He won’t serve long, but one of the chief architects of Governor Murphy’s disastrous Covid-19 policies is reportedly headed to the U.S. Senate.
The New Jersey Globe reported on Wednesday night that Murphy will announce his ex-Chief of Staff George S. Helmy as Bob Menendez’s replacement on Friday. The incumbent (Menendez) is stepping down effective August 20th after his conviction on federal corruption charges; Andy Kim (D) and Curtis Bashaw (R) are running for a fresh six-year term commencing in January 2025, but Helmy will serve as a gap filler from Menendez’s resignation date until a new senator is elected.
Republicans had complained (loudly) about the prospect of Murphy appointing Kim, a congressman, for the obvious reason that they believed it would confer an unfair advantage on the Democrat nominee. Murphy previously ruled out appointing a member of the state’s delegation, however, since the incredibly close balance of power in the U.S. House could be impacted by a vacancy.
Helmy left the administration last year to cash in at RWJBarnabas Health. At the time of his departure, Murphy lauded his outgoing chief of staff as the point man for New Jersey’s response to the pandemic.
“I don’t know where we would be without George,” Governor Murphy opined last September. “Simply put, you cannot write the history of our Administration without recognizing George’s singular role in leading our team for over four and a half years. His unique mix of public and private sector experience, strong management skills, and deep relationships across the political spectrum made him uniquely capable to excel in this job. From managing our all-of-government response to a once-in-a-century pandemic to driving nearly every single one of our legislative goals to completion, George has put his heart and soul into serving the people of New Jersey.”
The Administration’s Covid-19 policies also put thousands of people into premature graves, and those fateful decisions resulted not only in multi-million dollar settlements but a federal government conclusion that the state (read: Murphy and Helmy) violated citizens’ civil rights.
The good guys never win, folks. At least not around here!
