JERSEY CITY – During the City Council caucus on Monday, Council President Peter Brennan dropped a bombshell when he announced that Mayor Jerramiah Healy has chosen former Hudson County Freeholder Radames Velazquez to fill the council seat vacated by Mariano Vega.
Velazquez, currently a Jersey City municipal court judge, was named as a possible replacement who could be appointed as soon as Wednesday’s council meeting.
However, in order for Velazquez to be named, a last-minute resolution first has to be placed on the agenda by a vote of six council members. Then the resolution has to be approved a five-member majority.
The announcement caught people in the caucus off-guard, because the prevailing view was that mayoral aide Omar Perez was considered the favorite for Vega’s seat.
City Councilman Steven Fulop wondered after the meeting about the people who submitted their resumes to the city to be considered for the post, and how they are being shut out of consideration.
“There is no process, there’s no conversation; the only conversation is ‘The mayor told me,’ Fulop said.
City Councilwoman Nidia Lopez said she thought Velazquez was a good choice. – Ricardo Kaulessar