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Sens. Buono and Sarlo, Assemblymen Wisniewski and Cryan to gain more power
BY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
EXCLUSIVE
Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) will be elected state Senate president by the upper house's Democratic majority when it meets in caucus on Nov. 23, ousting Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) who has held the state's second most powerful position since 2002.
Three high-ranking Senate Democrats, who asked not to be identified but provided the details, said Tuesday that Sweeney has 14 votes, 2 more than he needs to garner the majority of the 23-member Democratic caucus.
Codey has 9 votes but once the caucus vote is taken and Sweeney wins, Codey's supporters will join the Gloucester senator's backers in providing the 21 votes needed to make the votes of the Senate's 17 Republicans meaningless when the official public vote takes place when the upper house reorganizes on Jan. 12.
As part of the backroom wheeling and dealing between South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross and Essex County Democratic leader Joe DiVincenzo and Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) that orchestrated the change, little-known Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) will become Assembly speaker, replacing Assemblyman Joseph Roberts (D-Camden), who did not seek re-election.In a move to bring Middlesex County Democrats into the Sweeney camp, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) will replace Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) as state Democratic chairman, and. Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) will replace Sweeney as Democratic majority leader.
Cryan will replace Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) as Assembly Democratic majority leader. Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) will replace Buono as chairman of the powerful Senate Budget and Appropriation Committee, which will play a key role in joining with the new Christie administration in confronting an expected $8 billion 2010-11 budget deficit.
Beyond these moves, Sweeney will decide other Senate Democratic officers and committee chairmen.
The Senate Democrats who provided the details said Sweeney thought he had a handshake agreement with Senate Republican leader Sen. Tom Kean (R-Union) to provide Republican support if necessary and was angered to read a statement by Kean that the 17-vote GOP block was backing him for the presidency.
Sweeney did expect support from Senators Kevin O'Toole (R-Passaic), Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth), Bill Baroni (R-Mercer) and Steven Oroho (R-Sussex). Codey declined to seek the support of Republicans.
Early on in the scramble for support, Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) promised his support to Codey but switched sides under pressure from Sweeney and Norcross. At one point, Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), caught between pressure from Lesniak to support Sweeney and old loyalty to Codey, retreated to the Jersey Shore and shut off his phones.
Neither Sweeney nor Codey would comment Tuesday on the status of the Senate presidency election but Codey appears resigned to his impending defeat. He did say he intends to make an appointment to the 2010 Congressional Redistricting Commission before stepping down from the presidency and leave a second appointment to be filled by the senator who holds the presidency next year.
Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) attempted to stay out of the Codey-Sweeney faceoff while seeking election as New Jersey's first lieutenant governor on Gov. Jon Corzine's unsuccessful ticket, but Tuesday she said she is backing Sweeney.
"I'm supporting Steve Sweeney, '' she said. "I was hoping I would not be called upon to vote in this thing. Had we won, I probably would not be voting but I am a senator and I would not be living up to my responsibility (if she did not vote).
"The state (voters) spoke for change,'' Weinberg added. "Whatever those changes might be has to be interpreted. Gov. Codey had a great run, he has been a great public official and will continue to be but it is time for new ideas and mixing up the water a little bit.''
In light of this factor I suggest that all who read this should go to the internet and research Senator Pennacchio's Proposed New Jersey Senate Bill S-445 (aka Transparency in Government Bill) which has been stalled in the legislature likely by those who may perhaps be afraid of bringing out "the whole truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth", to "We the People". Please do yourself a favor; Research S-445 and then contact your New Jersey State Representative and tell him or her to Pass S-445 Transparency in Government NOW! After reading it I feel certain that most taxpayers will agree to tell them that we need this passed in its entirety and to cover all levels of New Jersey Government from the Municipal Level - The County Level - and every branch of the State Level. Thank you!
In light of this factor I suggest that all who read this should go to the internet and research Senator Pennacchio's Proposed New Jersey Senate Bill S-445 (aka Transparency in Government Bill) which has been stalled in the legislature likely by those who may perhaps be afraid of bringing out "the whole truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth", to "We the People". Please do yourself a favor; Research S-445 and then contact your New Jersey State Representative and tell him or her to Pass S-445 Transparency in Government NOW! After reading it I feel certain that most taxpayers will agree to tell them that we need this passed in its entirety and to cover all levels of New Jersey Government from the Municipal Level - The County Level - and every branch of the State Level. Thank you!
Sweeney is a fiscal conservative who has good relations with many of the Republican State senators. Under Sweeney "public" battles will be few. His method of horse trading is to do things quietly.
One of the biggest battles will be over the budget. How ironic is it that the very person who the CWA demonized is now the only person who can help them .
CWA does not have one friend in the Legislature and now they must kiss the ring of Steve Sweeney to even survive. The big mouth CWA leadership never had a Plan B. Without Corzine they have nothing. Unfortunately it will be the membership of CWA ,not the leadership, who will sufer their stupidity and arrogance.