Gov. Christopher Christie has nominated former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler for commissioner of the state Department of Education.
Despite the outcry of public school teachers’ unions and others, the Schundler appointment makes perfect sense.
Schundler is one of the innovators of a national movement that would allow parents to use vouchers to send their kids to private schools rather than public schools. He is also a supporter of charter schools, which are public schools started by private citizens, usually educators and parents.
The unions’ fear is that if parents have the option of moving their kids to non-public schools through vouchers, then public schools will be left with the most problematic students. School funding, grants, scholarships and other opportunities will also drain away, creating a new inequity among wealthy and poor students in the state.
On the other hand, parents who wish to send their children to private schools are forced to pay twice, once in taxes to support public schools, a second time for the rising tuitions of religious schools.
More a decade ago, Schundler began to espouse a voucher program, perhaps halting the epidemic of closing non-public schools throughout the state.
Schundler comes in an ultra conservative package that makes many people uncomfortable, having already run for governor twice on a platform that included social and economic conservative notions. He even made several appearances in Hudson County in the past with noted conservative preacher Pat Robertson.
In selecting Schundler, Christie is sending a message to the powerful public school lobbies that this new administration intends to drastically change the educational landscape – if, of course, Schundler’s appointment is approved by the Democratic-controlled state Senate.
A hard choice
Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli must know how President Barack Obama feels. Both men come into office facing critical decisions that will affect the future of their constituencies.
No decision is more critical to Gonnelli administration than whether or not to push to have three volunteer firefighters restored to duty. Accused of harassing two gay men back in 2004, the three firefighters quit their volunteer fire posts rather than speak about the events that took place during what the victims called an anti-gay rampage.
Secaucus taxpayers were forced to pay a multimillion dollar settlement after the gay men sued, saying the firefighters harassed them while they were living next door to the North End firehouse. The firefighters refused to testify in an administrative hearing. While pleading the 5th against self-incrimination is not an admission of guilt, several observers said the lack of testimony by the firefighters was the likely determining factor in the town losing the multimillion dollar suit.
Officials said the three firefighters refused to attend the 2008 hearing, opting to submit their resignations rather than incriminate themselves. These firefighters risked a lot by testifying because if they admitted to any wrongdoing, they could have lost their paying jobs – one works for the city in the Department of Public Works, and another works as a paid firefighter in North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue.
These firefighters are personal friends of Gonnelli and his most ardent supporters. They supported his political efforts against former Mayor Dennis Elwell. According to rumor, they had the expectation that Gonnelli, if he became mayor, would restore them to the Fire Department.
This may have been an unreasonable expectation all along because it is unclear how legally binding their 2008 resignation was. There was also a provision that because they would not cooperate with a local inquiry, they were banned from reapplying to the department.
More importantly, other Gonnelli supporters might feel cheated if the “Take Back Secaucus” movement spearheaded by Gonnelli was only about restoring these firefighters.
For Gonnelli, this is a serious test of his leadership. Does he throw his support behind his closest friends – friends he will need later to help him run the town of Secaucus – or does Gonnelli abandon them in order to avoid the risk of future problems?
The loss of the lawsuit in 2008 leaves the town open to future even more damaging lawsuits should some other incident occur – and the North End fire house has a long history of problems that include alcohol abuse and other activities.
Even if Gonnelli can drum up the necessary council votes to restore these firefighters, will he regret later when some future incident puts taxpayers are risk – not to mention the potential for loss of life? Will the town’s insurance carriers be willing to take the same risk?
Lenz says he is not critiquing WNY books
In what seems to be a provocative item designed to create friction between newly appointed Hoboken Councilman Michael Lenz and Rep. Albio Sires, rumors claimed Lenz was going over the municipal books in West New York to find a way to blame Sires (the former mayor) for current tax woes.
“It is not true,” Lenz said emphatically last week.
Sires and current West New York Mayor Sal Vega are apparently on bad terms because Vega believes Sires is behind an effort to recall Vega as mayor. Vega and Lenz are allied through the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).
Meanwhile, Charles D’Amico, who was recently named as counsel to the city of Bayonne, apparently could not carry over his health coverage and vacation days from his county job, so has taken a leave of absence from that job instead of retiring.
The race is on in Jersey City
Richard Moon, who served as Hudson County’s co-chair for the Obama campaign in 2008, is apparently working with Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop’s campaign for mayor. The race will be held in 2013.
Sean Connolly, who served as Schundler’s corporate counsel, may also be running for mayor.
Meanwhile, Fulop in Jersey City and Ravi Bhalla in Hoboken are supporting the statewide move to change municipal elections from May to November, in an attempt to save money.
In Hoboken, a fundraiser organized by Mike Novak was attended by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, suggesting that there is a new coalition being built for a future municipal election.