There's some specualtion that Gov. Jon Corzine will name Jaimee Gilmartin, a veteran Democratic operative and former aide to Richard Codey, as his new Appointments Counsel.  Does that mean Michellene Davis is out, or is she getting Brad Abelow's job as Chief of Staff?

Some sad news: U.S. Marine Lt. Jason Mann, the brother of former Camden County Republican Freeholder candidate Bill Mann, was killed in action in Afghanistan this week. Lt. Mann was the father of one child, and was married to a Marine.

Some Democratic leaders are talking, again, about the possibility that Gov. Jon Corzine might be interested in a federal post if Barack Obama wins the presidency.  Rumors of Corzine’s interest in a cabinet post came more frequently when it looked as though his favored candidate, Hillary Clinton, might be the nominee.  It’s not likely that Obama would load up his cabinet with Clinton supporters, although the presidential candidate does enjoy a good relationship with Corzine, who was Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman in 2004 when Obama was a first-time statewide candidate.

After a three hour interview with FBI agents investigating a grants consulting company, Bergen County Freeholder David L. Ganz insists he’s not the target of the federal probe.   The U.S. Attorney’s office won’t confirm or deny that – as is their policy – and Ganz said the investigators told him that they just needed him to verify documents relating to grant business in Fair Lawn when Ganz was the mayor.  Still, since Ganz is up for re-election in November (among Democratic candidates, he was the low vote getter in the 2005 general  and the 2008 primary, and lost re-election to his Fair Lawn Borough Council) and some Democratic are concerned that he is the weak link on the Democratic ticket. 

There is some speculation that Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, although emboldened by deep splits within the county Republican organization, could change candidates before the general  election if he believes his incumbents are in danger of losing.

Congratulations to Newark City Councilwoman Dana Rone, who has emerged as the early front runner for the 2008 Zulima Farber Award. She seems to be running ahead of Annette Lartigue, a City Councilwoman from Trenton, and former Jersey City Municipal Court Judge Wanda Molina.

And newly-elected Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. is now a candidate for the 2008 Oink! Oink! Wayne Bryant Award – a category that always has considerable competition in New Jersey.

South Jersey Democrats were unable to send their longtime Congressman to the United States Senate, but they have taken two key statewide party posts this month.  Tricia Mueller, a top political operative for the Carpenters Union, will run Barack Obama’s New Jersey presidential campaign, and Mike Muller, who works for Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts as the head of the Assembly Democratic campaign committee, has been tapped to run the coordinated campaign.

Page Six in today's New York Post details an incident between two reporters for The Record and a Manhattan billionaire on a beach in Bay Head last weekend. Pulitzer Prize nominee Jeff Pillets and his girlfriend, Elise Young, called local police after Patrick Denihan started "bullying" them when they set up an umbrella on a public beach near his home. Young has asked New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald Chen to investigate. Click here to read the story.

There is considerable speculation in Ocean County that Andrew Ciesla, a six-term Republican State Senator from Brick, will not seek re-election in 2011 – and some GOP sources say they wouldn’t be surprised if Ciesla stepped down before the expiration of his current term.  Apparently Ciesla, who turns 55 next week, is burnt out after nearly seventeen years in the Senate.

The decision to pick Kent Manahan as the anchor of the New Jersey Network nightly news ultimately rests with the station's executive director, Elizabeth Christopherson.  While the Governor appoints members of the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority, staff decisions - like picking an anchorman - rests entirely with the Christopherson.  She will also name a new News Director to replace Bill Jobes, who is retiring at the end of the month.

Manahan, who has been with NJN for 31 years, makes about $125,000 a year.  That's the same salary as other senior NJN employees, including Christopherson (who may receive additional money as the head of the NJN foundation), and senior political correspondent Michael Aron.  Aron is not expected to be interested in the anchorman job.

Eldridge Hawkins Jr., the newly-elected 28-year-old Mayor of Orange who succeeded Mims Hackett, took just fifteen days to essentially give himself a $79,700 pay raise.  Hawkins, on leave from his job as a West Orange police officer, will now make $104,700.  Hawkins has named himself to serve as Orange’s Fire Director (which pays $76,000) and will make $3,700 more as the Emergency Management Coordinator.