Winners and Losers: Week of the South Jersey Sphinx

Winners and Losers: Week of the South Jersey Sphinx

Read more at http://www.politickernj.com/62489/winners-and-losers-week-south-jersey-sphinx#ixzz2LwiUiZai 
By Politicker Staff | January 18th, 2013 - 3:06pm

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WINNERS 

Barbara Buono

The Middlesex senator and 2013 gubernatorial candidate received statements of support from South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross III and Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, and the backing of the Monmouth County Democratic Committee.

Vin Gopal

The chairman of the Monmouth Democratic Committee endorsed Buono prior to Norcross and DiVincenzo issuing their statements favoring Buono’s candidacy, which makes the progressive chairman appear to have exercised independent judgment.

Frank Lautenberg

President Barack Obama incorporated the senator’s legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds into his national gun safety plan. In addition, the President's recommendations to strengthen background checks would require background checks for all guns sold at gun shows, as Lautenberg’s bill to close the gun show loophole seeks.

Steve Fulop

32BJ SEIU, one of the fastest-growing unions in New Jersey, announced this week its endorsement of the councilman for mayor of Jersey City. As part of its endorsement, the union is committed to a voter outreach campaign in support of his election. That’s the good news for Fulop, enough to land him on this list. The bad news is ex-Seton Hall University basketball player Jerry Walker got in the mayor’s race, removing the likelihood of Fulop being able to defeat incumbent Mayor Jerry Healy without a runoff election.

Republican State Committee

The GOP organization raised $3.2 million, spent $3.5 million, and has $247,579 cash on hand, compared to the NJ Democratic State Committee, which raised $1.3 million, spent $1.3 million, and has $81,794 cash on hand.

Count Wiley

The West New York Commissioner – a potential future candidate for mayor - scored news coverage as the sole commissioner on the governing body who refused to support a controversial sign infringement ordinance.

LOSERS

Chris Christie

The New Jersey governor, and national GOP leader, this week again refused to give his opinion on a federal ban on assault weapons, giving ammo to his Democratic opponent and revealing how his road to re-election – with one eye on 2013 and the other on 2016 – won’t necessarily be a cakewalk. This designation is, of course, pending the next poll showing New Jersey voters not caring and still digging the governor. 

Cory Booker

No one on a conference call of county party chairs this week objected when one of them blamed the mayor of Newark for bottling up the gubernatorial process and contributing to party havoc.

The Democratic State Committee

The organization raised $1.3 million, spent $1.3 million, and has $81,794 cash on hand, compared to the GOP State Committee, which raised $3.2 million, spent $3.5 million, and has $247,579 cash on hand. This might be a more serious problem but for Booker's promise to raise a lot of money for the party to help down ballot races this year. 

Felix Roque

Under indictment for computer hacking, the mayor’s championing of an ordinance limiting signs and mobile campaign vans appeared to be paranoid overkill this week and empowered his rivals with a Freedom of Speech issue.

Ronald C. Rice

The elders of Newark politics this week threw their support behind South Ward Councilman Ras Baraka over Rice as the group’s 2014 mayoral candidate. It doesn’t mean the end of Rice’s bid to be chief executive, but he will have to work harder or change his game plan. Anyone looking for a county executive?

West New York Proposes American Flag Ban

West New York Proposes American Flag Ban

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John CelockBecome a fan

john.celock@huffingtonpost.com

West New York, a town in northern New Jersey, may adopt a law that bans the American flag from being displayed.

Tucked into a proposed ordinance that would regulate window displays in businesses and televisions mounted to cars is a provision that would ban "flags, banners and pennants." Flags are included among 19 items "prohibited anywhere" in West New York, a Hudson County town across the Hudson River from New York City. The West New York Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 Wednesday to pass a preliminary version of the ordinance, scheduled for a final vote next month.

The ordinance was authored by Mayor Felix Roque (D), currently under federal indictment for computer hacking. Roque's spokesman, Pablo Fonseca, denied that the ordinance would prohibit the flying of the American flag in the town.

"That takes it to an extreme," Fonseca told The Huffington Post. "The mayor is a retired colonel in the Army."

Fonseca explained that the ordinance only covers commercial "flags, banners and pennants." The ordinance does not specify that banned items are commercial.

Last year, the housing authority in Wrentham, Mass., banned the American flag until an outcry forced a reversal the next day.

Opponents of the West New York ordinance said Roque, elected in 2011, is using the flag ban to fight a recall, as well as an effort to change the town's form of government from a commission with commissioners serving in an executive and legislative role, to another form with separate legislative and executive branches.

Frank Ferriero, the founder of Residents for a Better West New York,told PolitickerNJ.com he believed Roque was targeting his vocal campaign against the mayor, which includes a truck that he drives around town with a television showing anti-Roque videos. Ferriero is leading an effort to change the form of government.

Parks and Public Property Commissioner Count Wiley (D), a former Roque ally now trying to recall the mayor, told HuffPost he believes the political climate in West New York is driving Roque to push the ban. He said there was little discussion of the flag portion of the ban. Wiley was the only town commissioner to vote against the ordinance preliminary passage on Wednesday.

"They are trying to control all aspects," Wiley told HuffPost. "It includes everything. So whenever something upsets them."

Among the other items banned in the proposed ordinance is "flashing, moving, animated or digital signs," all signs emitting smoke and vapor, signs on the exterior of windows, signs that take up for that 15 percent of a window, neon signs, inflatable signs, signs that interfere with traffic and "signs which are not an accessary to a use located on the premises." Violators can be fined $1,000 per sign. The full ordinance can be viewed here.

Wiley questioned the constitutional aspects of the sign ban, noting that if he set up a campaign headquarters he would be allowed only a limited number of signs. He also said the "not an accessary" language could ban businesses from posting political signs.

Wiley and Roque had a falling out since their 2011 election on a reform platform. Earlier this year, Roque was indicted, along with his son, on charges of hacking into apolitical opponent's computer. The case is pending in federal court.

Roque spokesman Fonseca stressed that the proposal is not political.

"It is protect the residents of West New York," Fonseca said.