The Morning Briefing - January 14, 2016
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Now, here’s a poll that Gov. Chris Christie is actually interested in: The Des Moines Register shows the governor is tied with Mike Huckabee in seventh place in Iowa, with just 3 percent of support. Christie's viewed favorably by 51 percent and unfavorably by 42 percent. Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz seems to be running the table, at 25 percent, followed by mega-maniac Donald Trump at 22 percent. Sane candidate Sen. Marco Rubio is at 12 percent, while another sane candidate, Jeb Bush, is at 4 percent.
ATLANTIC CITY – It seems that city officials will not be rolling over as the state considers a takeover of Atlantic City. There was a press conference at Harrah’s yesterday, with Mayor Don Guardian and other city and county leaders saying the state is considering a “hostile” takeover, the Press of AC reports. “The city has done for the past five years what they have been asked: `Get your house in order,’” said Freeholder Alex Marino. Meanwhile, Politico reports, Atlantic City gambling revenue has been cut in half since 2006, showing yet again that the city’s fortunes are directly connected to the roulette wheel.
PERTH AMBOY — The city's school board unanimously decided without explanation on Tuesday to move its annual elections back to April. The Home News Tribune says it's only the second district in the state, behind Plainfield, to revert from November elections. State law lets districts switch back to April elections after four years. Meanwhile, Mayor Wilda Diaz is perplexed why her BOE made such an abrupt change as November elections have saved her City-by-the-Bay $25,000 annually and generated bigger voter turnouts. Smells like politics.
JERSEY CITY — Speaking of switching elections, the City Council last night agreed to let voters decide this fall if nonpartisan elections should make a permanent May-to-November switch starting in 2017. Don't get the wrong idea – it's got nothing to do with giving Mayor Steve Fulop a fallback plan just in case he loses the June 2017 primary for governor (a race he hasn't yet entered). City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill insists Fulop supported this switch at a time “long before there was ever talk of any governor’s race.” That would've been around when Fulop got his first Motorola flip-phone.
PATERSON — A recently elected city councilman is under fire for getting $38,100 behind on his property taxes. City officials told the Record that First Ward Councilman Michael Jackson's Grand Street restaurant is among 1,330 properties soon up for tax lien sales. When Jackson won last fall's special election to fill an eight-month council vacancy, he pledged to give away his entire $41,000 salary to citywide charitable groups. He is announcing those recipients next week. His critics told him that charity begins at home, and perhaps he should use the bounty to pay his taxes instead.
ASBURY PARK – Plenty of music tonight in the city, as part of a 10-day, 30-location music festival to raise money to fight Parkinson’s disease. It is all part of the Light of Day Foundation Inc.'s 16th annual "Light of Day Winterfest," presented by the Asbury Park Press and featuring performances through Monday in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Tonight, the music is in Asbury Park at some great bars, including The Saint, House of Independents, Wonder Bar and Langosta Lounge.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The future is now clear for the CEO of a Michigan mental health agency – spending at least 32 months in jail for using public money to hire a personal fortune teller. He is convicted of spending $510,000 on a palm reader and her husband in Key West, and hiding the ridiculous expenditure from others. The man will lose his own fortune, paying double the amount he spent on restitution and penalties. Will he be paroled and rebuild his life? Perhaps the fortune teller will offer a freebie.
STATEWIDE – It is January. It is freezing. It is a workday. And someone, for some reason, decreed that it should be “Organize Your Home” Day.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1998 that Dallas researchers reported an enzyme that slows the aging process and cell death, ensuring many of us will be taxpayers for at least 120 years.
WORD OF THE DAY
Cockalorum – (kok-ah-LOR-em) — noun
Definition: A little man with an unduly high opinion of himself.
Example: My God, how this wine-tasting room is filled with cockalorums!