With the conviction of former Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini on corruption charges, federal authorities may have done damage to the remaining political figures hoping to beat their case in court.
Although the jury verdict was a little confusing, since Beldini was convicted of taking a bribe but not asking for one, the government won a significant victory in the fact that the jury was willing to accept the testimony of informant/developer Solomon Dwek, a questionable witness at best.
This is hardly new. Former Freeholder Nidia Colon was convicted of carrying a bribe under similar cloudy circumstances.
Cooperating witnesses such as Dwek do not have to be considered “nice people,” only credible, and other officials such as Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, former Assemblymen L. Harvey Smith and Lou Manzo, and perhaps even former Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, have to be shaken as they approach the opening of their own trials on similar charges. Yet the fact that Beldini was cleared of several charges shows the cracks in the federal prosecutors’ case. You can bet that their defense will be based on blasting Dwek as a questionable witness.
These cases may boil down to which of the politicians running for office actually took the money offered by the feds through Dwek.
The arrest of 44 political and religious leaders last July – including the above – has created a new sport in Hudson County as some people wait to see who will be charged next. In many cases, people who are unable to defeat their opponents in the ballot box hope that federal charges will serve as a kind of recall, clearing the way for their own personal political agendas.
One of the most pressing questions as a result of the Beldini conviction is whether or not she will become the next Dwek and modify or eliminate her jail time by turning in someone else – if indeed, she has anyone she can turn in.
Who will lead the HCDO
You would think that with a redistricting of political boundaries on the horizon and a statewide popular uprising against union pension and funding entitlement programs that prop up urban districts, anyone seeking to take the leadership of the Hudson County Democratic Organization must be crazy.
But this is not the case. Hard times may actually become a good time to rebuild an organization that has been at war with itself for more than two decades, and the person in charge may wind up even more powerful than Democratic leaders of the past.
While Hudson County and other Democratic strongholds in the state are faced with a possibly hostile State House and the possibility of a taxpayer revolt over the constantly rising costs of running government, a new Democratic leader may be able to bring together the divided house now that a real threat exists outside the party.
Prior leadership of the Hudson County Democratic Organization relied heavily on its connections to Democratic governors, forgetting the survival techniques used in 1990s when the last Republican governor sat in the State House.
State Senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack – who led a rebellion against the HCDO four years ago – is rumored to want the job.
“The matter is still unresolved,” he said.
But he faces a heavy old guard who still do not want the HCDO to change.
Reports suggest that a compromise could have Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith named to the post instead. Smith apparently helped broker the peace between Stack and his arch rival, state Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, last year.
But some fear that if Smith gets the HCDO Chairmanship he might dump state Senate Sen. Sandra Cunningham from the Democratic line in the June 2011 primary.
Perez isn’t going anywhere
Meanwhile, Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez said once more that he is not seeking election to any office other than the one he already has, despite rumors to the contrary.
“There are people seeking to create problems between Perez and Tom DeGise, the county executive,” said one source close to Perez. “In no way, shape, or form is Perez seeking any other office but that of sheriff.”
In fact, he is holding a fundraiser for his reelection at Puccini’s restaurant in Jersey City on April 8.
Reports, however, suggest that Perez’s seat as sheriff might not be a sure thing either, although he apparently has the strong support of DeGise as well as Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
Meanwhile, it would appear that DeGise may seek reelection as county executive when his term expires in 2011.
School board filings loom
While many believe politics should have no place in school board races, school boards are often the springboard for future candidates to high office. This year, Hoboken’s school board election has several key political elements with some people defecting from the Kids First reform movement.
For Councilman Michael Lenz, who is seeking reelection to the council in November, the concern with keeping Kids First together is a distraction, especially when there are number of potential candidates being tossed around as possible challengers to Lenz.
Some Lenz opponents are working hard to keep widening the cracks in the reform movement, in particular, blasting Mayor Dawn Zimmer for failing to provide the 25 percent tax reduction her campaign reportedly promised.
“Of course it’s unrealistic,” one prominent Zimmer opponent said. “But she shouldn’t have promised it she couldn’t deliver.”
In Jersey City, former Mayor Jerry McCann is running for re-election to the school board, and reportedly, so are Terry Dehere and Angel Valentin.