Matt Ahearn

Former Assemblyman Matthew Ahearn says he will not seek the Democratic nomination for State Senate in the 38th district.  Ahearn, who switched from Democrat to the Green Party in 2003, had been mulling a Senate bid since federal prosecutors served State Sen. Joseph Coniglio with a subpoena last month in connection to a probe of legislators receiving an alleged personal benefit from state budget items.

Coniglio, a two-term Paramus Democrat, received $5,500-a-month as a plumbing consultant for Hackensack University Medical Center, who later received over $1 million in state grants.

In an open letter, Ahearn said that he ultimately decided against a Senate bid because of his own relationship with Coniglio.

"Whatever his legal problems are at this time and his own willingness to let the Chairman call the shots on matters of Senatorial courtesy and reform bills, I genuinely like the man and his wife on a personal level," Ahearn wrote.  "He took me door to door with him in 2001 and taught me a great deal about campaigns. Senator Coniglio quietly appreciated my independence from the Chairman while making it clear it was not the best political move in the world, not in the short term at least. He never disrespected me for my leave of absence from the party to do what I felt was right at the time by running a race to make pay to play in government an issue the voters understood better."

Former Assemblyman Matthew Ahearn may challenge State Sen. Joseph Coniglio in the Democratic primary, and says he has circulated petitions to run in the June primary. Coniglio was served with a federal subpoena last month as part of an investigation of state legislators who receive a personal financial benefit from budget items they advocate. Coniglio was a $5,500-a-month plumbing consultant to the Hackensack University Medical Center, which received over $1 million in state funds.

New Jersey voters traditionally have a distaste for party switchers at the state legislative level, not returning recent switchers to Trenton. Party switches occur almost always as a means of extending a political career, rather than some ideological shifts.