Anyone foolhardy enough to believe that the political season ended with the Nov. 2 election will soon have a rude surprise. The election season has only just begun.
Of course, Secaucus can rest easy in local elections for another three years, but even that sleepy hamlet may soon be embroiled in heavy-hitting election stuff, as the state and nation begin the arduous task of redistricting and voters may have to choose between candidates previously beyond their reach.
State senate and assembly seats are up for grabs in 2011, as are the seats for county freeholders and county executive.
Redistricting could change the boundaries for state and assembly seats, forcing heavyweights to battle for their seats when in the past they ran largely with only token opposition.
Most likely, Hudson County will be stripped of two of its three Congressional districts, with the seat currently occupied by Rep. Albio Sires in the 13th district assuming some or all of the areas currently in the 9th and 10th districts (small areas for the most part).
Politically, this would give much more power to the Hudson County Democratic Organization to choose who will get elected to the House of Representatives. While this seat does not come up for election again until 2012, some believe plans are already being formulated to name a replacement for Sires. Some have suggested the HDCO Chairman and Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith might be moving up.
Most closely watched among those anticipating major changes is the state senate race. Republican Gov. Christopher Christie could throw a serious monkey wrench into powerful Democratic Hudson County if redistricting forced state Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco and state Senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack to battle each other.
While Union City and North Bergen sit side-by-side in North Hudson, they are currently in two different districts. Stack and Sacco have the two most powerful political machines in Hudson County and there are more than a few people who would like to see which one is the most powerful in a head-to-head conflict. Actually, Stack has the better overall machine, but Sacco is much more politically savvy and can count on support from other mayors in the district.
Freeholder districts won’t change much this time
Freeholder districts won’t change as radically as they did after the 2000 census, when Secaucus was split between two districts. But some seats will be contested. The Bayonne seat is likely to see a race, as several names have been mentioned to challenge Freeholder Doreen DiDomenico.
The recent election of Tim Occhipinti to the Hoboken City Council may well have helped the reelection chances of Freeholder Anthony Romano.
But there are certain to be serious challenges to some of the Jersey City Freeholder seats – and perhaps even one open seat if Freeholder Bill O’Dea decides to run against Tom DeGise for county executive.
Who will sit in Occhipinti’s seat in July?
The campaigns have also started in Hoboken, where six ward seats are up for grabs. Michael Lenz’ s loss on Nov. 2 to Tim Occhipinti in the special election for 4th ward sets the stage for a much wider war in which Lenz will not likely run. Occhipinti may not even hold the seat for long, as other contenders seek to remove him from the seat before he gets too comfortable in it – and these challengers could include people who supported him in the last election.
Some Occhipinti supporters, however, hope to repackage him as a candidate for all the people, hoping that he can draw support from the reform community.
DeGise roasted at Loew’s
Sorry to say, the general public missed a curious political moment at the Loew’s Theater which hosted a charity fundraiser in which political heavyweights from around the state and the county roasted DeGise.
Close friends and family members joined political columnists and political figures in poking fun at DeGise, although the sharpest barbs came from DeGise’s daughter and DeGise’s political nemesis, Freeholder O’Dea. The most humorous roaster, however, was former Governor Richard Codey and the most serious was former Jersey City Mayor and recent NJ Education Commissioner Bret Schundler. The audience – which just barely exceeded the number of roasters – included Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and recently-reelected Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell.
DeGise was a good sport, but the evening had its moments reflecting the real world beyond the historic setting, especially raising questions as to whether or not O’Dea will challenge DeGise for the county executive seat in next June’s primary. Republican Gov. Christopher Christie was the butt of several jokes on stage and some more serious criticism off stage. O’Donnell’s election night comment about telling Christie “to go to hell” became the mantra of the evening.
Political war in Hudson not likely next year
Although some predict all-out war among Hudson County Democrats in June, this is unlikely, partly because Stack isn’t strong enough outside of Union City to support a countywide ticket. While rumors suggest he might get support from state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, if the Nov. 2 election was any indication, she won’t be shedding the HCDO any time soon.
DeGise might still hold a grudge because she blocked his nomination to the Port Authority, but even he is unlikely to cause a split among Democrats just as the HCDO is coming into its own again. A fundraiser last month showed surprising unity – with the exception of Stack. Behind Stack, of course, is the omnipresent U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, who would like to get rid of many of those who currently control the HCDO in order to regain control himself. But he needs Hudson County more than Hudson County needs him these days.