If Christie flees to D.C., Guadagno has cut her last ribbon

New Jersey Lieutenant Governor and chief ribbon-cutter Kim Guadagno (AP photo by Mel Evans)

Donald Trump’s election as President has likely provided Gov. Chris Christie with an opportunity to declare that, after seven years, he’s fixed New Jersey’s problems and now plans to apply his political wizardry to national-sized challenges. 


If Trump provides the right job in his new administration, Christie can catch the last stage coach out of Dodge before the legislative villagers shoulder their pitchforks and ignite the torches for a new round of #Bridgegate hearings.

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A draft from D.C. also would finally free Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno from the mind-numbing and totally under-appreciated duty of waiving the Christie flag at hundreds of feel-good ribbon cutting ceremonies and rubber chicken dinners. She’s been doing it for almost seven years without a single, noticeable public grimace (and still without invitations to inner circle Administration meetings).

Kim will have to stifle a Howard Dean-sized scream if she gets the chance to move into the big-guy’s chair and have some new Lt.Gov. appear at her side for silent photo ops. 

Politico‘s Matt Friedman speculates on Guadagno’s future in:

Guadagno could get incumbency advantage, with Christie potentially leaving for Trump


Michael Aron of NJTV NEWS discusses the rumors of Christie’s departure with Mary Alice Williams in the video report below.

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NJ electric vehicle charging bill added for committee action


Added to the November 10 agenda of the New Jersey Assembly’s Environment and Solid Waste committee:


A-404  –  Benson, Daniel (D-14); DeAngelo, Wayne (D-14); Eustace, Tim (D-38) Directs installation of electric vehicle charging stations at service areas on State’s toll roads.


Here’s our previously published list of environment bills scheduled for consideration today in Trenton 


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Environmental bills in committee in Trenton – Nov. 14


ASSEMBLY AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
11/14/16  2:00 PM
Committee Room 15, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
A-772  Andrzejczak, B. (D-1); Diegnan, P.J. (D-18);
Land, R.B. (D-1); Benson, D.R. (D-14)
Establishes process for recovering cost of caring for
animals involved in animal cruelty violations.
Related Bill: S-1168
      
A-2041  Gusciora, R. (D-15); Benson, D.R. (D-14);
Spencer, L.G. (D-29)
Requires court to issue animal protective orders
against persons found guilty of abusing animals.
      
A-2052  Gusciora, R. (D-15); Mukherji, R. (D-33)
Revises definition of “necessary care” in the
State’s animal cruelty law to include more specific requirements.
     
A-2095  Mukherji, R. (D-33); Spencer, L.G. (D-29);
Jasey, M.M. (D-27)
Requires posting of signs warning of presence of, and
potential danger caused by, duckweed on water bodies in public parks.
     
______________________________________________
ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT AND SOLID WASTE
11/14/16  2:00 PM
Committee Room 9, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ

The following bill is pending intro & referral: A-4326
(Muoio/Mazzeo/Burzichelli)  Authorizes
New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust to expend additional sums to make
loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2017.
A-2398  McKeon, J.F. (D-27); Benson, D.R. (D-14)
Establishes public-private pilot program for level 3
electric vehicle charging stations.
      
ACR-127  McKeon, J.F. (D-27)
Amends Constitution to dedicate all State moneys
received from settlements and awards in cases of environmental contamination
for certain environmental purposes.
Related Bill: SCR-39
      
AR-175  Singleton, T. (D-7); Conaway, H. (D-7)
Opposes construction of hazardous waste incinerator in
Falls Township, Pennsylvania.
Related Bill: SR-80
     
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I’ve been counted out before, Christie tells Charlie Rose


Two New Jersey lawmakers who want the governor to testify under oath

Gov. Chris Christie is sticking with what he’s said all along, telling Charlie Rose that he does not remember any member of his staff telling him about the scheme to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge for political retribution.

Now that two associates of the governor have been found guilty (and one pleaded guilty) for felonies associated withe infamous bridge lane closures, the co-chairs of the joint legislative committee that investigated the lane closures want to reconvene the panel and get the governor to testify under oath.

NJTV NEWS correspondent Michael Aron has the details in the video above.


Also reporting on the Charlie Rose interview today were:
Ryan Hutchins in Politico (Christie says he’s not finished) and Andrew Seidman in the Philadelphia Inquirer (Christie says Bridgegate verdict confirms his story).


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NJ Senate Judiciary panel to review nominees on Nov. 10

The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee will meet at 1 p.m. on Thursday, November 10 in Room 4, First Floor, State House Annex, to consider 32 persons nominated to various boards and other state positions.

Among them are:


Jill A. Lipoti of Roosevelt, to be a member of the Interstate Environmental Commission for the term prescribed by law, and


August V. Wuillermin of Hammonton, to be a member of the State Board of Agriculture to replace Marilyn Russo. 


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Tears, doubts, heated debate in Bridgegate jury room

Bridget Anne Kelly and her defense attorney, Michael Critchley, face the press – Record photo by Tariq Zehawi.

Emotional arguments, tears, and heated exchanges characterized much of the jury deliberations in the George Washington Bridge lane closure case, according to a Morris County man who sat on the jury that listened to the case for six weeks and deliberated over another five days.


Paul Berger reports for The Record:

The man, who wished to be identified only as Juror 10, said that the debate among the five men and seven women was so heated that the jury had to be sent home early on Wednesday, the second full day of deliberations.

An in-depth look at the scandal over the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge and related aftershocks. Click here to launch.



When they returned their verdict Friday morning, the jury found Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni guilty on all counts of conspiracy, fraud and civil rights charges. The pair, both 44 years old, face a maximum of 20 years in prison.


“It was very hard,” the juror said. “Thinking about somebody going to jail.”


The man, who had no idea of the possible sentence awaiting the pair, added: “I think they were both very nice people, but I just tried to do the best I could as an honest and a fair juror.”


Jurors began deliberating on Monday afternoon following six weeks of testimony involving 35 witnesses and hundreds of text messages, emails, documents, audio and video clips.
Initially, the juror said that he and his colleagues were split roughly eight to four in favor of convicting Kelly and Baroni. 


Although several jurors were adamant that the defendants were guilty, the juror said most kept an open mind until the final day of deliberations.


“We had an agreement that anyone, at any time, could change their vote,” the man said.


Deliberations began around 3 p.m. on Monday after the prosecution concluded its closing arguments. Because the jury had so much information to process, the man said that apart from selecting a foreman, jurors decided not to begin deliberating until they had given themselves an evening to mull over the case.

Tuesday, the first full day of deliberations, was very difficult, the juror said. He declined to provide details, but he said that “things got testy” and that he personally felt as though he was suffering from “information overload.” Several jurors were in tears, he said.

Read the full story here


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