New Jersey
Richard Codey, former New Jersey governor who replaced Jim McGreevey, dies at 79
NEW JERSEY — Former New Jersey Democratic Gov. Richard Codey, a longtime lawmaker who replaced Jim McGreevey as governor after his resignation in 2004, has died at the age of 79, his family announced on Sunday.
Codey served as the 53rd governor of New Jersey, leading the Garden State between 2004-2006. He spent over half a century working in the state legislature.
In a statement released on social media, Codey’s family says the former governor died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, after suffering from a brief illness.
“Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather — and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him,” the statement said.
“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others. He spoke the truth when others wouldn’t and fought tirelessly for the people of New Jersey during his record-setting 50 years in the Legislature. He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners. We take comfort in knowing how many people he helped, inspired and stood up for over the years. We will share information about services in the coming days.”
New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
In a statement Sunday afternoon, outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy says he will remember Codey, who was often referred to by his nickname Dick, for his “legacy of heroic service.”
“If anybody embodied our proud New Jersey values, it was Governor Dick Codey,” Murphy said.
“He proved that every single day of his life. Whether as Governor or as the longest-serving lawmaker in New Jersey history, Dick built a safer, healthier future for all of us. From championing funding for mental health care and stem cell research to advancing smoke-free indoor spaces in New Jersey, Dick protected every one of our communities and sought to cultivate the potential of every one of our neighbors.”
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. also issued a statement reflecting on Codey’s impact and legacy.
“Richard Codey was a prominent figure in Essex County and New Jersey for over a half century, serving as an Assemblyman, Senate President and Interim Governor. I respected Dick for his ability to get things done and how he always was a staunch advocate for his constituents. I am glad that we dedicated Codey Arena in his honor in 2005 while he was alive so that he could see how much people appreciated him and the impact he had. My condolences go out to his family,” DiVincenzo Jr. said.
In 2023, a then 76-year-old Codey announced his plans for retirement, fifty years after first stepping into politics.
The calls poured in to salute a man who served in the Assembly, Senate and also served 14 months as governor after McGreevey announced he was a gay American and planned to leave office in August of 2004.
Codey’s wife was having minor surgery that day and he walked to his office to wait, unaware McGreevey was stepping down.
“I walk into my office and they say, ‘hello governor,’” Codey said.
Once it was confirmed, he returned to his recovering wife and delivered the news.
“She’s in recovery and I tell her, ‘you’re the first lady,’” Codey said. “She’s like ‘what do you mean I’m the first lady?’ I said, ‘well McGreevey is resigning and I’m going to become the governor and you’re going to be the first lady. She’s like, ‘is there anything to knock me back out?”
But during his time in office, the governor and his wife Mary Jo went public with her mental health issues and he became a leading advocate for helping those suffering from depression.
“We’re very proud of her and because of that, we passed many laws to help women, especially those who have just given birth,” Codey said at the time.
Codey was the first in his Irish family to go to college. In fact, he went to four before graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson.
He won his assembly seat in 1973, became a senator in 1982 and then Senate president in 2002. That’s how he became governor when McGreevey officially left office in November of 2004.
Besides improving mental health, Codey expanded the turnpike, improved school security and he was an early supporter of future President Barack Obama.
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It’s been nearly a decade and a half since the Brooklyn Nets moved out of New Jersey.
The organization has completely revamped its vibe since switching states, ditching the red, white and blue look for a very basic black and white colorway.
The Nets have also intermittently changed the colors of the banners hanging up in the Barclays Center from red, white and blue to black and white, much to the chagrin of traditional Nets fans.
Despite the Nets now playing in a bigger market and being far removed from their days in the Garden State, some fans seem to hope for the Nets to make their return across the river. New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill was asked about the matter.
“I mean, would I support it? I ask about it all the time,” Sherrill said. “I love the idea. So, I have been pressing for that. I haven’t made a lot of headway yet; you know, maybe in my second 100 days.
“But I do think there is some work being done for some — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say too much about it — but some people are working on some different sports coming into the Rock.”
As time went on, the Nets eventually started to embrace more of their New Jersey roots, which started when they rocked a clean tie-dye jersey from the 90s during the 2020-21 season.
The next season, the Nets followed it up with uniforms commemorating their run in the 2000s, when the team got to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 and endlessly broke the ESPN top 10 with each crazy Jason Kidd assist and Vince Carter dunk.
It’s fitting that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the latter of whom grew up in New Jersey as a Nets fan, got to rock these uniforms, helping boost the popularity of the New Jersey brand to a wide array of fans.
True Nets fans embraced the Continental Airlines Arena/Izod Center and the swamps of East Rutherford, getting to witness a winning basketball team for a fraction of the cost of the team mired in dysfunction that happened to play their home games at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Not many marquee free agents would have signed up to play in New Jersey, but real fans remember the good times in the swamps, especially with Sly the Fox as the team’s mascot. Those times deserve to be remembered properly.
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ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. (WPVI) — Drivers heading to the shore on Friday afternoon saw slow-moving traffic for several miles coming off the Walt Whitman bridge, but many travelers said the start of the holiday weekend was smoother than they anticipated.
Aldara Madden, who was traveling with her friend Elana Maser, said the trip moved faster than she expected.
“I was expecting it to take a lot longer,” she said.
Maser added that they left school early to avoid delays.
“My mom and I do that every year and then we always stop here as our little pre-down the shore,” she said.
Others shared similar experiences.
“I’m coming from Bucks County, so I was worried there was gonna be some traffic but it really wasn’t bad at all,” said Erin McFadden of Churchville, who was headed to Ocean City.
AAA reported that while slightly more people are traveling by car this year compared to last, 2026 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year travel growth rate in more than a decade, excluding the steep drop seen in 2020 during the pandemic.
The organization attributes the slowdown largely to concerns over rising prices.
“Gas is ridiculously expensive and I think all the time before going anywhere these days,” said Debbie Maser of Philadelphia. “But this is our happy place and nothing can keep us away.”
A dreary weekend forecast may also be influencing travel patterns.
“I was thinking that, I wonder if there’ll be less congestion on the roads because of the weather,” said Kyra Wolin of Massachusetts. “It’s not looking to be too good this weekend with the rain.”
Still, many shore-bound travelers said tradition outweighs any concerns about rain or crowds.
“No not at all. You go down. You get it done,” said George Miller of Lansdale.
Eric Wolin of Massachusetts agreed: “Never, never. Margate’s a special place for us.”
As the unofficial start of summer begins, travelers said they remain committed to kicking off the season in their favorite spots, not letting rain, traffic, or high prices keep them away.
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This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.
From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch.
As summer begins, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is urging residents to limit lawn watering, and hand water flowers and shrubs as a drought warning continues. The warning, in place since December 2025, could turn into a drought emergency if conditions do not improve. The state has suffered eight consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, according to officials.
“New Jersey is experiencing a chronic water supply drought, the scale of which we haven’t seen in more than twenty years,” state geologist Steven Domber said in a statement issued earlier this month. “The indicators that we track closely are showing persistently dry conditions. With uncertainty for rainfall in the coming months, we need residents to conserve water today, to ensure we have enough to sustain our needs over the summer.”
The Department of Environmental Protection uses a variety of indicators to determine drought levels, including precipitation, stream flows, reservoir levels, ground water levels and demand.
In addition to the last two months, officials say, the state “experienced below normal precipitation for 20 of the last 24 months since September 2024,” despite heavy snowfall events this past winter that helped restore reservoirs in North Jersey.
“While we saw a little relief over the winter, New Jersey is feeling the effects of nearly two years of below-normal precipitation,” Sherrill said in a statement earlier this month. She urged residents to voluntarily conserve water.
New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson said that since precipitation has been below normal for most of the last 24 months, the recent winter weather did not provide enough water to help restore streams and groundwater.
Should a drought emergency be declared, mandatory water restrictions would be put in place. The last drought emergency lasted almost a year, between March 2002 and January 2003.
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