Although speculation of impending sainthood for Judge Joe Charles may be premature, the coalition of Jersey City churches backing Mayor Glenn Cunningham’s bid for state Senate owes Charles big.
If Charles had waited until after the June primary to step down as 31st District state senator, Cunningham would not likely have won the Democratic nod and been on last week’s ballot.
By getting his judgeship before the primary, Charles allowed Cunningham and his runningmates to mount an alternative ticket that included former Freeholder Lou Manzo and Bayonne Councilman Anthony Chiappone.
Instead of blaming the loss on everything from voter fraud to sun spots, outcast HDCO candidates L. Harvey Smith, Joe Doria and Elba Perez-Cinciarelli ought to talk to Charles about the matter. The old adage about those who discard history are condemned to repeat it may well apply. HCDO merely has to look back a decade when Charles seemed agreeable to head a ticket in the 31st District, organized by Manzo, and which included Bill O’Dea as an Assembly candidate.
Of course, the Cunningham camp seemed to be reaching when last week, the Jersey City branch of the NAACP announced it would file a legal action against the HCDO in federal court, claiming that an ongoing appeal of the June primary was “an attempt to disenfranchise voters in the Jersey City portion of the 31st Legislative District which is 85 percent African-American.” There may be something wrong with the mathematics here when a slate with one African-American and two white candidates accuses a ticket with one African-American, one Latina and one white candidate of racism.
Cunningham’s victory in the general election can’t dampen the complaints that he has been playing both sides against the middle, especially when offering support for the 4th District freeholder race. While some Cunningham supporters suggested he had a difficult time offering support for mayoral aide Carl S. Czaplicki, former Jersey City Mayor Gerry McCann and Jersey City Deputy Mayor Anthony Cruz, more cynical political people claim Cunningham played one against the other.
“This is too much,” one source said. “There is only one cure for Cunningham and his name is Bret Schundler.”
Indeed, several sources claim Schundler has abandoned his aspirations to run for governor again and is seeking support for a Jersey City mayoral bid in 2005. Schundler could not be reached in time for comment.
If Cunningham intends to make peace with the HCDO, he apparently has a poor way of showing it, after meeting with Hoboken opposition members at the Malibu Diner. After finishing off Doria in the primary, Cunningham seems to be setting his sights on Mayor Dave Roberts, recalling the reported promise to get even with Doria and Roberts for their supporting Tom DeGise for county executive two years ago rather than Cummingham favorite Bernard Hartnett. Is this the first step towards a reunion of the old Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne political alliance?
Hoboken loss
Both Mayor Roberts and his political guru state Sen. Bernard Kenny bemoaned the loss of City Council candidate Vincent Addeo in a special council election for the 3rd Ward. Addeo became the victim of a three-way race. Although Michael Russo – son of former Hoboken Mayor Anthony Russo – took the seat, Addeo’s vote was cut into by disgruntled former Roberts ally Roseanne Andreula. While Roberts still maintains a majority of votes on the council, with 5 to 4, he lost a critical vote on money issues – which often require a super majority, or six of nine votes. Roberts made it clear he respected Addeo and envisioned a future role for him.
“He’s an honest man and a straight-shooter,” Roberts said in describing Addeo.
Political sage Tony Amabile, who was denied the chore of running the Addeo campaign, said Addeo could have won. Amabile, who has been called the master of negative campaigning by many of his critics, said the Addeo-Russo campaign begged for negative attacks. In a different light, Amabile took credit for the freeholder victory in the 4th District for Radames Velazquez, along with the victory of Guttenberg Mayor David Della Donna, and accomplished this without “going negative.”
“This should send a message to people that Tony Amabile doesn’t have to go negative to win,” he said. He also authored two near-misses in Assembly races elsewhere in the 13th District, where he claimed he had very little money to work with. One of these candidates was a firefighter for North Hudson Regional named Leonard Inzerillo.
Around the county and state
For Bernard Kenny, Addeo’s loss was one of the few negatives in a very successful Democratic effort throughout the state. Democrats won additional seats and now firmly control both the state Senate and Assembly for the first time since 1990.
Hoboken resident U.S. Senator Jon Corzine played a big role in one of the more critical districts when he went to the streets to campaign for Ellen Karcher against Republican incumbent senator John Bennett in District 12. Hudson County Register Barbara Donnelly led a busload of about 50 Hudson County women to help in the campaign.
Executive of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Suzanne Mack left office. Mack is reportedly going to Doria Administration where she will be working on the Military Ocean Terminal redevelopment. Her position on the TMA, however, will not likely be renewed.
Melissa Holloway, director of consumer affairs, will be leaving Jersey City government to become the director of community relations for the New Century Financial Corporation in Irvine, Ca.
She will be part of a team that will roll out a new program for emerging markets. She submitted her resignation on Monday and is leaving for California on Sunday. She got the new job through a contact she met during the 1988 Jesse Jackson campaign.