“They serve at the pleasure of the mayor.” That’s the phrase used most by those inside City Hall when referring to the city’s department directors who have been asked to resign from their posts by Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith.
Smith is currently the City Council president, but also assumed the role of acting mayor after the late Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham passed away from a massive heart attack on May 25. The phrase refers to the fact that it is at the mayor’s discretion that city workers are hired and fired.
Since June 2, the day after Cunningham’s funeral, the city’s two deputy mayors have been terminated. Besides deputy mayors Gene Drayton and Anthony Cruz, Chief of Staff Bill Ayala also was let go, Smith confirmed. Also, at least 10 city department directors have been asked to resign with only a few being retained, and there have been several staff replacements, with more to come.
Smith had been politically opposed to Cunningham in the past. Smith was allied with the Hudson County Democratic Organization, while Cunningham headed his own group of Democrats. The county’s major powerbrokers are with the HCDO.
Some inside City Hall wonder if this transition is happening too fast and is insensitive in light of Cunningham’s passing.
But Smith said last week that this is how businesses operate, so why should it be any different for government when there’s a new executive in place?
Smith said that while he is trying to be respectful of people’s feelings at a difficult time after a death, the business of the city must continue.
Who’s out, who’s in
Several city officials who did not want to be named said that Deputy Mayor Eugene Drayton on May 25 had announced to employees in the mayor’s office and other offices that they should start packing up because there would definitely be massive turnover if Harvey Smith takes over.
A security officer and other city employees said that in the week after Cunningham’s death, computers were taken out of offices as Hudson County sheriff’s officers secured the interior of City Hall. Smith remarked recently that he wanted to make sure they continued to be used for city business.
By June 2, there were news reports and speculation on the part of many City Hall employees that there would be terminations immediately. By the end of the funeral week, at least 10 department directors had been asked for their resignations. Prominent names included Mark Munley, the controversial head of the city’s Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce; Betty Outlaw, the head of the city’s Department of Public Works, and Ron Buonocore, the city’s Police Department chief.
A source inside the HEDC said that Munley was asked for his resignation the day after the mayor’s funeral and was officially terminated a day later. There were already calls for his resignation by members of the City Council going back several months in regard to controversial tax abatements on the Flintkote property in Jersey City. Munley could not be reached for comment.
Named as his replacement last week was Robert Cotter, longtime head of the city’s Planning Department.
Outlaw had been asked for her resignation but acting mayor Smith did not accept her resignation. Outlaw is still in her position as the head of Public Works. Calls to Outlaw were not returned.
The city’s police chief, Ron Buonocore, had been also been asked for his resignation but decided to fight it in court, claiming that the acting mayor did not have the proper authority to ask for resignations since he was a temporary replacement for an elected mayor. However, last week, on the day of the hearing in State Supreme Court to argue this case, Buonocore withdrew his complaint.
Buonocore’s attorney George Taite could not be reached for comment.
“Buonocore is still in as a police chief, and apparently he will submit his resignation, which will probably be refused by Mayor Smith,” said mayoral spokesman Roger Jones.
There have also been some appointments in the past week to various positions in City Hall.
Frank Lorenzo, a retired police officer, was recently appointed as a deputy mayor, taking the place of Anthony Cruz. Ed Cheatam, a former Jersey City police officer and longtime employee in Hudson County government, was named the replacement for Eugene Drayton. Brian O’Reilly, who formerly worked in the city’s tax assessor office, is now the city business administrator, with former B.A. Carlton McGee stepping down voluntarily. Roger Jones, who worked under former mayor Gerald McCann, is now in the dual role of chief-of-staff/spokesperson.
On Friday, June 11, two members of the Cunningham administration – Tim White and Jennifer Grace – who were both aides to the late mayor, were terminated from their positions.
White, who had worked as Cunningham’s liaison with the block associations in the city, wondered why it took so long for him and Grace to be replaced.
White said that Jones told him, “We didn’t get around to you yet, but you should have expected it.” White said, “That’s just bad government and bad public policy, a real lack of respect.”
Transition? What transition?
Proponents of the transition have said in the past week that this is typical in government whenever there’s a change in the leadership. Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith remarked after last week’s City Council caucus meeting that there hasn’t been a lot of time to consider options on whether this transition should have been more gradual, or there should have been more time to evaluate the directors and other employees who were eventually terminated or asked to resign.
“Every five days that you wait to make a decision is 20 days that you are hurting the process of running a government,” said Smith.
Other proponents said that Smith was trying to see which holdovers for the Cunningham administration would be willing to work in an administration with him, and with whom Smith feels comfortable. And they point out that Smith has asked for resignations but has refused a couple of them, including Fire Chief Jerome Cala, and the head of the city’s Department of Recreation, Bob Hurley.
One source said that asking for all the resignations was a way for Smith to give the appearance that he isn’t playing favorites.
Hurley recently spoke to the Jersey City Reporter. Hurley said he was contacted by Acting Mayor Smith to come to City Hall for a closed door meeting, and was asked for his resignation. Hurley submitted his resignation a day later but he said that Smith refused it.
“I believe he did that because he realized that I’m not a political person,” Hurley said. “I run the best recreation department possible. I don’t really need the money.”
Critics of the shakeups believe they are politically motivated, and they claim that Smith is trying to abolish all remnants of the Cunningham administration by installing those loyal to the Hudson County Democratic Organization. A longtime political observer of Jersey City politics wonders if these terminations haven’t already hurt Smith’s chances for vying for the mayor’s seat if he runs for the full term in November.
His most vocal critics have been Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson and Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski. In the final minutes of last week’s City Council caucus meeting, Richardson brought up the question of the terminations.
“I don’t know who’s who in the administration; I don’t know what’s going on,” said Richardson, who demanded that Smith provide a list of all the people that are relieved from the previous administration and who the persons are who will take their place.
Smith responded that he didn’t believe it was appropriate to discuss the terminations and hirings at the present time, since he was in the process of putting the information together.
Who’s next?
Karen DeSoto, the city’s corporation counsel, was told last week that she is being terminated, and that Smith had already had a candidate in mind. DeSoto said in an interview in her office that it was ironic that she had drafted her own resignation letter as well the letters sent to other department directors. She also spoke of the disappointment she felt at being told her services were no longer needed.
“If he wants to have instability in government, then I don’t know what to say,” said DeSoto. “I have no idea why Smith would get rid of the city’s head lawyer. I don’t think it was because I wasn’t doing a good job.”
DeSoto said that she still has 20 days in her job during which time she can appeal the termination to the City Council. The council by a two-thirds vote could overturn the mayor’s decision, or they can choose not to act, which would keep his decision intact.
The replacement for DeSoto to be considered is Hope Blackburn, a Princeton University graduate who has recently been employed as the state assistant counsel/assistant treasurer.
Blackburn recently made an appearance with Acting Mayor Smith at an event at the Landmark Loew’s Theatre, where Smith referred to her as his aide who would help him study the lease agreement between the city and the volunteer group that has been running the theater.