Although nothing is official yet, many believe that Carmelo Garcia will be booted out of the state Assembly in next June’s Democratic primary.
Garcia, who is currently suing Hoboken over being fired as the executive director of the housing authority there, may be the latest victim in what has become a problematic seat. Those serving in that seat tend to have a short life span.
This, of course, has led to speculation as to who might replace him if he is ejected.
Some believe Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason may be in line for the seat. She was on the short list two years ago, but refused to pledge alliance to Gov. Christopher Christie, who was then running for reelection.
With no pledge needed again until 2016 when Christie runs for president, it may be just possible for Mason to make the leap from local to state office, leaving her current 2nd Ward seat up for grabs.
Mason has some powerful friends statewide, and her personal finances would be tough to beat if she or State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack can convince Democratic leadership in the county to support her.
Some Mason critics wouldn’t mind her getting the seat as long as she leaves Hoboken.
Harry Potter to get the boot?
Friends and supporters of former Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone have a lot to feel cheerful about lately, as they envision the political demise of Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell – a man they mockingly call “Harry Potter.”
O’Donnell is the brain trust behind the recently failed reelection bid of Mayor Mark Smith. But O’Donnell also orchestrated one of the most brilliant political moves made against Chiappone about six years ago.
Chiappone at the time was both an at-large councilman and state assemblyman for the 31st District – a seat he won back in 2003 when running on a state legislative ticket headed by then Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham.
With Smith as head of the Hudson County Democratic Organization at the time, and O’Donnell as the head of the Bayonne Democratic Committee, they were in a position to offer Chiappone a choice between keeping the council seat or the Assembly seat, but not both.
Chiappone, who relied on his government income to pay his bills, chose the Assembly seat because it paid more.
This, of course, was a political blunder. As a councilman, Chiappone was largely unbeatable.
As the assemblyman of a district split between Bayonne and Jersey City, Chiappone was vulnerable. Even if questions about use of aides’ money had not forced Chiappone to eventually resign, he would have likely been driven out of the Assembly seat anyway.
Now, O’Donnell is being driven out. He will not have the support of the HCDO, which means that he will have an uphill battle if he hopes to retain the seat.
Traditionally, the mayor of Bayonne gets to choose the candidate for one of the Assembly seats in the district, and while Mayor James Davis has not yet publically announced, it is believed he will name Nicholas Chiaravalloti as his choice.
Friends of Chiappone rightly point out that if O’Donnell is thrust out of office, he will have served less time in the same seat than Chiappone did.
Troyer stokes old fires
It appears as former Secaucus Board of Education trustee Tom Troyer gets older, the more he looks like the aging Dalai Lama. The similarity, however, ends there. Troyer appears to be working hard to stoke the old fires between former Mayor Dennis Elwell and the current mayor, Michael Gonnelli.
Troyer, who was against Elwell when Elwell was mayor, possibly dislikes Gonnelli more.
“You know the old saying about an enemy of an enemy being a friend,” he said last week.
Troyer, of course, has the distinction of standing up against Elwell when as mayor, Elwell tried to get the Board of Education to accept an insurance contract brokered by Ronald Manzo.
This is the same Manzo that was instrumental in getting Elwell convicted of taking a bribe, something that Elwell still denies, even after spending 30 months in a federal prison.
What Troyer expects to gain by stoking up the old feud between Elwell and Gonnelli is hard to say. This may simply be a move to distract Gonnelli long enough for Troyer to regain his seat as a school trustee.
DeGise may face a challenger after all
Forces aligned against Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise are still trying to lure a candidate into a race that looks more like a David and Goliath election.
Even as DeGise stacks up endorsement after endorsement from the political elite of Hudson County, his opponents still cling to the hope that he can be beaten. They are still hoping to draft Freeholder Bill O’Dea or possibly a candidate from Jersey City Heights.
While many would see this as political suicide, the anti-DeGise people truly believe they can beat him. Behind the scenes, some believe the fight is less over DeGise than it is over the county clerk seat currently held by Barbara A. Netchert, whose seat is also up next year. The real battle would be in the June 2015 primary.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.