Now, there is a refreshing change. At a time when most of the Jersey City council is plotting to become the new mayor (and several of these council people even see themselves as the first Latino mayor in Jersey City’s illustrious history), the announcement by former Jersey City Councilman Jamie Vazquez as a candidate for Hudson County executive is a surprise.
After all, Vazquez once was among those plotting to become mayor against former Mayor Bret Schundler. While everyone suspected County Executive Tom DeGise would likely have to face someone in a primary fight next June, few would have thought Vazquez would be the one. Several sources suspect Vazquez won’t be the only one.
“Jamie is there for show,” said one source. “You can expect [Jersey City] Mayor [Glenn] Cunningham to bring someone out later.”
Vazquez is looking for Cunningham’s endorsement, but said he would run for the seat with or without Cunningham’s help.
Vazquez’s candidacy should give the primary race some of the luster that last year’s primary lacked. While DeGise and Bernard Hartnett seemed remarkably earnest in their conflict that year, neither could plead guilty to oratory skills.
In some ways Vazquez makes an ideal candidate against the DeGise administration – which some observers have derided as “Schundler-esque” for the numerous former Schundler people now populating DeGise’s staff.
Despite a brief flirtation with Schundler’s 1993 Democratic Reform ticket in Jersey City, Vazquez has been a staunch critic of Schundler’s policies.
Even though DeGise has been in office less than a month, he is already the focus of internal bickering over his hiring as well as his firing practices. Democratic mayors and others seeking jobs for their own constituents grumble over the number of jobs that former Schundler people are getting. Just as important, some of these people are wondering why DeGise has made no move to fire the legions of new employees brought on in the waning days of the previous administration or why DeGise has not yet rescinded raises the former county executive issued.
Although firing employees this close to Christmas may make him out to be the Grinch, the longer he waits, the harder it will become and the more criticism he will receive from his not-so-loyal supporters.
Rudy Garcia’s popularity
Hoboken Council President Ruben Ramos flatly denies that he hung out with former Union City Mayor Rudy Garcia at this year’s League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City – as reported in last week’s column.
“I’m not part of a ‘Rat Pack,’ either,” he said. “People who know me know that I’m very conservative.”
Others claim it wasn’t Rudy Garcia Ramos hung out with but Carmello Garcia – a much more acceptable character in a political landscape dominated by the potential wrath of Rep. Bob Menendez.
In a feud that lasted several years, Menendez eventually managed to purge Union City and Hudson County of Rudy Garcia’s political machine – after Rudy’s plot to undermine Menendez failed.
To those pledging loyalty to Menendez, Rudy’s name is still a dirty word. Yet Hudson County being what it is, Rudy still has political life – especially among some of the younger Latino politicians, for whom Rudy has become something of a folk hero. Rudy took the worst Menendez could muster and still survived.
While Ramos may not have associated with Rudy during the Atlantic City convention, according to several sources, plenty of other young Latinos did, and Rudy – with his close friendship to Bill Gaughan, Tom DeGise’s chief of staff – may have a political rebirth despite Menendez’s wrath.
Jack Beirne, chief fundraiser for the DeGise campaign for county executive, was named to the Department of Finance and Administration to replace Fred Bado in the county’s housing element. This is rumored to be only a temporary post, and it is also rumored that Beirne – with roots in development throughout the county – will eventually take over Betty Spinelli’s position on the Hudson County Economic Development Corporation.
Former employees of the Hudson County Improvement Authority Bob Barry and Tom Calvanico have relocated with Stamato trash haulers.
Hoboken is hardly united
Hoboken Councilman Tony Soares confirmed reports concerning a dinner he had with state Sen. Bernard Kenny – a close associate of Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts. Soares, who has made no secret of his desire to field candidates for the upcoming Hoboken council election next May, would not disclose the details of his conversation with Kenny except to say, “We talked about issues and what’s going on in my head and the heads of the population.”
Soares has been critical of Roberts’ use of the party designation “Hoboken United,” claiming many of the founding members are no longer involved. Critics of Soares claim he has tied himself into anti-Roberts factions, seeking to align himself with former Mayor Anthony Russo or an upcoming party called Hoboken First.
Soares said he has a bridge-building philosophy that includes reaching out to everyone possible so as to have an all-inclusive government.
“Even if I was trying to recruit former Russo people, I’m not sure I could find any,” Soares said. “Who is left that Mayor Roberts hasn’t hired?”
Not above cracking a joke at photo-ops, Soares recently accepted the scissors used in the ribbon cutting for the Hudson School.
“I told the mayor I would use it on his budget,” Soares said.
But Roberts achieved a major victory last week when the City Council voted 8-1 to approve a modified plan for a new hotel on the waterfront. Soares and some Hoboken activists thought the project had not been scaled down enough. But in the end, even Soares voted for the plan.