Despite political rhetoric to the contrary, the Democratic civil war that caused so many bad feelings in 2007 is expected to continue in 2008, leaving even more political scars.
The political new year will see Hudson County embroiled in several significant local and national elections, and could become the pivotal county in determining which Democratic presidential candidate will win New Jersey. The county could even play a role in selecting the next president of the United States.
Leading candidates in the Democratic primary for president in New Jersey in February are U.S. Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, with Hudson County expected to be the deciding factor in which candidate will face the Republican candidate in November of 2008.
If former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani becomes the Republican candidate for president, Hudson County could also figure prominently into who will win New Jersey in the national presidential election.
Congressional races
Hudson County will also see all three of its House of Representative seats up for re-election in November.
While Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.), whose district includes North Bergen, Secaucus, and a slice of Jersey City Heights, is unlikely to be opposed in the Democratic primary in June, Rep. Albio Sires (D-13th Dist.), whose district includes Guttenberg, Union City, West New York, Hoboken, Weehawken, a sizeable portion of Jersey City, and most of Bayonne, could see a primary battle in June, as will Rep. Donald Payne (D-10th Dist.), whose district includes a portion of Jersey City and Bayonne.
Who controls the Hudson County freeholders?
What was expected to be the most significant political battle of the year in Hudson County – a battle over control of the Hudson County Board of Freeholders – may instead be an uneasy truce.
At the reorganization meeting of the board Thursday night, Jersey City Freeholder Jeff Dublin was elected chairman of the board for 2008, and Bayonne Freeholder Doreen DiDomenico was elected vice chair.
Allies of Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack had been pushing for Dublin to get the chairmanship and Hoboken-based Maurice Fitzgibbons to become vice chair. However, this was apparently unacceptable to state Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who wanted the board to remain as it was constructed, with North Bergen Freeholder Tom Liggio as chairman.
Fitzgibbons, a Stack ally, supported Liggio’s reappointment as chairman in the past. But a last-minute deal gave Dublin the chairmanship, and the vice chair to HCDO-allied DiDomenico. While Fitzgibbons voted for both, the other two freeholders aligned with Stack abstained, suggesting the political war still have some steam.
The moves are significant because of the freeholder seats that are up for re-election in the upcoming June primaries.
Stack has apparently been considering backing off the idea of fielding a slate of challengers in June that would swing the board his way. Yet, Stack supporters are pushing him to continue the fight from last year, saying that if he wins the freeholder board, he can make up for his lost efforts at taking the county executive seat last year.
Stack candidates for freeholder are already being recruited in Jersey City, Bayonne, and Secaucus.
Bayonne mayor and maybe others up for grabs
Although no regularly contested municipal elections are slated for 2008, Bayonne will have a special election in November to decide who will fill the unexpired term of former Mayor Joseph Doria – who resigned in October, 2007 to take a post in the cabinet of Gov. Jon Corzine.
Interim Mayor Terrence Malloy is not expected to run for the seat, leaving the special election to anyone and everyone, although former mayoral candidate Leonard Kantor said he would not run this time, despite the fact that there will not be a runoff. The person who gets the most votes becomes mayor until the regularly scheduled election in May, 2010.
The year 2008 also could see as many as three attempts at recall elections against sitting mayors – in Weehawken, West New York, and Guttenberg – if activists keep their fights alive.
Jersey City referendum
Perhaps the most significant move in 2008 that could shape the May, 2009 municipal elections in Jersey City is a referendum against dual office holding that has been put on the ballot by Jersey City Councilman Steve Fullop. Almost all of that city’s nine council members also have paid full-time jobs with county government.
If the referendum is successful, a batch of council members may be forced to choose between their lucrative county jobs or keeping their seats on the council.