Do the names Shelley Skinner, Dan Levin, and Frank Scalcione sound familiar?
They might, if you lived downtown and knew that those three of your neighbors have already begun campaigning for mayor or a City Council seat well before next May’s municipal elections.
Skinner and Scalcione say they’re going to run for the Ward E council seat (covering much of downtown), and Levin wants to be mayor.
The Ward E seat is currently held by Councilman Steven Fulop, who is rumored to be running for mayor next May, although he hasn’t announced it yet. Current Mayor Jerramiah Healy is also planning to run again, and former Mayor Bret Schundler has said he will seek the seat.
With much of the focus on electing the nation’s next president on Nov. 4, the Jersey City mayoral declarations may come out soon after that. All nine seats on the council are up in May as well.
Levin, Skinner and Scalcione have already gotten a head start on the competition, as they realize they probably are not going to have a $150 million fundraising month like a certain Democratic presidential candidate.Their backgrounds
Levin lives on Third Street with his wife and two children, and is the owner of Fastframe in Hoboken. He has lived in Jersey City for 12 years.
Skinner lives with her husband and their two children near Van Vorst Park and works at the Learning Community Charter School on Canal Street in Jersey City as the director of development and outreach.
Scalcione, who is single and lives on Third Street like Levin, is the operator of Frank’s Famous Italian Pizzeria on Monmouth Street. A slice of reality
Frank Scalcione intends to be taken seriously as a candidate for City Council, going so far as to record a message on his answering machine referring to himself as “Councilman for Ward E.” And in recent weeks, he has driven a sound truck down downtown streets blaring out his platform for the office, to the surprise and sometimes annoyance of his neighbors.
He also took offense, when interviewed last week, to somehow being referred to as a “politician.”
“I don’t make promises; it’s about my actions,” Scalcione said. “I’m not a politician … all they do is promise. The taxpayers don’t see the fruits of their labor.”
For this businessman, it is taxes that has him railing against the politicians.
“There are many people that I know who were born and raised here who are leaving this city because taxes have gone sky high,” Scalcione said.
He also wants to rein in “porkbarrel” spending in City Hall that creates budget deficits when there should be a surplus from all the money coming from development. Wants to be mayor
Dan Levin likes to consider himself a steady, responsible person who isn’t going to waste the time of people helping him become the next mayor of Jersey City. But he isn’t above a little excitement on the campaign.
“Maybe some political street theater or green ideas; perhaps some campaign bike rides or some campaign rallies led by children,” Levin said.
Otherwise, Levin, who has been active a community activist for years, is looking to run a “clean campaign” focused on the issues that have been his passions over the years. These issues have included transparency in government and advocating for more open green space. He has already created a website, www.onejerseycity.org, as well as other media to get his message out to the public.
Levin hopes to run with several City Council candidates on his ticket.
If elected, he could be the first mayor to bike to work, as he often does to his regular job.
“I want the job, and if I won, I anticipate a steep learning curve,” he said. “But I have a private sector background and I can manage teams. I would look forward to strategically working with the city’s residents to make this city better.” Getting a political education
Shelley Skinner has always been surrounded by education, a given for the daughter of two educators. She is also one of the founders of JC Families for Better Schools (JCFBS), which was formed last year to pursue the goal of improving the Jersey City school system.
And Skinner, running for the first time for political office, is getting an education. She will be transforming from a person who demands answers from the powers that be, to being the person others go to for answers.
“In some ways, it is exciting and it is incredibly motivating,” Skinner said. “And it is incredibly invigorating and feels good to meet people to talk about their problems.”
Skinner is also getting an education in how she is perceived by various officials that she deals with as an education advocate.
“Once you start running for office, everything you do is seen in a different light and there’s a lot of skepticism,” Skinner said.
But Skinner said she had “hit a wall” with the education issues and wanted to go beyond just being an activist, and start addressing other issues in downtown. Comments on this story can be sent to rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com