When we last checked, Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham was still scrambling to maintain control of Jersey City’s various boards and find jobs for his loyal supporters.
His effort to secure Hudson County government as a source of patronage fell through last year when former Jersey City Council President Tom DeGise beat previously-appointed County Executive Bernard Hartnett for the Democratic county executive slot for a single-year term.
Oddly enough, Cunningham and DeGise are siblings of 1970s Jersey City politics, with roots in the reform movement of Mayor Paul T. Jordan (1971-1979). Cunningham’s threat to run for state senate could shake the political foundations upon which the current Democratic power structure is based. If Cunningham succeeds, he would obtain a powerful weapon called "senatorial courtesy." This would allow him to block appointments made on a state level, and provide him with leverage he currently lacks in the county.
One source called said Cunningham and DeGise – even if politically they are twins separated at birth – differ in one very important aspect. "While Cunningham may be a bumbler politically, he has a street savvy that could save him," this source said.
DeGise’s political smarts can’t be questioned, considering the coalition he built to garner the Democratic nod last year for county executive. The question is, can he keep this coalition together with the massive turmoil underway in many political spheres?
The recent efforts by State Sen. Bernard Kenny to heal the county’s wounds among Democrats by reaching out to Cunningham may reflect the new political reality.
The unseating of Fraguela?
DeGise has an incredibly strong ally in Rep. Bob Menendez (D- 13th Dist.), but Menendez may be distracted in a battle of his own in North Hudson, where Freeholder and Union City Mayor Brian Stack seems to be making moves to unseat Menendez ally Assemblyman Rafael J. Fraguela (D-33rd Dist.)
Fraguela was a key player in Menendez’s 1999 move to unseat then Assemblyman and Union City Mayor Rudy Garcia. So the rumors of Garcia’s behind-the-scenes support for Stack’s move are not surprising. What is a shock, however, is that Stack may also be getting help from Bill Gaughan, the Jersey City councilman for the neighboring Heights section and the chief-of-staff for DeGise.
Gaughan and Garcia are incredibly close friends. But such a move would put DeGise in an uncomfortable position of accidentally throwing his support behind Stack, when he might not wish to offend Menendez, whose support helped him obtain the county executive position.
While Stack would not comment on the move to unseat Fraguela, others in the Stack camp suggest a growing rift between the two men over Union City’s interests on a state level and lack of frequent contact between the two leaders. Stack could tap Union City Commissioner Christopher Irizarry for the post.
But this move may actually hint of a deeper rift between Stack and Menendez. Several sources suggest that Stack is suspicious of the power behind a recent move to recall him as mayor.
School principal Jose Falto is seeking to remove Stack as mayor and has been putting up stickers around town. Because the move so closely resembles a similar effort backed by Menendez against Garcia several years ago, some believe Menendez may be behind this move also.
"Stack is Mendenez’s Achilles’ heel," one source said, describing the countywide impact Stack’s move against Fraguela could have. "Once the break happens, others will jump off the Menendez ship."
Menendez, no political slouch himself, built a remarkable coalition to support DeGise’s county executive bid in 2002, a structure that included many of Menendez’s rivals – including state Senator Nicholas Sacco.
Fracturing was inevitable with so many curious personalities. But reports suggest Menendez may be building his own organization independent of the DeGise coalition.
Another political observer noted that Stack, no matter how good a mayor, has always been vulnerable to one basic reality: A popular Latino candidate could upset him.
Possible boundary shift in election districts
A court ruling on assembly district boundaries could see Union City shift into the 32nd District, according to one source in Trenton. The court ruled against Jersey City being part of three legislative districts.
The 32nd District, which currently has Secaucus, North Bergen, Kearny, Harrison, and a slice of Jersey City Heights, would be stripped of Jersey City and would take on Union City. Thus Assemblywoman Joan Quigley would switch from the 32nd to the 33rd District. That slate would include her with Kenny and Assembly Speaker Albio Sires. Fraguela (or whomever Stack replaces him with) would run with Sacco and Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto.
The 31st District that currently includes a large part of Jersey City and all of Bayonne would obtain more Jersey City geography, but this would little affect the current turmoil there as to which candidate will replace state Senator Joseph Charles when he gets his appointment as judge. Sources say Charles is reluctant to step aside early to allow Jersey City Councilman L. Harvey Smith to get a leg up on the seat.
Rumors that Sal Vega will be dumped from the Sires commissioner ticket in West New York seem to be groundless. One source close to Sires said, "That’s news to me. If it’s true, I’ve never heard about it."
Hoboken opposition rises to the surface
Few parts of the county are more volatile than Hoboken, where the opposition to the administration of Mayor David Roberts finally emerged by declaring its ticket.
The group, calling itself the Hoboken Alliance for Accountable Government, featured two City Council members who were previously allies of Roberts.
The slate of candidates features Ron Rosenberg in the 1st Ward; Beth Mason, in the 2nd Ward; Liz Markevitch in the 3rd Ward; At-Large Councilman Tony Soares in the 4th Ward; Inez Garcia Keim, in the 5th Ward; and Daniel deCavaignac in the 6th Ward.
While each member of the group has gripes with the current administration, the battle for the 4th Ward will feature Soares against Roberts-backed Councilman Chris Campos, as well as others.
Soares and Campos have already exchanged barbs in and out of the council chambers. Soares was an ally of Campos in the past, but has since attacked him for seeking a job with the county. Campos is being considered for a position dealing with county transportation.
"This is a desperate political attack," Campos complained, saying that Soares is only running in the 4th Ward "because he knows he won’t be on Mayor Roberts’ ticket when his at-large seat is up [in 2005]."
Soares quipped back, "Will there even be a Roberts ticket in 2005?"
Campos said Soares is good at pointing out flaws, but lacks the ability to offer solutions.
Soares claims Campos has become too deeply involved in political activities, and not in running the government.
You’ve not heard the last of any of this.