Not much in life is certain (besides death and taxes, of course), but you can safely bet that 2022 will be interesting in South Jersey. Riding high after making significant gains in 2021, South Jersey Republicans are hoping to takeover the Cumberland and Gloucter County commissioner boards.
Will Democrat discipline hold?
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We’ll see.
On Tuesday, Politico’s Matt Friedman picked up on an interesting story: 3 of 7 Camden City council members want the state to “weigh-in” on the appointment of Connor Strong Buckelew as the city’s risk manager:
Am I missing something or is it very unusual for 3 of 7 Camden council members to critically question a Norcross insurance contract? https://t.co/Y6on13hTZV pic.twitter.com/3KXANriHwV
— Matt Friedman (@MattFriedmanNJ) December 28, 2021
The council members were referring to a recent report of waste in the Pennsauken school district; the state audit at the heart of the story was critical of Connor Strong Buckelew’s role in the affair. For those who don’t know, Connor Strong Buckelew’s executive chairman is George Norcross III, the South Jersey Democrat Machine’s boss notwithstanding his recent relocation to Florida. The firm is unsurprisingly prolific in areas of the state under Democrat control or influence.
“Our job is to be good stewards of the public’s tax dollars,” said Councilwoman Shankea Boucher in a release from the council members who raised the issue. “Approving this resolution, given what we’ve learned, is completely counter to the taxpayers’ interests.”
It’s not completely unusual for an activist to rise up from time-to-time to challenge the suburban-based machine’s control. A near-majority of the city council is a bit less ordinary.
What it tells me: Steve Sweeney’s defeat at the hands of an under-funded truck driver may have consequences for the machine that extend beyond a handful of commissioner seats.
Stay tuned.
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