I'm the Statehouse bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5, covering the governor, Legislature and state politics, and had previously covered the Statehouse for Gannett newspapers for more than 15 years. I'm a lifelong New Jerseyan -- raised in Bergen, living in Hunterdon, Rutgers graduate. I'm co-author of the 2012 biography 'Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power.' I am not the Iron Chef with a similar name though sometimes get tweets meant for him, especially around Thanksgiving. Believe me, you don't want my cooking tips.
Michael Symons
Outdoor dining plan approved again after Murphy veto
A week after an unexpected veto, lawmakers approve a revised plan for extending outdoor dining rules through November 2022.
No more quotas? Bill to stop rating NJ cops by arrest, ticket stats
Police union says ticket quotas are real and implemented through performance evaluations. A Senate bill would bar them.
Compromise on pot legalization on track for Thursday approval
Latest and last group of amendments includes a cap on growers through 2022 and leaves business groups unhappy about workplace testing plans.
One month until pot is legalized, but details remain hazy
Legislation has been introduced in the Assembly that would move over into its own bill an amendment to downgrade penalties for psychedelic mushroom possession.
NJ lawmakers: Make COVID-19 shutdowns county-by-county
In the spring, Gov. Phil Murphy declined to take a regional approach to imposing pandemic-driven shutdowns. A bill would require it and based it on local data.
Tell your county if you get ballots for dead or former residents
Voter registration rolls aren't fully accurate, so ballots have been mailed to people who have moved or passed away.
Mail-in voter fraud ‘exceedingly rare,’ says Rutgers expert
Professor says voter fraud doesn't happen much, especially at a scale to sway elections. It's far more common for legitimate votes to be excluded.
Census count extended, though probably only until Monday
The 2020 census is now in overtime, with probably one bonus weekend to go. So far, 99.4% of New Jersey households have been enumerated.
Important: What not to do when voting by mail in New Jersey
New Jersey has allowed vote-by-mail for years – but it’s never been done on the scale of what’s being used during the pandemic-era election of 2020.
NJ close to offering ‘COVID credits’ to free thousands of inmates
To further reduce crowding in prisons to make social distancing possible, the Legislature may vote to release thousands of inmates eight months early.