Good Thursday morning!

There’s a  debate over debate right now in the 7th District — New Jersey’s marquee race this year. Democratic nominee Sue Altman accepted two recent debate invitations: One from Centenary University, which is in the district, and one from WPIX, the television station. But Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. rejected them.

Kean will take part in debates, his campaign says. Just not these two. The arrangements haven’t been finalized, but last time he did two: New Jersey Globe and the Gateway Chamber of Commerce. He also did a forum for the candidates at the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest NJ.

Altman seized on Kean spurning the invitations, saying she’ll debate Kean “anytime” and put out a video about the issue that also highlights her basketball skills.

Altman isn’t the first candidate to try this tactic against Kean. U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowksi had raised similar complaints before. Indeed, while Kean has engaged in four debates during his two recent runs for Congress, he’s known for eschewing events where he would be expected to provide off-the-cuff answers.

The debate over debates is by its nature insidery and didn’t seem to hurt Kean in the previous elections. But it can help illustrate the counters of a race in which Kean is projecting a moderate image in a district that Biden won, while trying to talk about Donald Trump as little as possible while attempting not to alienate the Republican base. And Altman is quick to point out that this time it’s different, because Kean isn’t just a candidate but a sitting member of Congress.

TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at [email protected].

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: John Amodeo, Michael Suleiman

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “She was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago until she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black.” Donald Trump on Kamala Harris 

WHERE’S MURPHY? — Italy. Acting Gov. Way has no public schedule.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

INFASUCKSURE — ‘Incredibly frustrating’: Northeast rail snags highlight infrastructure needs, by POLITICO’s Jordan Wolman: Commuters and other travelers along America's busiest stretch of passenger railway have faced a nightmare summer of heat-related delays and cancellations that have caused headaches for Democrats and complicated the transit legacy of a president nicknamed "Amtrak Joe." Record heat has exposed long-standing physical problems along the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Virginia that highlight the need for planned improvements that would get a big boost from the bipartisan infrastructure law while leaving officials without immediate answers for outraged constituents. “It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), a potential 2025 gubernatorial candidate and lead negotiator for the landmark infrastructure law. “People are going to lose faith in the transportation system. It just ups the urgency of investing and addressing these issues.” This summer's struggles are threatening to derail Amtrak's post-Covid rebound, which has seen Northeast Corridor ridership exceed pre-pandemic levels and spurred expansion plans aimed at doubling overall ridership by 2040. But they've also raised questions about the rail system operator's ability to balance growth ambitions with the need to upgrade and maintain existing service at a time when climate goals depend on getting people out of polluting cars.

MESSAGES IN BOTTLES NOT SUBJECT TO OPRA — Dem lawmaker mulling single-use water bottle ban, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: Assemblymember Joe Danielsen, a Democrat from Somerset County, said in an interview with POLITICO that he is looking into the move upon visiting towns in Massachusetts that prohibit single-use plastic water bottles. Danielsen said he’s reached out to legislative colleagues and environmental groups on the matter. “I’m looking into this,” he said. “Single-use plastic bottles are not getting recycled nearly at the rate they're supposed to be and are often left out along the streets.” Details around what a bottle prohibition would look like are unclear and the proposal is just an idea for now. But Danielsen said that he looked to the towns in Cape Cod — which he mentioned on his social media — as a potential model. In 2023, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order to ban state agencies from purchasing single-use plastic water bottles

MCGUCKRAKER — “GOP lawmakers seek criminal probe over Toms River school funding tiff,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Nikita Biryukov: “Two Republican lawmakers are calling for a criminal investigation into the Department of Education over an alleged threat to a school district’s top staff. The demand for a probe from Ocean County Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and Paul Kanitra is the latest in a series of school funding spats to grace the Toms River Regional School District. … McGuckin and Kanitra claim talks between the school district and the Department of Education about the district’s budget were diplomatic at first but grew hostile. They say the department threatened the certifications of the district’s superintendent and business administrator, leading to the lawmakers’ call for a probe of the department and its acting commissioner, Kevin Dehmer. ‘If this is going to be allowed to continue, we’re going to have state officials coercing local officials because they disagree with what they feel and their opinions? This has to stop. This is ridiculous,’ McGuckin said. Laura Fredrick, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said any suggestion that the department’s actions warrant criminal investigation is ‘wholly inaccurate.’”

OPIA’S CASE AGAINST NORCROSS SHOULD BE A WALK IN THE PARK — ”Judge throws out corruption case against N.J. rabbi before jurors begin to deliberate,” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman: “The case never even got to the jury. In a surprise move that called into question a nearly decade-long pursuit by the state Attorney General’s office of Osher Eisemann — charged with pocketing funds from his private school for children with developmental disabilities — a Superior Court judge on Wednesday tossed out all charges against the Lakewood rabbi before his lawyers began their defense. The decision by Judge Joseph Paone in New Brunswick followed a long-fought battle that saw Eisemann first convicted in 2019 before having that verdict overturned on appeal over the state’s failure to provide evidence that his attorneys maintained would have exonerated him. During the second trial, that began on July 9, his lawyers argued that no crime had been committed. Indeed, one of the state’s detectives testified on cross-examination that there had been no crime and that he had 'no idea why any of us are here.' The dismissal on Wednesday brought a final end to the matter that cannot be appealed.”

AND IRAN? IRAN’S SO FAR AWAY — ”We must do more to isolate Iran. This is how New Jersey can help,” by Michael Inganamort for Gannett: “Under current law, companies competing for public contracts within the state are ineligible if they concurrently do more than $20 million of business with Iran’s energy or finance sectors. Put another way, these companies are eligible if they do a little less than $20 million of business with Iran’s energy or finance sectors. I believe New Jersey can do better than that. And given Iran’s aggressive and potentially deadly agenda inside the United States, I believe we have to do better than that. In June, I introduced Assembly Bill 4632 to redefine ‘persons engaging in investment activities in Iran,’ cutting the threshold in half, from $20 million to $10 million. This is an important first step in isolating Iran and dramatically reducing any indirect support gained from New Jersey public contracts. My ultimate goal and intention is for this threshold to be reduced to zero.”

—A brief electoral history of Jack Ciattarelli” 

R.I.P.  — “The enduring legacy of Ingrid W. Reed” 

R.I.P. —“Joan Batory, one of the original NJ Pinelands commissioners, dies at 79” 

—“New Jersey town can’t restrict housing ownership by age, court rules” 

—“Expunged records can be used in child abuse proceedings, N.J. high court rules” 

BIDEN TIME

WELCOME TO THE HOTEL CONVICTFORNIA — “While on trial, Menendez stayed at luxury N.Y. hotel and charged it to his campaign account,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Widlstein: “While he was on trial for bribery and conspiracy charges, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez spent most weeknights at a luxury four-star hotel in Lower Manhattan and used his campaign credit card to pick up the tab. Menendez stayed in a Superior King room at the Millenium Downtown New York Hotel and paid a special discounted rate for government employees of $126 per night, a copy of his hotel bill obtained by the New Jersey Globe shows. State and city taxes and a facility fee brought Menendez’s nightly rate to nearly $189. His Senate driver, Mike Ortega, drove from New Jersey to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan on weekdays to pick Menendez up outside the courthouse and drive him to his hotel less than a mile away. On Fridays, Ortega brought Menendez back to his home in Englewood Cliffs – 16 miles away — and sometimes drove him back to New York on Sunday evenings.”

LOCAL

 
TRUTH AND NO RECONCILIATION — “County counsel questions Leroy Truth was part of clerks meeting in North Bergen,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “Hudson County Counsel Donato Battista is questioning why YouTuber Leroy Truth was a part of the Hudson County Clerks Association in North Bergen last week.’ … It has come to my attention that the association recently conducted an educational seminar on July 25th during regular work hours in North Bergen that was attended by approximately five county employees in addition to yourself,’ Battista wrote in a letter hand delivered to Hudson County Clerk E. Junior Maldonado [Tuesday] … North Bergen spokeswoman Sofia Quintanar said that [North Bergen Police Captain Jorge Raposo] invited Filipowski without running it by anyone, something that will change going forward. … Nonetheless, a senior Hudson County official questioned North Bergen’s ties to Filipowski, despite the fact that Mayor Nick Sacco has continually denied having any involvement with his ongoing feud with state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack.”

TREE KILLELON — “Businessman cut down hundreds of trees above North Jersey reservoir, DEP says,” by The Daily Record’s William Westhoven: “The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is looking into another possible case of illegal tree culling in Kinnelon, this time including potentially sensitive land above the Butler Reservoir. According to court records, a large portion of the culling extended onto land owned by the Butler Water Co. and situated above the Butler Reservoir, a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents. Vinny Polise, owner of MVM Realty One LLC, made a virtual appearance in Kinnelon Municipal Court last week to answer a citation for culling 363 trees from a hillside behind the home owned by the realty company at 33 Harrison Road. A citation … does not explain why MVM had the trees cleared, but opening up the space beyond the home's backyard would presumably improve the view of the reservoir and surrounding woods. … Coincidentally, last Tuesday's municipal court docket also included an appearance by the attorney for Grant Haber, another Kinnelon resident who was fined more than $13,000 in February for culling 32 of his neighbor's trees, allegedly to improve his view of the New York City skyline.”

ROTTEN EGG HARBOR — “Poor water quality, warmer temperatures causes massive fish kill along Little Egg Harbor lagoon,” by CBS Philadelphia’s Ryan Hughes and Nate Sylves: “As soon as you turn onto Kentucky and Louisiana drives in Little Egg Harbor Township, you'll get a whiff of a pungent and rotten smell in the air. That's because a massive fish kill has piled up in a lagoon on Osborn Island that residents are describing as ‘absolutely disgusting.’ The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said warmer temperatures and poor water quality are to blame. ‘NJDEP Fish & Wildlife is aware of the fish mortality in the lagoon located in Little Egg Harbor Township, Ocean County. Staff determined that poor water quality resulting from warmer temperatures and low dissolved oxygen in the lagoon resulted in the fish mortality in the lagoon. Fish & Wildlife staff determined that this was an isolated event, and most of the dead fish will naturally be removed from the lagoon by the tides, or by tide flow.’”

—“They built an 8-foot fence around a [Newark] park to keep out the homeless. Is it legal?” 

—“A decade after a state takeover, has the Camden school system made progress?” 

—“Perth Amboy cop still recovering after shooting as investigation continues” 

—“[Morristown] bar forcibly threw me out for wearing Muslim turban, man says in lawsuit” 

—“ELEC fines Gloucester GOP committee nearly $10k for donation disclosure violation” 

—“Just one Paterson school board member is seeking reelection” 

EVERYTHING ELSE

BIRDEMIC — “As fatal virus looms over bald eagles, NJ conservationists fight to keep the bird on the endangered species list,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Frank Kummer: “The New Jersey Conservation Foundation, a major environmental group working within the state, is pleading with wildlife officials not to remove bald eagles from the endangered species list as planned, saying a virus that’s killing peregrine falcons will inevitably prove lethal to eagles. In June, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection said the bald eagle has made such a remarkable recovery that it was proposing to remove it from the state’s endangered species list. … Larry Hajna, a spokesperson for the DEP, said Wednesday that Fish and Wildlife officials are aware of the spread and impact of HPAI on wildlife. ‘It is premature for us to take a position regarding the potential impacts HPAI is having on our wildlife, including bald eagles, but we are actively discussing the issue and reviewing data,’ Hajna wrote in an email.”

IT’S THE WINDMILLS — “N.J. rattled 200+ earthquakes since major tremor rocked East Coast,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jeff Goldman: “The 2.2 magnitude earthquake that shook western New Jersey early Wednesday was the 201st tremor in the state since a major 4.8 earthquake in early April rocked the eastern United States. The latest was centered about 3 miles east of Califon, a small borough in Hunterdon County that has experienced dozens of tremors since a magnitude 4.8 quake centered in nearby Tewskbury on April 5. The earthquake happened at about 1:40 a.m. and was the first with a magnitude of at least 2.0 in New Jersey since May 24, according to United States Geological Service data. There have been 17 earthquakes of 2.0 magnitude or more since the major tremor of 4.8 recorded on April 5.”

 — “American Dream sued again by a customer allegedly injured by motorized stuffed animal,” by The Record’s Daniel Munoz: “A second patron at American Dream in East Rutherford is suing the mall over allegations they were struck by a motorized stuffed animal and seriously injured. You may have seen those large motorized stuffed animals that kids and parents ride through some parts of the mall. They include plushy zebras, elephants, tigers and hippos. Previously, an elderly woman sued the mall in March, alleging she was struck and seriously injured by one of the animals in January.”

—“Meet Julie, the sheep herder from N.J. who propelled a national energy trend” 

—“NJ Supreme Court backs firing of corrections officer in women’s prison scandal”

—“Paramus pastor charged with sexual assault released as attorneys detail case” 

—“Stunning image reveals Revolutionary War soldier whose bones were found in N.J. field” 

—“Bayer lops off 70 more employees at New Jersey headquarters”