By Matt Rooney
Twenty-two days, Save Jerseyans.
That’s all that separates Monday morning from Election Day. This week brings a voter-registration deadline, campaign finance disclosures, another round of legislative meetings, and plenty of politicians asking for your money.
Whether they deserve it is an entirely separate question.
Here’s your Save Jersey week ahead for Monday, October 12 through Sunday, October 18:
MONDAY: Morris County starts the week
Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen holds a 6 p.m. town hall at the Madison Community House, 25 Cook Avenue.
Washington gets the cable news coverage. County and municipal government still get a piece of your paycheck. Paying attention to both is advisable.
TUESDAY: Registration closes. School performance gets a hearing.
First, the deadline: October 13 is the last day to register for New Jersey’s November 3 general election. Check your status or register through the Division of Elections.
Your Facebook comment section may be unanimous. The electorate probably isn’t. Make sure you’re actually registered.
At noon, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Public Schools meets via Zoom to discuss student achievement and school performance.
That’s a conversation worth having. Trenton politicians are exceptionally good at measuring their commitment to education by how much money they spend. Parents might prefer measuring it by whether their children can read, write and do math.
Tuesday evening brings Assemblyman Paul Kanitra’s 6 p.m. fundraiser at Jenkinson’s Pavilion in Point Pleasant Beach and Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia’s fourth annual Taste of Italy at 6:30 p.m. at Milano’s in Hamburg.
WEDNESDAY: Coffee and campaigning
Bergen Republicans get an early start with “Coffee with the Column 1 Candidates” at 7 a.m. at Garfield Hot Bagels, 91 River Drive. Advertised participants include Senate candidate Justin Murphy, NJ-09 candidate Rosie Pino and county candidates.
Later, Hunterdon Commissioner Shaun Van Doren holds a 6–8 p.m. reception in Tewksbury, featuring Republican National Committeewoman Janice Fields.
These events won’t dominate national headlines. The organizations behind them still help determine who shows up when it counts.
THURSDAY: Follow the money—and watch Trenton
October 15 is the federal October quarterly campaign finance reporting deadline, covering activity through September 30.
Watch Tom Kean Jr. and Rebecca Bennett in NJ-07, along with the rest of the federal field. The useful numbers are cash remaining, spending and debt—not simply whichever fundraising total looks best in a campaign email.
A campaign can raise a fortune and burn through it. Ask what’s left.
Under the Gold Dome, both chambers have quorum calls scheduled. Senate Group 4 committees begin at 10 a.m., with Assembly Group C at 10 a.m. and Group D at 2 p.m. The Law Revision Commission also meets remotely at 10 a.m. Specific committee agendas should be checked as the week develops.
Outside the State House, a “Black Agenda Rally” is scheduled for 10 a.m.
What is it? A coalition gathering of clergy, civil-rights organizations, labor representatives, business leaders and elected officials seeking to advance policy priorities for Black New Jerseyans. According to Front Runner New Jersey, participating organizations include Salvation and Social Justice, the National Action Network, the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, and 32BJ SEIU. Its stated concerns include economic opportunity, voting rights, education, criminal justice and community safety.
Advertised speakers include Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Rev. Charles Boyer, Rep. LaMonica McIver and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson.
Here’s what I’ll be listening for: specific proposals, their price tags, and whether speakers demand accountability from the officials already running the institutions they want changed. “Equity” on a banner doesn’t answer those questions.
Thursday evening, the Kean campaign and Hunterdon GOP hold a 6–8 p.m. phone bank in Flemington.
THE WEEKEND: The voting window is about to widen
On Saturday, October 17, at noon, the Kean campaign, Hunterdon GOP and local candidates gather at county headquarters for a turnout event, including training before volunteers head out canvassing.
The following Saturday—October 24—in-person early voting begins statewide, continuing through November 1.
Waiting until the final weekend to engage means waiting until plenty of your neighbors have already voted.
ALL WEEK: Who gets Caldwell’s old job?
Governor Mikie Sherrill’s lieutenant governor search remains worth watching. The New Jersey Globe identified Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Chigozie Onyema, Justin Dews, Randal Pinkett and Squire Servance as serious contenders, while emphasizing that the field could extend beyond those names.
Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn has demanded the underlying records from the Caldwell investigation, invoking Democrats’ demands for records during Bridgegate.
A new appointment will give the administration a fresh photo opportunity. It won’t answer the questions about the last one.
Check your registration, watch your wallet, and pay attention, Save Jerseyans.
October has plenty of surprises left.
