The Assembly accolades for departing Assemblyman Joe Doria went on for hours, and appeared on a public television broadcast which showed friend and foe singing “Bayonne Joe’s” praises.
After 24 years seeing Doria’s face there, the Assembly just won’t be the same without him.
Each Assembly member speaking about him, however, seemed to believe Doria’s departure would be temporary. Many even see him as a victim of a Hudson County Democratic feud in which Doria picked the wrong side. Last June, his ticket led by L. Harvey Smith for Senate was defeated by a ticket headed by Mayor Glenn Cunningham. Now, Former Freeholder Lou Manzo and Bayonne Councilman Anthony Chiappone will make the twice-a-week trip south instead of Doria.
A testimony to Doria’s experience came earlier this year when Democratic Presidential hopeful Howard Dean came to see him and Secaucus Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto.
“Dean wanted to get a lay of the land, who the players were and how things were run in New Jersey,” Impreveduto said. “He knew to come to Joe.”
Most of those in the Assembly who sang Doria’s praises used terms like “honesty” and “integrity” in describing him. Enemies even called him “generous.”
Along with former Bayonne Mayor Dennis Collins, Doria has become a symbol of Bayonne and a Hudson County success story. Doria’s father worked in a factory for General Cable, an electrical wire and cable company based in Bayonne until the 1970s. His mother was a homemaker. For this reason, Doria seemed to have a feel for the working class. His family was also very religious. Two of his sisters were nuns. As an assemblyman, Doria led the movement in the Assembly to bring aid back to ailing cities.
Prior to his election, the Assembly tended to favor the suburbs. He also had a reputation for not taking himself so seriously that he lost touch with the people who elected him and often encouraged his constituents to visit his office. Although he has been credited with many accomplishments over his long term in the Assembly, Doria committed himself early on in his career to reducing the massive taxes many urban dwellers faced and providing some form of auto insurance relief.
Will he be back? The only person who knows for certain is Joe Doria.
Cunningham, Manzo and Chiappone held a Hudson County swearing in at St. Peter’s College on Jan. 13, and brought out more than 1,000 people despite the threat of snow. The festivities also featured prayers by nearly a dozen local preachers and a visit by statewide power broker, state Sen. Ray Lesniak.
Manzo and Cunningham also made their own presidential endorsement last week when they met Democratic hopeful Gen. Wesley Clark at Teterboro Airport.
Will L. Harvey Smith be missed in Trenton?
L. Harvey Smith ended his two-and-a-half-month career as a state Senator with Cunningham’s swearing in on Jan 13. Smith, named to the post to fill the slot of the retired State Senator Joe Charles, succeeded in proposing two bills during his term of office, one to bring money to a Jersey City college and a municipal revenue bill.
More depressing than the end of his term was his public television announcement that he will not be seeking re-election to his Jersey City council seat, saying he would make room for the next generation. Until he was attacked by opponents during a split between Hudson County Democrats, Smith was thought to be a voice of reason. A moderate politician, he often voted his mind, not a party line, and despite being allied with Cunningham forces, he came under their attack because of some thoughtful positions he took that did not agree with Cunningham.
Despite his being an African-American, Smith suffered some of the most vicious racial slurs from Cunningham supporters. These wounds did not heal easily, forcing Smith to take refuge in the other political faction. He eventually became the Hudson County Democratic Organization’s candidate for state Senate against Cunningham.
Jersey City may not miss him as its state Senator, but the city will miss the loss of his moderate position on the City Council
In a side note, Jersey City Council members Bill Gaughan and Steve Lipski gave a little life to an otherwise lackluster council meeting last week by introducing conflicting resolutions.
Is the Secaucus council recall nixed or not?
Rumors that Board of Education member George Heflich brokered a deal behind the scenes with Secaucus Municipal Chairman Anthony Impreveduto to not file a recall against 1st Ward Councilman Michael Grecco may be exaggerated. Heflich, who is running for election for vice president to the state fire official’s organization, $35,000 a year job, had been a thorn in the side of Mayor Dennis Elwell and Town Administrator Anthony Iacono for months, blasting them at public sessions of council meetings. The feud between Iacono and Heflich goes back to 1997 when Heflich ran the council, and has grown more and more bitter over time.
Iacono was working behind the scenes against Heflich for the upcoming fire official’s seat, offering support for Heflich’s opponent.
Heflich sought out Impreveduto to end the hostilities. While one side said the agreement nixes the recall. Heflich said he is still bound and determined to have the recall anyway.
Heflich, however, is seeking to have Iacono cease to block Heflich’s fire official election effort. Meanwhile, Iacono and Elwell are seeking to have Heflich cease attacking the Elwell administration at public meetings.
Board member Tom Troyer, who is anti-Impreveduto, expressed sadness over the alleged deal since he and Heflich worked as a team on some political issues.
“If this is true, this is a sad situation,” Troyer said.
Meanwhile, the Secaucus Board of Education election in April will not feature Hudson County Improvement Authority President John Shinnick as one of its candidates. Last year, Shinnick worked hard for the team when his team members bullet-voted, having people vote for themselves and no one else, leaving Shinnick to come in fourth in a race for three seats.