A divided city council recently voted to approve Jersey City’s $510 million budget, maintaining the already hefty taxes residents will be required to pay – and doing more to invigorate the 2013 mayoral hopes of Councilman Steven Fulop, who along with Council members David Donnelly and Nidia Lopez voted against it.
Fulop’s campaign coffers are already going to see a significant boost because of his support last month for all three successful school board candidates. Everybody will need to curry favor with the potential mayor before it becomes too obvious that his victory is assured. The earlier you jump on his bandwagon, more likely it will be that you will be seen as a core supporter.
This sudden rise to the level of political star has even caused some to suggest he might be considered as the next chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO). But few take this seriously. State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack is said to have the seat, provided he wants it. Yet some believe that he won’t take it despite support from state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, and most importantly, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez.
“Why would Brian want to spoil his reputation as an outsider by becoming part of the machine?” one observer asked.
Although Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise is being considered, as is Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith, many inside the organization would like the chairmanship to pass on to the easy-going and very familiar Jersey City Councilman Peter Brennan, who would not make waves the way other potential candidates for the job might.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer drew a few raised brows last week when – after current HCDO Chairman Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy agreed to let her pick Democratic Committee seats in Hoboken – she failed to appear at two key fundraisers: one for state Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the other for U.S. Sen. Menendez.
Menendez, however, made a point of visiting Sacco’s fundraiser, an indication that Democrats may be much more united than public perception indicates.
Menendez is becoming uncomfortably powerful in the eyes of state Republicans, partly because Latino issues – thanks to the backward thinking of the Arizona state legislature – are rising to the top of the national agenda.
Menendez is a real threat to Christie
Menendez remains the most serious threat to Republican Gov. Christopher Christie, and with past bad feelings still existing between the state’s most prominent leaders, you have to wonder if and when the two will clash.
This may explain why the NJ Tea Party is attempting to recall Menendez, a foolish endeavor at best since the state does not have a well established Latino to fill his shoes, in either the Democratic or Republican party. But this wouldn’t be the first time the Tea Party has shot its own toes off in pursuit of their singled-minded agenda to cut taxes at all costs.
Rumors that Hoboken’s Assemblyman Ruben Ramos will be cast out during next year’s election in favor of another Latino candidate are grossly exaggerated, said figures inside the Ramos camp.
Manzo singled out?
Christie – or at least, members of the U.S. Attorney’s office acting to defend their support of the Republican governor – appeared to strike back at former AssemblymanLouis Manzo recently, hitting him with five additional charges after he claimed that the original corruption charges against him were biased and part of a scheme to get Christie elected governor last year. While it is possible to make the case that this last batch of charges had nothing to do with Manzo’s fighting back, you have to wonder why, of all the 44 people arrested last July, Manzo alone faces these charges when a case can be made that most of the defendants in the original case failed to meet the same election reporting requirements Manzo is being accused of not filing.
No victory
The recent Hoboken school election was no victory for Michael Lenz, said more than one of his detractors. Lenz will be running in the 4th Ward in a special November election, a ward where Kids First did not particularly do well in the recent school board election.
But as several Lenz supporters point out, a school election differs sharply from a municipal election, and unless something else comes up, Lenz is in a strong position to be reelected in November.
Contested municipal elections in Bayonne and Union City
Bayonne and Union City both have municipal elections on May 11. In Union City, Stack supporters are gearing up to bring out the vote.
“It’s not a matter of whether we are going to win but rather by how much,” one Stack supporter said.
Stack wants to crush his rival, Frank Scarafile. While Scarafile admits his is an uphill battle, he knows that if he can come up with a good showing, he is setting the stage to build future opposition.
While Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith faces a strong challenge from Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone, at stake is control of the City Council. It is possible for Smith to win on the first round of elections, avoiding a runoff, and yet see several of his council seats contested. During the opening of his campaign headquarters early in April, Smith told his followers to push to get all five seats – a task almost as monumental as having Scarafile beat Stack – possible, but not likely.