One sure sign of silly season (that pre-election period during which people decide whether or not to run for office) is the proliferation of fund raisers.
Over the last week, fundraisers conducted in Jersey City gave a clue to the numerous participants expected to take part in the upcoming June Democratic primary.
The most exciting races will be conducted in the 31st legislative district, which may or may not cease to exist depending on appeals. Several Republicans have challenged the legislative map, which places pieces of Jersey City in three different districts (the 31st, 32nd and 33rd).
If the districts remain unchanged, the 31st district could reshape the Hudson County political landscape, especially when State Senator Joseph Charles takes up his role as judge. The long-rumored deal will finally put a Hudson County legislator behind the bench in robes rather than in front of it in handcuffs.
The question remains, however, which of the numerous hopefuls actually has the backing to fill Charles’ shoes as state senator. Can Jersey City Councilman L. Harvey Smith hope to win election to the position without the support of Jersey City’s black churches?
While in one part of Jersey City Bill Gaughan, the county executive’s chief of staff checked guests attending a Smith fundraiser against a vendor list of people doing business in Hudson County, Maggie Doyle and Jimmy King worked a crowd for donations to a possible Glenn Cunningham campaign elsewhere. While in still another part of Jersey City, supporters of Mary Alice Fitzgerald raised funds for her bid.
Fitzgerald, former head of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, has extensive family in Bayonne. She incurred the wrath of Cunningham when she hired Melissa Holloway during her tenure on the JCEC. Fitzgerald, facing off against Smith and Cunningham, could actually win the senate seat.
Unfortunately, Smith – if he runs – will be on a slate that includes Assemblyman and Bayonne Mayor Joe Doria and Elba Perez Cindiarelli – a ticket weakened significantly by former Bayonne Mayor Dennis Collins recent stroke.
Collins has long been the power behind Doria’s success, running the practical political operations Doria had no desire to run.
A powerhouse in Bayonne
“Collins is a gentle man, yet politically, he’s tough as nails,” one source said. “He stood up against the rest of Hudson County always putting Bayonne first.”
Collins served seven consecutive four-year terms in elected office and four consecutive four-year terms as Mayor. At one time an aide to former Governor Tom Kean (when he was Assembly Speaker), Collins also served as an aide to U.S. Representatives Dominick Daniels, Frank Guarini, and Robert Menendez. He is also former Assistant Secretary/ Director of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission.
“Collins was Doria’s mentor,” one source said. “You might even say Collins created Doria.”
The lack of Collins’ input into this year’s campaign could be devastating to Doria and those who run on his ticket.
Collins kept Bayonne together politically, and his loss as an active force could shatter the relative political calm in Bayonne and send political ripples through the lower half of Jersey City.
“Everybody will start grabbing for power in Bayonne,” another source said.
Defections from the Cunningham camp
The recent defection of Thomas Fricchione from Cunningham to DeGise and the threat that Phil Kenny may soon do the same, highlights one of the key problems Cunningham has faced since being elected mayor in 2001: how to create jobs for his followers and how to keep those jobs he has obtained.
While Cunningham had secured jobs for people like King in the Jersey City Parking Authority, the political rank and file find themselves left out in the cold with the vague hope that they might some day get compensated for their political support.
Few moves by the Gaughan-DeGise-Smith team better symbolize the concept of “to the victors go the spoils” than the firing of four staff members of former County Executive Bernard Hartnett – one of whom was Fricchione.
In rehiring Fricchione, DeGise and company demonstrated their power to hire and fire at will, saying: “We’ve got the power and jobs, you don’t.”
Any doubt about where the Freeholders stand on this issue was dispelled in the last week in January, when they refused to void the dismissal of Harnett’s former press secretary, Anthony Grazioso.
Grazioso was a little stung by this column’s portrayal of him as a political hack and perhaps this portrayal was slightly unfair, since he was largely a victim of circumstance. He counted on the gratitude of DeGise for support in his 2000 mayoral bid and on consistency from freeholders who had voted last spring to void similar Hartnett firings.
“I’m not blaming the county executive for firing me,” Grazioso said, although he did blame the freeholders for failing to reverse his firing.
DeGise, however, was quick to point out an important difference between those Hartnett fired last spring and those DeGise fired after taking office in November. The six people the freeholders rehired last spring held positions in the county that provided residents with service. The four DeGise fired served the county executive’s office.
While Grazioso did work for the jail in a public relations capacity, DeGise said this was only for five days, and it was a position that had not existed previously, and does not exist now. Unfortunately, politics seemed to blind the freeholders from a close look at Grazioso’s impressive resume – which might have qualified him for another job.
County control of the official web site
And speaking of using the Internet to promote your own candidates…
Control over official web sites for the county took an ugly turn, pitting Tony Amabile, the county freeholders’ public relations person, against Jim Kennelly, the spokesperson for the county executive’s office.
The dispute was originally believed to be over a contract given to Amabile to set up and manage a freeholders web site, but apparently the real battle is over who gets to put information on the web.
Kennelly has been working on an official county site since DeGise took office in November. Amabile, however, said the freeholders are looking to make the site more interactive and do not want to have to rely on going through channels to make last minute changes.
“We would want to retain control of the passwords, or we will have to go our own way,” Amabile said.
However, the battle may also be over content, as the county gears up for a possible June primary for county executive. A freeholder site featuring Freeholder Chairman Sal Vega, who might or might not be seeking to unseat the current county executive DeGise, would hardly be acceptable to DeGise’s political re-election committee.