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Private battle over N.J. speaker Sheila Oliver’s future about to be thrust into public eye
The shadow war over who will be Assembly speaker has been waged by phone over the past week as Democratic power brokers dial their allies and party brethren to lock down support for their chosen candidates, party sources say.
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. has been lighting up the phone lines to secure Sheila Oliver’s second term as speaker, while Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-Hudson) is seeking a coalition between Hudson and Bergen counties to back the largely unknown Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), according to Democrats familiar with the political maneuvering. (Megerian and Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)
