NJ Political Turkeys of 2021: Dead voters, the truck driver, racism and worse | Stile – NorthJersey.com

It's that time of year again when we carve up New Jersey's political turkeys of the past year.

Each Thanksgiving week, we offer a sample of turkeys the bone-headed remarks, statements and gaffes that have emerged over the busy months of 2021, which featured the governor's race and contests in all 120 seats of the Legislature.

Of course, there is another month or so left in the year when more eye-rolling moments could emerge during the final homestretch of the legislative session, designated by another famous fowl the lame duck. But that may be the topic for another roundup.

But fornow, enjoy the feast.

King Penna, the campaign manager for Hirsh Singh, a Donald Trump diehard who sought the Republican nomination for governor last spring, brought along a videographer backstage at the 101.5 FM debate last spring in an apparent attempt to provoke the wife of rival Jack Ciattarelli into a viral confrontation. Penna succeeded, but perhaps not the way the Singh campaign had intended.Melinda Ciattarelli responded with a profanity-laced retort that grew in vehemence as Penna clownishly dragged the couple's three adult-age children into the discussion. Penna's ploy flopped, and he found himself on the defensive on the Republican-leaning 101.5 FM and condemned by Republicans around the state.

Project Veritas, headed by conservative activist James O'Keefe, released videos purporting to exposesecret plans by Gov. Phil Murphy to impose a statewide vaccine mandateandboost pandemic aid to undocumented immigrants after winning reelection. The first video raised more questions about Veritas' tactics and reporting than about Murphy's intentions, and the hit piece on immigrants revealed Veritas' shoddy homework. Murphy was already on recordsupporting more aid for immigrants before the video's release.

2020 Turkeys: NJ's 2020 top political turkeys: Racist Trump tweets and yes, we know who Judy Persichilli is

Lisa McCormick, a perennial gadfly and mostly cyberspace candidate,tried to bluff her way onto the Democratic Party ballotfor governor in Juneby filing a petition that apparently merged a database of names with a petition sheet. An administrative law judge found that none of the 2,000 signatures on the ballot were valid.Five people testified that their names were on the petition despite not authorizing them to appear, and at least two signers were found to have died before they were said to have signed the petition. Some of the purported petitioners including family acquaintances of this columnist moved out of state years earlier and had no idea how their names landed on the petition.

Phil Murphy reelected victory speech Asbury Park

Phil Murphy speaks to supporters at his victory rally in Asbury Park on Nov. 3, 2021. He was reelected to a second term as governor of New Jersey.

Thomas P. Costello, NorthJersey.com

Murphy twisted himself into pretzel contortions after Ciattarelli refused to concedethe governor's race until all the votes were counted. Murphy called Ciattarelli's foot dragging "dangerous" forfurther sowing doubts in the election process.Yet, when Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a fellow Democrat, delayed conceding in the aftermath of his stunning loss toEd Durr, atruck driver without political experience or money, Murphy said Sweeney"deserves the space he needs to count every voter." Hypocrisy 101.

Durr, who has bashed Muslims in tweets, quickly became a hero of the right wing media after toppling Sweeney. But when aFox News host tossed him a softball question "What's the first thing you are going to do when you get to the capital in Trenton?" Durr whiffed. "Uh, I really don't know. That's the key factor. I don't know what I don't know so I will learn what I need to know."

It's also quite clear that the voters in the 3rd Legislative District and the political establishment didn't know that much about Durr until he won the race.

Bergen County state Sen. Paul Sarlobrushed away reporters' pointed questions about the fast-tracked approval of the state budget in June with scant public oversight. And in the process, he offered up this cynical tidbit of candor:

"Every year, you guys say it wasn't transparent enough,'' said the Wood-Ridge Democrat who chairs the state senate budget committee. "I believe it is no different than any other year."

Darkness prevails over Trenton. Darkness under the dome.

Where do we go from here?: After election shocker, NJ Democrats seek safe harbor in political center

Ciattarelli may very well have convinced himself that he was speaking last November at a rally aimed to promote Republican legislative and gubernatorial races for 2021, but for many of the Trump devoteesin the crowd including a man donning the Confederate flag, or the person with the "Stop the Steal" sign flopping behind Ciattarelli on the podium the Statehouse was the furthest thing from their mind. President Joe Biden's "stolen" election was their main source of interest. Ciattarelli's see-no-extremist excuse never washed. Sadly, Ciattarelli's appearance may have helped boost turnout in the GOP base.

Carmelo G. Garcia, a former Newark official and economic development officer, was indicted by a federal grand jury in October for allegedly taking bribes fromco-owners of a pawnbroker and jewelry business to advance their Newark-basedredevelopment properties. Authorities said Garcia received lavish time-pieces for his help a Rolex watch with a Selling Price of $8,900, a Cartier watch with a Selling Price of $3,295, an Omega watch with a Selling Price of $7,295, and a chain with a Selling Price of $9,345. They may come in handy.Garcia is looking at the potential of some hard time a maximum of 20 years if convicted just on the conspiracy and fraud-related charges.

Robert Kugler, the Republican nominee for Bergen County sheriff, spent much of the past year in hot water. The state Attorney General accused Kugler, the Saddle Brook police chief, of havingofficersprovide police escorts for funerals to a funeral home he owns. But during his sheriff campaign, a 2013 audiotape of Kugleremerged, with him explaining to Saddle Brook council members the challenges of hiring officers from nearby municipalities. "You can take them from the jungles of Paterson or Trenton [or] Newark, and they come to lily-white Saddle Brook and its probably a little easier, Kugler told the council. But at the same time we need to tame them down a little bit.

Kugler lost to Democratic incumbent Anthony Cureton, who is Black.

A Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group was fired up after discovering that the presidential seal was embossed on the golf tees at Trump's golf club in Bedminster. "Unlawful use of the presidential seal for commercial purposes is no trivial matter, especially when it involves a former president who is actively challenging the legitimacy of the current president, said Noah Bookbinder, president of theCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. It's safe to say that among the depredations and crimes of the Trump years, golf tee abuse does not rank high on the list.

Rep. Andy Kim, who represents New Jersey's 3rdCongressional District in Burlington and Ocean counties, has endured coded attacks on his Korean heritage. The latest came this summer from MAGA Republican Tricia Flanagan, who is eyeing a run against Kim in next year's midterms. "He doesn't represent the interests of his district. He's not one of us,'' she says in a video. Flanagan's video failed to mention that she lived in Lawrenceville, which is in the 12th Congressional District.

Rep. Chris Smith, the longtime Republican congressman from the 4thCongressional District, broke ranks from many in his party and voted to certify Biden's victory shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Still, Smith also gave credence to the myth promoted by riot defenders and deniers thatleftist "antifa" activists were responsible for the violence."I don't know that yet," Smith told The Middletown Patch.com."And I'll leave that to law enforcement to decipher their identities. I saw very strange things, some strange designs on tattoos, for example a hammer and sickle. Some very strange things. It may have been antifa." Smith failed to acknowledge the obvious cause of the riot that day: Trump, who carried Smith's district by 11 points in 2020.

Charlie Stile is a veteran political columnist. For unlimited access to his unique insights into New Jerseys political power structure and his powerful watchdog work,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

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NJ Political Turkeys of 2021: Dead voters, the truck driver, racism and worse | Stile - NorthJersey.com