James J. Devine

James J. Devine, b. October 11, 1961, is an American journalist and Democratic Party political strategist who has been alternately described as 'controversial,' 'a bulldog,' 'tireless campaigner,' and 'genius'.

In his most recent accomplishment, Devine orchestrated the upset victory of under-funded political newcomer Wilda Diaz, who stopped Joseph Vas' bid for a sixth term as the Mayor of Perth Amboy on May 13, 2008. [http://www.politickernj.com/matt-friedman/20227/elizabeth-old-feuds-die-hard]

Devine was press secretary for Richard Kimball, the 1986 Democratic US Senate nominee in Arizona, and served as political director for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee from 1992 thru 1993. In that capacity, he was credited with helping make Bill Clinton the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry New Jersey since 1964. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7D61339F93BA15756C0A964958260]

Devine authors a periodic news column entitled, 'Voice of the People' and has expressed strong opposition to the war in Iraq and political corruption. [http://cmdmedia.wordpress.com/?s=Devine]

When President George W. Bush started chasing distractions, such as the Iraq debacle and the exploitation of 9-11 for political gain in the 2002 elections, Devine began publishing a banner on the front page of his weekly newspaper tracking how long Osama bin Laden has remained at large since the Sept. 11, 2002 terrorist attacks on the United States. The practice has continued under the current publisher, Lisa McCormick. [http://cmdmedia.wordpress.com] In 2002, some members of veterans groups in Carteret burned Devine in effigy because he published ads opposing the war in his newspapers. Instead of backing down, Devine castigated the veterans, among whom was current VFW National Commander George Lisicki, for their attempt to restrict free speech.

His roots as a political operative in Union County began in 1980, during Raymond Lesniak's ill-fated primary election challenge to Elizabeth Mayor Thomas G. Dunn. They subsequently founded the Elizabeth Democratic Association and Devine helped Lesniak capture the nomination for a third term in the state Assembly after he was denied organization support in 1981.A photograph appeared in the New York Times showing Devine submitting Lesniak's petitions at the Secretary of State's office in Trenton.

1 http://www.politickernj.com/matt-friedman/20227/elizabeth-old-feuds-die-hard2 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7D61339F93BA15756C0A9649582603 http://cmdmedia.wordpress.com/?s=Devine4 http://cmdmedia.wordpress.com