Special Legislative Elections, Jeannine LaRue Named to Advisory Council, Eric Orlando Speaks on the Rights of NJ Craft Brewers

In This Issue

Jeannine LaRue Named to LWVNJ Advisory Council

Eric Orlando Speaks at NCSLA Regional Conference on the Rights of NJ Craft Breweries

NJ League of Municipalities Conference 2018

From November 13-15, local officials and many of NJ's political and elected leaders will be in attendance at the 103rd NJLM Conference in Atlantic City.

For a schedule of the event, please click here.

"Vote by Mail"

The deadlines to apply for Vote by Mail, are Tuesday, 10/30 when submitting by mail, and Monday 11/5 by 3 PM when submitting in person.

Vote by Mail applications

can be obtained online

by clicking here .

Upcoming Legislative Special Elections

While this year's mid-term elections are dominating the attention of voters, at the state level, New Jerseyans in eight districts will be casting important votes in Special Elections to fill ten vacant seats in the State Legislature.

In District 38, which includes parts of Bergen and Passaic Counties, State Senator Joseph Lagana (D-38) will be seeking to complete the remainder of his Senate term, which ends in 2021. Sen. Lagana, who previously represented the district in the General Assembly, was chosen by the Bergen County Democratic Party on April 3rd to replace former Senator Bob Gordon (D), who resigned after being appointed by Governor Phil Murphy (D) to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Sen. Lagana faces Daisy Ortiz Berger (R), a former Freeholder and Council candidate from River Edge, in the general election.

Also in District 38, voters will decide their representatives in the General Assembly, as both Assembly seats will be chosen on Election Day. Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D-38), who replaced former Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D) in April, and Assemblyman Christopher Tully (D-38), who was appointed to fill Sen. Lagana's vacated Assembly seat, are running to complete the Assembly term, which ends in 2020. Challenging the Democrats in the Special Election are Republicans Jayme Oulette, a former Rochelle Park Mayor, and retired teacher Gail Horton.

Democrats have dominated the district for the last fifteen years. Republicans have not won in the 38th District since 2001.

Another race in which voters will be tasked with deciding both representatives in the Assembly, is in District 15. The district, which encompasses parts of Hunterdon and Mercer Counties, will vote on whether to allow Assembly-members Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) and Anthony Verrelli (D-15) to complete their predecessors' legislative terms. Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, who replaced former Assemblywoman Elizabeth Maher Muoio (D) after she was appointed by Gov. Murphy to serve as the State Treasurer, faces Tracy Sinatra (R), a project manager at a medical services company, in the upcoming Special Election. Challenging Assemblyman Verrelli, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by now-Mayor of Trenton, Reed Gusciora (D), is Justin Tibbetts (R), a member of the Trenton Ethics Board and the Mercer County Republican Committee.

The 15th leans heavily to Democrats, with Republicans not having won a seat in the district since 1991.

In District 5, which includes parts of Camden and Gloucester Counties, Assemblyman William Spearman (D-5) faces-off against Nicholas Kush (R) to complete the remaining 14 months of the legislative term. Assemblyman Spearman was appointed to replace former Assemblyman Arthur Barclay (D) after he resigned from the Legislature following an arrest for domestic abuse. In this overwhelmingly Democratic district, a Republican has not been elected to the Assembly since 1967.

In District 22, which includes communities in Middlesex County, Assemblywoman Linda Carter (D-22) is seeking to complete the term of recently deceased Assemblyman Gerald Green (D). Asw. Carter will face John Quattrocchi (R) in a district that Republicans haven't held since it was created following the 2000 Census.

Running uncontested in District 32 is Assemblyman Pedro Mejia (D-32). The district, which includes parts of Bergen and Hudson Counties, was represented by former Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D), who resigned to become President & CEO of the NJ Sports & Exposition Authority.

With Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver (D) vacating her seat in the Legislature, Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake (D-34) was appointed to represent District 34 in the Assembly. The district, which encompasses parts of Essex and Passaic Counties, is another Democratic stronghold, with over 75,000 registered Democrats compared to 12,000 Republicans. Her challengers are Republican Irene DeVita and Independent Clenard Childress.

The final Special Election taking place on Election Day, is in District 36, which represents parts of Bergen and Passaic Counties. Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese (D-36), who filled the seat vacated by NJ Department of Banking & Insurance Commissioner Marlene Caride (D), faces a challenge from Marc Marsi (R), President of the Hoboken PBA. Republicans have not won an Assembly race here since 2003.

For information on the upcoming elections, please click here.

KZG's Jeannine LaRue Named to the

League of Women Voters Advisory Council; KZG Legislative Accomplishments Recognized

On October 17th, the League of Women Voters of New Jersey (LWVNJ) named KZG's Jeannine LaRue to the organization's inaugural Advisory Council. In announcing Jeannine's appointment, the LWVNJ recognized KZG for its groundbreaking work on voter reform and security, such as the firm's legislative efforts that made New Jersey the 12th state to enact Automatic Voter Registration.

The LWVNJ, a non-partisan organization seeking to encourage civic participation in democracy throughout the state, recently established its inaugural Advisory Council. The Advisory Council's mission is to bring together a diverse group of highly respected leaders to offer expert advice and direction to the LWVNJ as they work toward a better democracy for all New Jerseyans. Each Council member will seek to advance the LWVNJ's goals of empowering voters and defending democracy, and their leadership will help guide the LWVNJ as it enters its second century of being a top voting rights organization in New Jersey.

Jeannine spoke about her new role and the opportunity to continue to work on this important issue, "I'm excited about exploring strategies to engage a more diverse audience in the LWVNJ's activities. The LWVNJ has a stellar reputation of fairness and balance in our State and throughout the Nation. They understand that opening the tent to greater participation in civic engagement makes for good government."

For more information on the LWVNJ's Advisory Council, please click here.

KZG's Eric Orlando Speaks at the

NCSLA 2018 Northern/Southern Regional Conference on the Rights of New Jersey Craft Breweries

KZG's Eric Orlando, who also serves as the Executive Director of the Brewers Guild of New Jersey, has been at the forefront of ongoing developments regarding the NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control's (NJABC) Special Ruling aimed at clarifying the privileges of craft breweries in the state. During the recent National Conference of State Liquor Administrators' Northern/Southern Regional Conference in Atlantic City, Eric served on a panel organized by the NJABC to highlight the relationship of the state's craft beer industry with traditional alcohol retailers and the work that went into the formulation of the agency's Special Ruling.

The Special Ruling issued by the NJABC in September limited the types and number of events breweries were allowed to host, as well as specified rules regarding the service of food and other on-premises activities. After the announcement of the Special Ruling, the state's craft beer industry and consumers reacted strongly, prompting local officials, legislators, and Governor Murphy to address the situation directly on a bipartisan basis. Eric, who secured passage of landmark legislation in 2012 that helped spur the exponential growth of NJ's craft beer industry in recent years, provided the NJABC with his organization's input during the drafting of this ruling over the course of the past year. After the ruling was issued, he led the Guild's public response, highlighting positive aspects of the ruling, while also calling for further reforms to the state's limited brewery statute.

Ten days after the Special Ruling was issued, the NJABC announced it was suspending the ruling pending further study and input from all the parties impacted, including the Brewers Guild of New Jersey. In addition, the NJABC will work with state legislators to determine whether new legislation is needed to update the 2012 law to clearly define the rights and privileges of craft breweries in New Jersey.