WHO’S UP

Dan O’Connell

The former vice president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, past legislative director of UTU/SMART Transportation Division and Delran Town Councilman prevailed last Saturday in his quest to occupy a Burlington County freeholder seat.

George Helmy

Governor Phil Murphy’s new chief of staff comes highly prepared to the job. The State Director for U.S. Senator Cory Booker has a Masters Degree from Harvard University in Finance and Organizational Theory, two decades of management experience in organizations public and private, and nearly a decade of government experience. He was in Trenton on Thursday meeting with senior staff and attending a leadership powwow.

Esther Suarez

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office this week reached the same conclusions in the politically explosive Brennan-Alvarez case as the Office of Hudson County Prosecutor, seeming to vindicate Suarez. Last year, the Hudson Prosecutor’s team also ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Al Alvarez, accused of rape by Katie Brennan.

Koren Frankfort

The Essex native and Hudson politico began her new position this week as the New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) Finance Director.

Timothy McDonough

The all-around good guy mayor of Hope this month celebrated three decades of service.

WHO’S DOWN

Albert Kurpis

After three hours of public comments at this week’s council meeting, council members opted not to overturn their vote cutting “the mayor’s abilities to appoint members of committees, among others,” according to this NorthJersey.com story.

Nick Scutari

The brainy state senator from the 20th District lost his job as Linden’s city prosecutor after 15 years in the position, ousted by Mayor Derek Armstead and his allies.

Matt Platkin

In keeping with the general theme of bureaucratic buck-passing, the chief counsel to the governor gave a tepid, dispassionate, and unhelpful rendering of events in the Brennan-Alvarez case when he appeared before the Select Committee on Investigations.

Christine Dansereau

The Mayor of Roselle appears to be facing two challengers, one of whom would have the bulk backing of the local Democratic Organization.

Peter Pflug

The former chief financial officer for New Horizons in Autism, a nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals with autism, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $115,000 from the organization for his personal use.