CHRISTIAN BOLLWAGE

DENVER - Republicans who feel that New Jersey just might be winnable for John McCain sometimes look back to 1984, when Ronald Reagan carried Elizabeth over Walter Mondale.

Back then, Elizabeth Mayor Thomas Dunn endorsed Reagan. J. Christian Bollwage, then a Councilman, was there when Reagan held a rally in town - his first public appearance since being shot, he said.

"I said to him 'President Reagan, we're all Democrats here!' He said 'You should jump in. The water's fine."

But since Reagan's visit the demographics of this town have shifted significantly, with a huge influx of Hispanic immigrants. Its black vote, expected to go heavily for Obama, remains unchanged, while the working-class white "Reagan Democrats" are fewer.

Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage has ruled out a bid for Neil Cohen’s Assembly seat, according to Union County Democratic sources.  Under the new dual office holding ban, he would have to give up his more powerful mayoral post.  That’s something Bollwage might only do if Raymond Lesniak were to leave the State Senate.

Joe Cryan calls Jim Devine "a sleaze ball, the worst in politics."In December 2007, James Devine, a Union County political operative/newspaper publisher, was arrested for owing $20,000 in child support and alimony.

It was the latest fall from grace for Devine, a former Union County Democratic insider. Devine had been, as recently as a few years ago, a somewhat important operative in local political circles, running three weekly newspapers in Union County that depended heavily on financing from county advertisements and legal notices. But when that revenue stream abruptly ended, Devine was out of business and out of luck - a turn of events he blames on Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, a former political ally who he had a falling out with in the early 1990s.

Now he's working to beat Bollwage, who is seeking re-election in the June 3 Democratic primary.

But Devine's detractors hold nothing but venom for a man they characterize as a charlatan who has mucked up the political scene in Union County for decades, and who recently had his bank account frozen for owing tens of thousands in back taxes - something Devine blames on bad legal advice and child support payments.

Some public officials who are used to choosing their words carefully don't hesitate to go on the record slamming Devine.

"He's a sleaze ball, the worst in politics," said Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan, who also represents Union County in the State Assembly. "If they pay him anything, I hope he used it towards his child support."