2011 Power List and Year in Review - PolitickerNJ.com

PolitickerNJ.com
Power list 2011
70
Joe
71
Mike
72
Mo
73
Caren
74
Charlotte
75
Brian
76
Paul
77
Mark
Hayden
Defense Attorney
Elected officials haven’t required his assistance as often now that Chris Christie is governor and
not U.S. Attorney, but Hayden remains one of the state’s obvious super defense lawyers who is at
the top of a lot of people’s list for that one phone call they want to make once the FBI busts in their
front door. Hayden’s firm represents the judges in their suit over pension and benefit reform, not a
bad thing when your livelihood depends on the judiciary.
Muller
Executive Director at NJ Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee
Going back a decade now, Muller has put his political fingerprints on most of the legislative
battleground contests, and this past year was no different. A frontline player in both legislative and
congressional redistricting, Muller also provided key strategic input in districts 2, 7 and 38, where
Democrats went 7 for 9.
Butler
Chief of Staff, Newark Mayor Cory Booker
While much of the mayor’s attention inevitably requires him to look to big project funding out
of state, Butler charges up the nuts and bolts of Booker’s City Hall operation. He is the mayor’s
consummate on-the-ground guy in the state’s biggest city.
Franzini
Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Among other things, the veteran CEO’s authority has the power to determine whether or not
certain development projects receive tax credits, often times precisely the deal-maker or breaker
for some of the state’s prime real estate ventures.
DeFilippo
Union County Democratic Chair
Allies worried about DeFilippo when she appeared to be on the verge of losing her grip on local
politics, but the Union County political player scored victories in this year’s local races to maintain
a majority on the Hillside Council. She also helped stare down energized primary challenges to
her control of the freeholder board and to the LD 20 seats occupied by incumbent Democrats Ray
Lesniak, Joe Cryan and Annette Quijano.
Thompson
NBC News Correspondent
When reporters pack a governor’s press conference, someone from the Christie camp still always
manages to find a chair for Thompson, the always aggressive trench coat-garbed reporter whose
network television reports get a huge viewership.
Josephson
Attorney
Josephson still carries the connections from his days as attorney to the state Democrats and calls
them as a chief lobbyist for Hill Wallack. He’s a go to legal mind for politicos in need of strong legal
advice.
Sheridan
Attorney
Ubiquitous all year long for the GOP, Sheridan served as counsel for both legislative and
congressional redistricting, successfully argued for the elimination of Carl Lewis from the LD
8 ballot in a case that seemingly had no end and earned a spot as the Newark-based lawyer for
powerful law firm Patton Boggs.
20 PolitickerNJ