Good Wednesday morning!

Big news: Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop will not seek reelection in… 2025 Wait, why the hell is he announcing that now?

Fulop said in a video that “it’s time to let someone else lead this special city and for me to really think about what I want to do next." Well, I’m stumped as to what Fulop really wants to know next. I guess he’ll have to do some soul-searching and figure it out.

Sarcasm aside, it’s pretty much taken for granted that Fulop is running for governor in 2025, and this announcement — including how it was rolled out to the press and Jersey City residents — more or less confirms it. If he formally declares he'll touch off ELEC filing requirements in which he’d have to report raising and spending funds, which would count towards the caps in the state’s matching funds program if he intends to make use of that. And don’t forget his wife’s business partner runs a super PAC with $6 million in it that is legally a separate entity from Fulop but at this point might as well be his gubernatorial campaign fund.

But remember, it was taken for granted that Fulop was running for governor in 2017, too. Until it wasn’t. Fulop dropped out before his campaign formally started and endorsed now-Gov. Phil Murphy. Why? He said he thought he was better placed to help out Jersey City rather than run for governor.

But, as I put it in this publication back then, “nobody believes that.” Fulop went into detail in 2018 about the reasons he chose not to run. But, again, none of them really satisfactorily explained why he would put so many resources into running in 2017 only to quit before he formally started. To this day, people wonder about it.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE’S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 333

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at [email protected]

WHERE’S MURPHY? — In The Sack™ for the Bergen County reorg at 6 p.m.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Josh Zeitz

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We don’t want to kill a mosquito with a bazooka, so we’re trying to be cognizant that we’re not being too harsh.” — State Sen. Joe Lagana on bills to combat car theft
 

CRAIG COUGHLIN AND CLINTON CALABRESE LAMENT LOSS OF FELLOW MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE C.C. CAUCUS  —  Connors announces retirement from state Senate, creating open seat in Ocean County, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: Republican state Sen. Christopher Connors, who has served in the state Legislature for more than three decades, announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection this fall. “This was certainly a difficult decision, but I feel in my heart that this is the right time to step aside, especially as running for re-election would require serving a four-year term,” Connors (R-Ocean) said in a statement released by the Senate Republican Office. Connors, who was first elected to the Legislature as an member of the General Assembly in 1989 and moved up to the state Senate in 2007, represents the 9th Legislative District, one of the reddest in the state … Connors' announcement creates an open Senate seat that could be a test for Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore’s grasp over the county party, which is the state’s most powerful Republican county organization … Connors’ succeeded his late father, former state Sen. Leonard T. Connors Jr. (R-Ocean), in the Senate. Leonard T. Connors, Jr. served in the upper chamber from 1982 to 2008.

—“Here’s an early short list for Chris Connors’ Senate seat” 

IT’S SO BAD THAT IT WAS WORSE 10 YEARS AGO — “NJ wants to crack down on car thefts, but critics say efforts won't do much to crime wave,” by The Record’s Katie Sobko: “In an effort to get control of the historic number of auto thefts throughout the state, lawmakers have approved a spate of bills that would bring stricter punishment to those caught with stolen cars. The measures have gotten bipartisan support in Trenton, but some advocacy groups say they discriminate against communities of color and actually wouldn't address the core cause of the problem. Lawmakers expect to revise the bills to try addressing those concerns while also deterring auto thefts … In testimony to lawmakers, Maj. Larry Williams of the New Jersey State Police said the organization estimated that about 15,644 cars were stolen in 2022, which would be up more than 1,000 from last year and nearly 4,000 more than in 2020. But state data shows that there were 16,471 car thefts reported in 2012, and that was down from what it had been the year before … Joe Johnson, policy counsel at the ACLU of New Jersey, said the data must be truly analyzed to understand the root causes of car thefts, and to make sure there are no “knee-jerk policy decisions that will over-criminalize New Jerseyans.”

—“Racial justice measures languish as advocates fear backsliding,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Taylor Jung: “While Gov. Phil Murphy and state officials have made progress toward ending racial disparities in criminal justice, wealth and health outcomes, advocates and legislators say a slew of racial justice bills is still left on the table. These bills — which would make it easier for New Jerseyans to vote, cut costs of prescription drugs, end discrimination in auto insurance rates or protect Black, Latino and Asian civilians from harmful interactions with law enforcement — have made no progress in the Legislature … While discussion of how to fix systemic racism might have slowed among the public, attacks have risen on a perceived rise in crime or teaching about racism and LGBTQIA communities in schools. These talking points were central to Republican campaigns this past election season, and it appears Democratic New Jersey lawmakers may have adopted some of them.”

DEFIANT NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS VOW TO CONTINUE PARKING IN CROSSWALKS — “'Until it affects you': Wheelchair users still battle to make NJ more accessible,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Olivia Liu: “For [Stanley] Soden, sidewalks can be less safe than streets. At a few curb cuts leading down the sidewalk along Lowden Court, puddles and potholes have the ability to tip his wheelchair … Over 30 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, disability advocates are still fighting for equal access, with the federal law enforced haphazardly … On Dec. 22, NJ Transit reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve its Access Link services. The agreement said that many Access Link customers faced excessively long trips, late pickups, late dropoffs and excessive hold times on the phone, a way in which customers book rides.”

—“Lawmakers gear up for legislative races under new district maps” 

—“Get ready, N.J. These new state laws go into effect in 2023” 

—“N.J. cannabis board: ‘There’s promise’ in legal weed market after historic 1st year | Q&A” 

—Steinberg: “New Jersey 2022 Politician of the Year – Senator Michael Testa, Jr. – who is also the Jersey Republican to watch in 2023” 

KEAN AMAZED BY HOW FUNCTIONAL TRENTON NOW SEEMS — “Kean looks on amid GOP chaos,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “All three House members from New Jersey were on McCarthy’s side. No surprise there. McCarthy, you may recall, attended Kean’s campaign kickoff in the summer of 2021. The evolving chaos really is not unexpected, giving a pronounced split among Republicans … [I]t was fascinating to see Kean with a pained expression on his face sitting right behind [Matt] Gaetz as the Floridian nominated [Jim] Jordan. During just about every election campaign, all candidates enjoy yakking about how they can work ‘across the aisle.’ Kean did that in his successful CD-7 campaign. But now, it seems more important for Republicans to work ‘within their aisle’ to get things done.”

—“Republican House leadership chaos prevents N.J.’s Kean and Menendez from taking office” 

—“Rep.-elect Tom Kean Jr. moves to avoid ethics problem that dogged Democrat he just defeated”

POWER GRABOWSKI — “Clifton City Council names Ray Grabowski as its first new mayor in 32 years,” by The Record’s Matt Fagan: “After 32 years Clifton will have a new mayor: Ray Grabowski. Grabowski's selection came following a turbulent month and much discussion among council members. The question of whether to honor the city’s long-standing tradition of naming the top vote-getter as its mayor remained in doubt until Tuesday's reorganization meeting, when the council ultimately voted 4-to-3 for Grabowski.”

WHAT ABOUT STEVE LIPSKI?  — “With Fulop out of the picture, an early look at the 2025 Jersey City mayor’s race,” by The Jersey Journal’s Joshua Rosario: “With Mayor Steve Fulop announcing he won’t seek re-election, five contenders immediately emerged as Jersey City mayoral successors in 2025, multiple sources told The Jersey Journal. The election is nearly three years away … A handful of Hudson County political insiders quickly pointed to Downtown Councilman James Solomon, Council President Joyce Watterman, Hudson County Board of Commissioners members Bill O’Dea and Jerry Walker and former Jersey City school board President Mussab Ali as the most likely candidates to replace Fulop.”

NJ STATEHOUSE COULD USE FARCICAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY — “This N.J. town just said ‘no’ to facial recognition cameras on its streets,” by N Advance Media’s Richard Cowen: “South Orange will not install facial recognition software when it upgrades its street security cameras after questions were raised about whether the technology is unreliable and prone toward misidentifying people of color, local officials said. “We will not be using facial recognition technology,” South Orange village president Sheena Collum said. “There were a lot of concerns by our residents. The last thing we want is to be using something that disproportionately impacts people of a certain race.” South Orange began upgrading the village’s street surveillance cameras about two years ago. But, the project was suspended when residents began questioning whether the cameras provided by the vendor would be enabled to allow South Orange police to identify people using facial recognition technology. South Orange Lt. Adrian Acevedo … said … [t]he department never intended to install cameras with facial recognition capabilities.”

WAYNE WORLD — “Wayne mayor seeks 647% pay hike,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano wants to raise his own salary from $18,750 to $140,000 annually, an increase of 647%. The Wayne Township Council has included an ordinance creating a full-time mayoral post on their agenda when they reorganize on Wednesday. The salary hike would become effective immediately.”

R.I.P. — “'The city of hope': Devoted refugee advocate Alain Mentha is mourned” 

—“Threatened by sea level rise, this New Jersey town [North Wildwood] is taking matters into its own hands” 

—“Mother of slain man sues over police shooting in Ventnor” 

R.I.P. — “Former Record editor Deirdre Sykes O'Neil, newsroom standard bearer for years, dies at 68,” by The Record’s Daniel Sforza: “Deirdre Sykes O’Neil, a driving force in New Jersey journalism who guided generations of reporters and editors through the newsroom of The Record with unwavering standards and a comforting personal touch, died Thursday. She was 68. Sykes, who had battled cancer for a decade, faced that challenge with the same fierce determination and positive attitude she brought to the newsroom every day for 30 years.”

HEALTH CARE — “Nurse says NJ firm made bogus records to put ineligible patients into hospice for profit,” by The Record’s Lindy Washburn: “An Oradell-based hospice company allegedly defrauded the federal and state governments by putting nursing home residents who weren’t dying into hospice care, according to a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a nurse who worked for the company. The nurse, Sherri McDermott of Paramus, claims in the suit that she was fired after refusing to create bogus medical records of her patients’ conditions to justify fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid by Life Source Services, the hospice company. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Newark is one of a growing number of cases nationwide to allege fraud at hospice companies under the federal False Claims Act, a law that allows the insiders who file the cases to receive a share of any money recovered by the government.”

MOOTILDA’S LAST WALTZ — “'Mootilda' has mooed her last: Owner confirms death of roaming Upper Township cow,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Bill Barlow: “A loose cow in Marmora has been captured and butchered, the owner of the animal said Tuesday. ‘We gave it to a family in need,’ he said. He wanted community members to have closure, he said. The animal had been roaming free since the summer, capturing the imagination of many in the township and beyond … He said he is concerned about backlash from community members and others who had grown protective of the animal, which a local woman who had been feeding the animal dubbed ‘Mootilda.’ She had sought to get the cow into a sanctuary but was unable to contain it.”

—“[CentraState Medical Center] diverting patients days after cybersecurity issue” 

—“Dog missing for 2 years found in alleged N.J. puppy mill, reunited with Tenn. family”