The temperature has increased in the Jersey City political season as major endorsements for two mayoral candidates were announced last week. The election will be held in November.
Sandra Cunningham, widow of recently deceased former Mayor Glenn Cunningham, announced her endorsement of Jersey City Police Chief Ronald Buonocore on Monday. And Tuesday, County Executive Tom DeGise endorsed Councilman and former Municipal Court Judge Jerremiah Healy, rather than endorsing City Council President L. Harvey Smith.Cunningham made her announcement at the Hard Grove Cafe, owned by Cunningham friend and political ally Dominic Santana (also the committee chairman for Buonocore’s campaign), before a small crowd of supporters.
“I am supporting Ron Buonocore for the next mayor of Jersey City,” Sandra Cunningham announced. “I think that Ron is a man of integrity and character and who like my husband shares the same similar vision, one in which the residents of Jersey City can feel safe, one in which the residents of Jersey City can be proud of the place where they live.”
Buonocore spoke briefly, saying that he “graciously accepted” the endorsement and looked forward to fulfilling the late mayor’s vision.
“Glenn was a great man,” Buonocore said. “He was a longtime friend of mine and a great husband to Sandy and he’s dearly missed. But I intend to and pledge here today once again that I will continue with his vision and I already have a vision that will benefit all the wards.”
Cunningham said that she would not have an active role campaigning as she is still trying to cope with the loss of her late husband, who passed away on May 25 as the result of a massive heart attack.
Cunningham emphasized that she would not be seeking to work in City Hall if Buonocore is elected in November.
Before his death, Cunningham had been at odds with other political hopefuls, like L. Harvey Smith and County Executive Tom DeGise. Both of the latter were allied with the anti-Cunningham Hudson County Democratic Organization.
When Cunningham was asked after the announcement ended if she was concerned about questions arising about Buonocore’s residency in Jersey City, she said that she hadn’t heard anything negative and she had full trust that Buonocore does live in Jersey City.
Residency issue
Questions have been raised, though, about Buonocore’s residency. A candidate must have lived in the city for a year before running for municipal office.
Documents supplied to the Reporter show that Buonocore had changed his voting address from 15 Country Lane in Hardyston (located in Northern New Jersey about 55 miles from City Hall) to the more convenient address of 33-35 Hudson St. in Jersey City, which is the Liberty Towers Apartments, on July 27. The listing of Hardyston was an error as it is actually the town of Hamburg. A concierge at the front desk confirmed that Buonocore does live at the Liberty Towers Apartments.
Buonocore said at his announcement for the mayor’s office on Aug. 18 that he has multiple residences but that his official residence is in Jersey City. When asked after his announcement for mayor about his residential eligibility to run for the mayor’s seat, Buonocore said that he qualifies since he is registered to vote in Jersey City at least 29 days before the special election on Nov. 2, and has been a Jersey City resident for over a year. Buonocore said that he moved to the Hudson Street address in July.
However, Buonocore did not offer any information on where he resided in Jersey City before he moved to the Hudson Street address, stating it was confidential information.
After repeated inquiries by the Reporter, Buonocore’s spokesman David Vermillion conceded that the information about Buonocore residence(s) in Jersey City was public record, but still declined to address the issue any further.
But Buonocore had this challenge for anyone who wants to challenge his eligibility: “They can go ahead and bring me to court on this issue. I have five attorneys who looked into my eligibility before. These are just my opponents running on this one issue because they have nothing else to run on.”
Buonocore pointed a finger at former mayor Gerald McCann, saying that he ran into McCann recently and asked him why he was going around spreading this information about me. McCann is supporting candidate Lou Manzo.
“I told Gerry, “Why are you going around saying this about me?” Buonocore said. “I told him that when he ran for office in 1989, he had an address in Rutherford.”
Gerald McCann, when reached for comment last week, said that Buonocore shouldn’t be “blaming the messenger.”
“If what I am saying isn’t true, then he can provide the documents and that’s the end of story,” McCann said. “But if he can’t, then why is he attacking me? This isn’t about Gerry McCann, this is Ron Buonocore and whether he is eligible to run for mayor.”
Manzo and Smith were both asked about whether or not they would challenge Buonocore’s residency when he files petitions for his candidacy by the Sept. 15 deadline.
Manzo offered no comment and Smith said he would not be challenging Buonocore’s candidacy if and when Buonocore filed his petitions, saying that he would leave it up to the people to decide if they want Buonocore as mayor.
Bumps in the campaign road
Buonocore has also found himself in other trouble this week, as he had been placed on unpaid leave by Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith. It was reported in the media that Smith on Tuesday had said that Buonocore had only taken vacation but was still on the payroll. Sources inside City Hall said that Smith was upset that Buonocore was taking off from his job as police chief at a time of a heightened security alert with the Republican National Convention starting this week and the third anniversary of Sept. 11 coming up.
Buonocore, at his announcement on Aug. 18, said that he appointed Robert Taino, the department’s chief of operations, as acting police chief until he returns to official duty. It was reported that Smith instead appointed Lt. Robert Blake instead as acting police chief.
Buonocore responded to Smith’s action by issuing a press release on Wednesday calling for Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith and State Assemblyman Louis Manzo (NJ-31st Dist.) to step down from their political positions, and he especially took a shot at Smith.
“Unlike Mr. Smith, I have gone on vacation, using the vacation time I have accrued to campaign so that I can meet with the community while also making myself available to the city if my experience should be needed,” said Buonocore in the press release. “Mr. Smith, on the other hand, has done what you expect from the typical politician: staying on the payroll, keeping the taxpayer’s dollars while he campaigns, and unfairly attacks a good public servant as I seek election to office.”
The acting mayor’s spokesman, Roger Jones, said last week that Smith was indeed concerned about the city’s police chief taking a leave of absence at a time when the city, like other major cities such as Newark and New York City, is under a high state of terrorism alert.
Manzo commented, “I only wish Ron and his wife the best as they enter private life.”
Also, there was speculation that Smith did not appreciate Buonocore filming a commercial on the grounds of the city’s Department of Public Works Headquarters on Route 440.
Betty Outlaw, the executive director of public works, said last week that she knew nothing about the filming until another employee who was away from the public works headquarters contacted her to inform her that Buonocore was on the premises.
Buonocore’s spokesman David Vermillion, when asked if Buonocore was looking to file any legal action against Smith and the city over Smith’s decision, said that Buonocore was looking at legal options. Smith said that he hasn’t heard from any of Buonocore’s lawyers.
Sidebar Healy gets endorsement from County Exec DeGise
City Councilman-at-Large Jerremiah Healy received the endorsement of Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise on Tuesday. At an afternoon press conference held in the county executive’s office inside the Brennan Courthouse in Jersey City, DeGise made the long expected announcement.
Healy was joined by his wife Maureen and two of his children.
DeGise emphasized that he was doing this endorsement only for himself, not for the Hudson County Democratic Organization or the Jersey City Democratic Organization.
DeGise then gave a couple of reasons why he was endorsing Healy on his own.
“I think Jerry is a very good man…I know that Jerry Healy is the type of guy that went through a lot of things I went through,” DeGise said. “Raising a family here, paying tuition bills, a lot of the same problems. I think that Jerry has the ability to relate to most of the people that happen to live and love Jersey City.”
DeGise also said that Healy’s resume as a lawyer, a judge and as a councilman makes him highly qualified to be a candidate and to win the mayor’s office. But DeGise said that Healy’s most important quality is his ability to appeal to different groups of people across the city.
“Jerry can get elected…he has proven in his two forays into politics in Jersey City that he can get people to vote for him,” he said.
Healy ran for mayor in 1997 against then-incumbent Bret Schundler, forcing Schundler into a runoff but eventually losing. Healy then ran for the councilman-at-large seat for the City Council in 2001, on the ticket of then mayoral candidate DeGise, and winning his seat.
DeGise also admitted that he was looking to run for mayor after the passing of late mayor Glenn Cunningham but instead decided to back Healy since Healy could stop much of the “political infighting” in the city and bring all opposing sides together. Also, DeGise and Healy afterward both pledged that during Healy’s campaign, there will be no signs on poles throughout the city. He said Healy will run on issues.
Political observers believe that the reason that DeGise is backing Healy on his own is that the premiere endorsement of Rep. Robert Menendez may not be forthcoming since Menendez does not want to endorse Healy for mayor and prefers another candidate.
Menendez could not be reached for comment.
When Healy and DeGise were asked about whether or not they were seeking the endorsement of Menendez, Healy said that he has not spoken to Menendez in some time and does not believe that Menendez will make any announcement endorsing any candidate for mayor.
DeGise said that he spoke to Menendez on Monday, and based on their conversation, Menendez has not made any decision about endorsing anyone and is probably focused on both his own congressional election and the presidential election in November.
Healy spoke about stopping the political fighting if he is elected, and focus on the issues of clean streets and stopping crime. He also said that so far, his campaign has raised $50,000 and there’s another fundraiser at Casino-In-The-Park on Sept. 16.
In related news, there was an incident recently where the Healy For Mayor headquarters was vandalized. According to Healy Spokesperson Maria Pignataro, paint was splattered on the building located on Oakland Avenue in the Heights section of Jersey City. It was reported to the Jersey City police, and so far there have been no arrests. Pignataro said that she suspects that it was done by supporters of an opposing mayoral candidate but has no proof at the present time. – Ricardo Kaulessar