NJGOP: Albin ain’t that bad

Well, Steve Lonegan recently sent out an email to his supporters thanking them for their hard work, and taking credit for moving the New Jersey Republican Party to the right on social issues. During the time his campaign was active, he certainly was successful in forcing candidates and public officials to recognize their conservatism. Unfortunately, now that Steve has returned to Americans for Prosperity, the moderate/liberal wing of the NJGOP has once again returned to prominence.

During the campaign, there was much discussion of what kind of treatment GOP Senators on the Judiciary committee should give Justice Barry Albin. Many of the members, Senator Bill Baroni included, spoke about three days of hearings and deep discussions about the judicial philosophy of the nominee specifically and the Court more generally.

Well, that hearing came and went, and was rather anticlimactic considering the buildup.

Senator Paul Sarlo (more about him later), and certainly others, made the shrewd decision to stack the committee hearing with as many nominees as possible, in the hopes of wearing down the members of the committee. It was something akin to spreading out four rounds of the US Open over five days; and the results were frighteningly similar. At the end of the Open, a somewhat unknown golfer, Lucas Glover, captured the trophy when other bigger names failed to play up to their billing. At the Judiciary committee, a relatively unknown Justice, Albin, secured the committee’s endorsement for lifetime tenure when the blustering Republicans failed to back up their tough talk with real action.

The decision to stack the nomination list at the committee may have had something to do with moving nominations from GOP members’ districts.

Four nominees to positions came from Cardinale’s district;
Margaret Foti, Cresskill, for Superior Court
Joseph Andresini, Haworth, for Tax Court
Kelly Kirk, Ramsey, an Administrative Law Judge
Michael Neglia, Harrington Park, NJ Sports and Exhibition Authority

Two nominees came from Baroni’s district;
Steven Gardner, Hamilton, to the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust Board of Directors
Sam Plumeri, Hamilton, to the State Parole Board. Baroni spoke very highly for Plumeri, who has worked as the Mercer County Sheriff and the Port Authority as Superintendent of Police

One nominee came from Jennifer Beck’s district;
Maria Galiano, Red Bank, to the Monmouth County Tax Board

One member of the body, a named partner at DiFrancesco’s law firm, even voted for the nominee. With all the concerns and complaints from Baroni and Cardinale about the conflict of interest created by the NJ State Bar Association appearing before the committee to endorse Albin, perhaps they should cast a look into their own caucus for the conflict inherent in voting on a nominee who the attorney may appear before.

But finally, getting back to Sarlo, the Governor who preceded Fred, posted a musing, “Is Sarlo up to Running the Judiciary Committee?” We’re glad to see Wally reads our stuff, we posed that question back in May.

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