The resignation of Steve Gallo from the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority appears to the last chapter in what was the administration of Mayor Mark Smith.
Although supporters of Mayor James Davis – who defeated Smith in a June runoff election – still have their eye on Jason O’Donnell’s Assembly seat in next June’s Democratic primary, they still see Gallo as a symbol of discontent. Gallo, O’Donnell, and to a lesser degree, Joe Waks, were part of Smith’s inner circle. With Smith’s defeat, all three lost their municipal positions. O’Donnell was replaced as public safety director, Waks as municipal services director, and Gallo as business administrator. But because the BMUA appointment was for five years, Gallo retained a role in the new administration despite all the rage Davis supporters expressed during and after the campaign.
Gallo, more than the other insiders, was blamed for all the perceived ills of the Smith administration, the supposed behind-the-scenes political mastermind that Davis people loved to hate. His remaining on the job after the Davis victory tainted the win for many, and so his resignation this week became symbolic of the new era.
While the leadership of the Smith administration has gone away, many of those who voted for Smith aren’t going anywhere, and are waiting on the sidelines to regroup behind new leadership. Some believe the Davis followers will fracture over various internal issues, giving former Smith people a foot back in the door to City Hall. Some find it humorous that Joe DeMarco, who replaced Gallo as business administrator, has also become a target. Many of the same people who hated Gallo are claiming DeMarco won’t last. Unfortunately for these people, DeMarco is one of the few people in the Davis administration with any real experience at running municipal government.
School board races upcoming
While municipal elections in Bayonne won’t take place for another four years, former Smith supporters, however, may be able to regroup thanks to a move to create an elected school board.
Some key supporters of Davis successfully pushed to get a referendum for an elected school board on this November’s ballot. They were reacting partly to the lack of a teachers’ contract, and the perception that the school board appointed by Mayor Smith was not responding to a public outcry.
Davis, of course, has since helped settle the contract dispute, and would otherwise be able to appoint new members to the board more in sympathy with his views. But once the board becomes an elected board, all bets are off, and Davis will actually have less control.
School board elections are heating up in Jersey City and Hoboken, but oddly enough not in West New York. Things are so quiet in WNY that key people behind Mayor Felix Roque said they may have to stir things up just to make sure they get their own vote out in November.
This is the second round in the WNY elections after voters approved a referendum last November to switch from an appointed board to an elected board. The first election took place in January to expand the board from seven to nine members, and the two candidates that won were seen as anti-Roque. But the Roque Administration managed to stall the second election for existing members until November, and this allowed the political climate to cool – especially after the primary loss of Freeholder Jose Munoz last June. Munoz was seen as the most powerful of the anti-Roque opposition. He has since said he is staying out of the second round – which, due to the resignation of two board members, will determine control of the board, with five seats up instead of three.
The Jersey City Board of Education election has a slightly different flavor. Once seen as a board in step with Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, the board has since drifted into its own space, partly due to some disputes over development and pre-K facilities. With three additional seats up for grabs, the board could drift even farther away from Fulop’s agenda.
Hoboken is a whole different kettle of fish.
Although the terms old guard and newcomer largely are outdated, the fact is that the newcomer community controls the Hoboken Board of Education, and that the old guard has only two members on the nine-member board, and both of them are up for reelection this year. With the threat of losing their voice, you would think that the old guard would come together to preserve two of those seats and possibly win back a third. But this is not the case. As with last year’s municipal election where old guard put up two tickets and split the anti-Mayor Dawn Zimmer vote – the old guard is again split, so busy fighting amongst themselves that they may well lose what they have left on the school board.
Arango to lead local and state Republicans
Hudson County Republican Chairman Jose Arango has not only retained his position as chairman, but last month became the first Hudson County resident to become chair for the state. He is the first Hispanic to hold that position as well. Arango who has served as the head of Hudson County Republicans for more than a decade, is being bolstered by the influx of younger people into places like Jersey City and Hoboken, many of whom have moderate Republican leanings, and could bring about a change in domination of the county by the Hudson County Democratic Organization.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.