William Vincent Musto Archives

Bucco would be the 5th sitting Senator to run for Assembly

September 25, 2019 1:29 amSeptember 25, 2019 1:50 am

Anthony Bucco would not be the first sitting State Senator to seek a seat in the New Jersey State Assembly, but he is the first to run with no intention of keeping the job. Some Senators have gone to the...

Freedom Rider Byron Baer spent 34 years in the NJ legislature — and 45 days in a Mississippi prison

July 29, 2019 8:02 amJuly 29, 2019 3:50 pm

Today is the 58th anniversary of the arrest of Freedom Rider Byron Baer, a longtime New Jersey legislator who was charged with attempting to desegregate a blacks-only waiting room at the Greyhound bus terminal in Jackson, Mississippi. He spent 45...

Joseph Simunovich, top New Jersey political figure, dies at 78

June 18, 2019 9:43 pmJune 19, 2019 9:01 am

Joseph J. Simunovich, a popular and influential fixture in North Jersey politics for the last six decades, passed away this evening. He was 78. Simunovich served twelve years as a Hudson County Freeholder and later as chairman of the New...

Robert Mueller’s right-hand-man is a New Jersey guy

February 26, 2019 12:19 pmFebruary 26, 2019 4:05 pm

The New York Times has a profile today on Andrew Goldstein, Robert Mueller’s right-hand-man in the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Goldstein is a Jersey guy who grew up in Short Hills. His father,...

The feud between the U.S. Attorney and the Senate Judiciary chairman

January 13, 2019 6:26 pm

One of New Jersey’s classic political fights was a 1970s turf war between U.S. Attorney Robert Del Tufo and New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Martin Greenberg (D-South Orange). Del Tufo had accused Greenberg of using a committee hearing to...

How Burstein got screwed out of being Assembly Speaker and Congressman

December 28, 2018 12:22 pmDecember 28, 2018 8:21 pm

Albert Burstein, who died yesterday at age 96, was part of one of a great legislative leadership battle in the 1970s and a legendary Hudson County political deal that upset his chances to win a seat in Congress. Burstein was...

Baer vs. Helstoski vs. Hollenbeck ’76

April 29, 2018 10:55 amApril 30, 2018 4:52 pm

There’s a great, mostly-forgotten story about Byron Baer and how he came excruciatingly close to winning a congressional seat 42 years ago. The congressman from the 9th district was Henry Helstoski, a six-term Democrat with a trademark crew cut who...