So you’ve seen a lot of election stories lately but don’t have time to read them all – yet, you wish there was an easy way to understand what they mean to you.
There’s too much history, too many simmering undertones. And because the powerful Hudson County Democratic party got fractured into two warring groups this year, there are too many people switching alliances and enemies to know who stands for what.
Here’s a brief user-friendly rundown on why there are so many election advertisements and stories.
June 5 is the big day
First of all, don’t get confused. There were already several school board elections in April and council elections in May. Those are over now, except that in Hoboken, three of the six council wards still face runoff elections on June 12.
On May 8, Hoboken, West New York, and North Bergen held their city council and town commissioner elections (in West New York and North Bergen, their city council is called a board of commissioners and the mayor simultaneously serves as a commissioner). In West New York and North Bergen, their two mayor/commissioners faced zero opposition in their May 8 re-election bids. Those re-elected mayors were Sal Vega in West New York and Nicholas Sacco in North Bergen. It is considered a part-time job to be mayor/commissioner in those towns, and both men also happen to be part-time state legislators. It is the latter job that both of those mayors are more concerned about. The state’s legislative primaries are on June 5, and unlike other years, there is steep competition.
Earlier this year, there was a huge rift between Hudson County’s powerful Democratic party. Politicians began fighting over who would get to run for which seat.
Each state legislative district includes two state assemblypeople and one state senator. So if you are a resident of Hudson County, you can vote for a total of three state legislators on June 5. In addition, countywide, there are three offices you can vote for: county executive, county clerk, and county sheriff.
That means that you can vote on six positions this June.
Democrats outnumber Republicans in Hudson County by 5.7 Democrats for every one Republican. As of this past Monday, there were 133,660 registered Democrats in the county, and only 23,597 registered Republicans. Therefore, the most heated elections come in the June primaries – where it’s Democrat vs. Democrat – rather than in November where it’s Democrat vs. Republican.
The Democrat who wins in June is likely to go on to defeat the Republican in November.
Occasionally, Republicans do get elected to office in Hudson County. In 1992, Jersey City elected Mayor Bret Schundler, a Republican and a Harvard graduate who faced a bevy of opponents. Clearly the city was fractured and wanted a change.
But most times, Democrats hold the power in Hudson County.
The party tends to be unified until a power struggle comes along. A recent rift occurred in 2002, when then-Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham disagreed with then-Rep. Robert Menendez over who should run for county executive. Menendez wanted former Jersey City Councilman Tom DeGise to get the slot. Cunningham wanted Jersey City lawyer Bernard Hartnett to run. The position had opened up when former County Executive Robert Janiszewski was snared in a corruption sting.
A struggle ensued over this question: Where is the center of power in Hudson County? Should it be in Jersey City, or elsewhere? Interestingly, the rhetoric in the resulting DeGise/Hartnett election rarely made reference to any issues, and instead, it focused on where the power, control, and jobs in the county should be centered. DeGise won that election. Eventually, the party began to fuse back together.
Until recently.
What’s coming up, and what it means
The powerful Hudson County Democrats started to break apart earlier this year.
In one case, Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who is also an assemblyman, wanted to run for state Senate this year in his state legislative district – the 33rd District. However, that position was already held by state Sen. Bernard Kenny from Hoboken.
Some pols believed Stack should get the seat, while others stood behind Kenny.
Various other positions became points of contention, and Stack formed his own group of Democrats called Democrats for Hudson County (DFHC) to take on the long-standing Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).
Kenny eventually chose not to run again.
There are the two warring Democratic parties putting up candidates in all of the primary elections on June 5.
The HCDO isn’t comprised entirely of old-time politicians, and the DFHC isn’t all newcomers.
Then it got strange
Since the schism in the party, former HCDO allies have changed sides, and former opponents of the HCDO took their chance to run under that banner.
For instance, Sandra Cunningham, Glenn Cunningham’s wife, who was a foe of the HCDO when Menendez controlled it, is now running for state Senate under that banner.
So whom can I, personally, vote for?
Many of the election articles you have been reading are about Democratic primary battles between candidates in the DFHC and the HCDO.
Both sides have put up candidates in the six positions you can vote for in the Democratic primaries on June 5. To vote for the one state senator and the two assemblypeople, you have to know which ones are running in your state legislative district.
Bayonne is in the 31st state legislative district, North Bergen is in the 32nd, Secaucus is in the 32nd, and Union City, Guttenberg, Weehawken, West New York, and Hoboken are in the 33rd.
Jersey City has parts of the 31st, 32nd and 33rd districts in it, so it depends where in Jersey City you live. Much of southern Jersey City is in the hotly-contested 31st District.
If you are unsure of your district, you can call the office of the county superintendent of elections at (201) 795-6555.
The 33rd legislative district seems to be the biggest battleground (and probably the nastiest).
There, Brian Stack of Union City wants to move from state assemblyman to state senator. But he faces Sal Vega of West New York, who wants to also move from state assemblyman to state senator.
Stack is, of course, with his own group, the DFHC, while Vega is with the HCDO.
Both men, who also serve as mayors of Union City and West New York respectively, want the slightly more prestigious (and more powerful) state Senate job.
Why is it so important for two men who are already in the state legislature to move up a notch – especially Vega, who has held his Assembly position for only a short time?
“I really admire the dedication and integrity of Bernard Kenny,” Vega said last week. “Now that he’s retiring, I feel I am the best person to continue his leadership and work to secure state money for open space, parks and transportation.”
Stack said he decided it was an appropriate time because Assemblyman Albio Sires was moving up to become a congressman, and Kenny might be retiring.
Stack said, “I think the added benefit in Trenton when you are a state senator is you are seen as the leader of a legislative team. The difference is you really set the legislative agenda in the district [as far as] bringing more money for affordable housing and open space.”
If you were registered by this past Tuesday, you can vote in the June 5 primary.
See previous and upcoming editions of the Reporter (www.hudsonreporter.com) for profiles on the individual candidates in the various races.
For more information on voting, call the office of the county superintendent of elections at (201) 795-6555.
Local politics for dummies
FACT: There are 133,660 registered Democrats in Hudson County and only 23,597 registered Republicans. FACT: Thus, the Democratic primary on June 5 is a big event. FACT: There are two warring Democratic groups in the county right now: The Hudson County Democratic Organization and the Democrats for Hudson County. FACT: Each group has put up candidates in the state legislative and countywide primaries. You can vote for three legislative positions (two assemblypeople and a state senator), as well as all three countywide positions. FACT: Anyone registered by this past Tuesday can vote in the June 5 primary. – CL