Noticias

Passaic County’s ongoing water emergency has taken on a political dimension, with 9th district Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) facing criticism from several local mayors from her own party – one of whom has publicly floated challenging her in a primary – for allegedly being insufficiently involved in solving the crisis, something Pou strongly denies.

As first reported by Politico NJ earlier today and confirmed by the New Jersey Globe, Paterson Mayor André Sayegh sent an email to Pou’s congressional office yesterday saying that he believes the congresswoman has failed to do enough in the wake of a water main break in Paterson last Friday; repairs are underway, but many 9th district residents are still without water or are under a boil-water advisory nearly a week later.

“While we continue to work to solve this problem, we are disheartened that we did not hear from you, as residents suffered,” the email stated. “It would have been helpful to have the impact of your office and the federal government, as we navigated potential solutions. Moreover, residents asked us about federal assistance and intervention during this ordeal. Unfortunately, we were left without answers.”

The email was also signed by Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah and Haledon Mayor Michael Johnson, both Democrats, and North Haledon Mayor Randy George, a Republican.

“Our purpose for writing is not to point fingers or offload the burden of hard work and seeking solutions, but we remain frustrated by your lack of involvement and perceived lack of care,” the four mayors said. “In the future, your engagement is desired.”

In response, Pou sent a letter to the mayors today firmly pushing back on the idea that she had not done enough, noting that her office has been in contact with the state government, the Passaic Valley Water Commission, leaders on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and more since the crisis began.

“Over the past several days, my office has taken an all-of-government approach to action, initiating outreach to local, county, state, and federal partners, as well as local water officials, to find ways to bring critical assistance to emergency responders and residents and end this crisis,” she wrote.

“Our phone lines have been open daily and we have been fielding calls from and assisting constituents in need,” she continued. “My team was out in the community where water was being distributed to affected constituents. And my office was specifically in touch with the City of Paterson Office of Constituent Services seeking to coordinate on some local cases.”

Though the debate has thus far been fought over formal letters and emails, Sayegh’s criticisms have an undeniable political angle. The mayor of the largest city in the 9th district, a Trump-won seat Republicans are hoping to flip, Sayegh has expressed some guarded interest running for the seat next year, telling Politico NJ last week that he would “keep his options open” with regards to a potential primary challenge against Pou.

Sayegh briefly ran for the 9th district last year during the hurried process to replace the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) on the ballot, and he had previously mulled running against Pascrell himself but decided against it. (After Sayegh turned down campaign against Pascrell, Khairullah got in the race instead, ultimately losing by a wide margin.)

Coincidentally, the water crisis debate has also intersected with another sensitive issue in the 9th district, which has large Jewish and Muslim communities: Israel and Palestine. While the crisis unfolded last weekend, Pou happened to be in Israel on a trip led by the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a staunchly pro-Israel group that has grown more controversial among Democrats amid the war in Gaza.

The trip, which Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) was also on, drew criticism from the New Jersey branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which questioned today whether the two congressmembers were “elected to serve the interests of their NJ Congressional districts or the Israeli government.”

And it ties back into Sayegh’s potential political ambitions, too; Sayegh and Khairullah, both Arab Americans, staked their 2024 congressional campaigns in part on representing the 9th district’s Arab communities and pushing back against Israel in Congress. As reported this morning by Politico NJ, Sayegh’s wife criticized Pou on Facebook yesterday for taking a “‘free’ vacation to Israel” in the midst of the water crisis.

Pou’s campaign said in a statement that the congresswoman’s trip was focused on “fact finding,” and that she pressed Israeli government officials on what they were doing to ensure that food and aid can reach starving Palestinians in Gaza.

“The Congresswoman’s goals for the region remain unchanged: a two state solution allowing peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, release of all the remaining hostages, safe distribution of more humanitarian aid to Gaza, the removal of Hamas, and an immediate ceasefire so the hard work of rebuilding can begin,” said Morghan Cyr, Pou’s campaign manager.

The post Intraparty fight brewing between Pou, Sayegh over Paterson water crisis appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) on Thursday unveiled a set of proposals to streamline the state government’s operations and improve services for residents seeking permits, licenses, and appointments, should she be elected governor.

Through the “Save You Time & Money” agenda, Sherrill said she plans to eliminate the new business registration fee, cut business and professional license approval wait times by half, and reduce the wait time between booking an MVC appointment and the date of the appointment by 25%. At a press conference in West Orange, Sherrill didn’t say how much the agenda could cost, but said she has support from legislative leaders.

The congresswoman drove home the importance of accountability in implementing the proposed policies, saying she would be willing to replace department and agency leaders who don’t do their jobs effectively. She said maintaining that level of responsibility throughout the government could set her apart from Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, as well as governors before him.

“Really driving that accountability in Trenton, I think that is different and new,” she told reporters.

Sherrill is the Democratic nominee for governor. She will face Republican former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli in November’s general election. Murphy, a Democrat, is term-limited.

Candidates in the state regularly argue they’ll streamline government operations. Former Gov. Chris Christie formed a Red Tape Review Commission, led by then-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. While Gov. Phil Murphy let the commission lapse and vetoed a bill that would have made the commission permanent, he’s said this year that overruling some local zoning regulations could boost housing construction.

Sherrill’s plan includes a customer-service-focused approach to improving the outward-facing operations of state agencies; Ciattarelli has proposed a similar initiative. The congresswoman said cutting fees and decreasing wait times for business licenses will help small businesses get started in the state — she said many small businesses face years of the permitting process and insurmountable costs while waiting to get started.

“It’s just too difficult to navigate the permitting and regulatory environment that we have right now,” she said.

The congresswoman said she would increase the powers and, if needed, manpower at the New Jersey Business Action Center, as well as create a “cross-agency Fast-Track Team” to expedite project approvals.

The Democrat said she thinks New Jerseyans could begin to reap the benefits of the agenda relatively early under a Sherrill governorship.

“We have the ability to do this,” Sherrill said. “We just have to set higher standards, and then we also have to cut through some of the regulations.”

When asked if there were environmental, safety, or health regulations she wanted to strengthen or weaken, Sherrill said many believe there is a “false choice” between having good government or a good environment. She pointed to the Trump Administration’s termination of solar power grants, which state leaders worry will harm the introduction of clean energy onto the grid. Sherrill said the solar panels should already be up and running, and blamed a slow permitting process for the now-expected missed opportunity on solar.

“Now, these permitting problems are driving up carbon emissions because we’re not getting power into the grid,” she said.

The post Sherrill releases platform targeting red tape, bureaucracy appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

At the beginning of this cycle, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly)’s 5th congressional district looked like a potential wild-card opportunity for Republicans looking to flip seats. The Bergen County-based district swung sharply to the right last year, supporting Kamala Harris just 50%-48%, and Gottheimer’s then-ongoing campaign for governor meant that there was no guarantee he’d be running for re-election.

The Cook Political Report (CPR), one of the country’s top elections forecasters, no longer sees the 5th district as a particularly plausible battleground race. Gottheimer said on the night he lost the gubernatorial primary that he plans to seek re-election in 2026, and CPR accordingly moved his district off the playing field yesterday, shifting it into the Solid Democrat column.

“The GOP’s only real opening here would have been if Gottheimer emerged from the gubernatorial primary having suffered serious damage to his reputation,” CPR’s Matthew Klein wrote. “That didn’t occur, and this race moves from Likely to Solid Democrat as a result.”

Republicans currently don’t even have a candidate in the race against Gottheimer; Mary Jo Guinchard, who ran for the seat in 2024 and lost by 11 points, had launched a rematch campaign but suspended it last month.

The shift in the 5th district means that CPR currently rates just two out of New Jersey’s twelve 2026 House races as competitive, and both still lean towards the party that currently holds them.

The Paterson-based 9th district, represented by Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon), narrowly and shockingly voted for Donald Trump last year after having been drawn as a safely Democratic district. But it remains to be seen whether a Republican not named Donald Trump can replicate that feat, and the district’s longtime Democratic roots are keeping it in CPR’s Lean Democrat column for now.

Two Republicans are currently running for the 9th district: Air Force veteran Billy Prempeh, who was the nominee for the same seat the last three cycles, and Clifton Councilwoman Rosie Pino.

In the 7th district, meanwhile, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) is fighting off a horde of Democrats interested in his seat, which CPR currently rates as “Lean Republican” owing to Kean’s strength as an incumbent and to Trump’s tight win in the district last year.

No fewer than eight Democrats are campaigning for the seat, many of whom have already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars; Klein wrote that while Democratic officials worked to ensure a smooth primary process for 2024 nominee Sue Altman, they’re content to let this year’s busy primary play out.

“Unlike last cycle – when operatives tried to avoid a crowded primary by encouraging candidates to rally behind Altman – party figures have little intention of trying to whittle down the current crowded field,” Klein wrote. “Sources agree that the nomination is wide open with plenty of time for a shakeup, though almost all regard retired Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett as a top contender.”

The post Cook Political Report shifts Gottheimer’s district off the playing field appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

The post Watch the unveiling of Sheila Oliver’s statehouse portrait at 11:15 AM appeared first on New Jersey Globe.