NJN News; Tuesday June 4, 2002

Here? We have lots of eyes. Okay. Okay. We're four seconds away. Uh-huh. Okay. Okay. NJN News is made possible by PSENG, serving customers, strengthening the business community,

and investing in New Jersey's future. First union, serving the financial needs of individuals and businesses from Connecticut to Florida. Verizon, communication solutions designed for the people and businesses of New Jersey. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, making healthcare work for New Jersey's businesses and individuals. The New Jersey Education Association, people who care about your kids, and by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Its primary election day, Democrats and Republicans head to the polls to choose nominees for U.S. Senate, Congress, and County offices. The only statewide battle is the Republican Senate race where two state senators and a businessman are vying for the nomination. In Essex County, it's been a feisty primary fight for the Essex County Executive Democratic nomination. And New Jersey's and California's governors make a bet on the NBA finals. NJN News for Tuesday, June 4.

The primary election polls opened at 6 this morning and will close at 8. Turnout is reported to be light. The biggest primary battle is the three-way contest for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Two South Jersey state senators and a millionaire businessman are vying for the right to meet Senator Robert Torres-Celley in the fall general election. There are also congressional and county executive primary races on the ballot. State senators Diane Allen and John Matthewsson and businessman Doug Forester are fighting for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. But the Senate campaign has been a quiet one this spring. Forester voted in West Windsor, Mercer County this morning. He appeared confident as he cast his ballot. The 49-year-old multi-millionaire businessman has spent $3 million of his own fortune in this Senate campaign. South Jersey state senator John Matthewsson cast his vote in Gloucester County this morning. The 49-year-old attorney has had trouble raising money but says he's confident of a win today. He's in his fourth term in the state Senate.

And 54-year-old state senator Diane Allen appeared confident as she voted in Burlington County early this morning. She's a former television news anchor elected to the state Senate in 1997. She's also served in the assembly. Like Matthewsson, Allen Senate campaign more chest has been small. The South Jersey lawmaker has won the endorsements of several major newspapers. This evening, the Allen campaign will be in Mount Laurel, Burlington County. That's where Jim Hooker will be following returns. He joins us from there. Jim? Thank you, Kent. This is Diane Allen's first run for statewide office. Though she's won three times for her state senate seat, as you mentioned, and the assembly seat. Now, she's up against, she has her editorial endorsements, but she's up against a lot of money from Doug Forester. $3 million by last count to her half million dollars. Now, helping her try to get through Doug Forester is her campaign manager, Brian Donahue, who joins us here now. Brian, when I saw you a little earlier, you came in from the field pretty pumped up. What was that about?

Absolutely, Jim. We've been excited. Low turnout today really is energizing our base. We've been working a grassroots strategy, so low turnout really helps out the Diane Allen campaign and the effort that we have going on. Now, you have a low turnout, so I guess the South Jersey base becomes more significant, a smaller population, but more significant in terms of a low turnout, is that it? You're absolutely correct. Northern New Jersey hasn't been energized. We're seeing it in the numbers. We're redoubling our efforts here in South Jersey, and we're also going into our grassroots operations up north, which is what we've had to rely on considering it's been an uphill financial battle. Any concern that John Matheson of Gloucester County farther south still will cut into this Diane Allen base at all? I think it support is more ideological than geographical. I think that he's been more conservative and conservative has been coming out for him pretty strong, less than southern Jerseyans. Can you give me one word why Diane Allen, who's been running against Taurus Sally as the others have, says she's the only one who can beat him? Because we've been conveying the message that New Jersey needs the center that it can be proud of, and our message is resonating with the voters, Jim.

Okay. Thank you, Brian. That's all the time we have right now. Thanks for joining us, and can't I'll send it back to you in the studio. Thank you, Jim. And the Forester campaign has set up headquarters tonight in East Brunswick. Marie DeNoya will follow returns there. Marie? Can't Doug Forester has had little prior experience running for office, but he has plenty of experience making and spending money. And many feel he has spent his money very wisely these past few months, helping to finance a well-crafted primary campaign. And tonight, the Mercer County Millionaire finds himself by many accounts, the front runner in this race. I'm joined now by Forester campaign manager, Bill Pasco. We just heard from the Diane Allen campaign in Jim Hooker that they're very energized by the fact that turnout is very low. They feel this is this is very good for Diane Allen, your reaction to that. Well, I think in a situation where turnout is low, you've got to look at who are the more intense voters. And it's very clear from our internal surveys that the more intense voters are with us. Doug is the consensus candidate of the Republican Party now.

He spans the gap, liberals, conservatives, moderates in the Republican Party all feel very comfortable with Doug. They like the fact that he's run a very clean campaign. He hasn't been hitting other Republicans. He's kept his fire focused on Bob Torres-Sally. There's one part of the state where turnout is high and that's in Bergen County. Of course, where you've got a contested congressional district primary and the fifth congressional district. And it just so happens that we have the line in Bergen County. The organization there is behind us fully. Diane Allen and John Matheson haven't made very good inroads north of 195. And so we're very excited about what we're seeing around the state right now. Talk to me about the kind of get out the vote effort you guys put together today. And how much money did you spend doing that? I don't want to get into exactly how much money we spent on GOTV. I will tell you that it was extensive because the polls are open for another couple hours now. And if you haven't voted yet, get out and vote for Doug Forester. Because what we need is an opportunity to take on Bob Torres-Sally with the strongest possible candidate. Doug is the consensus candidate of the Republican Party. He unites all factions. We're not going to see what we've seen in years past where we had a bitter primary. And the party couldn't come back together in the fall campaign.

What we've got here is a well-fought primary. Three candidates. One of them is emerging tonight as the clear Republican consensus candidate to take on Bob Torres-Sally. Bill Pasco, that's all we have time for right now. Thank you for joining us. Can the Forester campaign taking nothing for granted this primary day a day they hope and expect will end with a victory celebration? Marie DeNoia reporting from East Brunswick back to you. Marie, thank you. State Senator John Matthewsons campaign will be in Washington Township Gloucester County this evening. Ken St. John is following that contest. That's right, Ken. We are at John Matthewsons headquarters with the 11-year state senator hopes to be victorious tonight in the field at Houston number six. Now it is down to three. Politicians and pundits alike agree that Matthewsons faces an uphill battle as he faces his South Jersey Senate colleague, Diane Allen. And, of course, Douglas Sparcer, the former mayor of West Windsor and millionaire. Now, Matthewsons has got the endorsement of New Jersey right to life. He is staunchly pro-life and describes himself as being conservative, even a liberal. But let's now turn to the man that's going to help him tonight, his campaign manager, Sean Kennedy.

Sean, we've been hearing that it's a low voter turnout tonight. Does that vote well for John Matthewsons? Well, I think so. I think when John has been outspent in this race, probably about 400 to one when all the numbers are added up. And, you know, we've tried to communicate with the people who we think are going to get out and support John Matthewsons. And so, we've targeted South Jersey. John has been elected four times in a very difficult district. He's got a real good base down here. And we're going to rely on the volunteers in South Jersey to help us get that message out. Getting that message out, it costs money. And, Senator Matthewsons raised less than $200,000 for the campaign. How do you overcome that handicap? You overcome that with a tremendous volunteer effort and a tremendous grassroots effort. Not unlike what has propelled John to victory for the last 11 years in the state Senate. He runs in a district that is as tough as any in the state. It's actually a tougher district than the rest of the state in a general election. That shows that John Matthewsons is the one candidate that can beat Bob Torresons. I think Republicans are going to reward him for that. What kind of get out the vote effort did you maintain with less than $200,000? Well, we've been working the phone really hard.

We've had volunteers throughout the state the last few days. We've had the support of Senator Bucho and Senator Martin in Morris County. We're going to rely on that. We've have Jack Collins in South Jersey, Bill Gormley in Atlanta County. We're going to our strengths. We're relying on the phones and the handouts. Okay, thank you so much. Sean Kennedy campaign manager for Senator John Matthewsons. And we will be here all night watching what happens as Gary Sean Kennedy said. Matthewsons seems to think he can get over because he has won in a very tough district where Democrats outnumber Republicans to the one he hopes he can pull their off again tonight. Live in Washington Township, Gloucester Kelly on Ken St. John, back to you in the studio, Kent. Thank you for your report. A key county race is the Democratic primary battle for Essex County Executive. The county is strongly Democratic. The election pits former State Party Chairman and current County Party Chairman Tom Giblin against freeholder president Joseph Devin Senzo. The Devin Senzo campaign will follow returns at the Robert Treet Hotel in New York and that's where Zachary Fink is standing by. Zach? Steve Senzo is popular here in New York.

He has the backing of New York Mayor Sharp James of Essex County Sheriff Armando Fronturo. However, this has been a campaign that has been marred by vitriol. Both sides have accused one another of various ethical lapses. The campaign commercials have gone back and forth trading barbs and joining me to make some sense of this is Calvin West from the Devin Senzo campaign. Thank you for being with us. My pleasure. Now, on that point, do you think that what has gone on even pundits have said by Essex County standards, this has been what they have said is a nasty race? Do you think that will affect voters and how do you think that will affect your candidate? Well, I don't think it's going to affect my candidate at all. I think that he has been upstanding throughout the years as president of the freeholder board and at the same time, although, and I'm not looking at my opponent, my candidate has always been on the mark as far as issues are concerned. And I think that because of that, what he has put together in terms of a team that is creative experience and willing to give to the people of the city of Newark

and certainly Essex County, that I think that we're going to result is going to be fine this evening. Real quick, Tom Giblin has a lot of support of labor. How is that going to affect his candidacy, Joe Devin Senzo? Well, as the campaign manager, you know, we have two game books. You'll see a basketball game tomorrow night in California, Los Angeles and New Jersey. My game book is to be on point to where we have to go. As far as labor is concerned, that's one thing. But if you will note tomorrow night in a basketball game, one who scores three points, one who scores two points, three points are going to win. My objective is to get to the mark where I want to go. Everybody has the right to run. But certainly, I'm into business of winning and I break them out of the habit. Okay, thank you very much for being with us. We'll be following returns from here. We'll now go back to you. Kent in the studio.

Thank you, Zach. And Adrian Sapino will be watching returns at Giblin campaign headquarters tonight in South Orange. Adrian Kent, in a few hours, Crians L House will be filled with union members. Tom Giblin is the labor candidate. He is a union president himself as well as the Essex County Democratic Party Chairman. The last time that Tom Giblin ran for the county executive seat, he lost in the primary. This time around, Giblin has failed to win the support of much of the county organization. But he is hoping that voters in the suburbs propel him to victory. With me now is Julie Rajinsky. She has campaign manager for Tom Giblin. Julie, thanks for being here. Good to be here. Thank you for inviting me. Okay. Let me ask you. Joe Diefencento has the organization line on the ballot today. He also has the support of New York Mayor Sharp James. How does Tom Giblin overcome these hurdles? Well, actually, Tom Giblin has the organization line. He's running under the Essex County Democratic organization line, which is the actual Democratic organization line in Essex County.

He's the county chairman and he's running under that line. He also has the support of Sharp James. We've got the support of every other elected mayor in Essex County, including Mayor Bowser, including Mayor McKean. All sorts of mayors all across the county who are directly elected. And we've got a huge grassroots support in New York as well. For many of Sharp James's supporters, like Senator Rice, Senator Cody, obviously, we've got his campaign manager, James Benjamin, working hard for us. So we're not conceding anything. We're fighting very hard in all 22 counties. One thing that is not in dispute is the fact that Tom Giblin has the support of organized labor. What type of get out the vote effort was there today on behalf of Tom Giblin by labor? There are thousands of labor bodies under the direction of Charlie Wakannick, who's a great labor leader in New Jersey in the head of the New Jersey State FLCIO, walking in every single town in the state and the county, excuse me, and they're working very hard from Tom Giblin from every local almost in Essex County. Okay. Julie Reginski, campaign manager for Tom Giblin. Thanks for being here, Julie. Supporters acknowledge that Joe Devon Senzo is a tough opponent,

and they're thinking tonight, supporters that the results may be close. Reporting live in South Orange, I'm Adrienne Sapino. Can't now back to you in the studio. Thank you, Adrienne. And our NJN political insiders will be following all of the races tonight. Democrat Rick Thigpen and Republican Roger Bodman are here now with a preview of what we can expect. Roger, to begin, it's been a quiet campaign. As we've heard, only Forester has a big budget size up the race for us. Well, that says it all. Can't do a large degree. Not only does he have a big budget and a big checkbook, he certainly has most of the organizational support. So all things equal, that should win. Rick, let me ask you, a number of polls have indicated that the Diane Allen would be the most formidable contender against Tauruselli in a fall race. Is that what the Democrats think as well? Yes, Ken. That seems to be the common consensus that she would be the most difficult opponent, but everybody also thinks that Doug Forester is the one who's going to win this primary. Senator Matthews and Roger is the only pro-choice candidate in the race. How much could that mean for him? Pro-life candidate, Ken.

And he is, in fact, a contender. But, you know, it's the low turnout that would help him. Certainly, we have that today, and it remains to be seen whether those folks really turn out and benefit Senator Matheson's candidacy. Well, of course, it all comes down to the vote today. Rick, let me ask you, what are you going to be looking for as you follow the race tonight? Well, two things from me. One is, does the organizational support in North Jersey really materialize for Forester? They actually produce votes for him. And second is, how bad is the split going to be in South Jersey between Diane Allen and John Matheson? Those two things together spell a Doug Forester victory to me. Roger, how about you? What will you be watching? I'm going to be looking at Burlington County where Diane Allen has the line and up in Bergen County where we have a contested primary race in the fifth district where Doug Forester has the line, Ken. All right. Roger and Rick, we'll look forward to talking to you later on this evening during our election returns. And a reminder that polls across New Jersey will be open until 8 o'clock this evening. And beginning at 8, NJN will have complete coverage of the U.S. Senate primary race

and the other key races going on in the state. NJN special election coverage decision 2002 will include live reports, the latest returns, and political analysis. That's on all NJN public television channels and all NJN public radio stations. And we'll be right back with more NJN news in just a moment. Stay with us. It's been three years since the Institute of Medicine reported that 98,000 Americans die each year of preventable medical mistakes.

And tonight's health watch health and medical correspondent Sarah Lee Kessler reports on a new safety initiative to protect New Jersey patients. Medication errors are the most common medical mistakes. They're often triggered by poor handwriting or by dispensing mistakes made because drug name sounds similar. But lethal errors also occur because of inappropriate patient care. Now, unfortunately, most of us know someone who has experienced a near miss or a preventable medical mistake but either led to perhaps no problem at all or permanent disability or even death. Susanne DelBanco has a new national patient safety initiative called LeapFrog Project. At a recent health care forum in East Brunswick, she talked about the need to educate consumers. And what kinds of hospitals they can go to that will have, for example, computerized physician-order entry systems that not only allow physicians to make the appropriate medication orders but also provide them with clinical decision support

to make sure that they're practicing appropriately for that patient. LeapFrog and the health care payers coalition are urging New Jersey's 82 urban hospitals to fill out safety surveys that would be available to patients online. I don't see the hospitals resisting at all the initiative around quality. They've been working on it for a long time. But according to a year 2000 study that evaluated Medicare-funded health care all across the nation, New Jersey has a long way to go. The Jank Study by the Health Care Financing Administration was based on 22 treatment standards for conditions ranging from heart attack and stroke to breast cancer and diabetes. New Jersey ranked 48th out of 50 states. But Susanne DelBanco says there's not a state around that wouldn't benefit from tightening safety standards and improving doctor-patient communication. Most important thing is to be informed and to make sure that dialogue with the caregivers is really open.

Sarah Lee Kessler, NJN News, East Brunswick. Another Wall Street bond agency has lowered New Jersey's credit rating. Standard and Poor's is the third agency to do so. It cited the state's severe revenue shortfall and the likelihood of long-term financial difficulties in downgrading the state from AA-plus to AA. Standard and Poor's said Governor McGreevey's plan to close a budget gap between now and the end of the month by diverting funds and using reserves leaves him with an almost no flexibility situation in the next budget. Meantime State officials announced today the state's tax amnesty program has collected nearly $60 million. There are six days left in that program, which had hoped to bring in as much as $150 million. Still to come on NJN News and Business News, the former CEO of Tyco International is charged with tax evasion. And the governor is in Asbury Park announcing plans to redevelop parts of the shore community, details when we come back. .

news one day after suddenly resigning for, quote, personal reasons. The former chairman and CEO of Tyco International has been charged with tax evasion today in New York State. Dennis Kuzlowski is free on $3 million bond after pleading innocent. He's accused of not paying more than $1 million in sales tax on paintings, including works by Renoir and Monet. In addition to tax evasion, he's also charged with conspiracy, tampering with evidence and falsifying business records. Governor McGreevy was in Asbury Park today promoting efforts to redevelop the beachfront community.

Part of the $1.2 billion redevelopment project includes building new residential units, restoring the boardwalk, improving roads and helping to clean up the town. McGreevy said the plan will spur new economic growth and help create new jobs. 29 states have filed suit against Bristol-Mire Squib, charging the world's fifth largest pharmaceutical company with blocking generic rivals to its top-selling breast cancer drug tax-all. The lawsuit accused BMS of unfairly prohibiting profiting rather from its monopoly over the cancer drug and depriving consumers of less expensive versions of the treatment. In a statement responding to the suit, the company said the events at issue are several years old and have been the subject of litigation, and they will continue to deal with those issues. A rocky day on Wall Street and more concerns over accounting, corporate earnings, and the economy as a whole. At one point, the Dow was down more than 100 points on the day. It recovered most of those losses though late in the afternoon. At the close, the Dow industrials fell 22 points to 9,687.

Among the broad markets, the MX dropped five. The Nasdaq gained 15 points, the S&P 500, up a fraction. In the credit market, the 10-year note was off to 30 seconds, it's yield just above 5%. Still ahead on NJN News, the big net's bet. Governor McGrevy and California's governor, Wager Produce and Why, on the NBA Finals. The story when NJN News continues. If you have a comment, call 1-800-Jersey-1, or our email address, NJN News at NJN.org. The bet is on, as the New Jersey net's get ready to take on the Los Angeles Lakers and

the NBA Finals. The governors of the two states today put up wine and produce in a friendly wager for the winner of the seven-game series, Jerry Henry, has the story. Governor McGrevy wagered Jersey fresh produce along with a few other things, like a trip to the Jersey Shore. He says because he's confident the natural beat the Lakers despite them being underdogs in the best of seven series. I think Jason Kidd said it best. This is about destiny versus dynasty, and so New Jersey looks ready to take that trophy away from the Lakers. In return, California Governor Gray Davis offered McGrevy, California wine, and Disneyland tickets. We feel as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, and the Lakers will win again. McGrevy also pointed out that Laker's star, Shaquille O'Neill, is a Newark native and still considers it home to that Davis replied. Let me just remind you that Jason Kidd went to school in Alameda in Northern California, so we both borrowed from one another and you've got a great coach, Byron Scott, was a great Laker, and I think played on two or three champions, ships, so it'll be a wonderful

series. It's a great friendly wager, it's an opportunity to promote the nets and to promote New Jersey, as well as the Jersey Shore. Game 1 is tomorrow night in Los Angeles, Jerry Henry, NJN News, Trenton. And a final reminder that NJN's full coverage of today's primary election begins at eight o'clock. Decision 2002 will include live reports, the latest returns on political analysis. That's on all NJN public television channels and all NJN public radio stations. That's NJN News. For now, I'm Kent Manahan, thanks for being with us. See you later.