Fulop will run for mayor, not governor

Announcement shocks and dismays some supporters

Gray skies and the threat of rain increased the dour mood outside City Hall on Sept. 28 as Mayor Steven Fulop came out to announce that he will run for reelection as mayor and has given up plans to run for governor in 2017.
While some of the hundreds of people who gathered in the plaza in front of City Hall to hear the news applauded, many – especially those who work closely with Fulop – seemed deflated.
Standing in front of a clear plastic podium that did not bear the city seal as in prior press conferences, Fulop officially endorsed Democrat Phil Murphy’s gubernatorial bid.
Murphy did not offer his support for Fulop’s mayoral bid, but did praise Fulop for his decision, one that would partially heal some of the fractures in the state Democratic Party.
Fulop tried to dispel rumors about his change of plans, saying it was not because of ill health or any of the numerous other rumors that circulated the morning before the announcement. The mayor said he made his decision to help bring the Democratic Party together in the state and to avoid a brutal primary battle.

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“Whatever made Steve change his mind, he did on this own without consulting anyone.” – Tom Bertoli
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One prominent business magazine claimed the Fulop’s close advisor, Tom Bertoli, had caused Fulop to withdraw. Bertoli, a seasoned political operative throughout Hudson County over the last two decades, has been the subject of numerous rumors.

This was Fulop’s doing

But a number of people inside and outside the Fulop camp claim he acted on his own without seeking counsel from of his closest advisors. The news apparently came as a surprise to key political allies throughout Hudson County and Northern New Jersey, some of whom said they were not consulted or notified of his withdrawal from the race for governor. This included Bertoli and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
“Nobody knew,” said Freeholder Bill O’Dea, who has already started his campaign to replace Fulop as mayor on the presumption that Fulop would run for governor.
O’Dea said he will not suspend his campaign as a result of Fulop’s announcement.
“I’m keeping my troops on ready,” O’Dea said.
Some prominent political supporters were reportedly furious over not being told, and the move sets the stage for a new, perhaps more dynamic mayoral conflict next year, as political opponents seeking to unseat him find ways to use this against him in their campaigns.
Although nearly 200 people showed up for the announcement, notably absent were the mayors of Newark and Paterson, who supported his gubernatorial campaign, and the Hudson County mayors who supported him in the past. Even some key people connected with his administration appeared to have avoided the announcement, such as former Gov. Jim McGreevey and O’Dea.
While some of the rank and file members of the Hudson County Democratic Organization were in the crowd, none of the leadership was.
Reports suggest that Hudson County officials helped broker the deal that allowed Fulop to make peace with Murphy.

Not connected to anything else, Fulop says

Although Fulop dismissed the rumors that surrounded his decision, such as the idea that he might be in ill health, or that his decision was connected to the ongoing Bridgegate trial, insiders claim that the decision was made in a last minute and apparently panicked rush, leaving many unanswered questions.
Fulop claimed to be excited about his announcement to seek reelection as mayor, but some of his staff seemed dour and down as they milled around in the crowd.
Fulop admitted that he had considered running for governor, but had taken a hard look at the condition of the Democratic Party, and said that in this political climate, he wanted to unite the party, not start an expensive primary battle that would tear it apart.

Political opponent said this was bound to happen

Bill Matsikoudis – former city attorney under Fulop’s previous political opponent, Mayor Jerramiah Healy – said the withdrawal as gubernatorial candidate raised some serious questions that may make it more difficult for Fulop to win reelection as mayor.
Matsikoudis announced last month that he was raising money to run for mayor and is one of the leading opponents of referendum that would move the May municipal elections to November next year.
“This is not shocking, but this is momentous and riveting, but it is something that would had to have happened sooner or later,” he said.
Matsikoudis said this political decline is the result of Fulop’s behavior as mayor.
“The Bridgegate stuff is going to be bad for him,” Matsikoudis said, referring to the ongoing trial of top aides to Gov. Christopher Christie who allegedly closed traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge as political punishment after the mayor of Fort Lee declined to endorse the governor’s reelection bid. Fulop, who is not an ally of Christie, is scheduled to testify in the trial next week, and has said his testimony will show how he was political injured by Christie as well. But Matsikoudis and others believe other, damaging information will come out at the trial.
“Fulop didn’t endorse [Democratic candidate] Barbara Buono for governor, but he dangled his endorsement for Christie,” Matsikoudis charged.
Fulop, however, said Bridgegate is not a factor in his decision not to run for governor.
And over the last few weeks, Murphy has been making inroads into a base of voters Fulop needs to make a serious run at the State House.
“He saw that slipping away,” Matsikoudis said. “Now he sees the mayor’s office as a life preserver. His real goal was to become governor. Jersey City mayor’s seat is his backup plan.”
Matsikoudis, who has been a staunch critic of Fulop’s for years, said “New Jersey had been saved from having Fulop as a potential governor, and I am working to save Jersey City from his scandalous conduct. I wish him a good life, but he should get out of politics.”

Some Fulop people feel betrayed

But the move may have torn apart his own staff, some of whom because the subject of speculation and rumor, especially Bertoli — who was named in one publication as the possible reason for Fulop’s withdrawal.
“I’m just a small fish in the state,” Bertoli said last week. “This had nothing to do with me. I didn’t even know about it. But I will be thinking hard about the future.”
Bertoli like others said he felt betrayed by the lack of confidence Fulop’s sudden decision showed.
“He’s like a scared kid,” Bertoli said, debating on whether or not he will lend his support to State Senate President Stephen Sweeney as one of the other prominent candidates running against Murphy in the Democratic Primary next June.
“I’m not losing any sleep over this,” Bertoli said. “This has nothing to do with me. Whatever made Steve change his mind, he did on this own without consulting anyone.”
Some other prominent political figures in Hudson County say this move showed Fulop’s inexperience, and would affect his political future, making it highly unlikely he can rely on support if he chooses to run for higher office in the future.

Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.

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