Assemblyman cobbles coalition to keep N.J. Assembly Speaker, but majority leader says not so fast
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo shakes hands with Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver during a press conference at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark on Nov. 1.TRENTON — Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) said Thursday he helped assemble an iron-clad coalition of Democrats to keep the embattled Assembly speaker, Sheila Oliver, in power and elevate himself to chairman of the powerful budget committee.
But Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the current majority leader, said Prieto’s announcement was premature.
"As I speak, they don’t have the votes," Cryan said. "And members of the Assembly, just like I am, should focus on next Tuesday’s elections and not anything else."
The agreement described by Prieto comes after months infighting among Democratic lawmakers, and would defuse an insurgency led by Cryan after Oliver agreed to bring health and pension reforms to the Assembly floor without support from the majority of the caucus. The legislation was ultimately approved in June and signed into law.
According to Prieto, Assemblyman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), the current budget committee chairman, would ascend to majority leader — the second-highest position in the Assembly — under a deal brokered by state Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-Hudson) and the South Jersey power broker George Norcross.
After weeks of wrangling and secret meetings among Democrats, however, it was still not clear how the party leadership would shake out, or whether Oliver planned to call a caucus meeting two days after next Tuesday’s election, which is traditionally when the leadership is settled on.
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver speaks during a press conference at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark on Nov. 1. Essex County Democrats and black ministers were there in support of Oliver. Late Thursday, the Passaic County Democratic chairman, John Currie, threw his support behind Oliver, saying his county’s three Democratic Assembly members were behind her.
Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), the state Democratic chairman, also backed Oliver.
But at least one Assembly Democrat said Oliver had not reached out to him or other rank-and-file caucus members.
"They don’t need Mercer County, and that’s a shame," said Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer). "It’s the reason our caucus has been so divisive. That she’s just relied on party boss support. They make all these arrangements outside of the caucus room."
Gusciora said he had not decided who to support for speaker, but added, "I give Cryan credit for at least reaching out."
Amid the confusion, Prieto outlined the new alliance formed between Democrats from Hudson and Essex counties and South Jersey to keep Oliver in power and fend off potential challenges from other Democrats.
This week, a group of black ministers and Essex County Democrats gathered in Newark to rally behind Oliver, the state’s first black female speaker.
In sealing the deal, Prieto claimed the support of five of six members from Hudson County, five of eight members of the Essex delegation and all of the Democrats from South Jersey, which will probably include from nine to 12 members after Tuesday’s election. He said he also had commitments from several other Democrats.
Initially Prieto wanted to be speaker, but he said he compromised for the good of the party by agreeing to lead the budget committee, which he currently does not sit on.
Sacco, an ally of Prieto, helped arrange the leadership agreement.
The Essex County executive, Joseph DiVincenzo, who is another of the party’s power brokers, helped put together a coalition with Norcross two years ago that vaulted Oliver to power.
DiVincenzo also played a leading behind-the-scenes role in helping keep Essex County lawmakers unified behind such controversial legislation as changes to health care and pension benefits for state workers, which sharply increased the cost.
Cryan insisted Thursday that Oliver’s re-election as speaker was far from certain.
"The George Norcross style of politics is to create a sense of inevitability, whether it’s Rob Andrews for United States Senate or any number of elections," he said. "Their style is: Get on board or be out. The southern strategy of inevitability of taking over the entire state of New Jersey is wrong."
By Jarrett Renshaw and Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau