By MATT FRIEDMAN, Politico
About a quarter of state legislators had their final voting sessions yesterday, with most retiring and some unseated in the election. But one stuck out. The one who’s been there longer than anyone, ever: Dick Codey (DEssex).
The former Senate president is best known for his 14 months as governor following Jim McGreevey’s resignation. It’s been 50 years since Codey, a mortician, became a legislator, and 42 since he arrived in the Senate.
Codey was popular with the public during his short time as governor, something I think was at least partly because he was a stabilizing force after what for the time was a huge political scandal —but also because New Jerseyans could identify with him. Recall his threat to “take out” shock jock Craig Rossi after he made fun of Mary Jo Codey’s postpartum depression. Sure, nobody wants their politicians threatening violence, but given the context, I think people saw it as a simple human reaction.
Reporters loved to quote Codey because he was funny and one of the few high-profile politicians in the state to rant against its political boss system. He had plenty of detractors inside New Jersey politics, but the public saw him as one of their own — even if their recognition of him faded in the years after his governorship, and after he was ousted as Senate president 14 years ago. He had plenty of accomplishments, like the indoor smoking ban and his undercover work.
For a nice profile of Codey, check out Brent Johnson’s piece here
Still, Codey’s exit is somewhat ironic for a person who decried the boss system. He was thrown into the same district as state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex), an erstwhile ally, and easily dispatched her in the June Democratic primary without campaigning while suffering some health issues. “I’m not sick. I’m not dying or any of that bullshit,” Codey told Nikita Biyrukov in August. But Codey announced his retirement following his primary win, allowing political insiders — not primary voters — to select his replacement.
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