A sage local politician made a startling, yet not surprising observation about the nature of government corruption.
“It is a way of life,” he said. “It happens everyday in every town, in every state, regardless of political party.”
While the public wonders about the huge scandals and how political people expect to get away with schemes, corruption occurs on every level from building inspectors who take a little something to overlook permits or the necessity of a project’s need of a variance to the higher offices where political favors are accepted and granted as part of everyday business.
The resignation of Zulima Farber as the state’s attorney general highlights the core of the problem.
A special prosecutor found that Farber had violated the state’s ethics code. Faber responded by claiming the code is too strict. In truth, if the state’s top cop doesn’t follow the rules, how can she expect anyone else to?
Yet Farber highlights an even bigger problem.
In a network of political patronage that runs top to bottom, how can a politically appointed attorney general be expected to crack down on corruption when in some cases the very people to whom she owes her position are the ones she would be required to investigate?
While Republicans are trying to take political advantage of the strong support Farber received from Democratic U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, the political nature of the attorney general’s office – even those who believe in the ethics laws they swear to uphold – rarely if ever take on corruption, regardless of which party is in power.
So knowing no one is watching the store, corruption runs rampant.
The politics of parking?
Jersey City Councilman Bill Gaughan has raised the hackles of some people in Jersey City Heights with his proposal to increase driveway parking. Several landlords in the heights said the problem with parking are all the illegal three-and-four family homes disguised as two family homes where unexpected residents have cars spilling out over sidewalks, curbs and lawns with little or no enforcement.
“Worse,” said one landlord, “because I do everything legal I have to meet all kinds of restrictions that the illegal apartments do not. Parking is only part of the problem. Fire codes aren’t being met and many of these illegal apartments have kids going to our schools. I get inspected. I get fined if my buildings don’t meet code, yet on every block in the heights you fine two family houses with three and four mail boxes and cars parked every which way. We don’t need more driveways. We need someone to enforce the law.”
Another bite out the taxpayer’s pockets?
Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise proved once and for all just how creative people can be when it comes to using public money to benefit political allies, giving former Jersey City Police Chief Robert Troy a job after Jersey City managed to dump him off the public payroll – well, almost, taxpayers still pay his pension. But now taxpayers of Jersey City, who got punished with additional county taxes for increased development, get to pick up the tab for Troy’s new job.
Don’t count Kenny out yet
Rumors, of course, continue to percolate about whether or not state Senator Bernard Kenny intends to run for county executive in next February’s primary.
This is assuming that Kenny gives up his seat as state senator to rising start State Assemblyman and Union City Mayor Brian Stack.
Some Kenny supporters claim Kenny is not nearly as helpless as the media has made him out to be, and that in a fight for the state Senate seat, Stack may not be as sure to be elected as he claims – especially if Menendez is reelected to the U.S. Senate.
Even some of Kenny’s political enemies do not see Stack as a choice for reform, but rather simply another figure head of the old political machine.
This is why some reformers in places like Hoboken aren’t holding their breath for a call from the Stack campaign.
Fulop may rob Shundler of votes
A rumored Bret Shundler run for Jersey City Mayor in 2009 may have one important road block: Councilman Steve Fulop.
Fulop, one of the up and coming stars of Jersey City’s political scene may decide to run for mayor – and this could have a devastating effect on Shundler since both would be drawing on the same voter base and probably the same financial backers.
Fulop, of course, may simply run at-large, but he must be seen as a potential threat since he like Shundler would look to the young professionals of downtown area for their support.
Don’t rule out mayoral bid by former acting mayor L. Harvey Smith, whose recent fundraiser drew a curiously wide political spectrum of people, many of whom might be seeking a candidate that can help unite Jersey City after years division.
Who is on Roberts’ side?
Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts has to be upset with his council which rejected many of his proposals at the public meeting in early August.
This may be an indication of the troubles Roberts may have next May when he has to put up a slate of candidates for council wards.
He is going to have to look very closely to see who is still on his side.
Roberts, of course, would also suffer significantly, if Kenny were to accept a court appointment or leave the political arena, since no other single person has been so supportive of Roberts over the years.
School board election in Hoboken are also going to be a challenge of Robert’s political influence, as reformers are already well on their way at picking candidates. One person knowledgeable of the Hoboken political landscape suggested voters could see as many as four school board tickets in April.
former mayors back Gonnelli in Secaucus Secaucus has seen a strange change in political landscape, although nothing seems to have changed on the surface.
Former mayors Paul Amico and Anthony Just appear to be backing the same slate of candidates in the November council elections, something that might have been thought unheard of until recently. Over the years, Just and Amico disagreed on nearly everything. Amico and Just are both backing a ticket led by Department of Public Works Superintendent Michael Gonnelli against a ticket backed by Mayor Dennis Elwell.
One Secaucus political observer said the issue is overdevelopment and the dramatic change in the nature of Secaucus as the principle reason for this sudden unity of former enemies.