The Jaffe Briefing - April 1, 2022

TRENTON – So, Gov. Phil Murphy has COVID. But let’s assume our asymptomatic governor is much more interested in the fact that the independent credit firms keep raising the state’s bond rating. Yes, we know you are now rolling your eyes in boredom, trying to figure why the heck we would talk about how S&P raised the state’s rating to “A-.” But it’s the second credit upgrade in less than a month, Politico reports, and is the clear indicator of the state’s fiscal health. So, as some politicians say stuff now is absolutely spectacular, and another faction says New Jersey is being driven down a fetid toilet of endless despair, the non-partisan bean counters are the only ones who really matter. And when S&P and Moody’s think New Jersey’s general obligation bonds are finally a good investment, then, yes, things must be OK.

OCEAN GATE – Let’s assume the Borough Council is no longer supporting the embattled mayor, voting unanimously Wednesday night to cut his annual salary to just $1. It seems government officials are still overpaying for the services of Mayor Paul Kennedy, charged with selling the town’s conference table on Facebook Messenger, auctioning off municipal vehicles, and stealing money out of the parking meters, pocketing the cash all along. That’s why the mayor is seeing the $49,999 pay cut, as well as a suspension without pay from his county job as a carpenter. Expect the mayor to jingle over to court to plead his case. Anyone need a quarter?

SOUTH JERSEY – You may recall that Rep. Jeff Van Drew – a shameless Trump sycophant – got himself some press coverage for deleting his Twitter account after the Jan. 6 insurrection, calling it “particularly bad. He canceled the account, just as he voted against impeaching Trump, again, for ginning up a riot as a desperately dangerous ploy to remain in power. Well, NJ.com reports, Van Drew is back on Twitter, using the social media tool as a way to tout all his appearances on Fox News and to smack Joe Biden at every turn. Van Drew now says Twitter is a great way to get information out to his adoring following, likely Trump supporters living in the back woods of New Jersey’s Second Congressional District, drinking hooch and eagerly awaiting the king’s return to the throne.

BRIEFING BREATHER

Somewhere, someone on this planet has eaten the most potato chips ever and they don't even know about it.

IRVINGTON – Remember the 82-year-old lady who Irvington sued because she kept filing OPRA requests? Well, after the story appeared on the front page of The Star-Ledger and then everywhere else, the township has wisely decided to drop the case. That came just after Elouise McDaniel secured a pro bono attorney, gearing up for a very public battle about a resident’s ability to secure public documents under the law. Yeah, this was getting messy, as the ACLU jumped in and inquiries flowed in from national media. No doubt, township officials had a decent gripe, as McDaniel filed more than 75 requests for information within three years, draining municipal resources, as workers scrambled to comply with all of her requests. But, under the Act, she is entitled. Expect McDaniel to submit many more OPRA requests, no doubt eager to read all about how Irvington officials were forced to address this media mess. Colorful emails abound.

JERSEY CITY – There will be plenty of Peacock Pride on display at 2 p.m. today, as a parade steps off on JFK Boulevard and marches eight city blocks. Everyone will be paying homage to the Saint Peters basketball team who did the unimaginable, making the Elite Eight in the tournament. Yes, the is the Jersey form of “Hoosiers,” the perfect David v. Goliath story. And Jersey City will celebrate, one more time, as bands, floats and community groups join in handing over the key to the city, all streaming on CBS. A great hometown story, and another excuse to mention our favorite pornstache before next season.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

DANIA BEACH, FL. – Lots of monkeying around the runways at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where a group of local monkeys frolic. The U.S. does not have native monkeys, but these small vervets have been hanging around Dania Beach since the late 1940s. Their great-great-great grandparents were rescued from a breeding facility and roadside zoo in West Africa and brought to Florida. Today, there are now 40 descendants living around the site, with 1,500 acres of habitat. And they are great for tourism, as tarmac travelers enjoy capturing them on smartphones and the kiddies squeal with delight. Airport workers, like the parking lot attendants, feed them raisins and nuts from their hands, while media stops by every now and again to develop a “unique” feature on this same story. But you read it here first…perhaps.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 1998 – long before #MeToo - that Paula Jones’ sexual harassment case against Bill Clinton is thrown out of court. It’s good to be the king.

WORD OF THE DAY

Predilection – [pred-uh-LEK-shun] – noun

Definition:  A natural liking for something or a tendency to do or to be attracted to something.

Example: I have a predilection for enjoying gin martinis. (three olives, please)

WIT OF THE DAY

“A century ago, petroleum - what we call oil - was just an obscure commodity; today it is almost as vital to human existence as water.”

-James Buchan

BIDEN BLURB

“I'm authorizing the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day for the next six months—over 180 million barrels—from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This is a wartime bridge to increase oil supply until production ramps up later this year."

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Gusty