An old political maxim says, “Never run in an election you can avoid.”
This means that if you can convince the opposing candidate not to run or find a way to invalidate him or her, do it.
Unfortunately for West New York Mayor Felix Roque’s campaign, the strategy to knock Commission Count Wiley off the ballot before the upcoming municipal election didn’t work.
A Superior Court judge’s ruling this week pretty much cleared the way for Wiley to continue to run despite the fact that his wife is a committee person in neighboring North Bergen.
While some people in the Roque camp dismissed Wiley and his slate of candidates as not much of a threat compared to former Freeholder Jose Munoz – who declined to run – the Roque campaign appears to be nervous.
With three full tickets, one partial ticket and an independent candidate running, Roque is at risk of losing one or more commissioner seats.
In a statement issued by WNY United, Wiley called the lawsuit “frivolous.”
Wiley and his wife, Beatriz, said they were not surprised by the decision of Hudson County Superior Court Judge Hector Velasquez in denying the plaintiffs relief and putting to bed this lawsuit they say has wasted taxpayers dollars and the time of the courts.
“Since the filing of this politically motivated, baseless action, the credibility and hidden agenda of these plaintiffs were exposed in their testimony,” the statement said.
The civil lawsuit filed by Ernesto Vasquez and Gina-Miranda-Diaz in mid-April alleged claimed that Wiley’s wife voted in North Bergen, while her husband is running for commissioner in West New York.
The suit sought to remove Wiley’s wife from running for a political committee seat in North Bergen – or try to unseat Wiley as a candidate in West New York.
Judge Velasquez ruled that the people filing the suit had no legal standing to file the suit since neither could vote for Wiley’s wife.
The couple has said they have two residences.
What’s up with Morejon?
Defending the Wileys was attorney Julio Morejon. If he’s not an ally of Roque, he is someone Roque and politicians in Roque’s camp had supported to become the Hudson County prosecutor. Morejon, however, was passed over in favor of Esther Suarez, an ally of state Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack. Stack apparently had used senatorial courtesy to block Morejon’s nomination. Morejon had significant support for the position, but had been part of a move by anti-Stack people to remove Libero Marotta as the Housing Authority attorney two years ago.
Stack’s close association with Suarez in the past made her a good compromise candidate.
Members of the Roque campaign said they were surprised that Morejon represented Wiley in this case. Morejon has always been seen as someone who avoided politics – an asset that would have made him a very competent prosecutor.
Mason may head Hoboken Democrats
Will Councilwoman Beth Mason become the new chairperson for the Hoboken Democratic Committee?
Mason appears to be assembling votes among Hoboken Democrats to try and unseat Chairman Jamie Cryan, and is using her bankbook to accomplish it.
The move to dump Cryan has been in the works for months, although Cryan – in an interview with a local blogger – said the rumors are being generated by “irrelevant” political people in Hoboken. He said he will retain the seat.
This only angered Mason more, apparently since this is one of the bloggers who has persistently taunted her over the years.
Sources claim Mason may want the chair in order to play a more significant role in supporting Hillary Clinton for president.
Informed sources say Mason is willing to bankroll part of the reelections of council members Michael Russo and Terry Castellano in exchange for the votes of committee members pledged to them.
Mason may also agree to support the on-again-off-again council campaign of Carmelo Garcia in the 6th Ward – pitting him against the extremely popular Councilwoman Jennifer Giattino.
Dear diary…
While Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer may have the right to gloat about infighting among her opposition, she was unable to prove her case against Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and state DCA Commissioner Richard E. Constable III when she claimed that they allegedly tried to tie Sandy relief aid for her support for a politically-connected development in Hoboken.
Investigators apparently could not find corroborating witnesses to her claims. Perhaps the investigators could not read the handwriting in her diary.
Voters with four legs?
A North Bergen resident recently complained to Gov. Christopher Christie that he saw four legs under the curtain of the voting booth in one of the polling stations during the school board elections.
He even took a picture.
This suggests that either there was more than one person in the booth at the time, or that North Bergen allows horses to vote.
A spokesperson for state Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco (whose candidates won) complained about the picture-taker, saying taking photographs in a polling place is illegal.
This, of course, ignores the news value of a horse voting, or the potentially illegality of having more than one person in the voting booth at one time.
Jersey City resident joins Clinton campaign
Jenny Davis, from Jersey City, and a consultant for K Street Strategies, has been hired to help ramp up votes for Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president.
A former political director for the National Jewish Democratic Council, Davis also served as deputy director the NJ Democratic Committee and chief of staff for Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell. Davis has been a key player in a number of local races, including Hoboken and Bayonne.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.