Even as this column goes to press, Freeholder Nidia Davila-Colon was expected to offer her resignation to the Hudson County Board of Freeholders.
Davila-Colon’s conviction leaves numerous questions unresolved. The list of names of possible candidates to replace her grows in leaps and bounds. Will former Jersey City mayor Gerry McCann become a freeholder? Sources say that it’s likely, even though McCann served time years ago for financial dealings not involving his office. Judges ruled that he could serve in any capacity except as mayor of Jersey City.
Committee people in District 3 will have to decide. Fortunately, District 3 has nearly a complete set of committeepeople, making it a more democratic process than had this happened in less well-run districts.
Some confusion exists about the replacement process. While most sources agree that the person appointed will only be seated until the November election, some hopeful souls mistakenly believe another special election will have to be conducted in 2004 – putting the seat up for grabs with Rep. Bob Menendez (D-13th Dist.) at the top of the ballot.
Not so, say election officials. The November election will be for the rest of Davila-Colon’s term which will not expire until Dec. 31, 2005. The re-election with have the governor on top of the ballot.
This makes a difference if the seat is disputed as expected between forces loyal to Menendez, who would like to wrestle the seat away from supporters of Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham. He or she who controls the freeholders may also control the rich patronage the county offers in its college, jail and other institutions.
Did Nidia deal for a job in 1997?
Of course, the testimony of Former County Executive Robert Janiszewski against Davila-Colon and the expected trial against Freeholder Bill Braker in October over allegedly taking bribes makes some people ponder what is really going on. Davila-Colon incurred Janiszewski’s wrath in 1997 when she threw her support behind Bobby J’s most fierce political opponent, McCann, in the Jersey mayoral race. Because Braker came out so early to recognize Bill O’Dea‘s 1997 district committee victory in the west side of Jersey City in 1997, Braker also became a victim of Janiszewski’s disfavor. Of all the freeholders and other political people Janiszewski worked with, why are only his political enemies on trial?
O’Dea’s takeover of the west side of Jersey City in 1997 so enraged Janiszewski that in 1998, the county executive and eventual chairman of the Democratic party attempted to purge the party of O’Dea supporters. Janiszewski only partially succeeded.
While Davila-Colon was not officially charged with alleged bribe payments that she was said to have made in 1997 to Janiszewski, one need wonder why Janiszewski went so far out on the limb in 1997 to get her a job. Did Davila-Colon, who needed several more years to complete her 20-year pension, make a deal with the county executive? What else would explain why Janiszewski supposedly threatened to cut off support for Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.) unless he gave her a job, according to several sources?
As it turned out, Davila-Colon got a job with U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli, for whom Beth Janiszewski – who disliked Davila-Colon – also worked.
As if to prove, however, the waning power of Janiszewski in the county, Rich McCormick resurfaced this year with his committee victory in the 2nd District of Jersey City’s Ward B during the June primary. In 1998, he also suffered Janiszewski’s wrath for supporting O’Dea to fill the committee seat vacated by Hank Gallo. McCormick discovered himself pushed off the ballot when Janiszewski apparently announced McCormick did not want to retain the seat.
Cunningham could be senator as early as July
Gov. Jim McGreevey sent his recommendation to the legislature for Joseph Charles’ judgeship this week. Charles, currently the lame duck state senator in the 31st District, is expected to become a judge within the next few weeks, leaving his seat open.
This will require the committee people in the 31st District to select his replacement. State Sen. Bernard Kenny is supposedly supporting Mayor Glenn Cunningham for the post, since Cunningham is the Democratic candidate running for that spot in November.
The question is whether or not County Executive Tom DeGise and his chief of staff, Bill Gaughan, will mount a challenge.
Following DeGise’s tainted victory in the primary, in which he won renomination for the post of county executive but lost in his hometown of Jersey City, does he have the votes to keep Cunningham from being seated early?
About DeGise’s close victory, a high official in his administration glibly remarked that the DeGise camp was "stirred, not shaken, to quote James Bond."
While this official believes the Hudson County Democratic Organization does need to get in shape, the victory wasn’t DeGise’s opponent Melba Walsh, but rather Cunningham’s, who headed the ticket.
"I do not believe it is a harbinger of anything," this official noted, adding that when all is said and done, Cunningham will have about the same control over the freeholder board as he has over the Jersey City City Council: one seat out of nine.
Republicans need a new candidate in the 32rd district
Because former Assemblyman Charles Catrillo will be going on vacation, Republicans will not decide until July 10 who will replace their candidate for the state Senate in the 32nd district.
John Pluchino of North Bergen has withdrawn his name in order to attend to an ill family member out of state.
Republican Chairman Jose Arango said he will be putting up two candidates, Frank MacCormack of Secaucus and Louis S. Lusquino of Kearny.
MacCormack is hopping mad, since he has an ongoing dispute to prove Pluchino’s petition signatures were fraudulent. MacCormack believes he should get a free pass to face Democratic incumbent state Senator Nicholas Sacco in November. MacCormack lost to Sacco two years ago, and lost to Pluchino during the June primary this year.
The Republican slate for the 33rd district led by Rafael Fraguela and running mates Jose Munoz of West New York and Linda Corea of Hoboken got back on the ballot thanks to a write-in vote. They will be opposing incumbent state Senator Bernard Kenny, Assembly Speaker Albio Sires (can anyone remember when Sires was actually a Republican?), a Freeholder and Union City Mayor Brian Stack.
Fraguela, who is currently the assemblyman from the 33rd, switched parties earlier this year when Kenny dumped him off the Democratic ticket in favor of Stack. Fraguela, of course, was a Democratic favorite three years ago when he helped oust Union City bad boy Rudy Garcia – a mayor and assemblyman that dared taken on North Hudson’s powerful Rep. Bob Menendez. Garcia went away; Fraguela refuses to, forcing the Democrats to run a real campaign.
Arango said the Republicans have taken on the services of two nationally-recognized polling firms to help assess their campaign strategies.
"We have a real shot in the 33rd," he said. "We’re working extremely hard to get the party together."