January 17, 2007 - 2:15pm
News

Bark and Kenny will be next

Five Repubican State Senators have announced their retirements this year -- the largest group of Senators to leave the Senate without running for another office since 1971 -- and there are likely to be more departures on the horizon. Martha Bark will not be seeking re-election, but Burlington County Republicans are waiting to decide who their eighth district candidates will be before Bark makes her formal announcement. Bernard Kenny, the Senate Majority Leader, is also likely to drop his bid for re-election, rather than face Assemblyman/Union City Mayor Brian Stack in the Democratic primary.

Two Democratic Senators from Newark, Ronald Rice and Sharpe James, could retire, instead of facing challenges for renomination. And in Camden County, where Wayne Bryant is expected to seek re-election, circumstances could alter his plans. Insiders say that Republican Senator Peter Inverso has not made a final decision on his 2007 plans.

Wally Edge can be reached via email at politicsnj@aol.com.

Comments

Somehow I get the feeling that Wayne Bryant's decision is going


Somehow I get the feeling that Wayne Bryant's decision is going to be made a lot easier in the next few weeks

01/17/07 2:32 pm

*** So that's the 5 GOP Sens that have announced already....plus


***
So that's the 5 GOP Sens that have announced already....plus Bark, Kenny, Rice, Sharpe, Bryant and Inverso. 11 retirements. That's more than 1/4 of the Senate leaving in 1 year....and not one is indicted yet!

Quite a lot of turnover if it all goes down as predicted.

***

01/17/07 3:14 pm

That is not always bad Mr D. NJ needs new blood especially in t


That is not always bad Mr D. NJ needs new blood especially in the GOP. New ideas and new faces hopefully will bring the party back to at least respectability.

01/17/07 3:20 pm

I also heard Joe Coniglio might retire with Bob Gordon running f


I also heard Joe Coniglio might retire with Bob Gordon running for Senate (though I would not be shocked at the GOP winning this one back without an incumbent.) Girgenti is always rumored to retire but with no executive job in Passaic to go for and Pou on the skids I think he stays (possibly moving to Paterson or Haledon if the 8th Congressional opens up.)

Gill won't retire but might be primaried. One also wonders whether Doria might be granted another college appointment so Sandra Bolden-Cunningham can go to the Senate.

I don't see anyone strong replacing Bryant, unless Roberts decides to eschew the speakership which hasn't gone well for him and move up to being a freshman state senator.

01/17/07 4:41 pm

Can anybody please convince 2 more dinosaurs -MacNamara and Card


Can anybody please convince 2 more dinosaurs -MacNamara and Cardinale to just get out as well?? I'm beggin ya.

And of course Bob Littel will be primaried out so thats good. Go Gregg go!!

01/17/07 4:48 pm

don't forget about the possibility of van drew/asselta. a few s


don't forget about the possibility of van drew/asselta. a few short weeks ago, it was part of the discussion, which shows how quickly the senate political landscape can shift before your very eyes.

01/17/07 4:55 pm

I think Asselta stays. McNamara will face a primary if he runs a


I think Asselta stays. McNamara will face a primary if he runs again but wins. Cardinale will face a tough challenge from a Democrat in the fall no doubt and will have to make a strong case for himself or hope the Democratic grip on seats in South Bergen slips as summer goes on, forcing the BCDO to spend there.

01/17/07 5:55 pm