During the last in a series of debates for the race for Jersey City mayor, the five candidates were queried by members of a panel at New Jersey City University’s Margaret Williams Theater Wednesday night.
The candidates answered questions on parking, waterfront development, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system, crime and school funding during the hour and a half debate.
The debate will be broadcast several times by Comcast on “City One” (Channel One) before Election Day on Tuesday.
The debate was moderated by Nicole Fox, a Comcast regional “Newsmakers” host. The panelists were Jonathan Miller from the Jersey City Reporter, Peter Weiss from the Jersey Journal, Dr. Diana Lieb, chair of NJCU’s Political Science Department, and Comcast “Newsmakers” Host Jaclyn D’Auria.
Louis Manzo, a one time Hudson County Freeholder and a failed mayoral candidate in 1992 and 1993, said during the debate that he wants to take government back and give it to the people.
To reduce the crime rate in the city, he would have police be in constant contact with youth recreation programs, he said. And, he added, developers need to give more money to the city.
“I will not be happy with statistics showing crime is down; I will be happy when residents feel safe,” Manzo said. “The city is not going in the right direction. I’m running to make people believe in local government again.”
City Councilman Robert Cavanaugh focused on education, saying that the greatest education his kids are receiving is growing up in the most diverse city in New Jersey.
To help improve education, Cavanaugh said he would create alternative schools for special needs students. “I got involved to make city government different,” Cavanaugh said. “We need to move forward.”
City Council President Tom DeGise, who had many supporters in attendance, talked about implementing more diverse programs into the community. To reduce crime, DeGise said, more officers need to walk the “beat” to protect residents better.
“Crime has been coming down,” DeGise said. “We need to put more cops on the streets and not behind a desk.”
Former U.S. Marshall and former City Council President Glenn Cunningham said he is very sensitive to racial issues affecting the community from his own experience as the only African-American in the mayoral race. He wants to make Jersey City attractive to residents for their enjoyment and have more developments in areas other than the waterfront, he said.
“The city has been glad to be a gold coast, not a golden city,” Cunningham said. “Crime is a very serious problem that needs to be dealt with aggressively. We are distressed with the city. We need to bring it back.” Current director of the city’s Public Works Department Kevin Sluka focused on the issue of parking, saying that it needs to be prioritize for residents while community centers must be open every day to reduce crimes by youths.
All the candidates agreed that even though the light rail has not been an immediate success, with time and further expansions, it will be an important part of the city’s mass transit system.
During the debate, D’Auria asked the candidates whom they would vote for if they were not in the race. With the exception of DeGise, the candidates danced around the question and did not give specific answers. DeGise said he would cast a vote for Sluka, and Sluka later thanked him.
DeGise has been endorsed by outgoing mayor Bret Schundler, and Sluka, who works for Schundler, had been hoping for that endorsement.