Political people in northern Hudson County are scrambling for cover as a potential new political war looms.
The situation is being made more complicated by the proposed redrawing of state legislative districts, and some bad feelings among Democrats about how close Democratic state Sen./Union City Mayor Brian Stack is to Republican Gov. Christopher Christie.
The most notable person to be at odds with Stack is U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who recently endorsed West New York Mayor Sal Vega for re-election – a clear message that Menendez is tying himself to the Hudson County Democratic Organization.
While there appears to be legitimate friction between Stack and Menendez, it is over Christie, not Vega, some political people claim.
“Stack made peace with Vega a long time ago,” one source said.
Oddly enough, the two Hudson County mayors who have embraced Christie’s proposals are Stack and Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, and while the Hudson County Democratic Organization appears to be supporting Zimmer, it is on the verge of war with Stack.
A strange situation.
Stack, of course, is being pushed into the war by a number of people who have their own gripes with the HCDO. But he appears to be a reluctant ally in the proposed West New York municipal conflict that would pit Assemblywoman Caridad Rodriguez, Dr. Felix Roque, Fior D’Aliza, Count Wieley, and Ruben Vargas against the Vega ticket for re-election May 10. The ticket includes incumbent commissioners, and Alberto Rodriguez. Running independently of either slate is Ercides L Aguasvivas.
The real vendetta in West New York seems to be between two Cubans, Vega and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, over slights made after Vega took over as mayor four years ago when Sires went to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Vega, by removing some people Sires appointed, appears to have offended Sires, a slight never forgotten, and which appears to be the principal motivating factor behind what could become a major political war.
People are encouraging Stack to run a countywide ticket against the HCDO, which would include challengers for county executive and freeholders.
Potential candidates have been interviewed, and requests for support made. But Stack needs to remember two important things: how little he gained from the last war he started against the HCDO, and how broke his coffers were afterwards.
Opposition in North Bergen
For the first time in years, the municipal ticket headed by State Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco faces serious opposition that includes April L. Tricoli-Bussett, Michael Kreutzer, Maria Benitez-Mir, Ravinesh Varma, and Adrian Cepero.
But within a day of the announcement of their petition filings, the city clerk’s office said that the ticket’s strongest candidate, Michael Kreutzer, was ineligible to run because he was not a registered voter until after he filed as a candidate. Kreutzer, however, is hoping to reverse the decision and return to the ticket.
Without Kreutzer, the ticket may not be able to overcome Sacco’s powerful incumbent slate that includes Allen Pascual, Hugo Cabrera, Theresa Ferraro, and Frank Gargiulo.
Redistricting could be a nightmare for Hudson Dems
Up until recently, many people associated with Stack and Sacco feared a Republican-proposed redistricting map would pit the two powerful North Hudson senators in a fight for the same district, exacerbating tensions between the two and further raising the possibility of a Hudson County political civil war.
Stack’s closeness to Gov. Christie appears to have paid off, in that Republican maps would have Sacco face off against powerful Bergen County Democratic Senator Paul Sarlo instead.
But the Democratic-proposed redistricting map would also create problems for some local Democrats because of agreements that would require the map to divide Jersey City into two legislative districts instead of three. So Assemblywoman Joan Quigley of Jersey City, who currently serves in the 32nd District that includes a portion of Jersey City Heights, Secaucus, and North Bergen, would be shifted into the 31st District, where she would have to compete with Assemblymen Charles Mainor and Bayonne’s Jason O’Donnell if she hopes to keep her seat.
Stack, under the Democratic map, would lose West New York.
Mason angers allies
Hoboken Council President Beth Mason is apparently alienating some key allies on the City Council.
“She took a meat cleaver to the City Council agenda at the last meeting when a scalpel was needed,” said one source.
In an effort to quickly move through the agenda, Mason made adjustments that puzzled even council members who would normally take her side.
“I don’t know what her rush was,” said one council member. “If the meetings go until 1 a.m., so be it. We need to get to the people’s business, no matter how long it takes.”
Mason should be careful not to anger her allies too much, since they could abandon her in May when she seeks re-election.