After the wave: Winners of NJ congressional elections arrive for training in Washington

Herb Jackson
NorthJersey

After spending the past year or more trying to win votes, four New Jersey Democrats are learning the nitty-gritty details involved in running a congressional office this week.

Reps.-elect Jeff Van Drew of Cape May Court House, Tom Malinowski of Rocky Hill and Mikie Sherrill of Montclair were joined by fellow Democrat Andy Kim of Bordentown at the first day of orientation on Tuesday. Kim declared himself the winner last week, but incumbent Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-Toms River, says outstanding paper ballots need to be counted.

For the rest of this week and for another week after Thanksgiving, the New Jersey four and more than 80 other winners of last Tuesday's elections from both parties will learn how much taxpayers will give them to run their offices — it ranges between $1.3 million and $1.4 million a year — and how they can, and cannot, spend it.

From appliances to video recordings, the 50-page official member's handbook lays out the rules. The "food and beverages" section, for example, says members can use their office budgets to pay for refreshments for "planning session meetings" with their staffs, but only twice a year. Official dollars cannot be used, however, for social activities such as birthday parties, and never for alcohol.

Tom Malinowski, Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives from District 7, celebrates during his election night party in Berkeley Heights, N.J., on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.

The handbook also spends many pages covering the cost of travel, including a note that says a member can be reimbursed for travel to a parade, but not if he or she campaigns while marching. Along with special training on ethics rules, members will have a session devoted to sexual harassment.

The Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit that advises lawmakers on best practices and helps run the orientation, provides its own 300-page manual for setting up and running a congressional office.

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"We tell them how to avoid big mistakes," said Brad Fitch, the foundation's director. "We counsel them not to hire their whole campaign staff, and how to balance people back home and in Washington, D.C."

Fitch said the group leaves decisions about what's allowed and prohibited to the people in official positions, but helps advise members on the best things to have on their official website, and the best uses of social media, for example.

Supporters of Mikie Sherrill explode into cheers as CNN names her the winner for the NJ 11th Congress seat at the Parsippany Sheraton.

The No. 1 thing to avoid, Fitch said, is hiring someone who cannot be fired, such as the son of a top contributor or powerful mayor in the district. 

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-Wyckoff, went through the orientation two years ago after he beat Republican Scott Garrett to win the 5th District seat. He advised new members to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know colleagues who will be serving on the other side of the aisle.

"Orientation is one of the rare moments where members of opposite parties do a lot together," Gottheimer said. "Once the bell rings on Jan. 3, you go to your respective corners and then have to go out of your way to develop those relationships."

Gottheimer also said members will be getting calls from senior members running for leadership positions. One of the most important for Democrats is whether Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California should be speaker next year, when the party assumes the majority.

"It's important you actually sit down and talk to as many people as you can before making any commitments," Gottheimer said.

Building the right staff to handle constituent calls also is vital, advised former Rep. Steve Rothman, a Democrat from Englewood. Calls usually deal with federal issues such as immigration or Medicare or veterans' benefits, but people also may turn to a congressman or congresswoman for help when the power company threatens to turn off the lights, or they feel cheated by a department store.

“I remember telling my staff on the first day: We work for the people of our district; they don’t work for us,” Rothman said. “We have to handle every single request for help as professionally, as expeditiously, and as effectively as we would want that same request for help to be handled if it was made by a member of our family.”