Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop organized a rally in front of City Hall in Jersey City on Tuesday night that brought out about 300 people. The rally was in response to the 44 arrests on July 23 of political and religious leaders in New Jersey and New York. Among those arrested were 16 people involved in Jersey City politics including City Council President Mariano Vega, who was charged with allegedly accepting $30,000 from the federal government’s “cooperating witness” Solomon Dwek. Fulop called for Vega’s immediate resignation.
Fulop when he addressed the crowd through a megaphone said this rally was not about him or any future political ambitions. Instead, the rally was about a “corruption tax” levied upon the public.
“Every single time the city hires somebody’s brother, somebody’s cousin based on political patronage, every single time that a contract doesn’t go to the lowest bidder,” Fulop said, “every single time that an envelope is taken, that is a tax you pay at the end of the day.” – Ricardo Kaulessar