What began as the yearly report on Jersey City ended with criticism of the City Council when Mayor Glenn Cunningham gave his State of the City address Wednesday night at New Jersey City University.
Ending a nearly hour-long presentation on positive changes in Jersey City, Cunningham addressed the City Council, with whom he has been at political odds for two years, on what he described as their lack of responsibility for the citizens who elected them to office.
"If you are elected, you must believe that the people who elected you should come first," said Cunningham.
Cunningham and eight of the nine members of the City Council have been at war since they took opposite sides in the election for Hudson County Executive after Robert Janiszewski’s the resignation. Cunningham backed Janiszewski’s replacement, Bernard Hartnett, while the majority of the council backed former Jersey City Council President Tom DeGise, who also was backed by Congressman Robert Menendez.
Since then, Cunningham and the council have bickered over city agency appointments and the structure of the $324 million 2003 municipal budget.
Without naming the people he was addressing, Cunningham made remarks that appear to be directed at current Council President L. Harvey Smith, who serves as a councilman-at-large. Smith is also in a race with Cunningham and with Bayonne native Vincent Militello to be the Democratic candidate for the state Senate in the 31st ward.
"If you represent the city at-large, the entire city is your responsibility as a councilman," said Cunningham. "Not what some outside boss promised you in exchange for blocking appointments of qualified Jersey City residents."
"I represent the city in the at-large capacity and will continue to do so," said Smith on Thursday morning. "Any office I seek will be to help the people of Jersey City."
In regards to the remark concerning his involvement with an "outside boss," Smith noted that Cunningham didn’t have a problem with political bosses backing people when he was running for mayor in 2001.
Cunningham also urged the council to remove ordinance 02-113 from the tabled agenda. The ordinance would provide $2.2 million in funding for the Jersey City Incinerator Authority to purchase equipment. The ordinance has been tabled since November of 2002.
Smith stated that the council tabled the ordinance because it believed the Incinerator Authority had spent too much money on promotions and salary increases.
"We understand the need for new equipment at the Authority," said Smith. "It would have been better if they stopped handing out the raises and promotions and bought the equipment they needed."
Cunningham noted at his Wednesday night address that the council had been cooperative in other matters.
"Every major initiative I have sent to the council regarding the refinancing of the city’s debt, the council has passed unanimously, to their credit," Cunningham said.
In an effort to close a gap in the 2003 municipal budget, the city refinanced approximately $122 million in bonded debt to reduce debt maintenance by $14 million.
"Sounds to me like more politics," said Councilman E. Junior Maldonado, noting if the mayor only wanted to address city issues and ignore the June 3 primary election, he would have had the speech in July, since mayors are inaugurated in July.
‘Get a little maturity’
Commenting on the mayor’s remarks that the voters of Jersey City are more intelligent than the City Council believes them to be, Maldonado agreed with the mayor’s praise of the voters. "The voters are very astute," said Maldonado. "They are not going to let the mayor continue as he is going."
Maldonado added the best thing Cunningham could do to mend fences with the council would be "to grow up and get a little maturity."
"What the mayor should do is see what the wards in the city need," Maldonado added.
Cunningham addressed economic growth in Jersey City, citing new projects proposed for Journal Square and the Newport-area arts district.
"In Journal Square, we will soon break ground on the first new project there in 20 years, at the site of the old State Theater," said Cunningham. "This new building will have 130 new apartments and storefront retail space."
In the newly designated Powerhouse Arts District, Cunningham noted, artist-low income housing has been approved to be part of residential development in the area. The Jersey City Department is currently formulating a development plan to create an arts district in the Newport area.
While congratulating the first two women firefighters in Jersey City history, Constance Zapella and Maureen Nally, Cunningham announced that four new pumper trucks had been put into service this year and a new ladder truck would come on line next week.
"Our firefighters are getting the equipment they need to meet the challenge of keeping our city safe," Cunningham declared.