Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8
Jersey City voters will go to the polls this Tuesday, Nov. 8 to elect two city council at-large candidates, in addition to a number of county and state officeholders. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.
See related stories elsewhere on HudsonReporter.com.
In addition to the two non-partisan Jersey City council seats, the other positions up for election are that of county executive, county register, three state Senate seats, all six state Assembly seats, and all nine Board of Chosen Freeholder seats. Only two of the current freeholders face competition. Neither of the contested freeholder districts includes Jersey City.
Each legislative district has one state senator and two assembly representatives. In the 31st District, which includes half of Jersey City, incumbent State Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham, a Democrat, is running for reelection against Republican Donnamarie James and independent Louis Venotico.
For the Assembly in that 31st District, Democratic incumbents Charles Mainor and Jason O’Donnell are running against Republicans Michael Alonso and Daniel Beckelman.
In the 33rd Legislative District, which also includes Jersey City, State Sen. Brian Stack, the Democratic incumbent, is being challenged by GOP candidate Beth Hamburger. Assemblyman Ruben Ramos is running for reelection with Jersey City Board of Education member Sean Connors. The Assembly Democrats face a challenge from Republicans Christopher Garcia and Fernando Uribe.
Among the countywide elections this year is the race for county executive. Incumbent Thomas DeGise, a Democrat, facing Republican Stephen De Luca for a four-year term.
In heavily Democratic Hudson County, political races often get more heated during the June primaries, when Democrats face each other for the nomination. The winners then go on to the November race, but do not always face a challenge from the Republicans.
Council-at-large campaign lit violates laws, raises questions
With a few days to go until the Jersey City council-at-large special election, a minor dustup has brewed between the campaigns of two bracketed slates of candidates. In one corner are candidates Omar Perez and Suzanne “Sue” Mack, who are running on a slate together. In the other corner are Radames “Ray” Velazquez and his slate-mate Kalimah Ahmad, the current At-large council representatives.
At issue is who circulated a campaign flier last week that read, “Column ‘A’ Democrat State Senator Brian P. Stack supports school board member Sue Mack (C16) and Omar Perez (C17).” Elsewhere, the flier depicts a Jersey City sample ballot and has one arrow highlighting Stack’s ballot position and another highlighting Column C.
Absent from the flier is language stating who released or paid for the political piece, which is required in state election law.
On Wednesday Stack denied that he has endorsed the Perez-Mack ticket. At a political forum held Wednesday night for the at-large candidates, Perez said that he has “met with” several political leaders and elected officials. At the forum Perez and Mack each said they did not know who had circulated the flier.
Now, Velazquez is calling on the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) to investigate the matter.
In a release sent Thursday, a Velazquez spokesman wrote, “We are calling on ELEC to conduct an investigation into the Mack-Perez campaign. This is a sinister attempt to trick Jersey City Democrats by implying that Mack and Perez are Senator Stack’s running mates. It must be exposed for the fraud it is.”A Velazquez spokesman said an official ELEC complaint will be submitted by Nov. 4. ELEC violations are punishable by fine and are individually investigated by the Commission.
The Stack-Mack-Perez piece isn’t the only campaign literature that has raised eyebrows in the waning days of the campaign. Velazquez’s own literature may cause a stir.
Several residents took issue with a Velazquez-Ahmad mailer that listed “Bringing businesses like Goya Foods to Jersey City” and “no layoffs” among the City Council’s accomplishments this year. In fact, 366 city employees have been laid off. Goya Foods received a state-based tax credit to move to Jersey City.
Velazquez and Ahmad are the incumbents, appointed to fill terms vacated by other council people.
Bus route saved, but commuters not happy with replacement
The Red and Tan No. 99S bus is a thing of the past, ever since the bus line discontinued this route on Nov. 6. But since Nov. 7, NJ Transit has been operating the 119 bus through its subcontractor Academy Bus Lines, to cover the old 99S route. However, this replacement bus only travels the old 99S route during the morning and evening rush hours of 5 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 10 p.m.
NJ Transit’s No. 88 bus picks up a portion of the former 99S route during off-peak hours. But much of the old 99S route isn’t serviced at off-peak times.
Regular 99S riders have now started an e-mail petition to have the old 99S route serviced at all times.
The petition reads, in part: “We, the riders of the old Coach USA 10/99s bus, request that you take action to extend the evening, midday, and weekend hours of the new 119 Bus between Bayonne, through Jersey City and into the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. While the advent of the 119 bus immediately following the November 6 departure of Coach USA is a positive development, it remains an imperfect solution with significant gaps in service, especially for those whose jobs based in New York City are not 9 to 5s. Service during these high-demand time-periods buses must be restored.”
The petition is being sent to members of the Jersey City Council, among others.
Jersey City Board of Ed. seeking input for ‘five-year strategic planning’
The Jersey City Board of Education announced Tuesday that it is circulating two surveys to parents and other residents as part of a strategic five-year planning process for the school district.
Ultimately, the board plans to draft a five-year strategic plan to improve local schools and raise test scores and graduation rates in the district.
One 27-question survey asks parents for their opinions on such issues as whether they are “confident in the effectiveness of the Jersey City Board of Education,” and whether their children were “provided assistance or tutoring to help…improve academic achievement.” The survey also tries to measure the level of parental involvement in students’ educational achievement. It asks parents whether they “participated in open houses, parent-teacher conferences, or other parent meetings at school,” and whether they made sure homework and other school assignments were completed.
Hard copies of the survey can be picked up at every school in the district. Parents can also answer the survey online by visiting www.research.net/s/JCPS-parent-survey.
A separate survey for members of the community will be circulated to several unnamed civic organizations, according to a release issued Tuesday by the Board of Education. The community survey can also be accessed by visiting www.research.net/s/JCPS-community-partner-survey. The community survey largely measures residents’ perceptions of Jersey City’s public schools. The community survey includes questions about whether residents believe most kids in the school system fight a lot, will graduate from high school, or are likely to attend college.
The Board of Education will accept surveys through Monday, Nov. 14.
Trustees will in the coming months develop and finalize a strategic planning calendar and steering committee.
School Board Trustee Patricia Sebron is serving as chair of the board’s Strategic Planning Committee. Outgoing School Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps is also working with the committee, although he will be leaving his post at the end of the year.
Questions regarding the board’s strategic planning initiative can be directed to strategicplanning@jcboe.org.
Local lung cancer group to hold charity event
The Lung Cancer Alliance will hold a fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. to benefit the alliance and the smoking cessation clinic at Jersey City Medical Center. The fundraiser, dubbed by organizers as a “cut-a-thon,” will take place at E’Clips Salon, 140 Wayne St., in Jersey City (in front of Dixon Mills). The cut-a-thon will feature feather extensions, raffles, face painting, refreshments and more.
In the event of rain on Nov. 12, there will be a rain date on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The Lung Cancer Alliance is a non-profit Jersey City organization committed to helping patients and families connect with needed resources. For more information, call (201) 200-2665.
Hudson County CASA recruits volunteers
Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is recruiting volunteers to advocate for the best interests of local abused and neglected children.
CASA and its trained volunteers speak for children in court, serve as fact finders for judges, and safeguard the interests of children within the foster care system.
An information session will be held Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Room 400 of the Hudson County Administration Building at 595 Newark Avenue, Jersey City. For more information, call (201) 795-9855, e-mail mgarcia@hudsoncountycasa.org, or visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.