2011 Power List and Year in Review - PolitickerNJ.com

PolitickerNJ.com
Power list 2011
93
Dave
94
Chris
95
Angela
96
Martin
97
Marcia
98
Adam
99
Harry
100
Shaquille
Filippelli
Attorney
Former Legislative Director for U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8), Filippelli chairs the prestigious
Gibbons firm’s government affairs department. The Trenton-based arm of the operation in part
prompted the New Jersey Law Journal to rank Gibbons number 1 in lawyer-lobbying for the
second year in a row. Filippelli acted as counsel on several high profile issues including the drive to
eliminate the death penalty.
Russell
Republican Political Operative
In a congressional election year in which U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan (R-3) is up for re-election for the
first time, Russell, known for his meticulously packaged and devastating opposition research, will
be a key backroom player to ensure Republican victory.
Delli Santi
Associated Press Reporter
One of the longest serving veterans of the State House Press Corp, Delli Santi has the sourcing and
institutional knowledge to break stories and the reach to have them read worldwide.
Perez
Executive Director of the Latino Leadership Alliance
An old-school Puerto Rican college radical, Perez’s power comes in part from his uncanny,
pragmatic ability to straddle alliances as divergent as Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Sen. Bob
Menendez (D-NJ). He unnerved Democrats with his testimony before the legislative redistricting
commission, basically arguing that the party was Latinos’ biggest stumbling block to greater
representation. But the respect from Menendez in an election year and his pull in the community
cannot be discounted.
Marley
Democratic Party Fundraiser
The Blue Wave operative from Essex County is increasingly an important player for Democrats,
gathering U.S. Senate incumbents and freeholder hopefuls alike to her home for progressive base
fundraising events.
Geller
GOP Pollster
The veteran GOP pollster had a good year, polling for several successful state and local campaigns.
Geller’s work will have an impact on the future and potential campaign strategy of state Sen. Joe
Kyrillos (R-13), who may challenge U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in 2012.
Hurley
Radio Talk Show Host
The radio talk show host may have wailed on Whelan to no avail this year, but he is still the voice of
South Jersey radio. Hurley’s connections and his institutional knowledge regularly enable him to
break and break down the news.
O’Neal
Future NBA Hall of Famer
Now that his basketball career is over, Shaq wants to focus on team ownership, and he’s eyeballing
his home city of Newark for a venue once the Nets move to Brooklyn. O’Neal is also a comer on
the Newark business development front, where his Miami-based O’Neal group is partnering to
undertake a $7 million movie theater expansion project.
24 PolitickerNJ