Outgoing County Register Pamela Gardner has flatly denied reports that she is in the running to fill the unexpired Ward F council seat if Ward F Councilwoman Diane Coleman is elected as county register in November.
Coleman won the Democratic nomination for county register in the primary on June 7 and will run against Republican Omar Salgado in November. Since Hudson County is dominated by Democrats, Coleman is almost certain to win the seat.
This would leave her council seat vacant in January 2017 if she is sworn in as county register then.
The city would have to pick a replacement to serve until the regular municipal election, which will either be held in May or in November 2017 – depending on the outcome of a binding referendum currently slated to be voted on in November 2016.
A news report suggested that a political deal had been struck to give Gardner the council seat, since many believe Mayor Steven Fulop was behind the Coleman move to run for county register.
Coleman got burned by a move Fulop made last year to relocate prisoner reentry programs from Journal Square to a former church in Ward F, a plan apparently driven by the ongoing gentrification of the Journal Square area. Protesters blamed Coleman for the move, and that led Coleman to decide not to run for reelection to the council.
Coleman’s election to Ward F in 2009 gave Fulop the deciding vote on the City Council when he still served as a councilman. So he may feel obligated to find a place for her in government. This pushed Gardner aside.
Gardner said no deal was made for her to take the vacated seat.
“I was extremely insulted and disturbed. In no way was I ever approached, nor would I agree to switching places with anyone,” she said, claiming the report was totally incorrect.
“Let me just set the record straight. I am a retired educator having worked successfully 25 years as a special education teacher and as a learning consultant for 15 years in the Jersey City Public School System,” Gardner said. “I have served my community and church in many capacities including first vice president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Jersey City Branch, the NJ State Conference of NAACP as Political Action co chair and chair, chairperson of the State Women in the NAACP (WIN) and on regional NAACP committees. I was president elect of the New Jersey Association of Learning Consultants, but did not serve as president due to my election as county register. At that point, it was most important for me to fully learn and familiarize myself with my new position and responsibilities.”
Gardner is considered extremely competent by many of her colleagues in county government. Some believe the move to replace her was also a message to State Senator Sandra Cunningham, with whom Gardner is closely associated. Cunningham is reportedly supporting state Senate President Stephen Sweeney in the gubernatorial primary in 2017, a position Fulop will reportedly also seek.
Prieto is the one
As if there was any doubt, the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) reelected Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (a Secaucus resident) as chairman of the county organization at its annual meeting on June 15. The committee people, however, expanded the term in office from one year to two years, similar to some municipal Democratic Party terms of office such as in Bayonne.
This will mean that Prieto will not be challenged as chairman during Fulop’s expected run for governor next year.
In addition, Coleman, Fulop’s ally, was named vice chair.
Prieto has become a powerful Northern Jersey political force, especially in regards to whether or not the state should expand casino gambling beyond Atlantic City.
This puts Prieto at odds with Sweeney and Republican Gov. Christopher Christie.
Sweeney and Christie appear to be willing abandon support for local Atlantic City unions in order to create a rescue package for the fiscally plagued city. Part of this plan would either continue to support the city’s monopoly on casino gambling or to force new casinos opened elsewhere in the state to share their profits with Atlantic City.
This is like giving the captain of the Titanic a bucket to bail water. Atlantic City has already hit the economic iceberg, and is leaking potential patrons to casinos outside the region. While the Prieto model for having casinos closer to the customer base may not be perfect, the plan would help keep casino revenues in New Jersey. Asking these casinos to share the wealth with Atlantic City will almost guarantee new casinos will follow the same failed business model, and could spell doom for casinos regardless of where they are located in the state.
Sweeney, of course, needs to rescue Atlantic City since it is in the heart of his political empire. And if he hopes to win the nomination of governor, the last thing he needs is a sinking ship in his backyard.
Davis named chair of Bayonne Democrats
Bayonne Mayor James Davis formally became the head of the Bayonne Democratic Party after committee people voted him in as chairman at the reorganization meeting earlier this month. Davis replaces outgoing Democratic Chairman Jason O’Donnell. This concludes the last chapter in a political uprising that started in 2014 when Davis beat incumbent Mayor Mark Smith in the municipal elections. O’Donnell served as the political guru for Smith (even when Smith served as chairman of the HCDO).
While advising Smith, O’Donnell made what some called “bad political decisions” that eventually led to the erosion of political support outside of Bayonne. But those loyal to O’Donnell claim his decisions were based on principle, not politics, which angered some of the most powerful political bigwigs in the county.
Davis’ taking over the party this year positions him well for his reelection in 2018, since opponents will not be able to use the manpower of the Democratic Party against him. This also helps bolster him against the current move to recall him as well as others on the council.
The recall is being led by city residents Michael Alonso, Donald Baran Jr., and Patrick Desmond, who have expressed confidence in their ability to get a recall on the ballot in November.
PAL battle led to some political dirty tricks
Bayonne Board of Education Trustee Christopher Munoz got a nasty shock last week when he discovered someone had written to Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer disparaging him over his support for retaining Bayonne Police Athletic League (PAL). Munoz works in the Hoboken school district.
Bayonne Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia McGeehan had sought support from the Bayonne school board to evict thePAL from one of the local schools in order to make room for district after-school programs. Munoz opposed the move, and then found himself under attack. While the school board eventually also supported retainingPAL, someone who opposed to the move wrote to Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer apparently in hopes of getting Munoz in trouble, since Munoz works in the Hoboken School District.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.