Hardly in Disgrace, Torricelli Emerges as a Trenton Power

[kskiska]

TRENTON, Aug. 25 — Eleven months after ethics issues forced him to drop his bid for re-election to the United States Senate, Robert G. Torricelli has resurfaced as a significant behind-the-scenes player in New Jersey politics, with influence in major government contracts, the governor's office and multimillion-dollar business deals.

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Mr. Torricelli has teamed with an assortment of real estate developers, representing one client seeking state aid to move from Philadelphia to Camden, pitching retail projects in Bergen County, and, most visibly, representing himself as a deal maker trying to push along United States Senator Jon S. Corzine's bid to buy the New Jersey Nets.

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While the speed and ambitiousness of Mr. Torricelli's comeback has startled some in Trenton and Washington, those who have watched him closely for years say they never expected him to fade away quietly from public life.

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"Normally there's a stigma attached when an individual has been forced out on account of scandal," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, who has written books on political corruption. "But in this case I don't think it matters. In New Jersey, there's so much political corruption that the culture is very tolerant. In Oregon, Torricelli would be finished. But in New Jersey, there's no telling where he might end up."


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http://nytimes.com/2003/08/26/nyregion/26TORR.html

[pansypoo53219]

1. good-i liked him

but sad that WI is no longer squeeky clean.