Hudson County politics took a chapter from the 1970 classic comedy album by Fire Sign Theater, “We’re all Bozos on this bus,” when Jersey City municipal worker Ray Manzo’s name briefly appeared as a possible contender for mayor.
Some people believed Ray Manzo’s candidacy would siphon votes off of perceived front-running candidate Assemblyman Lou Manzo.
For months, county employees had complained about a pack of political operatives scrounging through department after department in search of anyone bearing the last name of Manzo.
Of course, there have been other Manzos in politics prior to this, even a Manzo who once served as a freeholder.
The idea behind this brilliant move was to insult the voting public’s intelligence with the hopes that some poor fool might be denied his right to vote by mistakenly voting for a Manzo he or she didn’t want.
But in a county that had a reputation for robbing graves to get votes, stealing a person’s constitutional rights seems merely petty theft.
Of course, the other former Freeholder Frank Manzo, considered one of the most astute grassroots political organizers in the 4th freeholder district, passed away years ago.
Alas, former politico Alan Manzo has also vanished from this mortal coil. And while Lou Manzo’s brother Ronald might be available now that he has retired from his insurance and investment business, his pleading of guilt on stock charges precludes him from running at this moment.
But if opponents of Lou Manzo really needed a Manzo to fill the ticket, they might have consulted the local phone book, out of which they could have procured a dozen possible candidates.
In any case, Raymond Manzo’s withdrawing from the mayor’s race may well have disappointed those well-meaning individuals who signed his petition – noble and dedicated people like Bernadette Gaughan, who defied her close relation Jersey City Councilman Bill Gaughan, who just happens to be backing Jerramiah Healy for mayor. Or even signer Stanley Shaw, brother-in-law to County Executive Tom DeGise, who also happens to support Healy.
Think of how tearful these several hundred people will be when they are forced to decide on some other candidate, rather than Raymond Manzo. Could these people bring themselves to vote for Lou Manzo instead, or will they hold their noses and vote for Healy?
Betrayal or a smart move?
Meanwhile, a rash of Lou Manzo signs vanished from the fronts of homes throughout Jersey City Heights this week. This was obviously the work of people obsessed with Manzo, who will sell the signs later on eBay or hang them on their bedroom walls to recall the glory of the 2004 special election in which three-time candidate Manzo finally wins as mayor.
Of course, other less noble theories exist for the missing signs, such as the desperate attempt by followers to some other candidate who might feel Manzo had made too much of an in-road into an area previously presumed to be Healy territory.
This also could be a massive dissatisfaction with Lou Manzo over his endorsement of state Sen. and Bayonne Mayor Joe Doria in the special election for state senate. Manzo may have lost some votes by switching sides. In the 2003 primary, Manzo was part of a ticket that included then Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham for state Senate, and Manzo and Bayonne Councilman Anthony Chiappone for Assembly. Manzo and Chiappone squeezed out a narrow victory, pushing Doria out of the state Assembly after 24 years there. Many terrible words were aimed at Manzo and Chiappone, including such legal terms as “voter fraud.” Doria even sued to reverse the outcome, based on campaign spending. Although the legal issues were resolved, the bitter feelings remained – or so everybody thought.
Many Manzo supporters were a bit disconcerted when the Hudson County Democratic Organization orchestrated a vote that named Doria to the state Senate after Cunningham’s death earlier this year. Some saw this move as dancing on Cunningham’s grave, leaving even more bitter feelings towards the HCDO.
Then when Chiappone declared his candidacy against Doria for senate, Manzo switched sides and went with Doria and the HCDO.
For Manzo, the move to support Doria makes perfect sense. Manzo’s relationship with Chiappone had always been one of convenience. Manzo and Cunningham from Jersey City in the 31st Assembly District needed a Bayonne resident to cut into Doria’s vote. Chiappone rode into the Assembly primary victory, dragged along on Cunningham’s coattails. Without Cunningham, Chiappone stands little chance of re-election, since the HCDO already informed him he would not be favored in next year’s primary. This is the reason he ran now, taking on Doria in a general election where he hoped to rouse a more objective general public to his cause.
In making his deal with Doria, Manzo assured himself of the HCDO support for next year’s primary race in the Assembly – a ticket that will likely include Doria, Manzo and some other body, probably Roger Jones. If Manzo loses his mayoral bid in November, he is assured re-election to the Assembly. If he wins as Jersey City Mayor, he can likely count on HDCO support in the next round of mayoral elections slated for May as well as the Democratic line for the Assembly.
A no-lose situation, right?
Maybe not. For all of the calculation, some loyal Manzo supporters feel betrayed. They saw Manzo as the knight in shining armor standing up against the evil HDCO dragon, a man who would reform the county of its political opportunism. But now, to some, Manzo is just another one of the bozos on the bus.
Al Sullivan can be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.