Mayor Peter Cammarano held a very, very brief press conference at Hoboken City Hall at noon on Friday maintaining his innocence on charges that he illegally accepted $25,000 in campaign contributions.
He said he will have his day in court, but that now he will get back to work at City Hall.
Cammarano was only in office for 23 days before being arrested yesterday.
Meanwhile, Jeff Barnes, a Cammarano ally who says the mayor was the one who got him involved in politics, has called for Cammarano to resign for the good of the city.
Barnes is a former Planning Board member and Hoboken Democratic Committee chairman. He said:
“I will do my best to support Peter as a friend in his private life — we are all human and we all make mistakes. But I cannot support his continued involvement in public life. I’m not a lawyer, and I have no idea if Peter will be convicted of anything, but the criminal complaint against him seems to show a serious violation of the public trust, and an eagerness to play the old Hudson County political game. Peter’s alleged actions should not be minimized or excused by his friends or any of the people who stand to gain by his remaining in office. I truly hope he does the right thing for Hoboken and for his family by resigning as mayor immediately.”
For the Reporter’s previous articles on the political scandal, return to www.hudsonreporter.com.