The latest political problem for Bergen County Executive Dennis C. McNerney: a state Department of Education report that found extraordinary waste and mismanagement at the Bergen County Technical and Special Services school district.  McNerney, flying solo these days following the criminal conviction of his mentor, initially sought to blame the GOP by noting that the former Superintendent of the school district, Robert Aloia, had been the County Administrator under his Republican predecessor, who left office seven years ago.  But McNerney was forced to back off after a reporter noted that his former chief of staff, John Susino, had signed several reimbursement checks to school officials as the district’s business administrator.  The conventional wisdom is the Susino, a Democratic State Committeeman and a former Executive Director of the Bergen County Democratic Organization when Joseph Ferriero was chairman, will be out of a job soon.

McNerney also had to retract and resend his original statement to The Record after initially calling for the resignation of all school board members who served during Aloia’s tenure; he wound up only seeking the ouster of Jack Drakeford, who was the board president until just a few months ago.

A large but relatively obscure agency in North Jersey is set to become Gov. Christopher Christie’s poster child for all that is wrong with New Jersey’s independent authorities. 

The Christie administration plans to delve into the payroll and outside consultant contracts of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) – a 108-year-old agency with a $164 million budget.

Christie already got the ball rolling on his criticism of the agency, singling out Executive Director Bryan Christiansen’s $313,000 salary as over-the-top.  And his transition team’s report called for a “thorough review” of its overhead expenditures and hiring of outside consultants – including attorneys and engineers.

The authority, which employees about 600 people -- 86 of whom earn six figure salaries – has a payroll of roughly $48 million.  It treats water for 1.3 million North Jersey residents.

“It’s something that I don’t think any New Jersey taxpayer can get their arms around,   somebody making a $313,000 salary.  It’s not just that – it’s the way they handle their professional services contracts.  In-house versus outside contracts,” said Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak.  “It’s outrageous in every way, and it’s remarkable what some of these authorities have grown into over the decades.  So this is just the sort of thing that we have to get a handle on.  Yes, there will be scrutiny.”

Deborah Gramiccioni, the former criminal justice director in the Attorney General’s Office, will head up the Governor’s Authorities Unit – which will review the PVSC and other quasi-independent authorities. 

The PVSC, which long ago developed a reputation as a patronage pit for both Democrats and Republicans, has drawn scrutiny before.

Former North Arlington Mayor Leonard Kaiser and his wife, Barbara, are expected to plead guilty to tax evasion charges today, The Record reports.

The pair is due in federal court in Newark this morning, where The Record says they will plead guilty to failing to declare about $30,000 in income taken from his North Arlington mayoral campaign account.  Kaiser was mayor there from 1983 to 2002.

Kaiser is also a former freeholder, councilman and member of the Meadowlands Commission. 

Though a Republican, he was a partner in a grants- writing firm with former Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero and former Bergen County Democratic Counsel Dennis Oury, who were both convicted on federal corruption charges relating to the firm’s work in Bergenfield.  Kaiser, however, was not charged.

Former Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero is so confident that his conviction on federal corruption charges will be overturned that he’s already looking to carve out a role in the 2010 campaign.  Ferriero has been calling key party leaders and operatives to talk politics.  He has not gotten a call back from County Executive Dennis C. McNerney, his onetime protégé who is up for re-election this year, although he has spoken with Deputy Chief of Staff Lynne Hurwitz, the Hackensack Democratic Municipal Chair.  Before his conviction, some party leaders said that Ferriero was planning a comeback if the jury acquitted him; now Democratic insiders suggest that he would have trouble winning a contested race for County Chairman.   Ferriero’s sentencing has been postponed until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on federal honest-services laws.  If they find it unconstitutional, Ferriero could become a free man. 

If the Senate confirms Esther Suarez as a Superior Court Judge, the leading contender to replace her as Bergen County Counsel is her boss, Robert Laux, the County Administrator.  Laux is a former Assistant County Counsel and was a lawyer at the law firm of Dennis Oury, a former Bergen Democratic powerbroker who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges last year and testified against his former co-defendant, ex-Democratic County Chairman Joseph Ferriero.

Democratic Bergen County Executive Dennis C. McNerney is girding for a tough race against Republican County Clerk Kathleen Donovan, who so far appears to have a clear path to the GOP nomination to run against him for the county’s top post. 

But McNerney says he’s no stranger to a challenge. 

“In 1998 I ran for freeholder and it was a 7-0 Republican freeholder board.  In 2001, I ran again and won but my running mates lost.  And then the next day, I got up and ran for county executive.  So I’ve had nothing but tough elections and winning,” said McNerney.  “My wife Cathy supports this race, too, so that’s important.”

McNerney won his first term in 2002 against then-state Sen. Henry McNamara (R-Wyckoff) in a relatively close race.  In 2006, he easily won reelection over Republican Todd Caliguire. 

But Donovan, the top county-level vote getter in in 2008, an otherwise favorable year for Democrats, and a 20-year incumbent, is expected to be a formidable opponent. 

And McNerney has lost his staunch political ally: former Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, who was convicted on three corruption counts in October.  Ferriero, a prolific fundraiser, helped raise the millions of dollars McNerney spent on his two campaigns. 

Still, McNerney does not think his campaign will be tainted by Ferriero’s conviction.

“Look at the former Republican chairman, Berek Don.  A convicted felon and he was the Bergen County Republican chairman under Kathe.  I guess you have to ask her that question,” said McNerney, referring to Don’s 1999 guilty plea to, among other things, illegally funneling cash into former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli’s (D-Englewood) campaign account.

Federal prosecutors have agreed to postpone the sentencing of former Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the fate of federal "honest services" laws.  Ferriero was convicted in October of one count of theft of honest services and two counts of mail fraud.  His sentencing, orginally set for February, is likely to happen no earlier  than next summer.

Dominick Polifrone, a former federal law enforcement agent known for his takedown of a high profile mob hit man, confirmed today that he intends to pursue the Republican Party's support to run for Bergen County sheriff.

Polifrone, a 63-year-old Norwood resident, sent a letter of intent to Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin.

"I've always had an interest in being sheriff," said Polifrone, who sought the party's support for sheriff in 2001 but lost the convention process to now-former sheriff Joel Trella.  "I think I can give back to the community what they're looking for: someone with professionalism and integrity. I don't have any baggage and I'm not a puppet for anybody."

Polifrone grew up in Hackensack started his law enforcement career in 1971 as an investigator for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.  He spent over two decades with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, where he did undercover work to infiltrate organized crime. 

In 1986, after a long undercover stint, he got notorious hit man Richard "The Iceman" Kuklisnki to detail his murders on tape, ultimately leading to a conviction.  Kuklinski's story will take on new life soon with a planned movie starring Mickey Rourke as the killer.

Polifrone said that he is not upset that he's most known for the Kuklisnki take down because it's one of the biggest cases he ever worked on, but he said there's much more to his career.  Between 1987 and 1998, he ran the ATF's northern New Jersey task force - a federal law enforcement role he compared to Gov.-elect Christopher Christie's role as U.S. Attorney. 

"If you look at Christie's background and my background, they're basically the same," said Polifrone, who retired from the ATF in 1998 and has spent the last 10 years as Hackensack High School's director of youth services. 

Emerson Police Chief Michael Saudino also plans to seek the Republican nod for sheriff next year.  The incumbent, two-term Democrat Leo McGuire, plans to seek reelection.

Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan is sounding a lot like a candidate for county executive.

The five-term Republican sent a letter yesterday to members of her party that strongly signals she intends to run for the Republican nomination for the county's top post, though she says that she will not make a final decision until early January.

"I believe as you do that we need to put forth the strongest possible Republican candidate who can win back the County's top post in November, to help restore accountability and a fiscally responsible county government to taxpayers," wrote Donovan.  "My record of running and winning six county-wide races, and earning more votes than any other candidate of either party on the county level in 2008, while President Obama won by nearly 40,000 votes - shows that I can win-over independent and Democrat cross-over voters crucial to a Republican county-wide victory. This is particularly important given our Party's significant registration deficit."

The current county executive is two-term Democrat Dennis C. McNerney, who plans to seek re-election. 

The letter's disclaimer says it was paid for by Friends of Kathe Donovan for County Executive, which does not yet appear in electronic filings with the Election Law Enforcement Commission. 

Donovan said she's received a warm response from the letter's recipients.

"The people who have had it and with whom I've had conversations have been unbelievably supportive. Absolutely very supportive," said Donovan.

State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) took two bathroom breaks and grabbed a slice of pizza but otherwise stayed planted in the chairman's chair from 1 p.m. to 10 at night Monday when the Senate Judiciary Committee ulitmately passed a marriage equality bill out of committee, a bill Sarlo personally opposes for "religious beliefs."

Sarlo said he received calls of congratulations this morning from both an archbishop antagonistic to the bill, and from members of Garden State Equality - the gay rights group backing the historic measure.

"Both sides are thrilled and said I couldn't have done a better job," said Sarlo, who did have to turn the microphone off during the testimony of one rabbi who called the gay marriage bill barbaric.

"We had 300 people there, 150 of whom we allowed to testify. We'd still be debating it today, right now, but when I knew the bill had the votes, I pulled the trigger. Yes, I am opposed to the bill at this point in time, but their (Garden State Equality) advocacy has come a long way, and I am quite certain some time in the near future, I believe the tide has turned a little bit, and they will win with their issue. I am still opposed personally because of my religious beliefs as a Roman Catholic, and as senator of the 36th District, which is mostly made up of Irish and Italian Catholics, and Orthodox Jews."

Notwithstanding his own stance on the issue, Sarlo said he was pleased that he posted the bill - in part, he said, to fulfill a promise to state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth).

"I did not want to stand in the way of this bill, and I notified all my committee members after my decision, which came Wednesday or Thursday of last week," said the judiciary chairman.

Now, as Sarlo departs judiciary to next year take the helm of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, he said, "Two of the most rewarding experiences for the rest of my life were presiding over (State Supreme Court Justice Barry) Albin's marathon re-nomination and presiding over the hearings yesterday. Those are two events that will shape the future of New Jersey. I am happy that I am not leaving judiciary, and I'm looking forward to vetting the new administration as a member of the committee. I'm also looking forward to rising to the challenge of balancing the state budget.

"I agree (with Gov.-elect Chris Christie) that everything's on the table," added Sarlo when asked about the job security of state employees, "but I don't believe in making anyone the scapegoat, and the governor in a very short time will have to lay out some specifics. He made a commitment during the campaign to roll back the millionaires tax and keep rebates and put money into the pension fund, and I don't see how you do all that and balance the budget."

Asked if he thought extensive media coverage of the marriage equality bill would weaken Democrats among working class voters keyed into the economy, Sarlo said no.