President Trump took to Twitter on Sunday evening, referencing Paterson’s (or, Patterson, as the President wrote) vote-by-mail municipal election in May and the chaotic nature of the city’s election (which resulted in fraud charges against a Councilman and Councilman-elect):

Absentee Ballots are fine. A person has to go through a process to get and use them. Mail-In Voting, on the other hand, will lead to the most corrupt Election is USA history. Bad things happen with Mail-Ins. Just look at Special Election in Patterson, N.J. 19% of Ballots a FRAUD!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2020

Today, on behalf of Councilman Bill McKoy, candidate for election in Paterson’s Third Ward, attorney Scott Salmon announced his filing of a motion seeking an injunction in to prevent Councilman-elect Alex Mendez from being sworn into office on July 1.

Salmon seeks, in the alternative, to have the results of the election as they relate to the Third Ward decertified by the Paterson Municipal Clerk.

On June 25, 2020, the New Jersey Attorney General charged Mendez and three others with, among other things, election fraud related to the May 12, 2020 municipal election in Paterson. “We believe these charges will corroborate our allegations that this election was stolen,” said Salmon. “We hope the New Jersey Attorney General’s office will join in our request for Mr. Mendez to be prevented from being sworn in, as well as our request for a new election.”

From Councilman McKoy: “Governor Murphy, Deputy Speaker Wimberly, and Mayor Sayegh have all called on both Mr. Jackson and Mr. Mendez to step aside while these charges are pending. If they do not do so, we are asking the Attorney General to step in and help us prevent the irreparable harm to Paterson that will occur if both men are seated despite the charges against them. They are not accused of something unrelated, like failing to pay their taxes or driving without insurance, but are accused of directly tampering with the very election from which they now seek to benefit. I am not asking to be given Mr. Mendez’s seat, just that we hold a special election to ensure that we are hearing the voice of the people. Mr. Mendez is free to run and may the best candidate win through a fair competition. If Mr. Jackson and Mr. Mendez are allowed to be sworn in, they will directly benefit from the fraud of which they are accused, which will make a mockery of the system that many have fought and died to protect. Patersonians deserve better.”

Salmon said he expects this issue to be heard by Judge Ernest M. Caposela, A.J.S.C., prior to the July 1 swearing-in.

Read Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 6/26/2020

“Everything’s gotta be on the table,” Governor Phil Murphy said at today’s COVID-19 briefing. “Not all of it happily, given the train wreck this has led to.”

Read Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 6/25/2020

Borough Council Statement

It is with great sadness that we collectively acknowledge Mayor Christine Dansereau’s unexpected resignation. We unselfishly understand that her health must come first.

We will certainly miss Mayor Dansereau on the dais and we are proud of the legacy that she leaves behind. Since her first days on Council and throughout her time as Mayor, she has worked tirelessly for all residents of Roselle. She helped steer a course for the Borough that brought professionalism back to government, honesty to representation, and transparency in policy. As the first woman to serve as Mayor, she broke barriers every day, and Roselle is a better place because of it. She celebrated Roselle’s diversity, and her genuine love for our Borough was always prominently on display.

During her tenure as Mayor, municipal taxes have been stabilized, our infrastructure has been improved, businesses are coming back, and there is optimism that Roselle is on the right track. As we begin to come out of this pandemic, it will be very important that we continue Mayor Dansereau’s work. It has been an honor to serve the Borough alongside her, and we have all learned a great deal from her over the last few years. We are hopeful for Roselle’s future, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We have to look to the future and have faith in each other and our residents, who must continue to have a voice in what happens here in Roselle.

We are grateful that she has pledged to continuously support our efforts to move Roselle forward. We wish Mayor Dansereau the best and will continue to pray for her health.

Council President Denise Wilkerson

Councilman Brandon Bernier

Councilman John Fortuna

Councilwoman Cindy Thomas

Councilwoman Isabel Sousa

JULY 2ND REOPENINGS AT 25% CAPACITY:

Museums

Tropical fishAquariums

Bowling

Indoor recreation facilities – including indoor bowling alleys, batting cages, shooting ranges, and the arcades along our boardwalks

Libraries

Indoor entertainment venues, such as movie theaters, performing arts centers, concert venues, and nightclubs, will remain closed. Gyms and fitness centers will remain closed as well – although we will allow for individualized training sessions by appointment.

NJ Transit will resume full weekday schedules on July 6th.

Kate Gibbs, Republican Candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s Third Congressional District launched her second television advertisement across Burlington and Ocean Counties today. The ad, “Straight Talk”, directly addresses her college-age mistakes and David Richter’s personal smear campaign. Gibbs’ Campaign Manager Angelo Lamberto released the following statement this morning:

“We won’t beat Andy Kim this November by nominating a failed businessman, silver spoon elitist like David Richter who repeatedly trashes President Trump, has ties to the Bidens, offices in China, and is registered to vote in his 4th congressional district in 18 months.”

Lamberto added, “Kate Gibbs is the authentic, honest, and relatable candidate we need to take on and defeat Andy Kim this November. As voters make up their minds and return their ballots, Kate wanted to make a direct appeal to Republicans throughout Burlington and Ocean Counties about why she is the only candidate who can win in November.”

The full text is below:

David Richter can’t beat me on the issues, so he attacks me personally.

Here are the facts.

I made some dumb decisions as a college kid and I’ve owned up to them.

But that immature girl isn’t the one running for Congress today.

This conservative woman is.

I cut property taxes.

I’ll stand with President Trump.

And I’ll drain the swamp of Pro Biden, Pro China elitists like David Richter.

Who want to go to Congress to serve themselves, not you.

Let’s do this.

The air war is in full effect in the battleground CD2 Democratic Primary, where Amy Kennedy and Brigid Harrison are battling for their party’s nomination to take on incumbent U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2).

It’s ugly, of course.

Here’s a look at some of the mail.

Team Kennedy is hitting Harrison for her positive past statements about former Governor Chris Christie, including an op-ed Harrison wrote urging Christie to run for president against Barack Obama. Team Harrison criticizes Kennedy for her linkage to a super PAC funded by her husband and for Kennedy’s ties to scrappy Atlantic City operator Craig Callaway.

An Atlantic County source spoke to the Atlantic City mayoral contest and how it fits within the CD2 race.

The source in his/her own words:

Edge (Marty) Small. He has more support. A (Pamela) Thomas-Fields win would depend on the Callaway organization reaching a new high for ballot yield. That is possible, but not likely. Whitehead making noise, but not resonating. Organizationally, South Asians are fractured between Small and Fields. Callaway’s picks have enjoyed near-uniform support from growing South Asian ballot yield in last few cycles. With Small picking off some key SA leaders/operatives, hard to see Callaway and affiliates growing their total.

Comparing this to the Gilliam/Small race, Gilliam came to that race with significantly more stature than Fields: Councilman, former Council President, co-leader (with Tibbitt) of the opposition. Fields does not have the County, Camden Co., or notable North Jersey support. There are even fractures within the community of political women in town. Council is split in their endorsements: 4-4. Edge to Small based on work ethic and ability to produce votes. Pro-Fields argument is that the Callaway pool of votes grows steadily with each day through 7 July while Small’s vote slows down big time in the last few days of the election/ballot grab.

Pro-Small argument is that Callaway/Fields pool of voters is more limited than ppl think. Since everyone gets a ballot, the playing field is more level. Small has grown in stature over the last few years. As Mayor for a few months, Keeping the Boardwalk open, showing steady leadership during the night of violent riots, allowing open containers, municipal Covid testing sites, and the tax rate decrease this year are playing well with voters.

People underestimate Callaway at their peril, yet they do not win things alone. They compliment existing support. It is very hard to see enough additional support/votes to compliment Callaway and give Fields the win over Small.

(Amy) Kennedy has the clear edge in AC. Very little enthusiasm for (Brigid) Harrison.