New Jersey
Democratic candidates want primary ballot design altered
The issue with the line has been elevated this year in New Jersey’s Senate primary
This is not the first time the ballot design issue is under scrutiny. It’s long been a controversial element and is the subject of a lawsuit currently in federal court. New Jersey is the only state where the majority of primary ballots are organized by endorsement.
But it wasn’t until this year, Dworkin said, that “the line” emerged as a big issue, after Murphy declared her candidacy.
“Party leaders from across the state went out and endorsed her and promised that they would give her the line,” he said. “It’s always been out there but it now has emerged as a real top issue because it distinguishes one candidate from the other.”
Murphy was not included in the joint letter from the three other candidates. According to Politico, she avoided addressing whether she would forgo “the line.”
“We’ve got a great New Jersey primary system that is set up by statute,” she said. “That’s what it is right now. If the statute should change, then we all operate under a different system.”
It’s unclear if the law guides how ballots are structured.
There is also no uniform structure in how county party endorsements are given to candidates.
In Monmouth County, where Kim earned the endorsement, it was through a party convention. Some counties hold screening committees that interview candidates.
The line does and doesn’t determine whether a candidate wins a primary
Despite party endorsements, New Jersey is an open primary state. Anyone who chooses to vote in-person can declare a political party at their polling location and vote.
Dworkin suggests that keeping “the line” prevents the primary process from being “overwhelmed.”
“It allows for vetting it, allows for appreciation of those who have worked and try to curry support,” he said. “It doesn’t allow some outsider to be able to come in and just take over a party.”
Research has shown that candidates who were on the line won their races by an average of 38 points.
Brian Hughes ended his bid for a sixth term as Mercer County executive after not securing his party’s endorsement. He lost to Dan Benson, who would go on to get elected.
Two decades ago, Nia Gill ran “off the line.” She defeated LeRoy Jones, who is now chairman of the New Jersey and Essex County Democratic parties.
After her district was combined last year with fellow Democrat Richard Codey, a former governor and long-time state senator, she ran off the line again. Gill ultimately lost the primary.
3-minute read
A Bergen County man and his New York business associate are facing a civil enforcement action filed by the New Jersey Bureau of Securities with the Division of Consumer Affairs for defrauding at least one New Jersey investor in an investment scheme tied to a job recruiting software service that they were allegedly trying to grow, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
Michael Lakshin. of Fair Lawn, and Edward Aizman. of Brooklyn, as well as their company Bowmo, Inc. used “fraud and deception,” allegedly convincing one of Lakshin’s childhood friends to liquidate her retirement fund and invest in their start-up business venture, according to a civil complaint filed in Bergen County on Friday. They then allegedly diverted most of the funds for their own personal use including cash advances, hotel stays and purchases at car dealerships and designer stores among other expenditures.
“The defendants in this case shamelessly bankrolled their lavish lifestyles with someone else’s hard-earned retirement savings,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “The lawsuit announced today sends a clear message that this kind of blatant exploitation of investors will not go unpunished in New Jersey.”
The complaint alleges, according to the Office of the Attorney General, that from April through August 2020, Lakshin, Aizman and Bowmo (through Lakshin and Aizman), offered and sold at least $84,681.19 of Bowmo’s securities in the form of a convertible note to at least one NJ investor.
They told the investor that the Bowmo note was an investment opportunity which would provide her a “significantly higher return” than her retirement savings. They allegedly told her that Bowmo was successful, bringing in a lot of money through its success and that she could profit by investing her funds into the company.
Lakshin also allegedly leveraged their childhood connection to convince her to invest. After learning about the investor’s retirement account, Lakshin allegedly pressured her to liquidate the account for the purpose of buying the Bowmo note.
Lakshin assured the investor that she would “realistically” be able to earn “A MUCH GREATER return,” through a series of text messages, falsely informed the investor that she should not have any taxes or penalties withheld when withdrawing funds from her account, and assured her that Bowmo would reimburse her for any taxes or penalties that would have to be paid as a result of the liquidation.
On June 25, 2020, the investor liquidated her retirement account. This liquidation included two charges and exposed her to paying taxes on the funds as she was not “rolling them over to another qualified retirement plan,” according to the Office of the Attorney General .
On July 2, 2020, the investor met with Lakshin and Aizman and signed a Bowmo subscription agreement. She wired $84,681.19 from her bank account to a Bowmo bank account controlled by Lakshin and Aizman later that month.
A Bowmo investor package provided to the investor prior to investing said that funds would be used to further develop Bowmo’s software, expand its marketing business, and make strategic hires among other business-related ventures.
Instead, the defendants allegedly transferred the funds to bank accounts held by a seperate and unrelated entity and misused the funds by diverting them for personal and non-business-related purposes.
The lawsuit seeks a court order to permanently ban Bowmo, its president and chairman Lakshin, and its founder and CEO Aizman, from issuing, offering, or selling securities in New Jersey, according to the Office of the Attorney General. It also asks the court to assess civil monetary penalties, restitution plus interest and expenses for the victim, and disgorgement of all funds and profits gained from the scheme.
According to Bureau Chief Elizabeth M. Harris, this case “serves as a sobering example of why it’s vitally important to investigate investment products, even those offered by someone you know and trust.”
She continued, “It’s also an opportunity to remind our residents that while fraudulent investment schemes come in a variety of forms, the pressure to act fast to avoid missing out on a hot investment is a universal red flag of fraud that should not be ignored. In addition to doing their due diligence before investing, we urge New Jerseyans to follow their instincts when a transaction doesn’t pass the smell test.”
Investors can obtain information about any financial professional doing business to or from New Jersey by visiting the Bureau’s website at www.NJSecurities.gov, or calling the Bureau within New Jersey at 1-866-446-8378 or from outside New Jersey at 973-504-3600.
Up to another quarter-inch of rain is likely to fall by Friday evening across most of the state. Northwestern parts of the state will get another dusting of snow, while some higher elevation spots are expected to get a a few more inches.National Weather Service
New Jersey
New Jersey winemaker says drought helps the grapes, but he’s grateful for the rain this week
The much-anticipated rain finally made its way into the Philadelphia region this week.
For many gardens, nurseries and farms, the rain was needed.
But in Hammonton, New Jersey, Sharrott Winery says the drought wasn’t all that bad.
Sprawling on 34 acres, 22 of those under vine, the owner of the South Jersey winery says the drought conditions actually helped their vines.
Owner and winemaker Larry Sharrott said in the spring, the rain helped their vines grow.
Come August, the rain tapered off and the dry weather from there on out was used to their advantage.
“For grapes, if it’s dry starting in August and then running through the entire harvest season, that’s really good,” Sharrott said. “It helps concentrate the juice basically, so especially with red wine it makes a much more robust red wine. They take on much nicer fruit flavors.”
Sharrott said the team was also happy when it finally rained after the long stretch.
He said it was perfect timing because the vines could use a boost of hydration.
“But the fact that we have some rain now is really good for the vines because at this point they really need a good drink so they can begin shutting down for winter. We want them to be nice and hearty by the time we get the cold January and February temperatures,” he said
And if you are looking on the bright side, too, Sharrott say they are looking forward to future wines.
“We are going to have some great wines in a couple years when these come out of barrel,” he said.
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