Tag: 14th District

Former State Sen. William Schluter, a Republican who sat on the Clean Election Commission that studied the 2005 pilot program, offered an interesting take on the decision yesterday to select the 14th District as the contested 2007 district — one I can’t necessarily disagree with.

“One of the criticisms of this bill is that it would have a partisan body formed to make this decision — and you’re looking at it,” Schluter said.

He added that the 12th is a major target this year, meaning it will be a magnet for money — again, this may be true, but it ignores the fact that the 14th has been the most expensive district in the state in recent years. So the money was going somewhere.

Where Schluter is correct is that the legislation was destined to create this kind of battle — one that could only result in a partisan decision. A better approach would have been an expanded program — at least four districts (two chosen by each party, which would have allowed both districts to be in play), though the six originally recommended would have been better.

In the end, the 14th makes the most sense — if for no other reason than the candidates will be committed to making the program work.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
The Cranbury Press Blog

E-mail me by clicking here

Politics NJ is reporting that the 14th District was selected as the clean elections district by a 3-2 vote along party lines.

It’s a good decision, though both districts could make a good case. In the end, the decision came down to the number of incumbents running — according to former Gov. Jim Florio, who cast the deciding vote. Just one incumbent is running in the 14th, while two are running in the 12th. Incumbent Assembly Republicans in both districts are making bids for the Senate — Bill Baroni in the 14th is seeking the seat left vacant by Sen. Peter Inverso, a Republican, while Jennifer Beck is challenging incumbent Ellen Karcher in the 12th.

Ms. Beck says the decision opens up the 12th to oodles of special interest money — a view that Sen. Karcher seconds. Seems there is room for some kind of truce. (I suspect the GOP would prefer not to have to spend money in the 12th, but that is just me.)

The key, as I’ve written many times in the last week, is that the 14th has been the most expensive in the state in recent years and the program’s primary sponsors — Baroni and Linda Greenstein, a Democrat — are running in the 14th.

So let’s get this thing going and prove that clean elections can work in New Jersey.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
The Cranbury Press Blog

E-mail me by clicking here

PoliticsNJ is reporting that the Clean Elections District Selection Committee will be meeting today, despite the weather.

The choice comes down to the 12th and 14th districts — two districts with shared representation. What separates them, in my mind (as I wrote last week week), is the commitment by both parties to clean elections. While the Democrats in the 12th are on the record in favor of the program (they cosponsored the legislation), the Republicans have been quiet.

In the 14th, however, you have the two primary Assembly sponsors (Republican Bill Baroni and Democrat Linda Greenstein), both of whom sat on the committee that studied the earlier trial. Both want this program to work and said they will do what they can to ensure it.

If the state is serious about this, it will select the 14th. If not, it will select the 12th and let the chips fall where they may.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
The Cranbury Press Blog

E-mail me by clicking here