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+1, Croft! What these folks don't understand it is the OWNERS and not a particular breed that is the problem. Place the blame where it belongs!





Many of Vick's dogs have been rehabilitated:

Saving Michael Vick's Dogs
Pit Bulls Rescued From the Football Player's Fighting Ring Show Progress in an Unprecedented Rehabilitation Effort

By Brigid Schulte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 7, 2008; A01

When football superstar Michael Vick pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to run a dogfighting operation, we knew he had kept about 50 pit bulls on his 15-acre property in rural Surry County, Va., on a road named Moonlight. We knew the dogs were chained to car axles near wooden hovels for shelter. And we knew the dogs that didn't fight were beaten, shot, hanged, electrocuted or drowned.

But we didn't know their names. Headlines described the nameless dogs as "menacing." Some animal rights groups called for the "ticking time bombs" to be euthanized as soon as Vick's case was closed and they were no longer valuable as evidence. That's what typically happens after a dogfighting bust.

Instead, the court gave Vick's dogs a second chance. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ordered each dog to be evaluated individually, not judged by the stereotype of the breed. And he ordered Vick to pony up close to $1 million to pay for the lifelong care of those that could be saved.

Of the 49 pit bulls animal behavior experts evaluated in the fall, only one was deemed too vicious to warrant saving and was euthanized. (Another was euthanized because it was sick and in pain.)

More than a year after being confiscated from Vick's property, Leo, a tan, muscular pit bull, dons a colorful clown collar and visits cancer patients as a certified therapy dog in California. Hector, who bears deep scars on his chest and legs, recently was adopted and is about to start training for national flying disc competitions in Minnesota. Teddles takes orders from a 2-year-old. Gracie is a couch potato in Richmond who lives with cats and sleeps with four other dogs.

Of the 47 surviving dogs, 25 were placed directly in foster homes, and a handful have been or are being adopted. Twenty-two were deemed potentially aggressive toward other dogs and were sent to an animal sanctuary in Utah. Some, after intensive retraining, are expected to move on to foster care and eventual adoption.

How can this be? Reports of gruesome pit bull maulings make international news. Pit bulls are one of the few canine breeds thought to be so dangerous that they are banned in some places.

The answer, says Frank McMillan, a veterinarian who is studying the recovery of some of the Vick dogs, is that we don't know. "We've assumed all pits are the same, and we've never let this many fighting dogs live long enough to find out. There are hardly ever studies, because these animals don't survive," he said.

Classic fighting pit bulls, part bulldog and part terrier, were bred to be friendly to people and aggressive with other dogs. Their ability to withstand great pain and keep fighting is a quality prized as "gameness."

But with an explosion in urban street fighting, some pit bulls are being trained to go after animals and people. Evaluators said that when they walked into the kennels where the Vick dogs were being held in the fall, they weren't sure what to expect.

"I thought, if we see four or five dogs that we can save, I'll be happy," said Randy Lockwood, an animal behaviorist with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "If we had to euthanize the majority, then we could at least say we'd tried."

Instead, they found dogs with behaviors that ran the gamut. Some would lick human hands but lunge at other dogs. Some almost immediately went into play mode with other dogs, wagging their tails and crouching down on their front legs in a play bow. "Some actually perked up and developed more confidence only around other dogs," said Rebecca Huss, a law professor and animal law expert who was appointed by the court to oversee the evaluations and determine the dogs' fates. "They actually seemed happier around other dogs."

Some of the dogs were scarred. All were sick and malnourished. Once it became clear that the dogs might be allowed to live, evaluators gave them names.

Iggy, Zippy, Cherry Garcia, Hazel, Little Red, Uba, Squeaker, Big Fella, Handsome Dan, Ginger, Ernie, Alf.

"One of the things that struck us immediately was that these dogs were more like the dogs we see rescued from animal hoarding situations," Lockwood said. "Their main problem was not aggressiveness but isolation." Loud noises startled them. A light coming on made them jump.

All that the dogs seemed to know about people was that they were to be feared.

Witness Sweet Pea, a compact cinnamon-colored dog with a pleat of wrinkles above her eyes who was hiding under the desk of the Frederick animal acupuncturist trying to treat her for anxiety. Fred Wolfson dimmed the office lights. Soft Native American flute music wafted through wall speakers. Wolfson held out his hand for Sweet Pea to sniff. When she would not budge, he sat on the floor and took his bowl of needles to her.

Sweet Pea began to pant.

"She pants when she's nervous," said Stacy Leipold, who volunteers with the Baltimore-based animal rescue organization Recycled Love and is fostering Sweet Pea in her home. "I thought for a very long time she was just a hot dog."

As Wolfson rubbed the dog's head and felt along her spine for the proper relaxation points, Leipold explained that Sweet Pea was little more than a lump when she came to her home in December. She rarely left her crate. If she did, it was to hide under a desk. She had to be carried outside to do her business. Over time, with Leipold meticulously tracking her behavior, Sweet Pea began to pace in a circle and wag her tail when she realized it was time for a walk. And she seemed to take comfort in Leipold's other dogs, a Jack Russell terrier and a Great Dane. Still, one of her favorite places is the landing on the basement stairs. That way, up or down, she has two routes of escape.

Five needles and 12 minutes later, Sweet Pea stopped trembling.

* * *

Jane, Homicide, Jade, Bandit, Miami, Mike-Mike, Big Boy, Magic, Tiny, Too Short, Seal, Chico.

Sweet Pea is not what Vick, who is serving a 23-month prison sentence in Leavenworth, Kan., called this dog. We don't know what he called her, or whether he had a name for her at all. One of the few names that appeared in court papers was Jane, one of the first pit bulls Vick bought in 2001 to start Bad Newz Kennels. The Humane Society of the United States found results for some of Bad Newz's dogfights in underground magazines. They show that Vick's Homicide lost to Maniac. Vick's Bandit lost to Red Rover. And Vick's Mike-Mike lost, after fighting for three hours and five minutes, to Dragon. Out of 10 fights recorded, Vick's dogs lost seven.

But no one knows who most of these dogs are, or whether they are even alive. Jane is. She is now called Georgia. Her jaw is crooked, having been broken at least once, and her tongue sticks out. She is covered in scars, and her teeth have all been pulled. By court order, she will live out her days in Dogtown, at the Best Friends Animal Society's 3,700-acre sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. So will Lucas, a tail-wagging, 60-pound dog who evaluators suspect was Vick's grand champion fighter.

They are two of 22 dogs who were deemed worth saving but who showed enough animal aggression that they could be held only in a tightly controlled sanctuary. At Best Friends', McMillan, the veterinarian, has developed a "personalized emotional rehabilitation plan" for each dog and measures how they exhibit such traits as aggression, fearfulness, calmness or friendliness. True to their "people soft" nature, all but two of the Vick dogs are on "green collar," meaning they are open and friendly to human visitors. About nine have begun to have supervised play dates with other Vick dogs.

The remaining 25 Vick dogs were given to seven animal rescue organizations across the country, which placed them in experienced foster homes. A number have since passed the American Kennel Club's 10-part Canine Good Citizenship test. Many are in the process of being adopted.

Sharon Cornett, a member of the Richmond Animal League's board, agreed to foster Gracie and is now adopting her. "I adore this dog. She is just a love bucket. She loves people and animals unconditionally," Cornett said. She has four other dogs. All of them sleep together at night. "Gracie is not what the public perception has been of a fighting pit bull."

Still, Cornett and other pit bull rescuers say that they never leave the dogs unsupervised with other animals. And rehabilitating a fighting pit is not for everyone: You have to know what you're doing, they say.

John Goodwin, a dogfighting expert with the Humane Society and a proponent of euthanizing fight dogs, is skeptical of the emerging reports of the Vick dog recoveries. Fighting is in their blood, he said. Retrievers retrieve. Shepherds herd. And fighting pit bulls fight. "The behavior is bred into them," he said. "These groups are not rehabilitating these dogs. They're training them to behave in a more socialized manner. But these pit bulls should never be left alone with other dogs, because you never know when that instinct to fight another dog is going to surface."

Tim Racer, one of the founders of Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit bulls (BAD RAP), who, before taking in 10 Vick dogs, had evaluated and retrained 400 pit bulls over the past 10 years, disagrees. Yes, there are pit bulls who have fought, attacked and mauled other animals and people. But so have other breeds. And incidents almost always have been traced to negligent or abusive owners, he said.

Racer said it is not surprising that many of the dogs get along so well with other dogs. Just as the urge to fight is in their blood, so, too, is the need to get along. "You have 150 years of man trying to produce an aggressive dog. But you have tens of thousands of years of Mother Nature preceding that," he said. "Dogs are pack animals. They survived because of their pack. . . . It's hard-wired into their genes that they do no harm to each other."

Indeed, long before a glowering pit bull came to symbolize tough guy vogue, pit bulls, or American Staffordshire terriers, were the all-American dog. In the Civil War era, they were known as nurse dogs because they were so good with children. Pit bulls sold war bonds, earned medals in World War I and starred in such TV shows as "The Little Rascals."

All the more reason, Racer and other rescuers say, to look at each dog individually. "Every thoroughbred is not a great racehorse. Every pit bull, even if it's of fighting stock, is not an aggressive dogfighter," said Steve Zawistowski, an animal behaviorist with the ASPCA who helped assess the Vick dogs. "There are no simple answers."

* * *

As with any celebrity case, the legacy of the Vick bust has been far-reaching. Dogfighting raids across the country have tripled in the past year. Hundreds of law enforcement officers have been trained to detect the signs of underground rings. And, in some cases, officials have asked pit bull behavior experts to evaluate seized fighting dogs rather than automatically euthanizing them. But most dogfighters don't have the kind of money that Vick did. So even those deemed worthy of a second chance don't always get one.

Charlie, Denzel, Halle, Oscar, Sox, Ray, Frodo, Aretha.

They, it turns out, are the lucky ones.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ ... 6/AR2008070602351_pf.html

Quote:

The "rep" is in a call center sitting in a cubicle with 100's of other "reps" and could be located in a number different states.

Try this:
Verizon High Speed Internet
800-567-6789
Customer Service - Monday-Friday 8:00am - 6:00pm ET
Technical Support 24/7

Quote:

Seems like $47.99 is the price if you don't have Verizon home phone service.
See: http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/FiOSInternet/Plans/Plans.htm


Download up to 10 Mbps / Upload up to 2 Mbps
Wireless router included Included for one computer

$42.99/mo. with Verizon home phone service
$47.99/mo without Verizon home phone service

Quote:

Grovepath, is there something wrong with you? Don't you know when to shut up?

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Any reasonable person would assume from your post that you beleive that jillianp is also responsible. Maybe you should stop posting for awhile, you're digging yourself into a deeper hole.

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There's a difference. It is clear that Jillianp did not intentionally spread false information, and she is not an anonymous poster.

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WRONG GWB. The prosecutor and police obviously have the thread archived. Even if the Webmaster deletes the thread, which is his right, it still exists.

Quote:

Councilman Lipski left the Council meeting early to attend the CREATE Charter School board meeting.

Squinting through the fog, and spin
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

T his is a short column because the space where the Insider is usually found is being used by Jersey City Councilman Steve Lipski complaining about how editorial commentary in The Jersey Journal tried to make him look bad. Read his letter first to make more sense of the following.

Now, let's succinctly cork some of his fine whine.

Comparing Gov. McGreevey's declaration that he was a gay American with Lipski's "I am an alcoholic" was about the councilman's attempt to fog over the real issue - he allegedly urinated on people and hid his previous DUI arrest in Pennsylvania. By writing about how alcohol is a disease and homosexuality is not, Lipski is looking for sympathy.

What we have learned from this is that the councilman, while willing to talk to reporters, at times has not been forthcoming with all the facts. So excuse this columnist for taking whatever he says with a grain of salt.

There was a reference to his being at that fateful concert venue balcony with some buddies. Lipski is upset that it was suggested that the pals were connected to developers. There was only one person this newspaper could confirm was with Lipski that D.C. evening and that was architect Dennis Devino of Jersey City.

A Devino employee did say the architect's office just moved to Jersey City from Hoboken, where a Devino had worked with Toll Brothers - the big developer proposing the Provost Square project in the Jersey City Powerhouse Arts District. It's probably just a coincidence that the architects have the same name.

The rest of his letter is, to be polite, silly.

The complete article with non Lipski related content at:
http://www.nj.com/jjournal/stories/in ... 27083178126310.xml&coll=3

IN THEIR OPINION
Reporting of my situation balanced, commentaries not
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
By STEVE LIPSKI

JERSEY CITY COUNCILMAN

Y our newspaper states about my recent fiasco in Washington and my statements about it afterward that it "cannot allow a political explanation by Jersey City Councilman Steve Lipski to blind his constituents in Journal Square to the character of the person representing them on the City Council." My character is not made up solely of the two alcohol-related arrests, as was communicated by my wife to one of your reporters.

I am embarrassed and ashamed that I have made the front page of your paper every day this past week, but I believe the reporting to have been balanced.

I am outraged, however, by two editorials this paper has recently published about me. The first one is the Political Insider's column of Nov. 12 that claims those who accompanied me to Washington, D.C., "were good buddies of his (mine), which means they are somehow connected to developers." In my press release on Nov. 10, I stated that I traveled with "two very close friends, one of whom I have known since kindergarten and had gone to Dead shows back in the seventies and eighties." I know that this distinction pales in comparison to the god-awful deed of which I am accused; but, it does make me wonder that if I had not been such a strong advocate for development and abatements would the Political Insider have been more thoughtful and thorough in his comments?

Further, the Political Insider writes, "[i]t seems that Lipski is pulling the Gov. Jim McGreevey defense. Instead of saying he's gay, Lipski said, 'I'm an alcoholic.' It is more of a political position than for use in a D.C. courtroom." Alcoholism has been part of the DSM classification system since its inception in 1952. In 1974, the DSM-II no longer listed homosexuality as a category of disorder. Alcoholism is a disease, being gay is not!

Medical classification systems aside, saying that I am pulling a Gov. Jim McGreevey is quite a stretch of the imagination. Up until Gov. McGreevey announced his resignation, he is not known to have sought any help. I, on the other hand, after my arrest for driving intoxicated in Pennsylvania, went to intensive outpatient counseling in North Brunswick as well as countless alcohol addiction meetings. I was sober for a year and 11 months. I fell off the wagon in Washington because things were going so well in my life, and I did not think that partying one night would matter. I was wrong.

The Political Insider concludes his article by asking, "Does he believe that his rehab effort and his mea culpa - without specifically saying what's he's sorry about - entitle him to run for re-election?" Re-elections aside, I am ashamed, embarrassed, and sorry for all my alcohol-related wrongdoings. I cannot speak about the specifics of what happened in Washington, D.C., because what the paper looks for in an admission of guilt is different from what a court of law looks for in an admission of guilt; and, I believe, I am entitled to the same courtesy and due process of law as those about whom you report in the crime section of this newspaper.

The other editorial that has outraged me was written Nov. 14, (Sad: Lipski's use of pupils as props). It states, "To show he has support, he had some students from his CREATE Charter School lined up on the school's front steps with a sign reading 'CREATE is with you Lipski.'" On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Charles Hack, a reporter for this newspaper, contacted me about an article he was writing about the Washington, D.C., incident. I informed him that I was on my way back to the school from a meeting and that if he wished to meet me, we could meet around 3 o'clock. Mr. Hack arrived around the same time I did at the school to find an auditorium full of students sharing their support for me. With Mr. Hack was a photographer. The photographer wanted to take a photo of the students with me, so it was suggested that we go outside. The photographer lined up the students and me and took about two dozen group and individual shots. Your newspaper made the decision to run with the group photo of the students behind me, not me. I had no influence over your photo selection process; and, I feel as if your editorial board set my students and me up for your highly critical editorial.

This same editorial column comments that had I been an administrator in a suburban school, officials would have removed me from my position. This statement is not necessarily true. School boards are comprised of humans whose decisions differ from one board to the next; and, the legal offenses with which I have been charged do not affect my licenses.

It is ironic that this newspaper's editorial staff blasts me for alcohol-related wrongdoings and for admitting that I'm an alcoholic when in a separate editorial, (City being defined by pols and booze" 11/13/08), this paper calls for people to admit they have an alcohol problem and the administration to provide a program for those who want help. Which is it? Help or hurt?

I fully take responsibility and accountability for my actions; I hope the editorial board of this newspaper will do likewise.

EDITOR'S NOTE: When an interview was requested, Mr. Lipski urged the reporter to hurry to the school because he said students were anxious to show their support for him. Upon arriving, the councilman shepherded the students out, lined them up, and provided the sign in the photograph. The photographer questioned the use of the students and asked them if they wanted to remain. They said they did and Mr. Lipski encouraged their participation.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal/stories/in ... 27083172126310.xml&coll=3

Manzo's suit against Healy tossed; Healy drops his Shore suit
by Paul Koepp/The Jersey Journal
Friday November 07, 2008, 5:11 PM
Jersey Journal file photoJersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, seen here testifying during his Bradley Beach trial, is safe from ouster.

Former Assemblyman Lou Manzo's attempt to remove Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy from office has been thrown out of court.

Monmouth County Assignment Judge Lawrence Lawson decided Monday that Manzo had no standing to bring his lawsuit.

The suit sought to force the mayor to forfeit his position due to his 2007 disorderly persons conviction stemming from a June 2006 altercation outside his sister's bar in Bradley Beach.

"I am pleased that Judge Lawson dismissed Lou Manzo's frivolous case, which was clearly filed for political purposes," Healy said in a statement."I will continue to focus on making Jersey City greater. It is time to move forward and as a result I am no longer prosecuting my civil claim against the town of Bradley Beach."

Healy and his wife, Maureen, had sued the Shore town and two of its police officers in June, saying the officers used excessive force and knocked her to the ground while subduing the mayor.

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The point is the race is getting closer.

From fivethirtyeight.com :
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ieXw28ZUpg ... U0/S1600-R/1019_super.png

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Really? Then why is the race tightening? For example. WV was leaning Democratic, and is now a "safe" red state. The negative campaigning and character assassination is paying off for McCain. From now to election day things can change dramatically.

Free ride to a swing state: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php go to "volunteer"
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/map/polling/

'Straight-shooter' GOP judge to decide Healy's fate
Saturday, October 18, 2008
By Agustin Torres - Political Insider

The saga of Jerramiah Healy's future may be coming to an end. A hearing on whether Healy can stay in office is expected in Monmouth County on Oct. 24. Somehow, it would have been more appropriate if the legal proceedings began a week later.

It is probably dawning on some of the participants in this legal fight that the petition filed in Monmouth County by former Assemblyman Louis Manzo is somewhat of a web that could catch more than one fly.

As the Insider mentioned in Wednesday's column, Monmouth Prosecutor Luis Valentin is faced with the prospect of arguing against himself. At one point during all these Healy appeals and countercharges, Valentin argued that in 2006, outside a Bradley Beach tavern, the Jersey City mayor acted as a political bully trying to intimidate police officers who arrested Healy for interfering and resisting arrest. The mayor was convicted of the charges in 2007.

THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW

Now Valentin is making the exact opposite arguments he made before the same judge the first time around. If he or Healy's team fails to immediately win on all the technical defense arguments, then they must face the merits of the case and the prosecutor will need a silver tongue to explain why he did not follow state attorney general guidelines on whether Healy should or should not exit.

OK, you know all this.

So, let's have some political fun and ask ourselves what happens if the "unthinkable" occurs and Monmouth Superior Court Assignment Judge Lawrence Lawton, a Republican who has been called by some "a straight-shooter," decides Healy no longer has a Grove Street office?

Besides creating panic in the Hudson County Democratic Organization, glee among aspiring Jersey City mayoral candidates, a dilemma for state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham, and groans inside Gov. Jon Corzine's office, Healy's removal would raise the question of who would step in for him in the May election?

The guys and gals in the Jersey City Democratic Organization say "no one" because Healy will remain. True, but what if? I doubt they will recruit any of the existing candidates. How 'bout Manzo? Kidding.

SPECULATING ON A DARK HORSE

I say the replacement could be Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise - sorry Mariano Vega. He has the organization that runs Healy's campaign

DeGise would say he has no intention of running - until the prospects present themselves. It would be an interesting choice because it means he would face off against his old political pal, former Mayor Bret Schundler.

The county executive would not have the benefit of Healy's relationship with Cunningham. DeGise is oil and Cunningham is water. Not that he would need her support. It seems that since her backing of Healy, some candidates'polls claim to have both the senator and mayor dropping in popularity since the unofficial backing.

Should DeGise try to shore up Jersey City, the first thought would be that Heights Councilman Bill Gaughan, DeGise's chief of staff, would be the man to fill the county vacancy. All they would have to do is convince the Hudson mayors that this is a good thing. This another reason why a victory by Bayonne Police Director Mark Smith in next month's Peninsula City special mayoral election is important to the HCDO.

All this can be avoided if Judge Lawton would just go along with the program.

INSIDER LONG-DISTANCE CHATTER

- Recently, Jersey City Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop, ex-Marine and avid runner, was participating in a 5K weekend run at an annual Jersey City firefighters picnic when in the middle of the race he heard a voice describing him in very unflattering terms. It was obviously another runner on his heels who continued to barrage Fulop with descriptive reasons why the fellow runner hated him - and Manzo.

Looking over his shoulder, Fulop said he saw the face of Firefighter Jerramiah Healy Jr. The councilman said he was stunned by the amount of rancor he was subjected to and picked up his pace. There was suddenly a race within a race.

Fulop crossed the finish line before his antagonist and there was another runner or two between him and Healy Jr. The councilman admitted that he let the heat of the moment get to him and there may have been a blurting of "I beat you and I'm going to beat your old man!"

The councilman added: "Why did he lump me in with Manzo?"

http://www.nj.com/jjournal/stories/in ... 24311129303310.xml&coll=3

Most say Healy will survive Manzo suit
Saturday, October 11, 2008
By Agustin Torres - Political Insider


The hearing on whether there is a future for Jerramiah Healy as mayor of Jersey City is expected to begin by the end of this month. All sides are filing their responses to a lawsuit filed by former Assemblyman Lou Manzo to have a judge determine whether Healy should step down after being convicted of disorderly charges in a scuffle with Bradley Beach police.

There is a "What me worry?" feeling among Healy's supporters.

"I feel comfortable that Jerry will beat it," said Heights Councilman Bill Gaughan, who was on his way Thursday to Secaucus Assemblyman Vincent Prieto's fund-raiser at the Pegasus Restaurant in the Meadowlands. "I talked to some lawyers, they can't see the connection between what went on in Bradley Beach and his job as mayor in Jersey City."

The man who would be in line to replace Healy, Council President Mariano Vega, said he feels Healy should win.

"(Healy) wasn't pushing his influence in a district where he lives or where he has an office," said Vega. "I'm not a lawyer, but our own county prosecutor wouldn't seek forfeiture.

"I hope Jersey City doesn't go through this again. When Glenn (Cunningham) died, we had turmoil. Now, we're trying to survive an economic downturn. Unseating a mayor wouldn't be good for the city."

Two amigos, who are high up in the administration of County Executive Tom DeGise and who do not want to go on the record (and are busy in the Bayonne mayoral race), are certain Healy will beat the Manzo lawsuit.

"(Manzo) can't beat (Healy) on the ballot, shame on Louis," one said, using an often used mantra. "It's just an exercise in futility. The lawyers we spoke to, I don't want to say they laughed at it, but they say it's an issue that people would not take serious.

"OK, Manzo got his name in the paper and he shook up some of the supporters, but you know who's stoking Manzo's fire, don't you - Gerry McCann."

Isn't it too early to use the McCann defense, and can't Manzo take sole credit for the lawsuit?

INSIDER NOTE: Even some supporters of Bayonne mayoral hopeful Mark Smith, the city police director, had to admit that rival Pat Conaghan had the best line at Tuesday's Rotary Club mayoral debate when he tried to connect Smith to former Mayor Joseph Doria.

Conaghan pulled out a yellow rubber duck and said: "If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's gotta be a duck."

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 23706346161550.xml&coll=3

I don't usually quote legalese, but this is germane
Political Insider
Wednesday, October 01, 2008

There is a document that all of New Jersey's county prosecutors are given. It will play a role in whether Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy is removed from office before the May 2009 municipal election.

"ATTORNEY GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR DECIDING WHETHER TO APPLY FOR A WAIVER OF FORFEITURE OF PUBLIC OFFICE PURSUANT TO N.J.S.A. 2C:51-2(e)" runs 15 pages. It's not Shakespeare, but for some it's as scary as a Stephen King story.

The one question in this Healy versus Bradley Beach saga is why some important grand jury revelations were never made public in the initial disorderly and resisting arrest municipal trial in 2007. There was nothing asked by the municipal prosecutor of arresting police officers about their grand jury testimony, in which they claimed Healy tried to intimidate them, demanded they call their police chief at 3 a.m. and asked that the whole incident be swept under the rug.

This secret testimony was revealed in subsequent litigation when Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin defended Bradley Beach Police Officer Terry Browning in an unsuccessful suit brought by Healy and his wife.

Now let us look at the guidelines and wonder - in awe.

Under the section called "Application for Forfeiture of Office at the Municipal Court Level":

"Due to the statutory provision of N.J.S.A. 2C: 51-2(b)(1) requiring the immediate forfeiture of office at the time of a public employee's conviction, and since the conviction and sentencing of a defendant in municipal court usually occur on the same day, decisions about waiver of forfeiture should be made in advance of adjudication. Therefore, a reasonable effort must be made as soon as practical to determine if the defendant is a public employee ."

Well, there's no denying they are dealing with a mayor.

In the same section - note the word "must" - there's this ditty:

"Whether the county prosecutor's office screens the municipal court cases or the municipal prosecutor directly handles charges filed in the municipal court, the decision to waive forfeiture must be made before adjudication of the case .

"Upon learning that the defendant is a public employee, the municipal prosecutor should contact the assistant prosecutor who has been assigned as the supervisor for municipal prosecutors in that county to request a review of the file to determine if waiver will be considered ."

Don't you wish you were a fly on the wall for any of these conversations. And here, in the same section, is the kicker:

"Upon completion of the review, the county prosecutor should provide the municipal prosecutor with the signed and complete written statement of reasons accepting or rejecting waiver."

So, where's the written and signed statement?

It is important to note that even if the county prosecutor had argued to waive forfeiture of office, a judge can do what he or she wants - as was in the case of Newark Councilwoman Dana Rone, who was booted this summer for her own disorderly person conviction.

Assemblyman Louis Manzo's legal action aimed at Healy goes to court, it will probably be before Monmouth County Superior Court Assignment Judge Lawrence Lawson, who heard Valentin argue in the Browning case that Healy tried to use his political and mayoral muscle. It will be interesting if we hear Valentin tell Lawson the exact opposite.

PLEASE HIT THE LOBBY BUTTON

Is all this court stuff getting under Healy's skin?

Last week, when the mayor was in Trenton testifying about how the state should help those Lehman Brothers employees who were losing their jobs, his battle to keep his office must have been on his mind.

When he got in an elevator, where there was at least one state assemblyman, the mayor spotted a familiar face from a 33rd District Assembly office. Healy then went into a loud rant. Something to the effect that "that f --- Lou Manzo" will never be mayor and there's no way he intends to resign.

At one point, the elevator door opened and that colorful description of Manzo cascaded down the hallway causing at a few turned heads, according to elevator sources. Down, please.

AN INSIDER NOTE: The Hoboken Dems will gather tomorrow evening at Willie McBride's to watch the debate. The cost is $15. One onlooker may be some guy named Jon Corzine.

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 22284236452540.xml&coll=3

Corzine to announce ethics reform executive order

Posted by mschmidt September 24, 2008 07:35AM

Mel Evans/APGov. Jon Corzine, seen here earlier this week talking about toll hikes, is expected to announce an ethics reform executive order today.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine is scheduled to announce an executive order today that would immediately put into place ethics reform measures aimed at reducing the influence of money on the state's political system.

Some other reforms would need legislative approval, according to a summary obtained by The Associated Press from a person familiar with the plan who did not want to be identified because the plan had not been formally announced.

The executive order would:

*Ban political contributions by state redevelopers and their consultants.

*Tighten the current ban on state-contractor contributions to include those made by partners of professional service firms.

*Appoint a task force to study whether the Local Government Ethics Law should be changed to match state law.

*Update financial disclosure rules for members of newly created boards and commissions.

"We have an absolute responsibility to give our citizens the most we can from their tax dollars," Corzine, D-Hoboken, said in a written statement. "This is about ethics in government, which is fundamental. But it's also about fiscal responsibility, which is essential."

Other reform measures, which would require legislative action, would apply to municipal governments, school districts, utility authorities, auditors and county and municipal political party committees.

They address concerns about "pay to play" -- the practice of rewarding political donors with lucrative government contracts -- and so-called "wheeling" of campaign money from one political party committee to another.

The governor also wants legislation to increase financial disclosure by lawmakers.

Among the proposed pay to play reforms:

*A ban on contributions by county government contractors to municipal candidates and a ban on contributions by municipal contractors to county candidates.

*A ban contributions by developers seeking development approvals.

*A ban on contributions from audit firms and partners to audit clients.

Wheeling reforms would set new limits on contributions from one political committee to another and a campaign finance proposal would lower the current annual limit on contributions to a county political committee.

Corzine also will propose a set of contracting reforms affecting local municipalities and school districts.

Among them:

*Requiring a "fair and open process" for awards of professional services contracts.

*Requiring "competitive contracting" for insurance contracts.

*Changing selection practices to ensure the independence of local auditors.

Corzine also wants legislation to convert the State Ethics Commission to a body of all public members; it currently consists of four citizens and three public officials.

Other proposed reforms would prohibit use of state funds to hire lobbyists to lobby state government and give state election officials authority to impose penalties for late filing of campaign finance reports.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/

Quote:

The cost is $20 ($15 for students and seniors).

Quote:

Re-posted with the proper headline:

A lot is hanging on definition of 'involve or touch'
Saturday, September 13, 2008

T he other shoe has dropped. Former Assemblyman Lou Manzo had his lawyer file a lawsuit Thursday attempting to force the Monmouth County Prosecutor to remove Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy from office - over the circumstances surrounding his 2006 Bradley Beach conviction.

The reaction is expected and has started. Initially, it will be a political attack on Manzo and anyone who dares mention forfeiture.

A letter writing campaign has started with the usual suspects supporting Healy. Retired police detectives, Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez (who writes a very eloquent letter that hasn't rarely been seen from his typing fingers, it's almost as if an accomplished letter writer like Bob Knapp penned it) recounts stories about the wonderful human being named Healy.

We're waiting for a letters of support from City Council President Mariano Vega - heir apparent if Healy is removed - and state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham, which will cinch her backing of Healy.

The mayor, who denies he tried to use his political influence in Bradley Beach, has operatives who are not above calling state legislators and even the governor's and state Attorney General's offices trying to elicit support.

Even Councilman Steven Fulop has stepped in by accusing Manzo of trying to win the May mayoral election in the courtroom instead of the ballot box. Manzo said Fulop is auditioning to replace Healy with the HCDO "by saying the right things."

The truth is that the vagueness of a poorly written state law favors the mayor. The danger is that anything can happen in a courtroom. Can Healy avoid a disaster?

Former Jersey City Mayor Gerald McCann believes he can. McCann agrees with those who say that the mayor's actions "do not involve or touch upon his office," to paraphrase a part of the law that governs this issue.

McCann has some expertise because it was Manzo's lawsuit that pretty much prevented the former mayor from running for mayor again in 2001. In that case, it wasn't the phrase "involve or touch" that was the deciding factor, but McCann was still banned from the mayoral race while on probation in a fraud conviction.

The first argument by the defense will be that Manzo, or anyone else, has "no standing" in bringing a lawsuit. Once past this hurdle, "involve and touch" comes into play.

In the papers filed, Manzo attorney W. Timothy Howe of Raritan wrote:

"The New Jersey Supreme Court has interpreted the phrase 'touches the office' very broadly. Specifically, the New Jersey Supreme Court established the standard: 'When the infraction casts a shadow over the employee as to make his or her continued service appear incompatible with the traits of trustworthiness, honesty and obedience to law and order, then forfeiture is appropriate.'"

It will all be up to a judge, possibly Monmouth County's Assignment Superior Court Judge Lawrence Lawson. Familiar with the case, Lawson is the judge who refused to reinstate unsuccessful disorderly person charges Healy brought against Bradley Beach arresting Police Office Terry Browning.

One big question in all of this is why Bradley Beach tried to prevent any news media from obtaining an original police report of the Healy incident, even under Freedom of Information requests? It was finally obtained by The Jersey Journal from the state Supreme Court filings in Healy's First Amendment appeal of his conviction.

Why did police or local prosecutors not reveal in the original trial that part of the report that indicated Healy asked police to sweep the matter "under the rug?" It illustrates just how abstract is the concept of "prosecution."

There's nothing more interesting than starting a municipal election campaign with lawyers and hard feelings.

AN IMPORTANT ENGAGEMENT

On Sept. 4, a Thursday evening, Bayonne Councilman and Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone made his excuses for not being able to attend a Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) session that evening, when developer Fidelco would try to switch its planned condos on the former Military Ocean Terminal to rentals. Chiappone told fellow local officials that he had to attend an important state legislative event, according to the Peninsula City locals.

The event turned out to be the kickoff at the NFL Giants opener against the Washington Redskins. Luckily for Chiappone, mayoral candidate and Police Director Mark Smith asked for and received a postponement of the Fidelco issue until all City Council people could attend. The Giants won.

ANYONE ELSE WANT TO BE MAYOR?

Bayonne's special mayoral election is in November. As of last week, we have a retired merchant seaman, Bayonne's Raymond Rokicki, former municipal court judge Patrick Conaghan and city Police Director Mark Smith running.

Yitzhak David, a political neophyte, announced he was going for it under the mantra "Revolution Not Change" - until he realized he had too much on his plate to get involved and decided they could start the revolution without him. David released all his delegates in support of Smith.

Now former Mayor Richard Rutkowski has thrown his chapeau into the circle. Since the Hi-Hat is gone, he probably wants something to do. The former mayor, 1990-1994, also has the advantage of having a park, formerly North 40 Park, named after him. Let's hope his interest was not the reason the park was the target of graffiti - only kidding.

Is this the field? Anyone hear from former Mayor Leonard Kiczek?

SOMEONE HAS TO WRITE THIS

- Hudson County Republican Party Chairman Jose Arango is demanding that the Hudson County Democratic Organization apologize for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's comment: "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." Arango says it's an insult against all women in the county.

OK, but Arango will have to get the mea culpa from his City Hall job boss, Mayor Healy, who is also the HCDO chairman. Good luck with that.

- Hoboken Mayor David Roberts went to see Union City Mayor and state Sen. Brian P. Stack two days after Labor Day to seek support for a possible run for re-election in the Mile Square City. Let's just say Stack was noncommittal.

Roberts had once said he expected to announce his political intentions soon after summer ended. Well, they're already selling Halloween candy.

- With Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell picking a fight with a porn convention, we wonder if this means the end to a tradition. Elwell and Hoboken developer Frank "Pupie" Raia co-host an annual party during the League of Municipalities convention. Many people will miss those printed invitations to party at the Deja Vu, a go-go (wink-wink) nightclub.

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 21287177176630.xml&coll=3

This was not posted by Grovepath

MANZO: OUST HEALY
Mayor fires back: He's 'abusing the courts'
Friday, September 12, 2008
By AGUSTIN C. TORRES
JOURNAL POLITICAL EDITOR

A lawsuit attempting to remove Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy from office - over his Bradley Beach conviction last year - was filed by former Assemblyman Lou Manzo yesterday in Monmouth County Superior Court.

W. Timothy Howes, Manzo's attorney, said yesterday that the petition was filed in Monmouth County and courtesy copies were sent to Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin, state Attorney General Anne Milgram and the Office of the City Clerk of Jersey City.

The lawsuit claims that forfeiture of office is mandated as a result of the mayor's words and actions in connection with his conviction on charges of obstruction of administrative law and resisting arrest. Manzo contends that Healy tried to use the power of his office to gain special treatment from the arresting officers.

"Lou Manzo is running his political agenda through the courts, wasting taxpayer money and the court's valuable time and resources," said Healy's spokeswoman, Jennifer Morrill." Mr. Manzo is abusing the courts with a frivolous lawsuit to pursue his own unbridled political ambition."

Manzo was defeated by Healy in a special election for mayor in 2004. Manzo has said he is considering another run for mayor next year.

Among the cases cited in court papers is the state's removal this summer of Newark Councilwoman Dana Rone. Rone was accused of using the influence of her office when her nephew was stopped by police in Newark.

In the wee hours of June 17, 2006, Healy intervened in a dispute between a couple outside a bar owned by his sister and brother-in-law. The two police officers who responded testified at the trial that Healy ignored several requests to step aside so they could interview the young woman and at one point assumed a "boxing stance" to fight one of the officers.

Last year, when Healy unsuccessfully attempted to have charges reinstated against a Bradley Beach police officer, Valentin filed papers in response, citing some grand jury testimony by police officers.

The officers accused the Jersey City mayor of trying to throw his political weight around, saying Healy threatened the officers, demanded that they call their police chief, told them he was the mayor of Jersey City and asked several times that the officers sweep the whole matter under the rug without charges.

Healy has denied making those statements, but it is expected that Manzo's attorney will use the police testimony to bolster the argument that Valentin should seek Healy's removal.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal/stories/in ... 22120072284420.xml&coll=3

Bradley Beach incident will be hammered more
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Augie Torres - Political Insider Column

Shhhhhhh!

The hope of the Jersey City and state Democratic Party hierarchy is that they can just keep quiet and wait out the squall over whether Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy will have to forfeit his office. Perhaps the rainbow will come out and no one will have to decide who is lying - the mayor or Bradley Beach law enforcement.

Unfortunately for the mayor, a jury decided he was. (If you want to get past the background stuff, then skip down to the seventh paragraph that begins with "This alleged naughty behavior . ")

Healy is appealing his case to the state Supreme Court after losing in appeal and in other courts. It has triggered an argument over whether Healy should be held to the same standards set for Newark Councilwoman Dana Rone, who was forced from her elected office this summer.

Like Rone, Healy was found guilty of obstruction of justice, which involved a summer of 2006 altercation outside a Bradley Beach tavern.

What didn't come out in the trial were quotes attributed to him by police after being cuffed, and which he denies. Healy is accused of threatening police officers, demanding that they call their police chief in the early morning hours, telling them he was the Jersey City mayor and asking that the police sweep the whole matter under the rug without charges.

This alleged naughty behavior is being ignored by county prosecutors in Hudson and Monmouth counties, Democratic appointees. Hudson Prosecutor Ed DeFazio said the incident and conviction didn't touch Healy's office.

But two days after the arrest, Healy took his office with him to sign a Bradley Beach police statement about the incident and arrest. Besides defense attorney Peter Lamparello and his wife, Maureen, the mayor was accompanied by what he called a security detail, Officers Peter Earla and Bill Rawley. Then, Police Chief Robert Troy also came down to the Shore to support Healy.

What is surprising about all this is the silence of the state legislative Black Caucus. Rone's attorney brought up the similarity of the Healy arrest and how his client was being punished while the Jersey City mayor was getting a free pass. Is it because Healy, chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, is also New Jersey co-ordinator of Barack Obama's presidential campaign?

It seems that Healy has been gently pushed into the background by the Obama people while this Bradley Beach issue remains alive. It may be why when Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea hosted more than 100 people for a Democratic Party fundraising dinner on their mansion lawn by the Navesink River last week, Healy was not among the guests, although his co-coordinator, Newark Mayor Cory Booker attended.

Will Bradley Beach quietly go away, the way the Dems hope?

Sorry, but no. Former Assemblyman Lou Manzo is the person who has resurrected this as an issue. Manzo is considering his own run for mayor. Look for legal action, to be filed this week by his lawyers, that is expected to start pushing the issue of Healy's possible forfeiture of his elected office.

The only question is in what county will the legal action begin? Betting here is that it will be in Monmouth County. Healy has not done well there.

The hot potato issue may be ready to become mashed.

THE CRUISE TO NOWHERE

Healy had a chance to spend some quality time with the self-described ethical Gov. Jon Corzine Thursday evening on the restored yacht The Valiant, which calls the Liberty State Park piers in Jersey City home.

The occasion was a fundraising, and sort of a birthday, event for state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham. Getting Corzine out on the big boat was pretty impressive. Among those on the voyage were fellow Democrats, Senate President Richard Codey, state Sen. Ray Lesniak of Union, and 32nd District Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco of North Bergen.

No doubt they all talked about the fun they all had at the Democratic Party's national convention in Denver - yeah, that's it.

Actually, Healy backers say that in Denver they sewed up the Cunningham support for the May election. If true, it means she will not run for mayor. Hmmmm.

On The Valiant, Healy apparently couldn't resist singing "Happy Birthday" to Cunningham, according to a yacht passenger source. The mayor had already given her a gift in Denver, Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano's seat.

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 21027929308070.xml&coll=3

I'm reposting this because it was difficult to find - tacked on to the end of a different JJ article.



Stakes for Healy are as high as his pension figures
Saturday, September 06, 2008

"Y ou got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run."

These lyrics may be running through the mind of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Should Healy be held to the same standards prescribed for Newark Councilwoman Dana Rone, he will face the danger of losing a hefty pension if, like Rone, he is forced from elected office.

Rone was removed from her office because in December 2006 she intervened when Rutgers-Newark University police stopped her nephew for a traffic violation.

In a 2007 hearing where Healy unsuccessfully attempted to reinstate dismissed charges against a Bradley Beach police officer, Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin filed papers releasing some grand jury testimony. Police had claimed Healy tried to intimidate them while enroute to and at the station house after an altercation outside a Bradley Beach tavern in the summer of 2006.

Police testified that Healy threatened that officers would be sorry, demanded they call their police chief, Lenny Guida, and asked that the whole matter be "swept under the rug."

Healy vehemently denies making the alleged statements.

It all comes down to whether the mayor is lying or the cops perjured themselves - and no one of authority wants to find out the truth.

Should a prosecutor decide they will look into the possibility of forfeiture of office, it would be too late for Healy to back out, to fold. If like Rone, he is forced from office, then he loses the pension he built up as a municipal judge, councilman and mayor. As mayor, he earns about $125,000 annually and would be eligible for a pension of 50 to 60 percent of that figure.

Healy would avoids losing that pension should he decide to resign from office - before any probe into possible forfeiture began. Once a review started, Healy would have to play the hand he was dealt.

A resignation would please challengers to Healy's office in May, including former Assemblyman Louis Manzo, who seems to be the point man in forcing an investigation of Healy's arrest.

Right now, Healy should feel safe. It appears his case has become a political hot potato. Let's look at the subtext of this case.

Healy is not only mayor, but he is chairman of the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization and he is a co-coordinator for New Jersey, with Newark Mayor Cory Booker, for Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Hudson County Prosecutor Ed DeFazio believes the Healy arrest doesn't touch the Jersey City mayor's office. The feeling is that the venue is in Monmouth County.

Monmouth Prosecutor Luis Valentin won't talk to the media, and issued a "no comment."

Too bad, because Valentin felt strongly about the case when he filed the following papers on May 18, 2007:

" . Mayor Healy repeatedly asked Officer Browning to sweep the incident 'under the rug' without the need for formal charges. When Officer Browning refused to treat Mayor Healy differently because of his official status, the mayor warned: 'You are going to be sorry for this whole incident.' Particularly in light of the grand jury's findings, it can reasonably be perceived that the criminal charges the Healys signed against Officer Browning are an effort to make good on the mayor's admonition, i.e., were retaliatory. Moreover, it could reasonably be perceived, given the Healys' statements the night of the incident, that they filed complaints in an attempt to use the courts to project an image to the public that they were not intoxicated and disorderly, but, rather were innocent victims. Consistent with the grand jury's conclusion, this would be an inaccurate image ."

A cynic, ahem, may be troubled by the cone of silence. Valentin is one of those people U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez has had in mind to replace U.S. Attorney Chris Christie - should Obama win the presidency. Wonder how it would look if Valentin went after the HCDO chairman in the middle of a national election?

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram handed out the customary "no comment." Milgram's boss, Gov. Jon Corzine, will have to rely on the Hudson County Democratic chairman should he seek re-election.

The state attorney general sets the house rules. All these county prosecutors take their orders from her office.

So, will anyone cut the cards or will Healy not ante up?

Shore cops say Healy wanted it 'swept under rug'
Wednesday, September 03, 2008

"Y ou are going to be sorry for this whole incident."

- "Do yourself a favor and get your chief down here before this goes any further because I can't believe you don't know who I am."

- "I can't believe you maced me. You had no reason to do that. I wasn't resisting. I wasn't fighting you. I didn't do anything wrong. I am the mayor of Jersey City. I was a judge, I was a lawyer, I am a good personal friend with your Chief (Lenny Guida)."

- " . I'm sorry. Call the chief and let's get this rectified without any charges. For the good of your town, for the good of your department, for the good of my city, we need to resolve this without charges."

- "Can you sweep this under the rug?"

These were some of the comments made by Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy while being transported to the Bradley Beach police headquarters, quoted in testimony by several police officers before a grand jury that eventually indicted him on charges of resisting arrest and obstructing the administration of law.

These are statements that did not see much, if any, light of day in the municipal court prosecution of Healy.

"I never made any of those statements," Healy said yesterday. "I'm from Jersey City - I couldn't influence anyone down there. I have no juice in that community. It's completely untrue."

THE ARREST

In the summer of 2006, Healy tried to intervene in a couple's quarrel outside a bar, Barry's, which was owned then by his sister in the Shore community. Jeff Barnes and Jacqueline Volante later testified against the mayor and said his speech was slurred and that he was intoxicated and reeked of alcohol and was told on several occasions to go away.

The mayor was arrested after being pepper-sprayed and handcuffed in front of a crowd of Healy's friends and relatives. Police testified that the crowd was unruly and threatening, and cursing. Some of the members of the crowd testified to something different before the grand jury, saying they only saw police pepper-spraying the mayor and holding him down with their knees in his back.

OTHER EVIDENCE

Bradley Beach Prosecutor Jason Shamy said the only testimony he was interested in bringing to municipal court concerned any evidence up to the point of arrest.

The more interesting "evidence" and comments that were allegedly made by the mayor - in an attempt to use his influence to intimidate local law enforcement - came after Healy was cuffed and placed in a squad car and brought to the Bradley Beach police headquarters.

This was evident in papers filed on May 18, 2007 by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office of Luis Valentin. The documents were an answer to Healy's and his wife Maureen's attempt to reinstate dismissed disorderly charges they made against Browning. They provided a peek into grand jury testimony that led to Healy's indictment on disorderly charges. Some of the testimony start this column.

Based on these documents, which were asked for and obtained, Assemblyman Louis Manzo of Jersey City, who is operating his own public advocacy office, sent a letter to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio asking that the testimony be reviewed and used to oust Healy from office.

Yesterday, DeFazio said he has not budged from his stance that Healy's arrest "does not touch upon his office." DeFazio said he never saw either the grand jury testimony or the documentation filed by Monmouth Prosecutor Valentin.

"It is not my jurisdiction," he said. "The arrest and trial all took place in Monmouth County."

At least DeFazio called back. Valentin did not return a telephone call. A spokesman for state Attorney General Anne Milgram issued a "no comment" response.

MANZO'S RONE ARGUMENT

Manzo, who may be seeking Healy's seat in May, says he sees no difference between what the Jersey City mayor allegedly did and the circumstances surrounding the removal this summer from elected office of Newark Councilwoman Dana Rone. Rone was convicted of obstruction of justice when she tried to intimidate some Rutgers University police in Newark after they made a traffic stop involving her nephew.

Grand jury testimony by Shore police officers has the Jersey City mayor demanding that Browning, if he knew what was good for him, call the Bradley Beach police chief, according to the county prosecutor. More damaging was testimony from police that on numerous occasions while in custody Healy asked that the whole matter be "swept under the rug."

Healy defense attorney Ralph Lamparello dismissed the police grand jury testimony about sweeping the whole mess under the floor covering. Lamparello said he believes his client when he said the police version never happened, adding that in the Rone case there was video evidence and Healy did not have that benefit.

Healy said the Rone case "is not just as different as apples and oranges, but sausages and peppers."

WHO'S GOT 'JUICE'?

The mayor added that if anyone had "juice" it was Bradley Beach who flew Barnes and Volante, who had since married, up to New Jersey from Florida to testify against him. He said the couple had relatives in municipal government, including the Police Department.

The mayor also complained that when he and his wife filed charges against Bradley Beach Police Officer Terry Browning, whom they say was responsible for her falling and being injured, that the complaint never saw the light of day. Healy says he never saw her fall, although it was a given that she was injured.

Manzo suggested Healy's "juice" was his sister, owner of the bar, where the Bradley Beach police chief eats.

Jennifer Morrill, a spokeswoman for Healy, responded to Manzo's letter to DeFazio in the usual Jersey City way:

"These are the rantings of a disgruntled four-time loser who has come up with a frivolous argument to get into the Mayor's Office through the back door knowing the people of Jersey City will never elect him. Mr. Manzo is also frustrated because Mayor Healy would not support him as the candidate for the state Senate and that when Mr. Manzo pleaded with the mayor to keep his personal friend on the city payroll, despite his excessive absenteeism, the mayor would not do so."

Manzo said Morrill must mean three-time loser because she worked for him in his 2004 mayoral bid.

Morrill denied that, saying she was never paid and only helped a girlfriend one time who needed some help with Manzo's literature.

You know it will not end here. This is not a "Rashomon" moment where people see the same thing in different ways. What it seems to come down to is one side or the other is lying.

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 371.xml&coll=3&thispage=1

REMINDER! TONIGHT Tuesday August 19!

What: Fundraiser for November Pay-to-Play and Double Dipping Initiatives
When: Tuesday August 19th, 6pm-8pm
Where: Lucky 7 (322 2nd Street)
Cost: $25 per person (includes beer & food)

Plus: **The Milwaukees are playing at 8pm**

Downtown resident tosses hat in Jersey City mayoral ring
by Paul Koepp
Monday August 18, 2008, 11:48 AM

The field of candidates for mayor of Jersey City grew by one this morning, as Daniel Levin, founder of reform group Civic JC, announced he is running for the city's top elected office.

The 12-year Downtown Jersey City resident hopes to field a full slate of nine council candidates with a shared goal of more transparent city government.

May's race will be the first time Levin has run for public office.

In a phone interview, Levin said that while citizen participation at city meetings is valuable, real change has to come at the polls.

"Without a challenge at the ballot box, the status quo just remains and there's nothing to push change through," he said.

As head of Civic JC, Levin worked with Councilman Steve Fulop, another possible mayoral candidate, to develop a pay-to-play ordinance that could go to a referendum this November.

Levin said it is too early to name the half-dozen people he has in mind to run on his reform slate.

Levin also lists being a founding director of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy and past president of the Harsimus Cove Association, a Downtown neighborhood association, among his credits.

So far, incumbent Mayor Jerramiah Healy and former Mayor Bret Schundler have said they intend to run.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... esident_tosses_hat_i.html

City refuses to certify Fulop's petitions; councilman lashes back
by Ken Thorbourne
Wednesday August 13, 2008, 12:08 PM
Councilman Steve Fulop

Jersey City City Clerk Robert Byrne has declined to certify petitions Councilman Steve Fulop submitted in hopes of placing a referendum on the November ballot that would limit City Council members to one public salary.

"Along with the thousands of people in Jersey City who worked so hard to support this referendum, I am disheartened to learn that City Clerk Robert Byrne has decided not to certify the petition signatures," Fulop said in a statement.

"I understand that the Clerk has a job to do and that he was likely under enormous pressure from Mayor (Jerramiah) Healy's lawyer not to certify," Fulop added. "Mayor Healy, his political cronies and those who collect multiple public paychecks because of his policies, have a lot to lose if we change the way business is done here in Jersey City."

Healy shot back: "As usual, Mr. Fulop wants to rely on hyperbole rather than accept the fact that he did not follow the laws of the State of New Jersey.

"The number of signatures submitted was grossly short of the statutory requirements," Healy added. "The only person who is wasting time, effort, energy and taxpayer dollars is Mr. Fulop who is continuing this ridiculous fight though he is more than 10,000 signatures short."

Byrne has indicated he was persuaded by a legal opinion from Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis that Fulop needed 10 percent of all the registered voters in Jersey City to qualify the initiative for the ballot -- more than 12,000 signatures.

Up until he turned in the signatures, Fulop had been led to believe he only needed 1,506 valid petition signatures, or 10 percent of the number of persons who voted in the last general election.

Fulop vowed to take his case to court to get the initiative on the November ballot.

Another initiative championed by Fulop to limit when and how much vendors who receive no-bid professional contracts from the city can donate to local campaigns will appear on the ballot.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... es_to_certify_fulops.html

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Nice display of hostility and interesting interpretation of what I wrote. Healy has a medical condition (disease?) that causes the outbreaks - blotches and open sores that occur from time to time, at least that is what I heard him say, and I'll take his word for it.

Quote: The original poster left out the link to today's Hudson County Now (Jersey Journal) site: Healy loses -- again by Paul Koepp Tuesday August 05, 2008, 11:24 AM Mayor Healy Chalk up another legal defeat for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, whose attempt to press charges against the Bradley Beach cop who arrested him in 2006 was rejected by an appeals court today. Healy and his wife, Maureen, had appealed a judge's finding that the Monmouth County Prosecutor did not abuse his discretion when he dismissed their complaint in December 2006. The Healys had argued that Police Officer Terry Browning should be charged with aggravated assault and official misconduct in connection with the late-night scuffle in June 2006 that ended in the mayor's arrest. A grand jury chose not to indict Browning or send the charges against him back to the Bradley Beach Municipal Court. Read the decision, and check Hudson County Now and tomorrow's Jersey Journal for reaction and more details. Here's Jersey Journal video from June of last year showing the mayor on the stand during his trial and at an impromptu news conference afterward: http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2008/08/healy_loses_again.html

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Healy is a diabetic and also has a non life threatening skin condition that causes rashes/open sores to appear from time to time. His mis-use of alcohol is a separate issue.

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There is no "Ward H" in JC, just wards A to F.