Born in Margaret Hague Hospital, baptized in St. Patrick’s Church, Gov. Jim McGreevey came to Jersey City last week looking for a home, possibly in the Paulus Hook section. McGreevey dined at Casa Dante restaurant on Newark Avenue on Sept 10, apparently in the company of his real estate broker.
McGreevey became the sensation of the night as well-wishers flowed to him at his table in a public display of affection.
McGreevey, who faces a lawsuit from several minor political parties to force his resignation in order to set up a special election for governor this November, has yet to submit his Nov. 15 resignation notice in writing.
Despite heavy political criticism inside and outside the Democratic Party, public perception seems to be more positive with recent poll numbers showing he may be recovering from the impact of his admission he was “a gay American” in late August. McGreevey may be seeking his roots in Jersey City, where he can lick his political wounds.
Some local political figures have tried to promote the myth that most of Hudson County’s elected officials backed a failed coup against McGreevey. In late August, Rep. Bob Menendez, state Sen. Bernard Kenny and former state Senator John Lynch tried to force McGreevey for resign before the Sept. 2 deadline, in order to allow the governor’s seat to be disputed in a special November election.
While Bayonne state Sen. and Mayor Joseph Doria and Assembly Speaker and West New York Mayor Albio Sires were credited with refusing to join the plot, there were other mayors who also refused to take part.
Menendez and Kenny apparently approached Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, who said he would not oppose McGreevey. Secaucus has an inside track on state funding and other benefits because of its close relationship to McGreevey loyalist state Sen. Ray Lesniak.
Chiappone to challenge Doria for state Senate?
Reports suggest that Doria – who was appointed to fill the state Senate seat of deceased Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham – may have to face off against Bayonne’s Assemblyman and Councilman Anthony Chiappone in the November special election to keep that seat.
Chiappone, running on a ticket that included Cunningham and Lou Manzo, defeated Doria in the 2003 primary by a narrow margin. The move to challenge Doria for the state Senate seat has several political observers scratching their heads.
Does this mean that Chiappone’s chances for re-election to the state Assembly next year may be slim, and that he is leaping onto this election on the off chance he can beat Doria twice? Or is this an effort by Chiappone to get his name out in the public for a possible mayoral run in 2006? Some believe if Doria wins a full term in the state Senate, he will decline to run for re-election as mayor.
Who’s running so far and why in Jersey City?
Filings for the special election for Jersey City Mayor were scheduled to take place by 4 p.m. on Sept. 15 – as if the election was not already many months old. Although the campaign has already caused some irreparable wounds between conflicting candidates, the race didn’t officially start until September.
Most surprising was the last-minute addition of Jersey City Councilman Steve Lipski, who declared his intention to run for mayor just prior to the deadline. Willie Flood, the former Hudson County director of consumer affairs, made her announcement two weeks ago, getting the blessing and support of newly appointed Freeholder Jeff Dublin.
Dublin’s endorsement of Flood leads some to suspect this was a move to help steal votes from the campaign of Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith – who seemed to be making advances in the African-American community. Many former Cunningham supporters are conflicted by the slate of candidates. Some are unlikely to vote for Smith out of anger over small public relations blunders Smith made early in the campaign, and by the general resentment towards Smith over Smith’s running against Cunningham for the state Senate in the 2003 primary.
Smith, who also served as City Council president and was at one time very loyal to Cunningham, angered Cunningham people by refusing to give a blank check to Cunningham’s mayoral initiatives – and voted his conscience.
While Manzo and Police Chief Ron Buonocore were both vying for the African-American vote, most of those who supported Cunningham would have voted for Smith or not at all, rather than give their vote to a non-African-American. Flood, who like Smith is also African-American, will likely divert Smith votes, leaving Manzo to face off against Jersey City Councilman Jerremiah Healy in a battle for the Heights.
Manzo is gambling that his strong west side support could carry the day with the rest of the city split among the rest of the candidates. Rev. Edward Allen, who had suggested he would run for mayor, has backed Flood. James Carroll, whose signs have cropped up here and there in the Heights – especially near Terrace and Manhattan avenues – seems a long shot at best. Meanwhile Manzo has petitioned the county clerk to have Buonocore rejected from the ballot, claiming the police chief could not prove the necessary year’s residency in Jersey City.
“[Former Gov.] Brendan Byrne’s oft-quoted quip asking to be buried in Hudson County so he can remain active in politics does not apply to those living outside the city limits,” Manzo’s letter said.
Pay to play, Hoboken style
Hoboken councilpeople Tony Soares and Carol Marsh, along with their loyal following, were scheduled to make their way to West Orange to protest at a Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts fundraiser at The Manor.
Soares and company are billing the affair as “the Vendors’ Ball,” in their attack on Roberts’ decision to back the state’s version of pay to play, a less strict regulation of political contributions from vendors doing business with governmental bodies. In perhaps an exaggerated criticism of Roberts, Soares has labeled the mayor’s pay to play resolution “the Vendors’ Protection Act of 2004.”
Soares would like to implement the much stricter campaign restricting regulations recommended by Common Cause. If anyone thinks this is merely a Hoboken issue, Chiappone has been seeking a similar rule in Bayonne.
Competing resolutions will go to a referendum in Hoboken in November.
Doing it the Republican way?
An Associated Press report in July showed that employees from Goldman Sachs topped the list for contribution to political parties. The company’s employees gave $4 million in political contributions, most of which went to Republican candidates. Of this, $348,875 went to President George W. Bush’s re-election effort.
For Democrats, this is a valuable lesson. Since U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine is a former executive of Goldman Sachs, and a Democrat, he might provide the state’s Democratic delegation lessons on how to invest.
By better emulating the Republican fundraising efforts, the Democrats might well be able to enact meaningful pay to play reforms since they will no longer depend upon professional service contracts to fill their election coffers. This would also give Democrats a vested interest in maintaining the national economy.
Of course, Democrats would have to be careful in the way they conduct business, since U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has a special unit designed to uncover stock crimes.
Al Sullivan can be contacted at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com