Ken Kopacz will not resign as the Bayonne member of the county Board of Freeholders, despite rumors that he would step down now that he has been appointed assistant superintendent of schools in Bayonne.
“There is no truth to this speculation,” said Kopacz, who was elected freeholder in 2014, and promoted from an elementary school principal to assistant superintendent a month ago.
“I want every resident of District One to know I proudly serve as their freeholder and will continue to do so for the remainder of this term,” he told Between the Lines this week. “I will continue to fight for our fair share of services. Together, we are building a stronger community.”
Kopacz came under fire after his promotion when critics noticed that several Board of Education members that approved his promotion also contributed to his freeholder campaign.
At the center of this controversy is School Trustee Ray Greaves, whose civic association gave Kopacz a hefty contribution. Kopacz was also a prominent member of Greaves’ civic association. Greaves argued that the donation was made before he was named to the school board. But some critics believe Greaves and the other board trustees who donated to Kopacz should have abstained from voting.
Greaves lost his seat as a councilman when the ticket led by Mayor James Davis swept a ticket led by ousted Mayor Mark Smith.
Greaves’appointment as school trustee indicates that he has made peace with Davis, and situates him well for the upcoming Board of Education election in November.
The November election will be a litmus test for Davis, as candidates line up to run in the first school election held in Bayonne since the 1970s.
Troyer advised to stay off construction site
Tom Troyer, who is again seeking a seat on the Secaucus school board, has been warned by the Board of Education to stay off the construction site of the new school addition. School officials apparently feel there is a safety concern. Troyer, however, has long been a watch dog over construction. In the 1970s, he investigated overspending during the construction of the high school, noting that some of the numerous pilings the district had paid for to secure footing for the building were not real. At one point, he went out onto the site in a row boat and pushed over one of the metal pilings to prove his point.
Troyer recently lost his bid to be named to fill the unexpired term of a trustee who resigned in April. He has already said he intends to run in November. Troyer has served several terms on the board, but has made an enemy of Mayor Michael Gonnelli, who reportedly has blocked his recent attempts to get elected.
Bunney isn’t running for City Council
Brittani Bunney, an employee of the Jersey City-based SILVERMAN developer, disputed rumors that she will oppose Ward E Councilwoman Candice Osborne in the 2017 municipal election.
“I am not running for any elected office,” she said. “I love working for SILVERMAN and doing things with Jersey City public schools. My only plan is to continue doing both of those things.”
Some people, however, believe Osborne will run for an at-large council seat in 2017, or perhaps even run for mayor if Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop runs for governor.
While some reports claim that Councilmen Michael Yun and Richard Boggiano might also seek a mayoral bid, the most likely heir to the throne would be Council President Rolando Lavarro.
More Hoboken candidates crop up
While it is clear that former Assemblyman Ruben Ramos is running in the 4th Ward council race to unseat Councilman Tim Occhipinti, he is also quietly putting together a full ticket that will contest each of the six ward council seats. Ramos apparently blames Occhipinti for allowing Mayor Dawn Zimmer to get reelected in 2013. Occhipinti led a third ticket that siphoned off just enough votes to allow Zimmer to sweep.
And as if déjà vu, Ramos will also be running against Dana Wafer, a Zimmer ally, in what appears will be another three-way race.
Wafer is largely blamed for helping remove Carmelo Garcia as executive director of the Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) and this may have motivated Garcia to run in the 6th Ward against Councilwoman Jennifer Giattino, another Zimmer ally.
Ramos may seek to get Eduardo GonzalesPeter Cunningham in the 5th Ward.
Currently, council members loyal to Zimmer have a slim 5-4 majority on the council.
In a counter move, the Zimmer side may be seeking to lure Michael DeFusco, a close associate of Occhipinti, to run against Teresa Castellano in the 1st Ward.
The big question remains as to whether Councilwoman Beth Mason will seek reelection in the 2nd Ward. If she does, she will be opposed most likely by Peter Biancamano, and possibly Bonnie Murray and Tiffanie Fisher.
In the 3rd Ward, rumors suggest that developer Frank Raia might be considering a run against Councilman Michael Russo.
Raia is a strong ally of Occhipinti and along with Mason helped finance the failed third ticket in 2013.
At stake is control of the City Council. If the anti-Zimmer forces can get their act together, they have a shot of taking over. For Zimmer, the prize would be a super majority of six votes on the council that would allow her to pass bonds and other financial issues without the need for a vote from the opposing side.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.