NJ Spotlight News: November 9, 2023

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, Mayor McGreevy. This election is not about yesterday. It's about our tomorrows. And candidly, I have made mistakes in my own life for which I have apologized and owed. The former governor looking to make a political comeback, officially tossing his hat in the ring to run Jersey City, while another former New Jersey governor was trying to create waves on the national stage. And I'll say this about Donald Trump. Anybody who's going to be spending the next year and a half of their life focusing on keeping themselves out of jail in courtrooms cannot lead this party or this country. Plus, not backing down. Despite a few losses at local school board elections, parental rights advocates will continue to fight the fight. While parental rights might not have widespread support, it seems like the advocates for it are not going to give up on it easily and will just keep pushing on that issue. And warehouse wars. A four-year battle to block one development is finally over in Warren County. And I think the ultimate outcome is the result of what happens when good people get together for good causes. NJ Spotlight News begins right now. Funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided by NJM Insurance Group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. And by the PSEG Foundation. From NJ PBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with Brianna Venosi. Good evening and thanks for joining us this Thursday night. I'm Brianna Venosi. Former Governor Jim McGreevy is looking for a second chance in his political career. And this time, it's as mayor of the state's second largest city. McGreevy today officially kicked off his run for the Jersey City Mayor's Office nearly two decades after he was forced to resign from the state's highest office in a stunning fall from grace. The campaign is being launched two years before the election and as senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports, that's a sign this is likely to be a long, hard-fought race. It's Jim McGreevy 2.0. After promising never again to seek political office, the 66-year-old Jersey City resident today launched a comeback campaign. This time, he's running for mayor here in New Jersey's second largest city some 20 years after scandal forced him to resign as the state's 52nd governor. McGreevy wants political redemption. This election is not about yesterday. It's about our tomorrows. And candidly, I have made mistakes in my own life for which I have apologized and own. Supporters jammed a tiny Dominican restaurant to cheer the Democrat. The owner graduated from McGreevy's highly praised reentry corporation, a program that helps formerly incarcerated folks rejoin the community. He reinforced the day's theme of second chances. I feel blessed because I was a man with a second chance and I'm with my man that he deserve a second chance too because he's the best person that I ever met in life. Where I am today is because this man right here. McGreevy secured his place in political history when he resigned in 2004. So my truth is that I am a gay American. His new campaign ad released today argues his mistakes helped rehabilitate him. I would not have traded anything that I've experienced. It's made me a better person, more compassionate. By him going through the things that he went through and has prepared him for the moment just like this to meet everyday people, I think he'll do a phenomenal job. With three term Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop running for governor, McGreevy saw an opening. He was born here. His family's got deep roots in Jersey City. He vowed to focus on education, affordability and quality of life issues. He'll be hardworking, he'll be honest, he'll be sincere and he'll be out here every day on the bread and butter issues in Jersey City. Nobody will do a better job than Jim McGreevy. Union City Mayor Brian Stack says he recruited McGreevy to run that he's backed by nine Hudson County mayors. But Bill O'Day's got a problem with that. The longtime county commissioner will announce on November 18th that he is also running for Jersey City Mayor. Jim came here, I don't wanna call him a carpetbagger but he kinda came back here because he wants to be the mayor. I've lived here all my life and served the public all my life because I love this city. O'Day also says McGreevy's ad redacted some crucial facts like appointing his former lover as head of Homeland Security. He resigned because his administration was under federal investigation, several federal investigations. He had appointed an individual into a position he wasn't qualified, that he had a personal relationship with. That was a lot of the narrative that was left out today. That's a moment in time and things happen in life and Jim's calling really is public service and he always did, even when he left public office. Former Senate President Steve Sweeney has endorsed McGreevy quote, 1,000% and promised support from his Iron Workers Union. The mayor's race is two years away, 2025. It sets up a lengthy campaign battle says Ryder's Micah Rasmussen who served as McGreevy's press secretary. The battle's already joined. O'Day shows up and wants to have his say already at the announcement and we've got two years to go. You can see we're gonna be fighting this one out for a long time. McGreevy needs a long runway in order to raise campaign cash, but in terms of support, he's off to a solid start. In Jersey City, I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News. On the debate stage in Miami last night, five Republican presidential hopefuls sparred for their spot in the 2024 election. New Jersey's former governor, Chris Christie, isn't leading in the polls, but he continues to qualify for the debates. Alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The front runner, former President Donald Trump, he was not there. He held a separate rally just a few miles down the road. For his part, Christie stuck to his guns and made the case for why he should get the nomination. Matt Arco is a politics reporter for NJ Advance Media and he was at the debate last night. He joins me now. Matt Arco, thanks for joining me. It's great to see you. Although I'm a little jealous that you're in Miami. So, then there were five on the stage. Any key takeaways for Christie? Because it's been difficult for any of these candidates to resonate against Donald Trump. Yeah, the narrative right now in and outside of Miami is that it's a two-person race between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis to see who can be the distant second from Donald Trump. I don't think this debate did anything to change that. Funny enough, I was on the same flight as Christie coming into Miami. So, I checked in with him behind the security line. So, I had a little bit of time to chat with him about what his plan was for the debate. And according to Christie, he stuck with his plan. His plan was to let Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley fight it out and he was gonna talk about the larger issues affecting people. Didn't move the needle for him. Certainly, in terms of folks talking about debate coverage, Christie was an afterthought. But as far as he's concerned, he's gonna be staying in this for a while. So, things sort of went according to plan. Yeah, I wonder if that tactic will play out for him because he's kind of taken the role of the adult in the room when those barbs are being traded and it doesn't get him headlines, but does it make him more presidential for folks who are there and folks who are following this? At least for this debate where, think about the first two where he really wanted to have that moment fighting Donald Trump. The first debate, basically everything that he was asked, he sort of brought it back to a knock against Trump. He didn't do that this time. This was, just like you said, a little bit more presidential. Yeah, it doesn't get him any headlines afterwards, but if you're Chris Christie and he's convinced that he's going for the long haul here, this is sort of just what he needed to do. He wants Nikki Haley and Rhonda Sanders to beat each other up on the stage and also spend a lot of money against each other in a state like Iowa where he's paying zero attention to. Was he asked, Matt, about the tough night that Republicans had in New Jersey and nationwide, obviously, on Tuesday, or about abortion and how that's been playing? How did he handle it? Yeah, both things came up during the debate, but I think more of his salient comments about the election night on Tuesday was on the airwaves. He did a slew of interviews where he squarely pinned it on Donald Trump. He called Donald Trump the poison to the Republican Party and just said that he would be, what he's been saying for months now, which is Donald Trump is a party of losers. He does nothing but tank the Republican Party. And on abortion, he's been saying what he's been saying on the campaign trail up in New Hampshire, which is that this should be a state's rights issue. This shouldn't be something that should be dictated by the federal government. Something every state should decide on. Interestingly enough, that's very close to what Nikki Haley has to say. And Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are fighting it out in Iowa, but again, he's not paying attention to that. But come New Hampshire, Nikki Haley is his largest problem there. So they're quite similar in a lot of ways, so that could be a problem for him. Matt Arco is on the campaign trail with former Governor Chris Christie in Miami today and has a newsletter he puts out every week on why Christie runs. Matt, thanks for joining me. Thanks, Brie. Democrats cleaned up in the legislative races on Tuesday, holding onto their majorities in both the Senate and Assembly, while also expanding their power, adding five seats to the lower chamber. It was a surprise to most analysts and Republicans who went into the election feeling confident. Senate President Nick Scuteri and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin today held a press conference at the state house touting the election results, while also being endorsed to remain in their leadership roles. The top lawmakers claimed it was the party's messaging on pocketbook issues and centrist tone that carried Democrats across the finish line. The legislative leaders also welcomed their new members and congratulated the caucus on the victory. In district after district, Democrats connected with voters on substance, on irresponsible baloney that you hear from some of the members of the other side. And I'm looking forward to building on our progress in the next legislative session with the talented, diverse group that we have. And I sincerely hope that Republicans will work with us on some of the issues where we can find common ground. The legislative races got a lot of attention Tuesday night, but there were major battles over local school board seats, where the so-called culture war issues began this year, sparking angry debates, but also motivating many people to vote. Residents finally got a chance to weigh in on the parental rights and gender rights issues that have shaken up these normally quiet races for school board leadership. Education and child welfare writer, Hannah Gross, joins me with the results and which side did better with voters. Hannah, great to see you. Thanks for joining me again. So, wow, a lot of hotly contested races. What can you tell me about the results? And specifically, I'm thinking about Monmouth County, an area we covered a lot because of the Attorney General's lawsuit there. Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Brie. Parental rights have definitely been a hot button issue in Monmouth County when it comes to the school board races. But in these three districts that are facing lawsuits from the Attorney General, they really saw mixed results. So in Middletown, one of those districts, the three candidates that won, they were supporters of parental rights. In Marlboro, it was the opposite. All of the parental rights candidates lost. And then in Manalapan, you saw a mix. Two parental rights candidates won their races when you're looking at the unofficial results without all of the mail-in ballots. So we went into this and the sides were sort of pitted against one another. And it sounds like at least if we use Monmouth County as a litmus test, neither one won out, again, just looking at that area. Yeah, in those towns, it was really mixed. In some other Monmouth County towns, it looks like the parental rights candidates might have performed a little bit better than their opponents. If you take a look at districts like Colts Neck, Howell, and Homedale, where they moved to get rid of policy 5756, which includes protections for transgender students and make sure that their parents aren't notified of a change in gender without their consent. Districts that have gotten rid of those policies, parental rights candidates seem to fare well there, in Monmouth County at least. Now I know on election day, when you were with me, you had just gotten back from the northwestern part of the state, Roxbury, Sparta, different story there or still a mixed bag? Still a mixed bag. So in Sparta, the candidates that were supporting parental rights, they lost the election. But in Roxbury, those candidates won. And in those districts, you've also seen some book bans recently, which do not have widespread support in New Jersey. And you've also seen the removal of policy 5756. So a little bit more contentious there because of that. I mean, you were talking to voters. Was it the reason that they came out to vote or was it a big part of it? Yeah, so in my conversations with voters, they told me they came out because of the schools, because of education. They didn't really name parental rights specifically. They said they just cared about the schools and people fall on either side of that issue, whether they supported parental rights or they opposed it. They just want good schools for their kids. What was the reaction? I'm curious if you spoke with any of the lawyers from the districts and how they took this or whether they plan to wage another battle going forward. Yeah, so I haven't spoken to the lawyers from the districts, but what I'm hearing from some of the advocates of parental rights, they plan to keep pushing this. They say they have seen mixed results the same way that we're seeing it here. And they're saying that in some of these districts where their parental rights candidates lost, they might've thought they were smooth sailing because they won so easily in the last election and they weren't pushing as hard. So should we expect, based off of the voters you spoke with, the folks in these districts, that this is gonna be the way moving forward, that these school board races are gonna continue to be very politicized and very hotly contested? I think school board races are becoming increasingly political and I think that's probably a trend that will continue. And while parental rights might not have widespread support, it seems like the advocates for it are not going to give up on it easily and will just keep pushing on that issue. All right, Hannah Gross is our education and child welfare reporter. Hannah, thanks so much. Thanks for having me. At a vigil in Tenafly Wednesday night, the family of Edan Alexander pleaded for the release of their son. The 19-year-old is being held hostage by Hamas along with more than 200 other Israeli and American Jews. Alexander was serving with the Israel Army near the Gaza Strip on October 7th when Hamas attackers stormed the border, raining down thousands of rockets and indiscriminately gunning down Israeli citizens in an unprecedented assault. Several hundred people turned out to support the Tenafly high school graduate and his family at an event put on by the Israeli American Council of New Jersey. His parents and siblings sharing heartfelt words, friends spoke of Edan's resilience and sense of humor. The family says they've been told he's alive and being held in Gaza, but have no other information. It feels like my best friend was just taken away from me. And I think I'm getting all the support from Tenafly high school that I could be getting. And it's just so many people. I mean, the fact that you guys are all here just shows the amount of support that we're getting through this community. And it's just where I've been saying this a lot, but we're just turning positivity and hope into action. So far, Hamas has released just four hostages and the Israeli Army rescued one hostage in a special operation. The conflict though has grown increasingly deadly since the killing of 1400 Israelis just over a month ago. The Hamas run health ministry in Gaza says more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 4,000 children. Today, the White House said Israel has agreed to pause military operations in parts of Northern Gaza for a four hour period each day to allow Palestinians to flee South and receive aid. Advocates of affordable housing today said there's proof a law that's unpopular with a lot of municipal leaders is working. Holding an event to talk about recent data showing construction has doubled on affordable homes in just the last eight years. That's when oversight of this goal was shifted from a dysfunctional state agency over to the courts. But is it enough to meet the growing need in this high cost of living state? Raven Santana reports. More than 50 years ago, the Jacobs Chapel AME Church in Mount Laurel became the center of a lawsuit that led to New Jersey's current affordable housing laws known as the Mount Laurel Doctrine. Ethel Lawrence, a sixth generation resident of Mount Laurel was the lead plaintiff. Ethel Lawrence and her families here didn't have access to low income housing. And when Mrs. Lawrence took it to the people and to the church, they had a meeting here one day and when the mayor came through here, he said, you people really don't belong here is what he was basically saying. The case claimed that Mount Laurel zoning laws systematically excluded residents on the basis of race and class by barring multifamily or other lower cost homes from being built. And people who were there didn't want them. And that's very much similar to today. There are places that our communities are not wanted, black and brown folks. In 1975, the New Jersey Supreme Court sided in favor of Lawrence. It took another decade, but that ultimately led to a law requiring towns to build what's known as their fair share of affordable units. Mayor Raz Baraka joined civil rights leaders and housing advocates for a panel discussion on the accomplishments and challenges that remain with affordable housing in towns and cities, including Newark. I've seen communities and neighborhoods revitalized and trying to keep people in those communities and creating opportunities for them. When I see, we give the keys to mothers who have lived in public housing with their mother, who's lived in there with their mother, who now has a backyard and a key to a house is enormous. They break out in tears whenever we have these events to introduce these programs. There's lines all the way down the street, around the corner. Earlier this year, Fair Share Housing Center, along with Wells Fargo, released a report detailing the success of their efforts in moving New Jersey's affordable housing forward. In 2015, the center took over the lead role in figuring out how many units towns are on the hook for. So the report shows that through the Mount Laurel Doctrine, the following successes were achieved. 70,000 new homes, including over 20,000 deed-restricted affordable homes that have been created in New Jersey since 2015. The homes built have opened up access in wealthy and predominantly white communities that historically have had little affordable housing. Thanks to current enforcement of the doctrine, New Jersey is developing more affordable housing than ever before. Since 2015, the rate of affordable housing production has nearly doubled, and the Murphy administration has provided more funding for the projects to be built. But experts say stigma still remains. Affordable housing is a sticky topic for many people. I find that when it shows up in spaces where folks are not as welcoming or receiving of it, it is a lot of times preconceived in notions that there's some stigma, right? There's some negative association with that, and there's a lot of preconceived notions that if you put affordable housing in the space, it changes the dynamics of community. You know, I always say to folks that the person who cuts the lawn has as much right to live in a community as the person whose lawn is being cut. Fair Share Housing Center says to meet the current need for affordable housing in the state, 200,000 more units still need to be built. For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Raven Santana. In our Spotlight on Business report, the four-year warehouse fight in Warren County has finally come to an end with a surprising twist. The roughly three million square foot large buildings will not be constructed along the banks of the Delaware River as proposed. Instead, the state of New Jersey is now stepping in to buy most of the property and make it preserved farmland. As Ted Goldberg reports, the decision comes after a grueling battle waged by local grassroots groups. This farmland and white township will likely remain farmland, despite a years-long saga that almost led to a warehouse here. We have to save this. It just keeps shrinking and shrinking and shrinking, and these wildlife has nowhere to go. Butch Van Setters and his wife, Linda, live three miles from here, and they take pictures of the animals who fly, hop, and trot around this nearly 600 acre parcel of land. This field alone, it gets covered with snow geese every year on our migration, which is very important. This land is owned by Jandle, a Pennsylvania-based developer who intended on building a large warehouse here. Nearby residents started to organize against these plans, spreading word around and crowding planning board meetings. Pollution, the road traffic, my house would have been worth so much less. We started in a little bowling alley that you can see the roof of here with probably less than a dozen people. Membership-wise, judging by Facebook, well over 1,000 people. Tom Podolsky was thrilled to hear that the state and Jandle have started negotiations to sell most of this land and have it stay as preserved farmland. The price and the source of that money are part of those negotiations. Politicians being who they are, they react to their constituents. I wanna pat my organization on the back because we very much kept this matter in the forefront. We were boisterous, we were numerous, and we attended every meeting. The community simply can't support it, and I think the ultimate outcome is the result of what happens when good people get together for good causes. They produce good outcomes. As warehouses spread throughout New Jersey, Podolsky says other communities can learn from the example set by him and his allies. I believe that we could teach other organizations a lot, but really the key is getting the public motivated and then keeping them motivated because after four years, that's a tough slide. These people just wouldn't give up. They're a large organization. They're able to fundraise and stay out of it. A lot of people get exhausted fighting these. Elliot Ruga works for NJ Highlands Coalition, a North Jersey nonprofit that focuses on protecting drinking water and the environment. He says this sale is a good idea for both sides. When this developer came here, he expected within a matter of months to get their municipal approvals. After four years, they finally realized they're throwing good money after a bad project. I think they're happy that they're able to get out of this gracefully, perhaps not lose money on the purchase of the land and move on. We reached out to Jandle for this story and didn't hear back. The warehouse would have been placed along the uniquely named Foul Rift Road, but this is one rift that could end up with all sides happy with the outcome. In White Township, I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News. Turning to Wall Street, here's how the markets closed today. Support for the Business Report provided by the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association. NJTIA will host their New Jersey Conference on Tourism November 30th through December 1st at Resorts Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. NJTIA.org for event information. And that does it for us, but make sure to tune in tomorrow for Reporter's Roundtable with David Cruz. David talks with Republican Senator John Bramnick about lessons learned from the GOP losses in Tuesday's legislative elections, then a panel of reporters break down this week's political headlines. That's tomorrow at noon on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel. And don't forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime. I'm Brianna Vanosi. For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thanks for being with us. Have a great evening. We'll see you right back here tomorrow. ♪♪ The members of the New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child. 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