Sweeney becomes top lawmaker in N.J. government

TRENTON - Sen. Stephen Sweeney of Gloucester County will be the top lawmaker in state government after fellow Democrats chose him as Senate president yesterday.

Sweeney's selection was made in a series of closed-door leadership votes as lawmakers returned to the Capitol for the first time since June. They were greeted in public by lobbying from the two sides of the same-sex marriage debate, made all the more intense by the shrinking window of opportunity for gay-rights groups pressing the issue and hunting for votes.

There was no resolution on whether New Jersey lawmakers will vote on same-sex marriage in the near future. Instead, Democrats yesterday focused on choosing the leaders who will set their party's direction in Trenton for at least the next two years.

Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver, a relatively little-known Democrat from East Orange, was chosen as speaker, winning the right to become the first black woman to head the lower chamber.

With their selections, Sweeney and Oliver won seats at the negotiating table with Republican Gov.-elect Christopher J. Christie. After the governor, the speaker and Senate president hold the most sway in state government. Agreement from all three will be necessary to advance the budget and any other legislation.

Christie, who takes office Jan. 19, has said he would veto a same-sex marriage bill. Some Democrats are trying to push a law through before he is sworn in, but they don't have the necessary votes.

"I am very optimistic," said Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D., Bergen), a bill sponsor, but she later added, "There's still work to do."

Added another sponsor, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D., Mercer): "Certain members want political expediency over good public policy."

Senate President Richard J. Codey (D., Essex) and Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D., Camden) - who remain in power until mid-January - have said they would only post a same-sex marriage bill if it has enough votes to pass. There is an internal Democratic debate about that strategy.

Some, like Weinberg, believe making the vote public could create the pressure to win over the last tallies needed for approval.

But others fear a public defeat in a traditionally liberal state could damage the cause.

Gov. Corzine has said he would sign a same-sex marriage bill if one reaches his desk.

Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, led a parade of hundreds of gay-rights supporters who lobbied lawmakers and rallied on the Statehouse steps. He said Democrats' progressive base would hold lawmakers accountable if they failed to pass same-sex marriage.

"We cannot to be taken for granted anymore," Goldstein said, warning Democrats that they would face a greater fallout if they did not approve "marriage equality" than if they did. Our message to Democrats is this: you have more to fear if you don't pass marriage equality than if you do, because if you don't pass marriage equality we will walk away," Goldstein said. He later added, "it's put up or shut up."

But those who oppose same-sex marriage also descended on the Statehouse, and came away optimistic.

"We think the tide is definitely shifting in our favor," said Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council.

There was no resolution of the issue in Senate and Assembly caucuses, where the leadership votes confirmed political maneuvering that had largely been completed over the summer.

While Christie can set an agenda, the Senate president and Assembly speaker can block legislation and stall appointments - or put bills on a fast track. They also have great clout, assigning who sits on prominent committees and controlling fund-raising groups that can dole out - or withhold - millions of dollars of campaign aid.

Both Sweeney and Oliver said they intended to find common ground with Christie where they can but would stand firm on Democratic Party values.

"We will be fair, we will be open-minded, and we may even agree more than we won't, but on core issues that define our party - fairness to New Jersey working families, dignity for our seniors, and providing voices for the most vulnerable - we will be unwavering," Sweeney said.

Oliver used similar words. "We will be fair and we will look for common ground, but I pledge to you that the core values that define us as Democrats will remain our priority," Oliver said.

Sweeney and Oliver each rose to their posts with the help of a North-South political deal this summer. It gave Sweeney the backing to ascend to the top of the Senate while political players from Essex County were assured of the support needed to vault Oliver to the head of the Assembly.

She will take over for Roberts, a South Jersey stalwart who is retiring from the Legislature.

Sweeney, an official of the ironworkers' union, was elected to the Senate in 2001. A friend and ally of South Jersey political power George Norcross, he gained attention on a state level while taking on public employee labor unions and won a battle in 2007 to become majority leader.

Sweeney, who is also the longtime Gloucester County freeholder director, says he plans to resign his county position once he determines when it will be a good time to transition out of the post.

Oliver, elected to the Assembly in 2003 and until now with a small statewide profile, is an assistant Essex County administrator. She works under County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, one of the key architects of the deal that secured support for the two new leaders.

The arrangement pushed aside Codey, who had been the Senate Democratic leader for more than a decade. As Senate president, he served two notable stints as governor, first filling in after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned amid a scandal, and later stepping in when Gov. Corzine was hospitalized after his SUV crashed.

After the Senate vote, Codey grimly told reporters, "There's blood on the floor there."

In a telephone interview later, he said he was joking, congratulated the new leaders, and said he had no hard feelings. Codey said he intended to remain active through the rest of his Senate term and was coy about plans beyond that. He leaves his post as Senate president on Jan. 12, but will remain in office.

"Whether I run for higher office in the future remains to be seen," Codey said.

Also yesterday, Sen. Barbara Buono (D., Middlesex) became majority leader, taking the No. 2 spot in the chamber. Buono, the budget chair, will be the first woman to be majority leader in the Senate. Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D., Union) will become majority leader in that house. He is Democratic state chairman, but will be stepping down from that post.

The new legislative leaders also take office Jan. 12.