DISPATCHES

Not-so-random thoughts on the election.

By: Hank Kalet
   It’s done. Jon Corzine has eked out a win in the race for governor putting an end to one of the ugliest and most demeaning campaigns run in New Jersey in several years. And remember, this is based on the fairly low standards set by previous campaigns.
   This was a campaign that featured accusations of marital infidelity against both candidates and a last-minute attack on Sen. Corzine by his ex-wife; charges of corruption and political nepotism; a remarkably inept campaign by a sitting U.S. senator; and money galore.
   By most accounts, the candidates together spent more than $70 million of their own money, though that estimate may prove conservative when the final reports are in. The spending resulted in a barrage of ads, most negative and most running along the edge of what might be considered appropriate.
   The tone of the campaign was one that nearly drove me to cast a protest vote for the Greens. But I ended up holding my nose and pushing the button for the Democrat for one reason: He’s been a good senator and I think the instincts that have made him a good senator will make him a good governor.
   And yet, the campaign may end up being remembered as a bygone time. Sen. Corzine — now Gov.-elect Corzine — will have to face some intractable problems: $3 billion debt; skyrocketing property taxes that can’t be reined in without creating pain elsewhere, either through sharp service cuts or an income tax hike; a nearly empty transportation fund; political bossism that, despite the political rhetoric of the season, has infected both parties.
   Neither candidate offered what I would call realistic plans to deal with the major problems on the table. Neither talked about real tax reform — there was some talk about a constitutional convention, but none about moving from the regressive property tax to the more equitable income tax. Both talked about cleaning up Trenton, but neither offered to take campaign cash out of the system. And neither had a real sense of what to do about the burgeoning debt or dwindling transportation fund.
   So, if I don’t sound all that optimistic — what do you expect?

* * *

   I received a phone call on Monday night from Nancy Paquette asking me to vote for her husband, Mike, for state Assembly.
   It wasn’t a real call. Like the half-dozen other phone messages I found on my answering machine Monday night, it sounded like a prerecorded taped message. I also received calls from Jon Corzine, Bill Clinton, someone with the state Democratic Party and I think a few others.
   Ms. Paquette’s call, however, stood out — and not only because I’ve known her for years in her role as South Brunswick recycling coordinator. The reason it stood out is that it was a perfect example of something that has always baffled me: the spousal endorsement.
   It seems that few elections go by when I do not get at least one letter from the wife or the husband of a candidate. While I didn’t get any letters this year, I did receive a call from Ms. Paquette — and all of us were inundated with ads featuring Andrea Forrester, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester’s wife, extolling her husband’s virtues (and not-so-subtly attempting to draw a distinction with the divorced senator).
   Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve never quite understood the point of all of this. It seems rather obvious that spouses would support their spouses — even Maria Shriver, scion of the Democratic Kennedys, backed her Republican husband during his quest for office in California.
   This reached the height of absurdity in early 2004 during the presidential primary when Democrat Howard Dean was criticized because his wife chose to stay out of the limelight, as if her decision to maintain her medical practice was a reflection on the candidate and not a personal choice.

* * *

   Speaking of Mike Paquette, the former South Brunswick police chief did not find his way to Trenton, but he did manage to carry South Brunswick.
   What might this mean for the township?
   Hard to say. He said during his concession speech last night that he would be back, but did not say in what capacity. And he was not available Wednesday to talk about his future plans — including whether he might consider running for mayor or Township Council.
   Some might think he’s the best chance that local Republicans have for reversing their decade-long slide into obscurity. But Tuesday’s results were not exactly definitive.
   Yes, Mr. Paquette did carry South Brunswick, but not by the kind of margin one might expect from a hometown boy with his level of public visibility (his 111-vote victory amounted to 0.6 percent of the total). After all, he is a graduate of South Brunswick High School and spent 11 years as township police chief and had the kind of name recognition that few challengers have.
   But this is speculation. We still have five months before candidates have to sign up for next year’s election.
Hank Kalet is managing editor of the South Brunswick Post and The Cranbury Press. His e-mail is [email protected].