West New York was remarkably quiet in anticipation of the arraignment of Mayor Felix Roque which was scheduled to take place around press time. That was probably due in part to the fact that the indictment against him had yet to be unsealed and the details remained to be seen.
“Nobody knows what is in the thing,” one source said before Thursday.
This is the second indictment against Roque since he took office in 2011. Most observers agree that the latest charges are much more serious than the conspiracy to hack into a political website for which he was exonerated in 2013.
“The first charge involved only a few people and no money,” said another former West New York official. “That charge involved only politicians, so nobody took it too seriously. This is different.”
The press release announcing Roque’s indictment said he was accused of allegedly taking cash and campaign contributions from 2007 to 2012 in exchange for steering patients from his Pain Relief Center to a MRI facility owned by a Boonton resident – in effect, an alleged commercial bribery scheme.
Roque’s attorney called the charges “ridiculous.” Roque has told The West New York Reporterthat he has evidence that will clear him of the charges.
Even Roque’s political opponents were generally mum on the new charges. That was partly because many did not know how extensive the indictment would be and if anyone else would be named. But more to the point, many people learned from the first case in 2012 not to presume Roque would be convicted.
“It’s weird,” another West New York political figure said as the arraignment date loomed. “Nobody wants to say anything until the indictment is released.”
In a conversation with Between the Lines, Roque also dispelled another popular rumor regarding his medical practice.
“I’m not hiring [Hoboken Councilman] Michael Russo,” Roque said. “I think he is very qualified, and I respect his abilities. But he is not becoming a member of my practice.” Russo has a practice as a physical therapist.
McKnight won’t step down as candidate
Matthew Kopko, Republican candidate for the 31st Assembly district that includes all of Bayonne and half of Jersey City, has asked for an investigation into a possible conflict of interest involving his Democratic opponent Angelica McKnight.
McKnight has accepted a campaign contribution from an organization that her not-for-profit group will honor later this month.
McKnight came under fire prior to the Democratic primary for her refusal to relinquish control of her organization AngelaCares. She said her organization does not receive state or federal money, so she would not have a conflict as a legislator.
Kopko, however, said McKnight’s public filings show a $2,000 contribution from Hudson Rehab Spa and Wellness Center. AngelaCares was scheduled to give the rehab a community supporter award on July 10.
A spokesperson for McKnight said she will not step down as an Assembly candidate. She will instead turn over leadership of the not-for-profit.
But this will take time, the spokesperson said, because McKnight wants to make sure that the person is the right fit for the position. The spokesperson noted that McKnight has not yet been elected and so still has time to pick her successor. The time frame for the decision, they said, will not be dictated by Kopko.
McKnight was a compromise choice by Mayor Steven Fulop to run as the Jersey City Assembly candidate. Part of this is a debt to McKnight’s uncle, Eugene McKnight, one of the key members of Fulop’s campaign team.
Critics make mountain out of a molehill with Kopacz
In a similar issue, opponents of recently-elected Freeholder Ken Kopacz have noted that his campaign received contributions from several sitting members of the Bayonne Board of Education.
Kopacz was recently promoted from school principal to assistant superintendent for curriculum. This, however, differs sharply from the McKnight situation. While Kopacz opponents are desperate to show some conflict of interest, there appears to be none – despite Kopacz getting a hefty increase in salary.
And this is contrary to tradition. In the old school corrupt Hudson County, teachers and principals used to pay a portion of their salaries to political bosses to obtain promotions. But here we have those who oversee Kopacz giving him a promotion, and contributing to his campaign as well.
They must really love this guy.
Jurors took their time in North Bergen DPW case
The conviction two weeks ago of North Bergen Department of Public Works supervisors Tony Bunero and Frank Longo, charged with “providing personal favors for their superiors and working Democratic Party political campaigns while still on the township clock,” has raised some curious speculation as to what went on in the minds of the jurors.
One juror, however, disputed some of the published speculation that assumed the jurors were not paying attention because the jury took so long to come to a verdict.
“The reason it took so long is because an older juror was convinced that when you’re breaking the law for so long, it actually becomes part of your job description; and the [supervisors of] the defendants should take full blame instead,” one of jurors said last week. “Another older juror took cues from the first and would nod their head in clueless agreement. It took us two more full days of deliberation and one panic attack to convince the dissenting juror that just because their boss says to do something illegal, it doesn’t absolve you of accountability.”
This led to a lot of frustration in the jury room, this juror said.
“We would have had it wrapped up in about four to six hours, just because we wanted to be thorough and give the defendants the respect of analyzing the evidence,” this juror said. “A few of us, me included, could have passed the convictions in about two hours. We took four to six hours because we needed to be sure it was beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The older juror also kept asking questions that had to be forwarded to the judge, which took even more time, the source said.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.