Good Wednesday morning!

Even in Elizabeth and its political brawls over the Board of Education, it’s not typical school board business to hire one of New Jersey’s most prominent criminal defense attorneys as a special counsel.

That happened in late 2019, when the Elizabeth Board of Education hired Michael Critchley to respond to subpoenas from a state grand jury, ultimately paying his law firm over $100,000.

Those subpoenas were related to a network of non-profits and super PACs Sean Caddle used to channel funds into races that helped the Union County Democratic establishment cement their control over the board, which a decade ago was run by a rival political machine.

From late 2019 to at least the early part of 2020, a grand jury was investigating not just that, but how Caddle’s groups channeled money into other races as well.

Did the investigation die? Maybe. There is no indication that this was related to Caddle’s hiring of two men to murder his former associate, Michael Galdieri, who had done some Elizabeth political work with Caddle. But lawyers tell me it’s also a possibility that if a state investigation runs up against a more serious federal one, it might be put on hold.

But let’s step back a minute and think about how broken the campaign finance system is. Caddle ran a network of super PACs and non-profits that were in some cases designed to hide the true source of the money they pumped into local campaigns. He’s also admitted arranging peoples’ deaths. He may not be a man of strong morals.

So do you think there’s a chance that this secretive network of organizations could have been used for nefarious purposes? In a word: Duh. And even though Caddle’s PACs violated campaign disclosure requirements again and again, they didn’t face any real repercussions and received little media attention. Meanwhile the courts are moving towards a more opaque campaign finance system, making it virtually impossible to track the flow of dark money unless someone messes up and sends a check to the wrong place. But look at what dark money has been used for: A massive bribery scandal in Ohio involving a nuclear plant bailout involved $60 million but barely made a blip in the national news.

Maybe it’s time we pay more attention to how campaigns are financed, and politicians and courts stop carving out shadowy corners where people like Sean Caddle hide.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I was one of many people who were disappointed when we were denied entry to a rec basketball game last night due to a proof-of-vaccination requirement.” — State Sen. Ed Durr

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Blue Light’s Aaron Keyak, former DCA spox Hollie Gilroy

WHERE’S MURPHY? In Trenton for a 1 p.m. coronavirus press conference

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at [email protected]

LOUGY LOUGY. OH NO, SWEENEY GOTTA GO — Judge denies Sweeney's attempt to rejoin redistricting commission, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: A Superior Court judge on Tuesday denied former Senate President Steve Sweeney's attempt to get back on the commission that redraws state legislative districts. Sweeney’s complaint charged that state Democratic Chair LeRoy Jones did not have the authority to remove him as one of the Apportionment Commission’s five Democratic members and replace him with Belmar resident Laura Matos. Sweeney, who was Senate president for 12 years before losing reelection in a shocking November upset, sought to overturn Jones' decision and get a temporary restraining order to quickly get back on the commission. In court, high-powered lawyer Bill Tambussi argued that Sweeney did not take any action that would merit his removal. “To allow this action of the state Democratic chair to stand not only violates the Constitution, but it will run contrary to the purpose and intent of the creation of the commission to redraw the lines,” Tambussi said. After a two-hour hearing on Zoom, Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy ruled against Sweeney, saying Jones has the ability to appoint members to the commission. Moreover, he said that Jones’ decision did not violate the New Jersey Constitution.

POL THUGS-N-HARMONY — “Sweeney is at a crossroads,” by Patricia Campos Medina for The Star-Ledger: “It is called a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions when a leader’s legacy is determined only by the choices they make in a moment of hubris — when pride blinds them to the consequences of decisions driven by ambition. Former Senate President Steve Sweeney’s lawsuit seeking to remove a respected Latina leader from the commission tasked with drawing New Jersey legislative districts threatens to undermine his extensive history of working with the Latino community and puts his political ambitions ahead of the need for fair representation among our state’s largest minority community.”

THE SHERIDANS — “An unsolved murder, a simple request,” by The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “Now Mark Sheridan, their son, is asking authorities to run down a fresh possibility — to see if the knife found on another murder suspect the day after his parents were killed might indeed be the missing knife. He notes, with horror, that the suspect, George Bratsenis, admitted stabbing a man to death in Hudson County, then burning down his home to hide the evidence — exactly what happened in the Sheridan case. Sheridan is not saying these killings are connected, only that prosecutors should check … This is a reasonable request from a crime survivor whose family was ferociously mistreated by the Somerset County prosecutor at the time, Geoffrey Soriano … Mark Sheridan concedes that he has no evidence showing a connection between these two 2014 murder cases. ‘I’ve got all kinds of people waving me off, saying there is no connection,’ he says. ‘And if someone checks and tells me no, there isn’t, I get that. It was a long shot to begin with. But there’s no harm in asking.’”

ENVIRONMENT — Green groups say New Jersey governor’s greenhouse gas plan doesn’t go far enough, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: New Jersey environmentalists and the state’s main industry group agree that a new Murphy administration proposal to limit greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t do much to curb emissions. During a nearly four-hour public hearing that began Tuesday morning, environmentalists from across the state trashed the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s proposed Climate Pollutant Reduction rules, which are meant to limit emissions from certain power plants and discourage the use of gas-powered commercial boilers. Green groups, which have begun a new round of feuding with Gov. Phil Murphy, got an unexpected boost during the hearing from Ray Cantor, vice president of government affairs for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. Cantor argued that climate change is not an “existential threat” and that the DEP’s proposed rules are being done in haste.

CAPTAIN PLANABINCHAK — “After solar and wind, is wave power next up for NJ?” by NJ Spotlight News’ Andrew S. Lewis: On the heels of the Biden administration’s announcement earlier this month that it has scheduled a February auction to lease more than 480,000 acres of New Jersey and New York offshore waters for wind turbines, Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-Middlesex) has promised to introduce new legislation to bolster investment in another form of renewable energy: waves. Karabinchak made the announcement last Thursday on the floor of the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, during the bellringing ceremony of Eco Wave Power, a decade-old Israel-based company that has so far built two power generation pilot programs, one in Europe and one in the Middle East. ‘As a legislature, we are looking at creating more renewable energy sources to add to our clean energy goals,’ Karabinchak … said.”

R.I.P. — “Tom Pankok, former assemblyman, Salem political leader, dies at 90” 

—“Bill to ban smoking in casinos could move in spring, sponsor says” 

—Golden: “Murphy and the prospect of a virus that is here to stay” 

—“N.J. and Connecticut’s governors are beefing AGAIN. And it’s our fault? Sorry not sorry” 

—“Prison guards indicted in assault. One accused of putting knee on inmate’s neck” 

ALMOST AS BIG A SCAM AS ACTUAL FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES — “Legal settlement in works over sham N.J. college set up by ICE,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Sophie Nieto-Munoz: “Federal immigration authorities have reached a potential settlement with hundreds of foreign nationals who enrolled at the University of Northern New Jersey, a fake university and elaborate scam set up by the federal government to crack down on student visa fraud. The proposed settlement agreement, which needs final approval from a judge, would settle a class-action lawsuit filed by migrants who say they unknowingly enrolled at the sham university that was created as part of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sting, according to court documents. The government would pay $450,000 in legal fees and not admit to any wrongdoing under the proposed deal.”

HE’S NOT A VIOLENT MAN EXCEPT WHEN HE IS — “Friendly, blue-collar neighbor or cop-attacking Capitol insurrectionist. Can this man be both?” by NJ Advance Media’s Kevin Shea: “Chris Quaglin is a blue-collar suburban New Jersey everyman, not the violent Capitol insurrectionist federal authorities have portrayed him to be, according to friends and family. An electrician by trade, he was out of work in 2020 due to the coronavirus, but is an extraordinary neighbor who’d help you work on your home if needed, friends and family said in a dozen letters sent to a federal court judge … That description by 14 people in 12 letters sent to a federal court judge stand in stark contrast to the charges against Quaglin filed last year accusing him of violence at the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He has since been indicted on 14 offenses — the most of anyone from New Jersey charged in the attack. Federal authorities portray Quaglin as a dangerous threat to society who needs to remain jailed until his trial, which prosecutors have successfully argued to date. Quaglin had a threatening, insurrectionist persona online, where he described his desire to be in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, federal authorities said. He’s been planning for battle ‘since Bush left office’ and bragged about a basement gun room, and discussed body armor, gas masks and arming himself with mace, authorities allege in court documents. Clad in a helmet and goggles, he is accused of fighting viscously with police, pushing and shoving them to the ground several times, unleashing chemical spray and being in surges at the forefront, all while screaming things like: ‘You don’t want this fight. You do not want this f------ fight. You are on the wrong f------ side. You’re going to bring a f------ pistol, I’m going to bring a f------ cannon.’”

HUGGIES — “Republicans hated Christie’s ‘Obama hug’ after Sandy. VP Kamala Harris says he was being a model governor,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jonathan D. Salant: “Harris, addressing Christie’s successor, Phil Murphy, and other governors assembled for their annual White House gathering with the president, said the meeting between Republican Christie and Democrat Obama ‘set a tradition’ for bipartisanship in a crisis … Harris told the members of the National Governors Association that Obama and Christie ‘in the height of a very contested presidential election, broke through that and worked in a bipartisan way to bring relief to the people of that state and, by example, set a tradition that I know this organization cares about deeply, which is showing that when we, in particular, face crises, we come together, regardless of party affiliation, to do the work that must be done.’ … Christie’s warm greeting of Obama, which at times has been described as a hug (it wasn’t), didn’t sit well with Republican voters during his unsuccessful try for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.”

—“None of Sherrill’s potential GOP Rivals are raising huge amounts of money” 

—Snowflack: “The roots of DeGroot” 

—“Cory Booker just pulled the plug on his 2020 presidential campaign. Really” 

—“Threat of Russian invasion is uniting Ukraine and the West, say N.J. lawmakers just back from visit” 

DAVID MAN RAGE — “Lawsuit: Garbage collector attacked Paterson man who refused him a beer,” by The Record’s Joe Malinconico: “A thirsty garbage collector allegedly assaulted a Paterson restaurant worker who refused to give him a free beer, according to a lawsuit filed in state Superior Court last week. And Paterson taxpayers could end up paying for the May 2021 incident. That’s because the garbage collector was working for Fairfield-based Suburban Disposal, also known as Roselle Inc., the company that the city of Paterson hired for trash collection services under a $4.5 million contract. The lawsuit said Paterson failed to conduct proper background checks on Roselle’s employees, otherwise it would have found that the garbage collector who allegedly committed the assault had a criminal record and a ‘proclivity and propensity for violent harmful behavior to the general public as well as being unfit for his duties.’ … The incident happened on May 4, 2021 at a restaurant at 246 McBride Avenue. The alleged victim, Gehu Ramirez-Gonzalez, was working as delivery driver when he offered the Roselle garbage crew water, the lawsuit said. One of the garbage collectors, David Manradge, said he wanted a beer instead and went inside the restaurant to get one, the lawsuit said. After being refused, Manradge allegedly then assaulted Ramirez-Gonzalez.”

TAINTED AS THE DRIVEN SNOW — “Snowplow captured on video dumping snow on pedestrians in Lakewood. Was it a hate crime?” by The Asbury Park Press’ Erik Larsen and Alex N. Gecan: “An incident in which a snowplow driver appeared to deliberately dump snow over pedestrians during this weekend’s snowstorm is under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and township police department. Both pedestrians appear to wearing clothing common for Orthodox Jewish men. The incident, first reported in The Lakewood Scoop, was captured on a video posted on social media that has since been taken down”

—“There are creative approaches to house the homeless. One has just begun in Newark. | Opinion” 

—“Hoboken announces police chief’s retirement and new acting chief” 

5,000 CANDLES IN THE WIND — “Punxsutawney Phil’s New Jersey counterpart dies right before Groundhog Day,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Rodrigo Torrejon: “Milltown Mel, famed groundhog meteorologist Punxsutawney Phil’s New Jersey counterpart, has sadly seen the last shadow he’ll ever see. On the eve of the annual Groundhog Day festivities and Mel’s big day, it was announced that Mel — the bucktoothed weather forecaster — had shuffled off this mortal coil.”

—“Six months later, Ida’s lessons still resonate” 

—“E Street's Nils Lofgren pulls music from Spotify to support Neil Young in Joe Rogan issue” 

—“Norcross turns on old ally, seeks seats on Hill’s Republic bank board”