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Tip leads to major pot bust in S. Brunswick May 7-A tip to South Brunswick police led to the seizure of 170 pounds of marijuana -- worth ,000 -- at a local warehouse, in what authorities said was the largest bust in the department's history. But the police wanted more -- the dealer. So for six days, Detective James Kinard posed as the warehouse manager, speaking by telephone several times with the alleged dealer. Last Thursday, Kinard finally persuaded the man to come to the warehouse to claim the boxes. That's when he was arrested. The suspect, Trevor Greene, 31, of New York, remained in the Middlesex County jail yesterday on ,000 bail, charged with possession of marijuana and possession with intent to sell. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, authorities said. "It was a cat-and-mouse game," Police Chief Michael Paquette said during a news conference yesterday at police headquarters. "We knew we wanted to have Mr. Greene come to South Brunswick to build a stronger case." Paquette said the inquiry began with "a very credible tip" that a large quantity of marijuana had been delivered to a South Brunswick warehouse on April 24. Police would not say where the tip came from, nor would they reveal the location of the warehouse. Armed with a search warrant, police found seven bundles of marijuana, encased in heavy plastic wrap, that had been shipped inside three plastic garbage cans that were glued shut and packed into shipping boxes. The boxes had arrived from Tucson, Ariz., and were bound for New York. Kinard said clothes washed in a fabric softener and sheets of fabric softener were packed inside the garbage cans to mask the odor of the marijuana, but drug-sniffing dogs detected the stash anyway. Hours after the drugs were confiscated, a man later identified as Greene called the warehouse, asking for the boxes to be shipped to Westchester County, N.Y., but was vague about the specific address, Paquette said. That's when Kinard, posing as the warehouse manager, began concocting excuses for not shipping the packages. At first, Kinard said he needed a specific address. On April 29, Greene phoned the warehouse again and provided a shipping address, but Kinard stalled once again, saying the warehouse did not have a truck available to make delivery, police said.On May 1, Greene arranged for a tractor-trailer to pick up the three large boxes, but Kinard offered another excuse, saying that using such a large truck would increase expenses for the storage company, police said. The next day, a smaller truck arrived at the warehouse, and this time Kinard claimed there were mistakes in the paperwork, police said. "I used discrepancies in the paperwork, discrepancies in the company name, any discrepancies I could think of," Kinard said yesterday, admitting he ran the risk of scaring off the alleged dealer. Finally, at 3 p.m. Thursday, Greene arrived at the warehouse, calmly reviewed the paperwork for the packages. He then watched as another undercover officer, posing as a warehouse worker, began loading the boxes onto Greene's truck. At that point, officers rushed in and made the arrest, police said. All of the activity was being recorded on security cameras, police said. Police later learned Greene had been in Tucson in March to arrange the shipment, police said.Paquette said detectives contacted authorities in Tucson and New York, hoping to determine the source of the marijuana and a system that might have been used to distribute it. "We feel we made a big dent in the drug flow," Paquette said.
	McGreevey hires 53 campaign aides for state jobs TRENTON -- After pledging to change the way Trenton does business, Gov. McGreevey has packed his Statehouse staff with highly paid former campaign workers who have no detailed job descriptions. When McGreevey was sworn in on Jan. 15, he swept into office with a large crew of campaign workers who served with his election committee, the Democratic State Committee or the Democrats' coordinated campaign. Some of those workers had gone on the state payroll even earlier, as part of McGreevey's transition team. In the early months of his administration, he continued to reward those who helped him win with jobs, either in the Governor's Office or elsewhere in state government. Between Inauguration Day and April 15, McGreevey hired in the Governor's Office 53 people who helped with election efforts, campaign and state records show. The former political workers make up 62 percent of the 86 hired during the time period. The group's average state salary is ,568, with a total cost to taxpayers of .3 million a year. Eight of the campaign's top political workers are now McGreevey's highly paid advisers, earning more than ,000 and having only generic job descriptions. Among those moving from campaigning to government payroll as McGreevey's top staffers were Gary Taffet, Lucille and James Davy and Jo Astrid Glading. "There is a difference between a mild spoils' system and a revolving door," said Pete Sepp, of the National Taxpayers Union in Washington, D.C. "Sixty percent seems to be a high level." A request made more than a month ago by the Gannett State Bureau for job descriptions for those in the Governor's Office earning more than ,000 -- and personnel forms containing those job descriptions -- has gone unanswered by the McGreevey administration. In an interview last week, McGreevey said the request cannot be answered easily because no detailed job descriptions exist. "They don't have the job descriptions, all of them," McGreevey said. "For certain executives, forms are not created, like governor's counsel and policy adviser. We can create them, but it is just like creating busy work." When it comes to top, highly paid advisers, there is simply a generic description, he said. "It is not really a real job description, it is a blanket policy adviser to provide advice and direction to the governor on issues of policy and initiatives dealing with the state Legislature and the formatting and developing of policy initiatives," McGreevey said. "Everybody has the same thing." Paul Aronsohn, McGreevey's communications director and one of the few top aides not from the campaign, said no one has given him a job description. "I don't know if something exists on paper," he said. "Our responsibilities, though, are clear in our minds." The Gannett State Bureau made the request for job descriptions and resumes of employees earning more than ,000 in the wake of a number of controversial hirings of those who had worked for the campaign. Golan Cipel, an Israeli who did campaign outreach into the Jewish community, was initially hired as an anti-terrorism adviser until his credentials for the job were questioned. Cipel remains a counselor to the governor with unspecified, generic adviser duties at a salary of ,000 a year. Roger Chugh, hired at ,000 a year for the third-highest post in the Department of State after serving as a campaign connection to the Indian community, raised eyebrows with a personal Web site that listed his height, weight, and eye color as well as saying he "loves life," Broadway shows, candle-lit dinners and Neil Diamond. Chugh works for Secretary of State Regina Thomas, who was a consultant for the campaign. She earns ,165. Another Cabinet member, Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox, earning ,165, also was listed as a campaign consultant. When a Quinnipiac University poll revealed McGreevey's popularity ebbing last month, political analysts, such as Rutgers University political science professor David Rebovich, attributed some of his slippage to his failure to move from campaigning to governing. "It is rare that we see a campaign machinery transplanted from election headquarters to the Governor's Office," said Rebovich. "It is understood that a governor will have political operatives, but especially a guy who has been out of the Statehouse for a decade, you would hope that he would bring with him political operatives who understand the way the executive branch functions and the Legisla-ture functions, not just the way a campaign functions." Aronsohn defended the hires, say-ing it was wise for the governor to surround himself with "smart, hard-working, dedicated people who are committed to govern-ment service. This governor has been governing since the moment he stepped into the Statehouse." In addition to filling his office with campaign workers, McGreevey continues to seek the advice of campaign pollsters and consul-tants. Those who surround McGreevey have advised him to release only information that is legally man-dated. As a result, a Gannett State Bu-reau request for resumes for top people in the Governor's Office lingered for more than a month until McGreevey himself ordered the information released last week. The resumes of the Governor's Office top staffers reveal a litany of impressive academic creden-tials, but also numerous ties to Woodbridge government where McGreevey served as mayor and old links to former Democratic Gov. Jim Florio's administration. McGreevey's top legal advisers -- his chief counsel Paul Levinsohn and Attorney General David Sam-son -- came to the administration from politically connected law firms. "I am trying to balance a lot of competing interests," McGreevey told Gannett when he released the resumes. "Everybody told me not to do this. Because I believe in what you represent and I be-lieve in the integrity and the sin-cerity of it, I said this is the right thing to do, and I did it. I had to yell at them to do it." The New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission has not responded to a request for resumes and job descriptions for its top hires, including cam-paign worker Adam Pechter, who was hired at ,500
May 7-Doug Forrester (from left) and state Sens. John Matheussen and Diane Allen at the start of last night's debate.
	One McGreevey ally foils another May 8- The nasty Newark mayoral campaign now has two of Gov. James E. McGreevey's biggest allies going for each other's throat. Newark Mayor Sharpe James has blocked a bid by developer Charles Kushner for a seat on the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after learning Kushner funneled ,000 toward James' challenger, Cory Booker, sources close to the mayor and developer said yesterday. The move by James, who also is a state senator, could derail McGreevey's oft-frustrated attempts to put Kushner -- his top fund-raiser the past five years -- in position to become chairman of the Port Authority. The feud between James and Kushner -- two men McGreevey has counted among his most important supporters -- was the buzz of Trenton politicians yesterday. Most said Kushner's support of Booker was a little on the naive side. "I think Kushner should use some of the money and hire a consultant. It's not very smart," said Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole (R- Essex). "Practically speaking, of course it's something he should have considered. "Whew!" said Tom O'Neil, a longtime state lobbyist who was an aide to Democratic Gov. Brendan Byrne. "This is rare." The fight is embarrassing to McGreevey, who had two pet projects this spring: getting James re- elected and putting Kushner on the Port Authority board. James gave critical political backing to help McGreevey win the Democratic Party's 2001 gubernatorial nomination, while Kushner's healthy contributions helped McGreevey win in November. James originally backed Kushner's nomination but is now opposing it by invoking a time-honored Trenton prerogative known as senatorial courtesy. The practice allows senators to veto the gubernatorial nomination of anyone who lives in their county. Kushner lives in the Essex County township of Livingston. Senatorial courtesy is an unwritten policy, but senators can "sign off" on a candidate by letting the Judiciary Committee secretary know of their intentions. O'Neil said Kushner could be considered a man of conscience for publicly supporting Booker despite his need for James' backing for the Port Authority post. "On the other hand, welcome to Newark in an election year," said O'Neil. "If Cory wins, Sharpe is still there -- still a very potent force to deal with" in the Senate. In theory, James could block the Kushner nomination until January 2004, when his Senate term expires.James was a key supporter in McGreevey's run for the Statehouse. It was James who helped McGreevey forestall a brief but intense effort by U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) to wrest the gubernatorial nomination from McGreevey in the summer of 1999. McGreevey has loyally backed James in the race against Booker and has been committed to building an arena in Newark for the New Jersey Nets and Devils. James declined comment through a spokesman. Robert Sommer, Kushner's spokesman, also declined comment. The Governor sidestepped the issue. Paul Aronsohn, McGreevey's spokesman, said, "The administration looks forward to working with the state Senate to secure the necessary support for Mr. Kushner's nomination." The sources said James rescinded his original backing of Kushner after learning of the contributions, which became public in April. Kushner steered ,000 to Booker in the first three months of this year. While there is a ,200 individual contribution limit under state law, Booker formed a coordinated campaign with city council candidates that allows individuals to give well beyond the individual limit. Kushner has been McGreevey's top fund-raiser since 1997. He, his family and employees have contributed at least ,050 to the Governor. Kushner Companies, based in Florham Park, is a $1 billion real-estate firm that manages some 20,000 apartments, builds up to 1,000 homes annually and has commercial properties in both New Jersey and New York. The developer, who has declined interviews, has made no secret of his desire to be chairman of the Port Authority, a post now held by former state Sen. Jack Sinagra. Kushner's supporters were hoping to work out a deal where Kushner would get appointed to the board this month and take over Sinagra's post this year or next year. While unpaid, the chairmanship is a prestigious post; its holder has the ear of two governors. "He's not a sophisticated politician," Senate Co-president John Bennett (R-Monmouth) said of Kushner. Bennett added he still believes James could eventually be persuaded to support Kushner -- but the price might be some assurance that James' dream of a Newark arena, which has met resistance in the Legislature, becomes a reality. How do Trenton's veterans suggest McGreevey should resolve this with the Newark election looming Tuesday? "Gingerly," offered O'Neil. "I guess he hopes that on May 14 this, too, shall pass."
May 8- When James' challenger, Cory Booker, shook the hand of a senior citizen at the Vince Lombardi Memorial Center, Newark Council candidate Ronald C. Rice, the senator's son, was by his side.
	In this game of politics, Newark arena is huge test May 8- The bare-knuckles battle over the Newark arena will begin the moment Gov. James E. McGreevey formally announces plans today to finance a project touted as the city's saving grace. With a mere three-vote margin for error in the Assembly and a 20-20 split in the Senate, McGreevey is facing a political high-wire act that will force the rookie Governor to wield the skills of a wily veteran and cobble together a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, Trenton insiders say. "This is the biggest test this administration is going to face this year," said Tom Wilson, the former communications director for acting Republican Gov. Donald DiFrancesco, whose arena financing plan died in the Assembly last year. "It's a wedge issue that any candidate would love to run against next year." For McGreevey, a Democrat, winning approval for his plan to issue million in state bonds and millions more on infrastructure improvements for the arena will be a juggling act that has confounded his two predecessors: former Gov. Christie Whitman and DiFrancesco. The Governor must: Convince six of Bergen County's seven Democrats in the Legislature that moving the state's top sports arena from East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex to Newark won't damage the Bergen County economy. Garner the support of a dozen Democrats from South Jersey, who have little to gain and much to lose for supporting a North Jersey sports project. Find one, or better yet, two Republicans in the Senate to break the deadlock in the upper house. Last year, DiFrancesco's arena plan collapsed under the weight of million in pork-barrel spending spread across the state. Like Whitman, he threw his weight behind the effort to move the Nets and Devils, who are both owned by the YankeeNets, into a new arena in the state's largest city. According to state government sources involved in the current negotiations, McGreevey's plan is pork-free and only includes tax incentives for development to replace the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands. Also, YankeeNets will be required to carry insurance that covers any shortfalls. But by focusing almost exclusively on Newark, McGreevey has left himself open to attacks from Bergen County Democrats who want a guarantee the state will make them whole once the Continental Arena closes. "I want to see a comprehensive plan for redevelopment at the Meadowlands, and it's got to include mass transit, open space and viable new ratables," said Assemblyman Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), whose district includes the Meadowlands. Sarlo is one of four Democratic Assembly members from Bergen County who has yet to fall in line with McGreevey. With Democrats holding a 44-to-36 majority in the lower house, the Governor needs to hold just one of them to win approval for the plan if the rest of the party backs his proposal. Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) said the Bergen delegation is "in general agreement (with each other) and has the same goals of protecting taxpayers." The other two assemblymen are Matt Ahearn and Gordon M. Johnson. In the Senate, state officials say McGreevey is relying on co-president Richard Codey (D-Essex), a longtime arena booster, and William Gormley (R-Atlantic), an influential Republican to sell the financing plan. But like their Bergen County colleagues in the Assembly, Garry Furnari (D-Essex), who represents the Meadowlands, Byron Baer and Joseph Coniglio (both D-Bergen) want no part of a plan to take the arena out of their county and move it south. "I want to be there with a governor I think is doing a great job setting policy for the state, but on paper this doesn't seem like a good idea for the people of New Jersey," Furnari said. With Furnari and Coniglio on the fence, McGreevey has begun searching for Republicans to line up beside Gormley. McGreevey traded phone calls yesterday with Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, (R-Monmouth), who has supported the Newark project in the past. Kyrillos, head of the state GOP, faces a difficult decision. He is a longtime friend of Len Coleman, YankeeNets' point man on the project, but almost certainly will face pressure from within his own party to oppose McGreevey and the YankeeNets. All of this assumes McGreevey can hang onto the state's southern Democrats, no easy task in a region where candidates love to campaign against all the money that flows north from Trenton instead of to South Jersey. Christy Davis, a prominent Newark-based lobbyist, said McGreevey will be forced to offer significant concessions to South Jersey. "You have to give them something," she said. With the budget for the next fiscal year due June 30, McGreevey has seven weeks to barter and figure out what to give. "It's no coincidence this comes at the same time as the budget," Wilson said. "Right now he's got a lot of arrows in his quiver."
May 7-Members of the Morris Minute Men Ambulance Squad set up a staging area in response to a call from employees of a businesses who complained of a strong chemical order in the building. No one was injured however a few people complained of headaches.