The Tuesday night meeting of the Jersey City Council was the scene of yet another parade of support for Mayor Glenn Cunningham. More than 60 speakers took turns asking the council to cooperate with Cunningham in running the city.
In the past months, the council has blocked a number of appointments by the mayor to city agencies. The recent tabling of the nomination of Rev. Ralph Brower to the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency set off a series of orchestrated protests against the council’s actions. At one meeting, speakers accused the council of racism in declining the Brower nomination, a charge the council strongly denied.
Wade Street resident Mary Frances Strong, after outlining what she called the accomplishments of the Cunningham administration, asked the council to stop blocking the mayor’s proposals and work with him. “I request the council put away its toys and work together for the good of the city,” said Strong.
In response to charges that the council was intentionally blocking Cunningham’s legislative efforts, Council President L. Harvey Smith cited a press release he issued Monday responding to charges of obstructionism by the council.
“I would like to point out the fact that of the 1,180 resolutions brought before the City Council since July 1, 2001,” said Smith, “the Council has passed 1,113 and defeated only 18. Twenty-nine of those resolutions were withdrawn by the administration.”
Smith added that of the 175 ordinances presented to the council at the same time, 161 were passed.
Some of the exchanges were less peaceful. During the discussion between Smith and Jersey City resident George Maize, a number of audience members loudly berated Smith and the council for ignoring “the voice of the people.”
Smith strongly informed the hecklers that order had to be maintained during a public meeting.
Matthis Sharpless brought up the issue of outside political influence on the City Council. Sharpless, addressing council members E. Junior Maldonado, Mariano Vega and Steve Lipski, asked; “What plantation do you work on?”
The rift has its origins in a political war between Cunningham and Rep. Robert Menendez, which erupted last year over who would replace former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski. Cunningham supported Bernard Hartnett, while Menendez backed Tom DeGise, who was recently elected to the position. The council backed DeGise as well.
Speaking after the meeting, Vega said he believed Sharpless’ question was “race baiting.”
“The council thought that kind of question didn’t warrant an answer,” Vega stated. “We considered it insulting.”
Vega added that the Council does not go out its way to attack the mayor, the way the mayor’s supports have attacked them.
Parking regulations
The council passed an ordinance prohibiting the booting or towing away of cars that have violated municipal parking regulations. According to the ordinance, the only exception to this booting and towing ban are cars that have “three or more outstanding parking tickets and have received failure to appear notices from the Jersey City Municipal Court.”
Speaking against the ordinance was Doris Suarez, a commissioner with the Jersey City Parking Authority.
“Please think about banning the booting of cars,” said Suarez, adding that street parking in downtown and Newport areas has become a problem due to the prevalence of non-resident cars.
“Out-of-town cars park in Jersey City and then the drivers go to New York City,” Suarez explained. “They take up parking for residents.”
Suarez noted that booting illegally parked cars was “the only way we have to get people to pay fines. We have already issued tickets.”
In response to Suarez, Councilman Jerramiah Healy stated the problem was not just with drivers from outside Jersey City.
“Even if people are using Jersey City as a parking lot, many residents have received three or more outstanding tickets,” said Healy. “They are all scofflaws and should be booted.”
Speaking on the same matter, Yvonne Balcer noted a tendency to boot cars in the downtown area, which she believed came from the perception that area residents are wealthier than the rest of the city. Balcer attributed the parking problems in the downtown area to the unregulated growth of office building in the late 1980s and 1990s. Balcer said she supported the ordinance because it would give some balance to parking regulations in the city.
The ordinance was passed by an 8-0 vote by the Council. Councilman Peter Brennan was absent from the Tuesday night meeting.