501(c)4 organizations that effectively hide the true source of the money, similar to what Sean Caddle did.

Let’s see if the Elections Transparency Act has any teeth.

TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at [email protected].

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There are Americans out there who are deeply opposed to what’s happening. And if he wants to call us despicable, I’m saying he’s a coward. And he’s a punk and he should remember why the people sent him here and if he wants to play some kind of tough guy, a gangster — we can handle it like gentlemen, or we can get into something else.” — Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) on Rep. Josh Gottheimer after Gottheimer called Democrats who voted against a pro-Israel resolution “despicable.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Henry Winkler

WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule.

SO THAT’S WHY HE VETOED THE TOLL INCREASE — Murphys’ income took a big hit in 2022, by POLITICO’s Dustin Racioppi: Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy saw a multimillion-dollar drop in their income last year. The couple released partial tax returns Thursday night showing they earned $684,576 in 2022. It’s the smallest income they’ve reported since taking office in 2018, according his office. They earned nearly $5.2 million in 2021, according to his office. (The office originally said last year that they earned $4.3 million but an accountant error prompted them to amend their returns.)

SMS SOS — “Taxpayers spent $75K to send texts to Gov. Murphy. How’s it going?” by NJ Advance Media’s Karin Price Mueller and Brent Johnson: “New Jersey taxpayers have paid nearly $75,000 for a contract with text message marketing firm Community for the service. But Murphy’s office said it could not disclose what users have been asking about or provide copies of the text messages. … It denied [an OPRA request] filed by NJ Advance Media, saying it said it can’t produce the messages without a ‘substantial disruption’ to agency operations. … The governor’s office said the messages on the Community platform can’t be exported into a database, so each message would have to be manually copied to share them publicly. CJ Griffin, a public records attorney, said it’s’“problematic that an agency would use a third party service to send or receive records, but then claim that it is too cumbersome to produce those records to the public.’ ‘And with the increasing use of technology platforms, I really fear this could become a common way to evade transparency,’ Griffin said.”

—“Here are the nastiest, most expensive and bitterly fought N.J. political races this year”

—Moran:”This election could doom New Jersey’s fight against climate change”

—“Dark money group airing TV ad for phantom candidate on Fox News”

—“In one of NJ’s highly segregated school districts [Newark], students and parents seek accountability”

—Opinion: “Can New Jersey commuters rely on the state to fund NJ Transit?”

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? — Andy Kim is making a big bet on breaking New Jersey Democratic politics, by POLITICO’s Brakkton Booker: Andy Kim is trying to do something rare in New Jersey politics: win by casting himself as a soft-spoken outsider. In a state known for its brass-knuckle campaign tactics, its machine-dominated politics and no shortage of characters tainted by dubious ethics or outright corruption, he’s betting voters will see his run for Senate as something entirely new. “I get it, I’m not central casting of what someone imagines a New Jersey Democrat or politician looking like,” Kim said in an interview with POLITICO. “That’s what I thought would be my biggest weakness, but it’s actually turned out to be my biggest strength.” And, so far, it seems to be working. … But he’s about to meet the buzzsaw of the New Jersey political machine. Already, the state party establishment, which was miffed by his swift move to get in the race ahead of the November legislative elections, seems to be entertaining getting behind Tammy Murphy, the wife of Gov. Phil Murphy. Both are alums of Goldman Sachs and have deep ties to the political power brokers in the state. Several other members of Congress also haven’t ruled out a bid.”

A confidant for Murphy projected confidence that the first lady would be a formidable obstacle for Kim to overcome, should she enter the contest. … “If the chair doesn’t like you, they can put you in ballot Siberia,” the person added. The county line system, unique to New Jersey and perfectly legal, allows party leaders in 19 of its 21 counties to endorse candidates of their liking.

—“Andy Kim has named his new campaign manager”

THE PYRAMID SCHEME — “Menendez’s wife got mysterious job at Egypt-linked COVID lab,” by The Daily Beast’s William Bredderman: “Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife, indicted alongside him last month in a sprawling corruption case, was on the payroll of a medical lab that drew down more than $10 million in federal COVID-19 funding—a company, like the firms at the center of the federal charges, with ties to Egypt. … On his 2021 and 2022 personal financial disclosures, the New Jersey Democrat reported his bride had two sources of income—not only Strategic International Business Consultants, but also Fusion Diagnostics Laboratories, an entity in the Garden State. … New Jersey sources told The Daily Beast that Fusion accessed at least some of the federal monies thanks to testing programs local authorities coordinated in Hudson County, Menendez’s political home base. What’s more, the personal Facebook page of Fusion CEO and co-owner Moataz Abdalla reveals him to be an ardent and abiding supporter of Sisi’s government.”

JUST THE TIP OF THE LUSTBERG — “Prosecutor: Fred Daibes faces conflict of interest with lawyer in NJ bank fraud case,” by The Record’s Kristie Cattafi: “Fred Daibes, the prominent North Jersey developer charged alongside Sen. Bob Menendez in alleged bribery scheme, faces a conflict of interest with the attorney who represents him in a New Jersey bank fraud case that dates back to 2018, federal prosecutors say … An attorney representing the United States in the bank fraud case said he believes there is a potential conflict of interest with Daibes’ attornies, Lawrence S. Lustberg and Anne Collart of Gibbons P.C., related to the Menendez indictment. … [Wael] Hana is represented by Lustberg in the Menendez indictment. ‘Mr. Lustberg knows certain facts allegedly relevant to those charges,’ wrote Vikas Khanna, first attorney for the United States in the district of New Jersey, in a letter to United States District Judge Susan D. Wigenton on Wednesday. The government requested that Daibes be made aware of the potential conflict of interest and if appropriate, sign a voluntary waiver to continue with Lustberg as his attorney.”

—It ended in Sin City. But Mike Pence’s campaign was DOA for months

—“Hawley and Booker propose bipartisan child labor law legislation”

—“Is N.J. ready for electric vehicles? Here’s what people really think about pending mandate”

FOREST CHUMP — “Damages for Kinnelon man accused of cutting neighbor’s trees may top $1M, prosecutor says,” by The Daily Record’s William Westhoven: “A municipal court judge on Thursday denied a request to delay the trial of a Kinnelon homeowner accused of having 32 of his neighbor’s trees cut down to improve his view of the New York skyline. The judge instead set a Dec. 15 trial date for the defendants − Denise Drive resident Grant Haber and two tree services he hired for the job. Haber faces a trove of local ordinance violations for each of the trees allegedly cut down without the permission of his next-door neighbor, Samih Shinway, an incident that sparked a viral wave of online outrage earlier this year. The accumulated summonses issued by the borough forester for those charges totaled $32,000, or $1,000 per tree. During Thursday’s online hearing, borough Prosecutor Kim Kassar said that related damages and restitution, including removal of the old trees and replanting and stewarding of new ones, could run in excess of $1 million.”

SMALL GOES BIG — “Atlantic City says it’s going BIG on Boardwalk cleanup, safety,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “As the city continues to deal with homeless people living under and around its iconic Boardwalk, the mayor says the new Boardwalk Improvement Group has been working since early this year to make visitors and residents feel safe there. BIG was started by the city, state and Casino Association of New Jersey, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said Wednesday during a news conference. It now includes an internal app called See It, Click It, Fix It, which is shared by all BIG members, so quality-of-life problems can be easily reported to all and addressed. Small also talked about the city’s new homeless outreach initiative that is sending social workers out daily to engage with the unhoused citywide.”

UNION DONATES INFLATABLE RATS TO STRUGGLING CHUCK E CHEESE FRANCHISES FOR USE AS MASCOTS — “No more giant inflatable rats, as Asbury Park will hire union labor for future projects,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Charles Daye: “Going forward, any city projects that cost $5 million or more will use union labor and/or hire mostly local residents at a union rate, six months after the city was criticized for awarding an $18 million job to a nonunion contractor to build the new fire department headquarters. In April, despite concerns about the contractor, the City Council voted 3-2 to award an $18 million contract to Wallace Bros. Inc. to build the new fire department headquarters on Memorial Drive to replace its current Main Street location. In the months that followed, union supporters often demonstrated with a giant inflatable rat outside City Hall in protest.”

—“Asbury Park cops get prosecutor’s office monitor after string of internal complaints,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Charles Daye: “Following a recent increase in Asbury Park police officers filing internal affairs complaints against each other, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has installed an on-site monitor at the department, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Friday. The move follows years of discrimination lawsuits against the police department under Police Chief David Kelso. Over the last 10 years, five suits against the city have been settled in which race discrimination claims, among others, were asserted, costing the city about $1.9 million totals in defense and settlement costs.”

—“[Lumberton Deputy Mayor] Gina LaPlaca arrested on assault charges”

—“Off-duty N.J. cop pointed gun at driver in road rage incident, lawsuit says"

—“[Princeton] superintendent resigns, but will collect $244K salary until next year in N.J. school district”

—“Jackson teacher asked pupil for nude photos, engaged in sex acts on school grounds: Cops”

AFTER BUYING BAKERY, NORCROSS BROTHERS PROVIDE THE BREAD — “Philadelphia lender agrees to rescue deal after stock plummets,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Ghina Heeb, Lauren Thomas and Jonathan Weil: “A Philadelphia bank struggling to stay afloat agreed to a deal with an investor group aimed at shoring up its finances, a sign that smaller lenders are still under stress after a wave of failures shook the industry earlier this year. Republic First Bancorp. … is set to receive a $35 million infusion from a group of existing investors led by George Norcross III, Philip Norcross and Gregory Braca, the bank said.”

THE GREATEST TRICK THE JERSEY DEVIL EVER PULLED WAS CONVINCING 76% OF NEW JERSEYANS HE DIDN’T EXIST — “Is the Jersey Devil real? 1 in 6 N.J. residents say yes, new poll says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jacie Roman: “A new poll out of Fairleigh Dickinson University found that roughly 1 in 6 New Jersey residents think the Jersey Devil — the fabled creature that lives deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens — is real. The poll also found many New Jerseyans were likely to embrace other paranormal beliefs, including 44% of those surveyed who said ghosts are ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ likely real. The survey had a small overall sample size of 813 respondents, but researchers said the results show the Jersey Devil has gone from being a regional legend to being ‘adopted by the state as a whole.’”

—“N.J. flight attendants picket at Newark airport for a new contract”