Few things ever shock the hardboiled Hudson County political crowd as did reports that Sandra Cunningham – widow of deceased state Senator and Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham – had buried her political hatchet with U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and might soon be persuaded to endorse Menendez over state Senator Tom Kean Jr. in the November run for the U.S. Senate.
People were shocked, yet not surprised.
Politics has always had a way of turning logic on its head, creating startling contradictions that even the most ardent fans of science fiction movies might find utterly unbelievable.
So that enemy often has a way of becoming an ally over time, if the political peace offering is seductive enough.
The trick is: how does a person saves face in making such a turn around?
With so much emotional rhetoric expended in expressing her open hatred for Menendez – even going so far as to blame Menendez for increasing the level of stress that led to her husband’s heart attack, how does Sandra Cunningham suddenly embrace Menendez without looking as if she has betrayed Glenn Cunningham’s legacy?
And what political offer would be so inviting that she would chance aliening those of her followers who bought into her anger and still remain ardently opposed to Menendez?
Some key political observers in Hudson County believe Sandra will not endorse Menendez, but instead has agreed to remain neutral in what is expected to be an incredibly close election between Menendez and Kean.
In exchange, the Hudson County Democratic Organization will later embrace Cunningham and reward her with a possible slot in next year’s 31st District Assembly on a ticket that would include former Jersey City former Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith for the other Assembly seat and headed by state Senator and Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria in the 2007 primary with the promise that in 2011, the HCDO would support her for the 31st District state Senate seat when Doria vacates is.
If the HCDO actually dumps incumbent Democratic Assemblymen Louis Manzo and Charles Epps, Cunningham would be running with Smith – who ran unsuccessfully against her Husband for the U.S. Senate in the 2003 primary and Doria who was named to the state Senate seat after her husband’s death in 2004.
This is a lot for even seasoned political observers to believe, although politics being politics, anything is possible.
Meanwhile Jersey City Mayor Healy is apparently pushing to have two of his council people elected also to the state Assembly, seeking to have Councilman Peter Brennan to replace Manzo in the 31 st Districe, and Councilman Mariano Vega to one of the two seats in the 33 rd District. Assemblywoman Joan Quigley appears will keep her seat in the 32 nd District, partly because of Corzine’s support.
Kenny may soon become judge?
Speculation has increased as to if state Senator Bernard Kenny will resign to make way for state Assemblyman and Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who is expected to bulldoze Kenny out of the state Senate seat if Kenny doesn’t vacated it on his own.
While Kenny has some powerful political friends, he has almost no political base of his own, no pool of voters particularly loyal to him that could offer a resistance to the Stack Machine thundering in his direction. Kenny has always depended upon building coalitions, hobnobbing with leaders whose voter base he could count on to carry him back into office.
This coalition has faded away. Although people like Doria and Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts are likely to stand by Kenny’s side, politicians elsewhere may be much more reluctant to throw themselves under the tread of Stack’s machine, particularly in places like West New York and Weehawken, where Stack is nearly as popular as the mayors there.
Jersey City – becoming more independent after years under the yolk of North Hudson – may also no longer feel inclined to protect Kenny.
This need to find support may explain why Kenny recently attended a political fundraiser for Hoboken Councilman Michael Russo, suggesting perhaps a deal might be worked out for the future that would have Kenny support a Russo mayoral bid.
Gov. Jon Corzine, Kenny’s most powerful ally, may live in Hudson County, but suffers a similar political disability in that he moved here and never built a grass roots base, so Corzine cannot aid Kenny in that way.
Corzine, however, may be able to pull Kenny out of the way of the Stack machine by giving Kenny a seat on the courts, and with the expected retirement of Superior Court Judge Kevin Callahan, Corzine may get his chance.
The question is: will Kenny use the escape hatch or stand his ground hoping to rally support for another for another four years as the state senator in the 33 rd district.
Stack supporters are urging Stack not to wait, pointing to others in the past such as former Assemblyman Rafael Fraguella who agreed to wait and then – when the HCDO no longer needed them – found themselves out of office with nothing to show for their show of good faith.
While Kenny’s predicament has inspired some sympathy, political observers point out how others under Kenny’s watch were bulldozed out of office.
“What goes around comes around,” one Democrat said.
Who will chair the HCDO?
Kenny’s exit from the political stage, however, leaves other unanswered questions such as who will become the next chairman of the HDCO.
Reports suggest that state Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco would like the post, as would Jersey City Mayor Jeramiah Healy.
But some parts of Hudson County would resist both fearing to give away too much power to already powerful political organizations.
While County Executive Tom DeGise is also a likely candidate, his ties to Jersey City, Healy and Councilman Bill Gaughan raise similar concerns.
Most observers shudder at the mention of Stack as a possible county chair, since Stack’s organization is already one of the most powerful in the county.
Compromise candidates could include Doria or Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner.
Turner, who may soon give up his position as city administrator for West New York to become the Hudson County chief of staff for Rep Albio Sires if Sires succeeds in his election to the House of Representatives in November, may indeed be positioned best for the chairmanship.