The old gang reconvened last night in Lunello’s, an intimate little Italian eatery: Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3), and South Jersey power broker George Norcross III.

Governor Phil Murphy received an invite, a source told InsiderNJ, but he wasn’t present – other plans.

A lot of others did attend: Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman Leroy Jones, Middlesex County Democratic Chairman Kevin McCabe, state Senator Brian P. Stack, Speaker Craig Coughlin, Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, former Christie COS Kevin O’Dowd, Essex Freeholder President Brendan Gill, state Senator Sandy Cunningham (D-31), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chief Kevin O’Toole.

One source described the event as “Joe D’s tribute to Steve Sweeney.”

Notably absent were three of the four original North County chairs who backed Murphy for Governor, in part as a calculation to derail Sweeney’s gubernatorial ambitions: Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Lou Stellato, and Hudson County Democratic Chairman Vincent Prieto. Of the initial quad county alliance, only Jones appeared in the room, apparently enjoying his new friendship with McCabe.

State Senator M. Teresa Ruiz and DiVincenzo COS Phil Alagia could be glimpsed in the room.

Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver was not present.

“Unprecedented show of unified legislative and political muscle – north, central, south,” one source proclaimed, on the morning that some of the players reconvened to proclaim their backing of North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, who’s running for reelection in the May nonpartisan election on a ticket with Mayor Ras Baraka.

Ramos was there at Lunello’s, incidentally.

So was Baraka.