Also see Politickernj for Weinberg/Hudson deal with Norcross (some reformer, huh?)

Democrats state-wide are shaking their heads in collective disbelief that Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-BERGEN…no make that CAMDEN) voted today with South Jersey Democratic Boss George Norcross to take the Senate Majority Leader post away from Bergen County’s Paul Sarlo.

Weinberg voted with the South to force a vote, which cut off Sarlo’s bargaining time and in effect handed the Senate Majority Leader’s post to South Jerseyan Stephen Sweeney. 

This is devstaing news for the taxpayers of Bergen County in that with the leadership posts of the legislature come emense power to direct funding to home counties.  “Loretta Weinberg just voted to take money from Bergen and send it south to Camden;” observed one stunned legislator.  “She must not be running for re-election, because even Loretta with all her skills could explain this away.”

Weinberg reportedly told Sarlo and others that she voted against Sarlo, not because she did not like him, but because she wanted to get back at Joe Ferriero.  So, to get back at one political boss, Weinberg made another, already more powerful than Ferriero, even more powerful still. 

“Obviously Loretta Weinberg would kill her entire family because she didn’t get along with someone in her family,” said a Bergen pol.  “This makes us all sick.  This woman is a fraud and cares about no one other than fulfulling her own agenda.”   

Many Democrats pointed to a deal back in 2002 that Weinberg made to become Assembly Conference Chair.  After years of being close friends with Assembly Minority Leader Joe Doria of Hudson County, Weinberg crushed Doria’s hopes of becoming Speaker, when she and Gordon Johnson bailed out  on Doria and again went with a Norcross candidate to make South Jersey's Joe Roberts Assembly Speaker.

“Weinberg’s right,” complained a Bergen Democrat. “She’s independent of the Bergen Bosses.  What she doesn’t say is that it’s because she owned by the South Jersey Boss, Geroge Norcross.  Loretta Weinberg is finished in Bergen County, we hope they have a place for her in Camden.”