Movers and Shakers

Bergen County Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-38) announced this week she will not serve the remainder of her term in the General Assembly.  In June, Wagner said she would not seek re-election, and Paramus Council President Joseph Lagana was selected to run in her place on the Democratic legislative ticket with Senator Bob Gordon and Assemblyman Tim Eustace.  Bergen County Democrats will hold a convention in 35 days to fill the rest of Wagner’s term.

Sen. Bob Menendez has named Paul Brubaker as his new State Director.  Brubaker has served as Menendez’s communications director for the last year.  He replaces Mike Soliman who departed in August. 

Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno this month was the keynote speaker for the annual conference of Dunkin Donuts Independent Franchise Owners.  She is pictured here with New Jersey Board members Tom Colitsas and Shub Hegde.

CIG Principal Gerry Gibbs was recently named to the Executive Board of Directors of the Central New Jersey Chapter of the American Red Cross. 

Congratulations to Kiran Gill, President of PARS Environmental, Inc. for being selected as one of NJBIZ’s Forty Under 40 Honorees this year.

Darryl Isherwood, editor of PolitickerNJ, was recently hired by NJ.com as senior political reporter.

CIG VP Jeanette Hoffman spoke at NJSEED‘s Annual Government Affairs Seminar “Election Year and Beyond” panel on October 3^rd with Democratic strategist Derek Roseman and moderator Benjamin Dworkin, Director of the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics. 

State House Happenings

Court rules for Marriage Equality, Democrats seek to overturn Governor’s veto  

Following Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson’s ruling on September 27th that same-sex couples in New Jersey can wed starting October 21st, Governor Christie and Democratic legislative leaders called on the New Jersey Supreme Court to address the question of marriage equality with celerity. If the Supreme Court decides to rule in favor of same-sex marriage, lawmakers will still seek to override Governor Christie’s veto in order to secure a comprehensive decision between both the courts and the Legislature.

Governor Christie has said New Jersey voters should have the ability to decide the issue by placing a constitutional amendment legalizing same-sex marriages on the ballot in November.  Democrats dismissed the Governor’s proposal by saying that marriage is a civil right, which should not be subjected to a popular vote.   

Governor signs Economic Opportunity Act of 2013

Governor Christie recently signed into law “The Economic Opportunity Act of 2013″, a bi-partisan initiative revamping New Jersey’s economic development incentives.  Under the bill, five tax-incentive programs will be consolidated into two, overseen by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA).  The two business incentive programs, Grow New Jersey Assistance Program and the Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant Program, are designed to attract and retain companies in the state by awarding tax credits for job creation.

Partisan Gridlock in DC results in Government Shutdown

For the first time since 1995, the federal government has shut down as a result of the President and Congressional leaders failing to reach an agreement on a spending plan for Fiscal Year 2014.  Specifically, Republicans and Democrats have been feuding over the funding and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  With a shutdown in effect, 800,000 federal works have been furloughed, but critical federal services remain open, including the military, air traffic controllers, and the postal service.  

CIG in the News