Getting their just deserts takes a long time in our current legal system.
Former County Executive Robert Janiszewski’s sentencing was delayed this week until March 25, raising continued expectations that he is testifying against other officials in Hudson County and possibly the state.
His guilty plea last October for extorting payments from vendors to obtain contracts with the county, as well as the indictments of two sitting freeholders, has created fervor for reform in the state. The Star Ledgerof Newark has asked the state to reform bidding laws that allow transgressions such as Janiszewski’s to take place.
Unfortunately, the editorial went too far in condemning state Sen. Bernard Kenny – the chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization – for not removing freeholders Nidia Davila-Colon and Bill Braker from the November ballot, when neither has yet to be found guilty of any charges. Braker last week pleaded not guilty to charges that he took cash bribes, just as Davila-Colon had last month for charges that she carried bribes to Janiszewski.
County Executive Tom DeGise, however, has taken firm steps to close these loopholes, as has the county freeholder board. The Hudson County Improvement Authority has trimmed $600,000 from the professional service fees it will award.
Last year, the freeholders suffered a slight embarrassment when they had to reallocate money from funds set aside for labor attorneys Scarinci & Hollenbeck, a politically-connected firm with ties to Rep. Bob Menendez, to pay Weiner-Lesniak, a firm with political connections to Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham and Janiszewski. Freeholders – attesting to the new political reality in Hudson County – need fear no repeat of such a blunder. They eliminated Weiner-Lesniak from the payroll and gave the entire contract to Scarinci & Hollenbeck.
A three-way race in the 31st District?
Previous theories of just who will run for state offices in the 31st District – which includes a large part of Jersey City, all of Bayonne and other parts of western Hudson – were spoiled slightly by the announcement that Vincent Militello is seeking the senate seat currently held by Joseph Charles. Militello’s father founded J&V Appliance Company in Bayonne.
The $100-a-ticket fundraiser at the Liberty House disposed all ideas that this might be a ruse and suggests the primary fight may be split between three candidates, including possibly Mayor Cunningham.
“He’s a good kid, but he’s a floater,” one source said. “That means Cunningham could pick him up, or the other side can.”
Cunningham’s rumored candidacy for state senate, however, may only be what football players call “a head fake,” while he is really considering supporting another candidate such as Willie Flood.
Former Hudson County Freeholder Lou Manzo had placed his name in the 31st District’s state senate race. Should he decide to avoid the senate race, he would have the distinction of facing off against Bayonne Mayor and Assemblyman Joe Doria – a weakened, but still formidable foe. Freeholder Bill O’Dea has posed as running for a variety of seats in that district including state senate, assembly as well as for county executive.
“I’m trying as hard as I can not to run,” he said. “A lot of people are looking for a boxing match and want to put me into the rink. But I can’t run for everything, and I would like to stay as freeholder for a while.”
Meanwhile, DeGise’s chief-of-staff Bill Gaughan met with ward leaders in Jersey City to propose Jersey City Council Harvey Smith as their candidate for Charles’ seat.
While Charles has expressed his desire to retire from the state senate and is expected to get appointed to the bench as early as February, Gaughan’s move will not make many people happy, least of all Charles – who might have wanted to announce his retirement himself.
Ward leaders at the meeting said Gaughan wanted to use Harvey Smith as “a battering ram against fortress Cunningham.”
The filing of candidates is not until March, but Gaughan apparently wanted to make his move early in order to avoid leaving the choice up to Menendez.
Who gets fired next?
Cunningham’s request that Alex Booth resign as the city’s corporation counsel may seem a political boon to Gaughan and DeGise, except that Booth’s refusal may be less a matter of principle than a possible negotiation for a buyout package. If the history of other such retirements is any indication, Booth might well expect to get six months’ worth of his $87,000 salary as an incentive to leave.
Cunningham’s firing of 17-year-old Amy DeGise, daughter of the county executive, as an assistant in the Jersey City Recreation Department, has added bad feelings to the political battle gearing up for the June primary. But Amy’s letter to the editor of a local daily paper protesting being fired came at a bad time, just when freeholders Maurice Fitzgibbons and Bill Braker raised concerns about a lack of summer jobs for urban youth. The fact that Amy can get a job hints of nepotism, even if it isn’t true. DeGise’s many years as Jersey City council president may seem the reason for his daughter getting a job, especially at a time when DeGise as county executive hired his sister, former Jersey City Councilwoman Lois Shaw, to a county job.
Union City and Hoboken stirring
Jose Falto, a former school principal who now works as an office employee of the Union City Board of Education, is seeking to depose Brian Stack as mayor of Union City. This could include a recall of the mayor, and though Stack is likely to survive any such effort, it recalls similar attempts made to bring down the previous administration of Mayor Rudy Garcia. Figuring that Garcia’s recall was tied firmly to an ongoing feud with Menendez, political observers are beginning to wonder if Stack has offended Menendez and is this recall movement being orchestrated through third parties to send Stack a message that he should fall back into line. Stack has said that Falto is a front for bar owners who don’t like his quality-of-life crackdowns.
Meanwhile, the real Rudy Garcia has reportedly been working on some lobbying ideas with Gerry McCann, the man cast out as mayor of Jersey City in the early 1990s.
Hoboken Councilman Tony Soares may have taken his policy of inclusion too far this week when he appeared as a speaker at the civic association of former Mayor Anthony Russo. Soares – who says his idea is to include everybody in the governing process – gave Mayor David Roberts ammunition to strike back. Soares has been very critical of Roberts’ hiring of former Russo professionals, and may now find it difficult to criticize future appointments.
Beth Mason, Roberts’ designee to the Planning Board, resigned this week, and is the rumored candidate to run against incumbent Councilman Richard Del Boccio in the 2nd Ward.
Meanwhile, Perry Belfiore said he’s picking up petitions to run independently in the 5th Ward. “My slogan is going to be, ‘between the acid and the placid,’ ” he said.