Judge orders life behind bars for killer of engaged Jersey City couple

By Jonathan Lin/The Jersey Journal
January 17, 2014 at 12:07 PM

The 22-year-old Jersey City man found guilty in the shocking 2010 murders of a couple who had just left their engagement party was sentenced to life behind bars today, with the judge saying the man epitomizes the word ?depravity.?

Shiquan Bellamy won?t be eligible for parole for 127 years, meaning he will die in prison along with his cousin, who was sentenced last year to a life behind bars in connection to the killings.

Bellamy uttered no expression of remorse for his role in the killings.

Superior Court Judge Paul DePascale?s courtroom was packed for today?s sentencing, with family members of the victims, Nia Haqq and Michael Muchioki, on hand along with Bellamy?s kin.

The victims? family offered harrowing testimony before pleading with DePascale to hand down a life sentence.

"I have watched my parents cry with no way to help them," Amanda Muchioki, Michael Muchioki's sister, told the judge. "Our family and friends will forever be devastated by their loss."

Hussain Haqq, Nia?s uncle, noted that Bellamy, even in jail, will still be able to see his family.

"The only way I can see my niece is through pictures, pictures, you know?" said Haqq, his voice cracking in sorrow. "I don't get to build more memories of her.?

Bellamy was found guilty on Sept. 19 of the April 2010 murders of Haqq and Muchioki, which occurred during a failed carjacking outside the couple?s Randolph Avenue apartment.

His cousin, Latonia Bellamy, was convicted of felony murder for her role in the killings, while an accomplice, Darmelia Lawrence, pleaded guilty to robbery and testified against the two Bellamys. Lawrence won't be sentenced until she testifies against Shiquan Bellamy in the three other murder trials he faces.

Shiquan Bellamy was seen as the ringleader of the three. Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Michael D'Andrea today called him a ?vile creature? who diminishes society.

"It does not seem right or fair or just that he gets to walk the face of the earth, that he gets to feel the sun on his face ... while Mike and Nia lie moldering in the ground,? D'Andrea said.

Bellamy had his moment to address the court, but instead he turned to face his family, resulting in a reprimand from the judge.

?Not the crowd, to me,? DePascale said.

The cold-blooded killer faced the judge but continued addressing his family.

?I need you all to stay focused for me. I love you all,? he said.

DePascale then handed down the sentence, saying Bellamy killed Haqq and Muchioki to ?satisfy a sick desire to see what it?s like to shoot someone.?

While Bellamy was led out of the courtroom, his mother shouted out, "I love you, Sha" and "I'm there, every day."

As Bellamy passed her, he said, ?I know.?

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2014/01/bellamy_sentencing.html

Rahway rejects proposal to stop taping public comments at meetings

Tom Wright-Piersanti/The Star-Ledger By Tom Wright-Piersanti/The Star-Ledger
November 13, 2013 at 6:06 PM

RAHWAY ? The Rahway City Council on Tuesday unanimously rejected a proposal to stop filming its meetings prior to the public comment period.

Under Rahway's municipal code, the city is responsible for broadcasting its full monthly meeting live on its cable access channel, then airing the meeting again three days later.

But an ordinance brought before the council Tuesday would have modified those rules to cut the broadcast short before the final segment, when citizens have five minutes to speak on any issue they want.

The proposal was defeated 8-0 by the council, with Councilman James Baker abstaining, according to the city clerk.

Mayor Samson Steinman introduced the idea after a resident used off-color language that the mayor worried might offend viewers at home, according to Councilman Robert Bresenhan Jr.

?While I believe the mayor had good intentions, I do believe there are other ways to protect citizens at home against vulgarities,? said Bresenhan, who was vocal in his opposition to the proposal Tuesday.

He suggested the town search for alternate methods to keep their broadcasts clean, such as a 15-second tape delay like is used in talk radio.

?I don?t think it?s wise to take transparency out of the process, I?m all for transparency,? Bresenhan said. ?To me this would be a disservice to the people in town.?

Steinman did not return repeated requests for comment.

?The public comment portions is generally when the public gets up and says things the council doesn?t like to hear,? said Walter Luers, president of the The New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, a group that seeks to increase transparency and accountability in the state.

?One might say you?re just cutting out the public portion because you don?t want the rest of the world to hear bad things about your town,? he said.

Luers, who is an attorney, said there is no state law requiring towns to tape or broadcast meetings, so any modifications to the process would be considered legal.

?While there?s nothing technically illegal about it, it?s still stupid,? he said. ?Believe me, there?s a lot worse things on television than some guy ranting at the end of a council meeting.?

http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/201 ... _section_of_meetings.html

Bridge controversy expands into new areas for Gov. Chris Christie in New Jersey

By Robert Costa, Matea Gold and Carol D. Leonnig
The Washington Post

Meanwhile, Christie aides contended Monday with a new charge of political payback after Jersey City released e-mails and text messages in response to a public-records request from the Jersey Journal.

The documents show that Christie?s staff initially made friendly overtures to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop when he was elected in May, arranging a day of meetings for him with top state officials. The meetings were then canceled, around the time Christie aides apparently learned that Fulop was not going to endorse the governor for reelection.

A spokeswoman for Fulop said Christie officials have not responded to multiple requests to reschedule. When asked about the emerging allegations at a news conference last week, Christie acknowledged conflicts with Fulop but said his administration was assisting Jersey City in several areas.

?I don?t know about specific meetings or what?s going on, but certainly, you know, I will look into all those things,? Christie said. ?But the fact is that what Mayor Fulop knows is, when we agree with him from a policy perspective we?ll work with him. When we disagree with him, we?ll express those disagreements. And sometimes that?ll mean friction.?

Christie spokesman Colin Reed said in a statement Monday that the governor?s office ?has and continues to work with Jersey City officials on numerous issues, including taking criminals off the streets, Sandy recovery aid and improving local roads.?

?Mayor Fulop?s words and actions must be viewed through the lens of partisan politics and his attempt to advance his own personal agenda,? Reed said.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/politic ... 6-4a4bf7bcbd84_story.html

Christie's office accuses Jersey City mayor of 'partisan politics'

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
on January 13, 2014 at 5:19 PM

The feud between Gov. Chris Christie and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop kicked into higher gear today, with a Christie spokesman accusing the mayor of engaging in ?partisan politics.?

Colin Reed, a Christie spokesman, today blasted Fulop, hours after the mayor released emails and text messages that back up the mayor?s contention that state officials canceled a series of meetings it set up with Fulop last July.

Fulop, a Democrat, says the meetings were canceled because he told Christie?s allies he wouldn?t be endorsing the Republican governor?s reelection bid.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Letters: McCann: Healy was not wise

By Letters to the Editor/The Jersey Journal
January 13, 2014 at 1:44 PM

It is very easy for former Chief Troy to oversee the world of government in Jersey City. The simple solution to him is to spend more money on police and everything will be fine. The fact is, Mr. Troy, crime statistics for Jersey City are created by the Jersey City Police Department, not by the FBI. They only report what Jersey City sends them. You want to lower the crime rate, ignore reporting of crimes or downgrade the crime. You want to increase the crime rate, charge the offender with far more multiple crimes than the prosecutor can even charge the person. All charges that are dismissed by the court and/or the prosecutor still end up in the crime statistics. The police are given four hours of overtime every time they appear in court, even though their time there is almost always less than one hour. The overtime dollars are tremendous during the time of large numbers of police.

Very, very rare is the occasion when police prevent crime. Police respond to crime incidents. A criminal does not commit their crime in front of the police, so police patrols only shift the location of the crime. The economy more than anything else helps prevent crime. When people are working there is less crime. Educating children to the problem of drug abuse and keeping young children occupied in organized recreation and after school programs make much more sense. It is far less expensive in the long run to fight crime that way than to hire more police. The interesting fact you did state is that when I was mayor there were over 1,200 police officers. During my tenure, I rarely hired police officers because like Mayors Cucci, Cunningham and Schundler, we viewed other areas of crime prevention more important than crime responding.

During the year 2012, there were zero deaths by terrorism and I believe that will hold up also in 2013 in the United States. In fact, since Sept. 11, the incidents of death by terrorism are very, very little, yet we spend billions and billions of dollars every year in the United States because the government has spent billions and billions of dollars telling us that the terrorists are coming. There is no doubt that we should be diligent, but at what expense? The number one goal of almost every prosecutor in government is to get another job. Even they are tired of their jobs. The police find more and more ways to get out of work. The police union -- because of Mayor Healy being asleep at the wheel -- increased every police officers' time off by 14 days without even knowing it. To put Mayor Healy as a person of wisdom is an embarrassment to yourself.

FORMER MAYOR GERALD McCANN

JERSEY CITY

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... s_not_w.html#incart_river

Jersey City pension changes heading to Chris Christie's desk

By Matt Friedman/The Star-Ledger
January 14, 2014 at 1:08 AM

TRENTON ? The hard feelings between Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop appear not to have passed, but the state Senate nevertheless today approved a bill to overhaul the city?s pension system.

"Last week Mayor Fulop made his 'opinion' about me known,? Sweeney said in a statement. ?However, for me this is not about name calling or political revenge. It is about the families, pensioners and taxpayers of Jersey City for whom I am most concerned.?

The passage came after Fulop ? considered a potential rival to Sweeney for governor in 2017 ? accused Sweeney of stalling his bill for political reasons.

Sweeney eventually moved the bill, but not without amending it so that Fulop could not reap the savings from the cutbacks in retiree benefits to use in his general budget. Intead, the bill?s reduction of cost of living adjustments for retirees must be applied to shoring up the pension system, which the Office of Legislative Services says is funded at 42 percent.

"The Jersey City Pension system's financial strength must be paramount and can not be driven by general operating budget needs or politics,? Sweeney said.

Today, Fulop said only "I am pleased the Senate has passed our important legislation. Good policy carried the day to the benefit of the Jersey City taxpayers."

The bill (A4536), which passed 39 to 0, now heads to Gov. Chris Christie?s desk.

In addition to reducing cost of living adjustments, the bill would increase the city?s retirement age for new employees from 60 to 65, require them to have 25 years of service under their belts instead of 20 years, increase the amount of time before an employee is eligible to retire early to 30 years from 25 years, and increase the penalties for early retirement.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... chris_christies_desk.html

Demolition underway in Jersey City to make room for $666 million residential towers

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
January 10, 2014 at 6:34 PM

Major demolition is underway in Journal Square, where several buildings, including two large, five-story, brick buildings are being devoured by demolition machines to make way for a $666 million residential towers project.

The buildings being leveled will transform Pavonia Avenue?s south side from Summit Avenue to McLaughlin Funeral Home a swath of empty lots.

Traffic continues to flow in both directions on Pavonia and only the sidewalk on the south side of the street has been closed to pedestrian traffic.
At 2:50 p.m. buses and cars were passing some 15 feet from the five-story buildings that are partially torn down. Summit Avenue is functioning normally.

The project is to include a 54-story tower with 540 units; a 70-story tower with 700 units; and a 60-story tower with 600 units. The developer is KRE Group, headed by Murray Kushner. Construction of the first tower is to take three years to complete. The final tower is expected to be complete in 2029.

The project received a 30-year tax break, as well as $10 million in bonds floated by a city agency, thanks to nearly unanimous votes by the City Council. Officials say the project, which will include ground-floor retail space, will bring an economic jolt to Journal Square.

The demolition work will continue tomorrow and will include the destruction of the largest building to come down. It was formerly a phone company building.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _towers.html#incart_river

Sweeney agrees to hearing on Jersey City pension bill after an amendment agreement

By The Jersey Journal
January 10, 2014 at 10:43 PM

It appears that an agreement has been reached on an amendment that would reform the Jersey City pension system making it closer in line to the state system.

The slow or lack of pace in bringing such a measure to a vote in the Senate set off a hot verbal exchange earlier this week between Mayor Steven Fulop and fellow Democrat Senate President Stephen Sweeney.

Sweeney has scheduled a hearing on the bill. Under the new version, all the money Jersey City saves from reducing certain expenses would go back into the city?s underfunded pension system ? not its general budget, the Star-Ledger reported today.

Sweeney, Assembly Speaker-elect Vincent Prieto, Sen. Sandra Cunningham and Sen. Brian Stack issued the following statement today about bill S-3096/A-4536:

"We are proud to announce an agreement on important amendments to the Jersey City pension bill which will bring this legislation further in line with the state pension system and ensure that the savings from COLA go back into the pension system. This will not only protect the hard working men and women of Jersey City, but will guarantee that the savings are used solely to improve the solvency of the pension system. Our collective goal remains doing what are best for Jersey City and this amended legislation does just that.?

Sweeney said: "This pension is the unhealthiest in the state. "A I can?t see taking money away from the pension, or away from the retirees, and then putting it in the budget. That?s not right."

In a statement, Fulop said he's OK with the changes.

"This bill should never have seen this much drama in Trenton as it was a non-controversial bill that received unanimous bipartisan support in the Assembly," he said.. "We are glad to see it moving forward and the current form works well for all parties."

The state changed its pension system in 2011 suspending annual cost of living adjustments (COLAs) for retirees. Instead, the bill reduces them from 100 percent of the Consumer Price Index ? which broadly tracks inflation ? to 50 percent. Under the state?s 2011 law, the adjustments ? which had been 60 percent of the Consumer Price Index ? were suspended entirely until a committee decides the pension fund is healthy enough to reactivate them.

While the Jersey City proposal reduces the percentage amount of a COLA, (state law) suspends a COLA,? according to a state memo for the Office of Legislative Services.
A Jersey City spokeswoman retorts that municipal workers do not pay federal Social Security taxes and do not receive the benefits after retirement. The city?s retirees would suffer more from the COLA cut than the state retirees, who receive Social Security benefits.

?The OLS memo is not a full picture of all the facts and mischaracterizes the goal of the Jersey City pension bill,? Jennifer Morrill said, adding that the bill ?brings Jersey City in line with the state system as we have always said.?

Sources say the Jersey City pension system is at 42 percent of full funding, a more than $100 million deficit.

The original Jersey City bill also would raise the city's retirement age for new employees from 60 to 65, require them to have 25 years of service instead of 20 years, and increase the amount of time before they are eligible to retire early to 30 years from 25 years. It would also reduce cost-of-living adjustments for current retirees.

Fulop estimates the bill could save Jersey City $12 to $20 million over the next eight years.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... rees_to_hearing_on_j.html

Shooting victim dies, former Jersey City cop now charged with murder

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
on January 09, 2014 at 4:17 PM

The Jersey City man who was shot three times by a former police officer in a dispute at a bar early New Year's Day has died and the ex-cop is now charged with murder, authorities said today.

Rodger W. Pickett, 41, of Bostwick Avenue, died Tuesday, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Gene Rubino said. He was shot in the head and torso following the argument at Moore's Lounge, aka Bill and Ruth's, at Monticello and Jewett avenues in Jersey City.
Former Jersey City Police Officer James D. Corley Jr., 63, of Linden Avenue, surrendered to investigators last night after the charge was upgraded to murder. He was originally been charged with the attempted murder and a weapons offense related to a handgun.
"Given the death of Mr. Pickett, the Hudson County Prosecutor?s Office?s Homicide Squad will take on primary responsibility in the investigation and will work with the Jersey City Police Department," Rubino said.

Information on the nature of the alleged dispute between the two men was not available. Pickett died at the Jersey City Medical Center.

Corley?s bail was originally set at $250,000 cash or bond, but later reduced. With his surrender, a judge increased the reduced bail to $200,000 cash or bond.

Corley retired from the police department in 2004 with a nearly $59,000-a-year pension, state records show. After retiring, he became chief of staff for former Police Department Director Sam Jefferson.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... p.html#incart_flyout_news

Editorial: Vendetta aside, Sweeney should put Jersey City pension bill up for a vote

The Jersey Journal By The Jersey Journal
January 09, 2014 at 5:09 AM

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, must see to it that Bill 3096 gets to the Senate floor for a vote before this legislative session ends or get branded as Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop sees it: A legislative leader who is willing to put a ?personal vendetta ahead of the public good.?

The bill, A4536, which was approved in the Assembly by a 79-0 vote, would allow the Jersey City pension system to mirror the state?s. The city is the only municipality in New Jersey with its own system and the proposed law would make enough changes that will save it $12 million to $20 million over the next eight years.

Unfortunately for Jersey City, the effort to pare down benefits in the city?s pension system failed to get a hearing in the last scheduled session of the Senate Budget Committee. In a reference to Sweeney, Fulop was quoted as saying, ?The only reason someone wouldn?t support it is because they want to punish Jersey City.?

It kicked off verbal exchanges between the Sweeney and Fulop camps, which seemed inevitable considering the two men are mentioned as rivals for the Democratic Party nomination for governor should the incumbent, Republican Chris Christie, announce a run for president.

Political insiders say Sweeney is not going to go out of his way to help Fulop with any legislation the mayor favors. The Senate president has the power to decide what measures get to see the light of day and it is not the first time Sweeney has punished an antagonist. Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. had been active against Sweeney?s re-election and the senate president struck back by pulling seven GOP bills from Senate committee agendas. At the start of the new year, Sweeney eased off his vow that no GOP-sponsored bill would get a vote.

Sweeney may also be rethinking his stance when he guaranteed passage of legislation to reform Jersey City?s pension system yesterday. In trying to paint Fulop as uninformed, Sweeney said if the bill was really that important to the mayor, he should have picked up the telephone.

Sweeney knows it is Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Jersey City, who should have made the call. Cunningham and Sen. Brian Stack, D-Union City, are co-sponsors of the Senate legislation and because the proposed law affects her district, Cunningham would be considered the point person. For his own reasons, Sweeney thought it better to blame the mayor.

Politics should not get in the way of the government?s business of serving the people.

As an example. it has been revealed in emails between a Christie deputy chief of staff and a political appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that the governor?s office knew of a plan to shut down several lanes at the George Washington Bridge in September as political revenge against the Fort Lee mayor for refusing to endorse Christie?s re-election.

A Sept. 9, 2013 email suggests Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich?s calls to Port Authority officials are never returned and that he?s second to Fulop in being ignored.

The last person Sweeney wants to be linked with is Christie. Both men seem to have Fulop on their enemy list. He can avoid comparisons by making good on his guarantee and putting the bill up for a vote.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... vendetta_aside_sween.html

Jersey City mayor on Christie: 'Gross misrepresentation of the facts'

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
January 09, 2014 at 2:47 PM

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop issued a statement today saying Gov. Chris Christie's description of his relationship with Fulop contains a "gross misrepresentation of the facts."

The statement came shortly after Fulop, making a brief appearance at City Hall, evaded questions from reporters seeking his comment on Christie, who today held a press conference on the controversial George Washington Bridge lane closures.

Christie, responding to Fulop's allegations that the governor's office has shunned him because the mayor wouldn't endorse Christie's reelection bid, said today that while he has been "angry" with Fulop, he and his staff "continue to work" with Jersey City. Christie noted a meeting yesterday between state environmental officials and the city.

But a city official today said that was a "low level" meeting requested by Christie's office that doesn't indicate a healthy working relationship between Christie and Fulop.

In his statement, Fulop repeated his accusation that Christie's office canceled a host of meetings last year between state officials and Fulop aides because the mayor endorsed Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono, however tepidly, in the 2013 gubernatorial race.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Fulop responds to Christie's comments about him
By PolitickerNJ Staff | January 9th, 2014 - 1:29pm

TRENTON - Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop this afternoon responded to Gov. Chris Christie's press conference comments about him.

"Governor Christie?s comments today on my relationship with the State are a gross misrepresentation of the facts," Fulop said in a statement. "The reality is that the State requested the DEP meeting held yesterday in Jersey City regarding his administration?s concern that the Hurricane Sandy Recovery/Blue Acres Program is struggling. We took the meeting his administration asked for as it is our responsibility as elected officials.

"Nearly every single meeting we have requested with State commissioners with regard to proactive Jersey City issues has been unfortunately rejected over the last six months, along with countless requests we made to the Port Authority. Cancellations include an entire day of meetings with State commissioners scheduled to be in Jersey City that was abruptly cancelled, with each of the commissioners individually canceling within an hour of the time I communicated my intention to not endorse.

"We vigorously represent the interests of our city every day and to be the focus of inaccurate claims will not deter us from our goal of making Jersey City the best mid-size city in America."

Read more at http://www.politickernj.com/70698/ful ... Lk.facebook#ixzz2pvrJ0lLC
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Christie: Have I ever been angry with Steve Fulop? 'You bet I have' but ...

By The Jersey Journal
January 09, 2014 at 12:16 PM

In his news conference over the Bridgegate scandal this morning, Gov. Christie acknowledged that he has an up-and-down relationship with Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and said he would look into Fulop's allegations that members of the state government haven't returned his phone calls for political reasons.

From the podium with cameras constantly clicking around him, Christie asked if he's ever been angry with Fulop and answered: "You bet I have.''

But, he continued, "I also spoke at his inauguration at his invitation.''

In what might be considered another slap at Fulop, Christie started his answer to a reporter's question on Fulop with: "Mayor Fulop seems to have a lot of disagreements with a lot of people.''

The governor later noted that the Fulop administration is "suing the Port Authority.'' (The lawsuit has been planned but hasn't been filed.)

Fulop could not immediately be located for comment.

Christie said that despite political disagreements at times, he and his staff "continue to work'' with Fulop and Jersey City and said that just yesterday state environmental officials met with Fulop to discuss $190 million in Blue Acres projects to buy properties affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Yesterday, the release of the emails that sparked an explosion over the controversial George Washington Bridge lane closures in September, Fulop was referred to as apparently a politician to ignore for political reasons.

The mayor said he read the exchange to mean he was Public Enemy No. 1 but declined to elaborate as to whether he thought it was the feeling of the Port Authority and/or the Christie administration.

Meanwhile, Fulop has been sparring with state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, over a bill that was approved in the Assembly by a 79-0 vote and would allow the Jersey City pension system to mirror the state's but that hasn't been brought to a vote in the Senate. Fulop maintains it's because Sweeney sees him as a political rival.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ave_but.html#incart_river

Asbury Park hires former Jersey City administrator as city manager

By Christopher Robbins/NJ.com
January 09, 2014 at 11:51 AM

ASBURY PARK ? The city is under new management.

The Asbury Park Council appointed former Jersey City Business Administrator John Kelly to the city manager position at it?s Wednesday night meeting.

?He was the best qualified person to come into Asbury Park,? Councilman John Moor said. ?He?ll be ready to hit the ground running, and I think he?ll be good.?

When he starts work next month, Kelly will be paid a $140,000 annual salary.

?He?ll start on Feb. 1,? Moor said. ?Until then he?ll be meeting people and finding his way around.?

Through the end of the month, the city will continue to run under the supervision of interim City Manager Anthony Nuccio.

Kelly?s term of employment ends Dec. 31, when a new council will decide whether to retain him.

Before abruptly retiring in August 2013, Kelly, 54, oversaw Jersey City?s 3,000-person workforce. He spent over 20 years as the Chief Financial Officer in Orange.

Asbury Park has sought a new city manager since choosing to part ways with Terrence Reidy in July.

Moor said disagreement on the City Council was responsible for the delay.

?We should have hired him in November,? Moor said. ?I?ll go to my grave saying that. I?m really frustrated by the obstructionism on the council.?

Since the council reorganized, incumbent council members John Loffredo and Sue Henderson have resisted replacing Reidy.

At the start, Kelly will inherit a city beset by violent crime, infrastructure and financial issues amid a period of economic and cultural revitalization.

http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/ ... boss_as_city_manager.html

Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed

By Darryl Isherwood/NJ.com
January 07, 2014 at 6:12 PM

In the continuing war of words over a bill that would overhaul Jersey City's pension program, city Mayor Steve Fulop said he resents the implication that he needs to "go to Trenton to kiss a ring" in order to get good legislation passed.

Fulop was responding to comments from Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo that the legislation designed to put Jersey City's pension system in line with that of state workers was not even on his radar, because he had not heard from Fulop prior to Monday's committee hearing.

Senate President Steve Sweeney had similar comments Monday after Fulop accused Sweeney of playing politics by holding the bill.

"The facts don't support what they're saying," Fulop said. "None of us should have such a big ego that we should believe it's a requirement to come kiss a ring before legislation is passed that is good for the people."

Fulop said it's the job of Assembly and Senate representatives to advocate for their constituents.

"The incoming speaker (Assemblyman Vincent Prieto) was the sponsor of this bill in the Assembly, and it got unanimous bipartisan support there," Fulop said. The bill passed in the Assembly by a 79 to 0 vote with one abstention.

Read More from te Jersey Journal

Change in leadership on Jersey City school board

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
January 06, 2014 at 9:54 PM

A staunch ally of Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles took the helm of the school board tonight, as three additional Fulop allies were sworn in to their first terms on the nine-member board.

Sangeeta Ranade was voted nearly unanimously as the Board of Education?s president at the board?s annual reorganization meeting, replacing longtime member Sue Mack as the BOE?s leader. Ranade, an energy consultant, first joined the board in April 2012.

The BOE voted 7-0-2 to appoint Ranade president, with members Marilyn Roman and Angel Valentin abstaining. The board voted unanimously to name Vidya Gangadin vice president.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Barrier erected where Jersey City man drove into the Morris Canal and died yesterday

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
January 02, 2014 at 6:58 PM

The bulkhead at the foot of Marin Boulevard in Jersey City where a Jersey City man died after driving into the water early yesterday morning is crumbling into the Morris Canal and there was no guardrail or barrier at the time.

By this afternoon, five massive concrete blocks had been placed at the location as a barrier where Mark Pych, 22, had driven into the river.

According to New Jersey property assessment records, the land is own by Liberty Harbor Holding, which is owned by developer Peter Mocco.

Asked today about the deteriorating bulkhead, lack of a guard rail and whether he owned the property, Mocco said ?I think it?s inappropriate for me to comment except to say it was an unfortunate incident that happened. I can?t say anything more than that. My sympathies go out to the family of the young boy and I wish them well.?

Read more from the Jersesy Journal

Man With a Plan: Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop

Data-obsessed and bent on efficiency, new mayor Steven Fulop moves aggressively to implement his vision for Jersey City.

New Jersey Monthly
Posted December 23, 2013 by Amanda Staab

Becoming the mayor of Jersey City was a walk in the park for Steven Fulop. All he had to do was defeat Jerramiah Healy, a longtime incumbent with strong ties to the powerful Hudson County Democratic machine and endorsements from such brand-name influencers as Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg and, oh yes, Barack Obama.

Despite the artillery Healy marshalled in the nonpartisan election last May, the 36-year-old Fulop, a former Wall Street equities trader who entered politics less than a decade ago, captured 53 percent of the vote and sent the incumbent packing.

Fulop?who, as a city councilman, earned a reputation as an effective reformer?based his mayoral campaign on creating a more responsive, more effective government, fighting crime, capitalizing on the city?s assets and improving the schools. Meanwhile, Healy had to live down a history of bizarre behavior and the taint his administration suffered in the federal sting operation of 2009, which targeted a number of Hudson County officials.

With his victory, Fulop became the hot new flavor for Jersey Democrats hoping to take back the state?s leadership in 2017. ?He?s young, aggressive, willing to work,? says a local community leader, Dr. M. Rafiq Chaudhry. ?He?s the prospect to be the future governor of the state of New Jersey.?

Fulop supporters say his mayoralty rejects the same-old-same-old. ?He?s brought a brand of new politics and a real vision for how Jersey City can break from its history of political patronage,? says City Council President Rolando Lavarro.

Since taking office in July, Fulop has moved swiftly to implement key elements of his plan for the 15-square-mile city on Hudson County?s Gold Coast. He has redirected development away from the already bustling waterfront to historically neglected inner-city neighborhoods, consolidated the police and fire departments under a single public safety director, pushed through a controversial ordinance requiring private businesses to give their employees paid sick time, and initiated a prisoner reentry program he hopes will become a national model.

?I want to set expectations realistically and then, hopefully, overachieve,? Fulop says. His ambitious agenda should come as no surprise. ?During the campaign, we were more specific than most in outlining what we were intending to do,? he says. ?We are just following through.?

Fulop inherited a host of entrenched problems: a consistently high crime rate, underperforming schools, and longstanding ethnic and socioeconomic divisions, in addition to a grossly underfunded budget. But none seem to daunt the new mayor. ?I love the job,? he says. ?I am thankful every day that I have had the opportunity.?

Much like Cory Booker in Newark, Fulop has been disparaged by his critics as a yuppie, out of touch with the city?s history and essence. Indeed, Fulop moved to Jersey City only 14 years ago. He grew up in Edison, the middle son of Arthur and Carmen Fulop, Jews who had emigrated from Romania in the 1960s. His mother, whose sister and grandmother were killed in the Holocaust, insisted that her three boys have American names and speak English at home.

As a youth, the future mayor mopped the floors at his father?s deli in Newark; next door, his mother ran an immigration-services business. After graduating John P. Stevens High School, Fulop entered the State University of New York at Binghamton on a soccer scholarship. He studied political science, though he had no intention of entering public service. Instead, he followed his older brother into finance and landed his first job at Goldman Sachs.

At 24, Fulop was earning a good living at the financial giant?s lower-Manhattan location. Then came the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. While others wept, Fulop joined the Marines. ?I would always say that if one day I had the opportunity or I was needed, I would do it,? he says. Despite their patriotism, his family was shocked. When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Fulop was in the first wave of troops. He remained in the war zone for six months before returning stateside and settling back into his condo on Jersey City?s gentrified waterfront.

?At the time, I wasn?t involved in any of this local politics stuff,? Fulop says. But his military service caught the attention of Jersey City mayor Glenn D. Cunningham, a fellow Marine Corps veteran and the city?s first black mayor. Cunningham persauded Fulop to run in the 2004 Democratic congressional primary against his political enemy, Robert Menendez, who was seeking a seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Though ?at capacity? trying to restart his career and finish master?s degrees at New York University and Columbia University, Fulop accepted the challenge. Then, in a bizarre twist of fate, Cunningham died of a massive heart attack a week before the June election.

Fulop lost in a landslide, yet he gained a valuable introduction to campaigning. The following year, he entered the City Council race and won?the only triumphant candidate not on Mayor Healy?s ticket. Fulop was reelected to the part-time post in 2009.

Though representing Ward E, the city?s wealthy waterfront and downtown area, Fulop demonstrated an interest in the city?s less fortunate residents. He sponsored a controversial ordinance that required developers and businesses receiving municipal tax subsidies to pay low-level workers well over the federal minimum wage.

?I really wanted to make a difference,? Fulop says. ?I wanted to be able to set the policy agenda and do some progressive stuff.? And so in 2012, Fulop, then 35, decided it was time for a career change. Leaving his job as a trader at Sanford Bernstein, he set out to unseat Healy.

While the city had made important strides under Healy, the mayor had become a political embarrassment. Several members of the Healy administration, including the deputy mayor and the City Council president, were among 44 people in New Jersey and New York arrested in the much-publicized 2009 federal investigation, Operation Bid Rig.

To boost his campaign, Fulop was hoping for endorsements from major Democratic organizations and labor unions. Yet the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization, as well as the 4,000-member Jersey City Education Association and several other labor unions, stuck with the incumbent. Then came Healy?s endorsement from Obama. ?I was nauseous,? Fulop says.

Obama?s support for Healy appeared to have had the greatest impact among black voters; however, Fulop says it was the ethnic communities that had never enjoyed much representation in Jersey City government?the Indians, Filipinos, Pakistanis and Guyanese?that gave him the edge. ?I am thankful for the way things worked out,? Fulop says, ?because I don?t owe anything to anybody except for the residents that actually worked and volunteered and voted.?

This reporter first met Fulop last June at his no-frills campaign headquarters in a downscale neighborhood in the center of the city. Newly elected but not yet sworn in, Fulop was upbeat but fidgety?like a racehorse eager to break from the gate. Interviewed four months later in his corner office at City Hall, the newly minted mayor appeared more practiced?measured in his conversation, but still refreshingly candid and casual.

Despite holding his city?s top job, Fulop still thinks like an outsider. ?The political establishment grossly underestimates what the population and the populace looks like today and what people are involved in; that you are not in the 1970s anymore,? he says. ?I think that has been a problem with the Democratic Party overall.? He believes Jersey City residents are tired of political feuds and chicanery. ?They don?t want to hear it; they don?t care about it,? he says, ?but they know about it because there?s access to information today that?s immediate, so things that people used to be able to get away with, they can?t get away with anymore, and the old time politics hasn?t really adjusted so quickly.?

Residents say Fulop, who is single, has brought energy to City Hall, generating a sense of renewal and hope in New Jersey?s second largest city. ?He?s created a buzz,? says Daniel DeAlmeida, who grew up in Jersey City and, a few months after the election, opened a restaurant on Newark Avenue. ?Jersey City is changing. It?s about time it?s changed.?

In fact, Jersey City has been changing for the better since the 1980s, when real estate developers, most notably New York City tycoon Samuel LeFrak, saw the potential in its prime waterfront properties, then blighted with abandoned factories and warehouses. Jersey City had once been a busy port on the Hudson River and home to thriving companies like Colgate, Dixon Ticonderoga and Emerson Radio. But after World War II, many jobs and residents left for the suburbs. Despite an enduring arts scene, the city went into decline.

The real estate boom of the 1980s brought high-rise condos and shopping malls like the Newport Centre to the waterfront. Fortune 500 companies like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan opted for Jersey City addresses. Gentrification on the waterfront and in the adjacent downtown also nurtured a restaurant and boutique-shopping scene.

While development broadened the tax base, it also divided longtime residents?including many immigrants and children of immigrants?from the newcomers, mostly successful young professionals who have driven demand for the city?s growing supply of luxury condo developments. ?It?s been a tale of two cities for a long time,? says Lavarro, who admits he at first doubted whether Fulop really understood Jersey City, where 52 percent of households speak a language other than English and 16 percent live below the poverty line.
But Fulop endeavored to connect with the various ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Two weeks into his tenure, during Ramadan, a young man being chased by a gunman ran into a Montgomery Street mosque filled with worshippers. The gunman riddled the facade of the mosque with bullets, inciting panic. The next day, the new mayor showed up at the mosque alongside his police chief and promised protection.

?We have never heard of that before,? says Dr. Chaudhry, who emigrated from Pakistan 42 years ago and has become a voice for the city?s growing Muslim population. He notes that Fulop fulfilled his pledge to increase police presence around mosques for the rest of the holy month. ?He responded to the needs of the community.?

Unlike previous mayors, Fulop wants to lure development away from the waterfront. His new tax-abatement policy, put in place by executive order a month after he took office, offers increased incentives for building in inner-city districts, in particular Journal Square. ?We?ve had things in for approval,? says Fulop, ?but nothing has gone vertical.? He adds that finding developers willing to take a risk in an unproven market has been tough; however, one key project is underway. The Bridgewater-based Kushner Real Estate Group broke ground in December for a $660 million project that includes three residential towers near the corner of Summit and Pavonia avenues in Journal Square.

Though it appears Journal Square could well be the next frontier in Jersey City, not everyone agrees with the extent of Fulop?s 30-year tax-abatement policy for the district, which was once a thriving commercial center with quality retail stores and popular theaters. Though it is still a transportation hub, with one of the city?s three PATH stations, the area is now characterized by dollar stores and empty lots.

?The people in my neighborhood are tired of it,? says Richard Boggiano, who represents Journal Square on the City Council. ?We want something done.? But Fulop?s plan, he says, gives away too much. ?I don?t want to see the city give away these abatements like they did downtown,? says Boggiano, although he acknowledges that some incentives for developers might be needed to jumpstart improvement.

In line with Fulop?s tax-abatement policy, Kushner has pledged millions for infrastructure upgrades and the renovation of the city-owned Loew?s Theatre. ?It?s the size of NJPAC,? Fulop says. ?You could really book some legitimate acts.? Restoring the historic theater will cost up to $15 million, but Fulop says it?s worth the investment. ?You could never build something like that today, short of hundreds of millions,? he says. If he can apply his Wall Street savvy to win the grants and pass the bonds needed to reincarnate the theatrical jewel, Fulop could wind up a hero.

To somewhat offset the gift of tax abatements, Fulop?s policy includes a good-faith clause requiring any developer or business receiving breaks to hire residents as workers and apprentices.

In another measure to benefit the working class, Fulop pushed through a paid sick leave ordinance requiring local businesses with 10 or more employees to give their workers one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to five days of sick time annually. ?It?s a human-dignity issue,? the mayor says. ?If you get sick or your child gets sick, you shouldn?t risk losing your job or losing 20 percent of your compensation for the week.? Local businesses, as well as the statewide New Jersey Business and Industry Association, blasted the measure, the first of its kind in New Jersey. ?Small businesses cannot afford that,? says Raju Patel, president of the Jersey City Asian Merchant Association and owner of Travel World, a small business on Newark Avenue. ?These kinds of things are the job of the state and federal government.? The ordinance, passed by the City Council 7 to 1, takes effect this month.

During the campaign, Fulop promised to streamline government by consolidating departments and bringing autonomous agencies back under the city?s purview. ?That?s going to cut costs and improve accountability,? he says. Step one was to place the police and fire departments, as well as the office of emergency management and homeland security, under one new public safety director. Boggiano, a retired police detective, was the only councilmember who ultimately opposed the ordinance, which passed 8-1 upon a second reading in September. Boggiano points out that the city tried and failed to consolidate departmental leadership three previous times. Fulop says the city will save about $350,000 by cutting redundant management positions.

The mayor had inherited a fiscal mess. The $516 million municipal budget for 2013 had a revenue shortfall of about $20 million. The Healy administration had hoped to close the gap by selling a vacant lot at Liberty State Park. But there were no offers. ?They put it into the budget, but it wasn?t real,? says Fulop. It was too late to procure that kind of cash from other places in the budget, says Fulop, so his administration was forced to raise taxes by 7.6 percent, taking advantage of exceptions to New Jersey?s 2 percent cap on municipal tax hikes. ?That was brutal,? says Fulop, adding that he doesn?t expect to do it again any time soon.

He caught some flack for raising salaries in the mayor?s office by $100,000 and adding approximately $180,000 to the budget for his expanded Resident Response Team. But, he says, that increase brought in the talent needed to implement his plans for the city.

In the front passenger seat of the black SUV that whisks him around the city, Fulop, iPhone in hand, scrolls through his latest downloads of color-coded data. His administration seems to track everything: response time to resident complaints; kinds of books being borrowed from which libraries; and kinds of crimes being committed where and at what time of day, to name a few. The granular data, he says, provides a more accurate picture that helps him direct resources. ?We get a better understanding of where we are performing and not performing,? Fulop says. The mayor also had GPS trackers installed on every municipal vehicle. If employees know their supervisors can check in on their whereabouts, ?it changes the culture,? he says.

It?s all part of Fulop?s obsession with accountability and efficiency. Applying that to the city?s finances, he has combed through the budget line by line. He saved about $200,000 by laying off city workers whose job it had been to manage Urban Enterprise Zone funding the city no longer receives from the state. His administration also put the city?s emergency medical services contract out to bid, saving about $4 million annually. The fire department has been restructured to cut back on overtime pay. Seeking new revenue, the administration has gone after developers and businesses whose tax abatements have long expired; $5 million in back taxes was collected in Fulop?s first few weeks in office. In an unprecedented move, Fulop announced that the city plans to sue the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for $400 million in unpaid taxes and other payments related to properties the agency owns in Jersey City.

Then there is education. Fulop has been working to bridge the gap between city government and public schools. As a councilman, he ran the campaigns of several individuals who are now members of the Board of Education. He supported the city?s school superintendent, Marcia Lyles, a PhD who has been praised for restructuring school administration and honing in on principal and teacher training. ?Schools impact employment issues, crime, taxes,? Fulop says.

Improving the public schools, he adds, is crucial to keeping young families in Jersey City. ?Parents are willing to be partners with a city if they feel that the city is doing its share to move the schools forward,? he says.

His administration is seeking creative ways to invest in those schools, which serve 27,000 students. With space tight, his tax-abatement policy offers incentives to developers who build prekindergarten classrooms in residential buildings. Fulop also has worked with Jersey City?s Liberty Science Center and hip-hop music mogul Russell Simmons?s New York City-based Art for Life to bring new programs to the schools. His other initiatives include literacy classes for parents and working with local corporations to provide summer jobs for students. ?All of that is happening because there is a better partnership between Dr. Lyles and me,? he says.

Violent crime may be Fulop?s biggest challenge. From January to October 2013, the police department reported 17 murders, 24 rapes, 182 aggravated assaults, 549 robberies and 545 car thefts. Compare that to Jersey City?s neighbor to the north?the gentrified, albeit much smaller, Hoboken?which reported no murders, six rapes, 46 aggravated assaults, 37 robberies and 59 car thefts. South of Jersey City, Bayonne reported no murders or rapes, 15 aggravated assaults, 36 robberies and 49 car thefts.

To attack the problem, the administration has shifted police resources to neighborhoods in greatest need, in particular the south end. ?I think the better that area does, the better the whole city does,? Fulop says.

Creating the Ceasefire Unit?detectives who work citywide, investigating nonfatal shootings and gathering criminal intelligence?has borne fruit as well. ?Of the last eight shootings, we?ve solved seven,? Fulop says. The previous solve rate in Jersey City was about 20 percent, he says. The unit works hard to convince witnesses to talk. ?The hope,? says Fulop, ?is that the residents start to take back their streets.?

Another piece of the puzzle is rehabilitation. In July, Fulop hired former governor Jim McGreevey to head a prisoner reentry program. ?It was a controversial pick,? Fulop admits, ?but his work product in the past 10 years in this field has been second to none.? Since reentering public life, McGreevey has counseled inmates at Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny and ex-addicts at Integrity House in Newark. His expertise, Fulop says, is desperately needed in a city where approximately 1,500 people return from prison every year. ?We?re going to have the first model in the country on prisoner reentry that does housing, treatment and employment all under one roof,? the mayor says. The biggest weakness of the old program, he adds, was an inability to find work for people who had completed job training. Fulop says he has already gotten commitments from local developers and businesses to remedy that.

Prognosticators already have placed Fulop?s name on the Democrats? short list of future gubernatorial candidates. ?Everyone is talking about it,? says Ruth B. Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. But Fulop, she warns, has a long way to go. ?He needs to stay grounded,? she says, ?and not too quickly fly too close to the sun.?

In his office, Fulop leans forward in a short-back leather chair and props his elbows on the round table in front of him. He says he would be perfectly happy if he does nothing else in politics. As he points out, ?I?ve got a big city to run.?

http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifesty ... y-mayor-steven-fulop.html

Jersey City council approves $172M temporary budget

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
on January 02, 2014 at 10:24 AM

Jersey City hasn?t produced a 2014 city budget, but the Mayor Steve Fulop administration today asked the City Council to approve a $171,637,950 temporary spending plan that will get the city through the next three months.

The nine-member body approved the request unanimously, though some council members said they don?t want to get too much into 2014 without seeing a full financial proposal. The city usually delivers a draft budget by February.

Ward D Councilman Michael Yun said he would have preferred to see draft 2014 figures late last year, while Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano said he wants to see budget figures weeks before he?s expected to vote on them. Today?s request came to the council just this morning, Boggiano said.

Read more at the Jersey Journal

GOP Hit on Unemployment Benefits Hurting Americans -- What Else Is New?

The Huffington Post"
By Steven Fulop - Mayor - Jersey City, NJ
Posted: 01/01/2014 7:42 pm

Out of work "Americans rely on their unemployment benefits to pay for the mortgage or rent, food, and other critical bills. They need our assistance in these difficult times, and we cannot let them down."

This is one of the strongest arguments for unemployment benefits ever made by a president. Surprisingly, these words came not from President Obama but from President Bush in a radio address in 2002.

Yet his party in Congress almost unanimously ensured that these vital benefits ended last week for 1.3 million Americans and will end for a further 1.9 million Americans in the first six months of 2014. Of the more than 3 million who have been heartlessly cut off from these earned benefits, the greatest number comes from New Jersey, according to a House Ways and Means Committee report.

President Bush, who might well be the most conservative president in American history, looks like a progressive compared to today's GOP lawmakers, who are cruelly letting their fellow Americans down. For instance, Sen Rand Paul, a would-be presidential candidate, declared in brutal language that extending benefits beyond 26 weeks -- the program that ended last week extended those benefits for up to 47 weeks -- creates a permanent underclass of Americans. For Paul and most of his colleagues, the reality of still high unemployment is the fault of Americans desperate to work rather than their far-right policies which hamper the American economy.

His approach -- and that of most Republicans in Washington -- couldn't be more wrong. Extending unemployment benefits is a lifeline that is needed until these Americans can again find work. I often talk with residents of Jersey City who have been looking for work for much too long. Not once have I been asked for benefits. Rather, I am always asked to help them find a job. That's what they want -- to work. Not one wants the benefits but they need them until they are working again.

In other words, the cure isn't the GOP's ruthless medicine. Bluntly stated, the cure is jobs. And, again, that's where the Republicans have it so wrong.

Government working with businesses can help create jobs for those who need them. It would be great if the private sector alone could significantly reduce unemployment but five years into a tepid recovery says that's not going to work. Nor can the public sector create enough on its own.

In trying to achieve their reckless goal of demolishing government, Republicans have hurt far too many Americans. Alternatively, under the correct circumstances, government should be able to help grow the economy.

In Jersey City, we are enjoying an almost unparalleled commercial and residential development. Our challenge is to link young persons and the underemployed with the training necessary to benefit from this investment.

First, we are working with the secondary schools, community colleges, and skilled building trade unions to ensure that non-college bound youth have the requisite skills to qualify for union admittance as an apprentice. Second, we are working with our four-year technical colleges and specialized manufacturers to design and teach a curriculum that produces a highly proficient workforce for "state of the art" industries. And third, we are working with labor intensive industries to prequalify ex-offenders for employment, while offering our clients ongoing job coaching, addiction treatment, and housing referrals.

In concert with this initiative, we have also adapted our tax abatement policies, bringing new development and hope to a part of the city that has seen no new construction in 30 years. Already three huge residential towers are slated for construction, creating hundreds of construction jobs to city residents. And our training is focused and making sure residents are poised to take advantage of these opportunities.

We also became the first city in the northeast, and just the 6th in the United States, to institute earned sick leave for employees of small businesses. While this isn't at first glance a job creator, studies show it does enhance worker productivity and longevity. In other words, thousands of workers will avoid the need for unemployment benefits.

So let's get the New Year started in the right direction for over three million Americans.

It is a strong first step that Senate Democrats will move this week to pass legislation to bring back unemployment benefits. Republicans, especially those in the House, should heed the words of President Bush and not only do the decent thing but the right thing for our economy. Unfortunately, it's probably too much to expect that they will look further for creative government solutions, such as those working in Jersey City, to help move our economy forward.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven- ... b_4528981.html?1388623410

Formula 1 welcoming new NYC-area race proposals, report says

By Steve Strunsky/The Star-Ledger
December 24, 2013 at 1:51 PM

WEEHAWKEN ?Organizers of a twice-postponed Hudson County Formula 1 race are in breach of contract with the international racing circuit?s owner, and other would-be sponsors are now welcome to pitch plans for a New York City-area race, according to a published report.

Bernie Ecclestone, the British racing mogul who heads London-based Formula 1 Management, told Auto Week that the group hoping to stage the Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial had never made a single payment on either of two contracts signed since 2011.

?What is amazing with New Jersey is that the people signed a contract,? Ecclestone is quoted as saying in a story posted on autoweek.com. ?You have got to assume they knew what they had signed. They should have never made the commitment. We could sue them. They are in breach.?

"They should have never made the commitment. We could sue them."

The race has been proposed for a 3.2-mile street course on public and private roads in Weehawken and West New York, including the Port Imperial mixed use development along the Hudson River waterfront, opposite midtown Manhattan.

But the sponsor, Port Imperial Racing Associates, a group headed by former YES Network boss Leo Hindery Jr., has had trouble raising an estimated $100 million to stage the race. Earlier this month, the race was left off the official 2014 F1 calender, after likewise being excluded from the 2013 season, when the race was originally intended to debut.

Ecclestone's spokeswoman, Enrica Merenghi, did not respond to a request for comment on the Auto Week story.

A spokesman for Port Imperial Racing Associates, Justin Lapatine, said the group had nothing to say on the issue.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013 ... ponsors.html#incart_river

Political Insider: Yet to be approved firings at Jersey City EDC have taken place

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
Follow on Twitter
on December 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The Jersey City Economic Development Corporation (JCEDC) is undergoing profound change. The autonomous nonprofit agency -- that was used to help find space for Manhattan firms effected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- essentially promotes the city, works with firms in Urban Enterprise Zones, and boosts local tourism. Now, it has been gutted before some expected remodeling.

Since Gov. Chris Christie has pretty much usurped UEZ monies statewide, Mayor Steve Fulop says the city cannot justify employing people under the EDC budget. In a unilateral move, Rosemary McFadden, chairwoman of the JCEDC Executive Committee, had the jobs of UEZ Director Roberta Farber, Chief Financial Officer Cliff Adams, and Director of Real Estate Dan Frohwirth terminated at the start of this month. A loan officer was kept because several business loans were still outstanding and people apparently need help in being told where to mail their checks. A tourism coordinator was also retained but plug in your own wise guy comment.

?I rather see money go toward programs than salaries,? the mayor told a Jersey Journal Editorial Board, last week.

The city has siphoned off a little more than $500,000 from the EDC that is expected to pay salaries in the city Employment and Training Program (JCETP) that employs about 30 people.

On Wednesday, I tried to attend a 5 p.m. public EDC meeting on the 14th floor of 30 Montgomery St. but no one showed up. The session was called off because there had been a Downtown water main break, I was told. The autonomous agency?s committee will probably get around to officially firing those people and approving the money transfer in the first week of January.

The reengineering of EDC by Deputy Mayor Vivian Brady-Phillips includes using the agency?s 501C(3) nonprofit status to help create summer youth jobs, said city officials. She has a background in nonprofit advocacy work in the Big Apple. This could be why the EDC meeting agenda called for accepting a $119,000 check from the Paul & Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation. Paul Fireman is the former Reebok owner who built and owns the Liberty National Golf Club. He may someday build a residential tower, or two, or three near the golf course, say officials.

CAN?T PLEASE EVERYONE

It?s way too early to start comparing Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop to Lonesome Road, the populist radio personality in Elia Kazan?s ?A Face in the Crowd,? who sees his audience turn on him when they find he doesn?t quite practice what he preaches.

There?s a small cadre of folks who, in their displeasure with the city ambulance contract proceedings, have distilled their complaints down to a one-word solution ? recall.

Every administration has it critics, including those who have yet to meet an administration they like. It is easy to say they are mostly some bitter people ? past backers of ex-mayor Jerramiah Healy, former Fulop cheerleaders who haven?t been rewarded for their loyalty ? but I have to presume there are some genuinely concerned citizens. still, I?m surprised to hear the ?R? word.

Fulop could avoid some of this by doing what he promised, transparency or at least the appearance of it. There?s a perception that the mayor?s inner circle and his rapid response team that has replaced Healy?s Mayor?s Action Bureau is a cabal making secret deals. Of course many an eyebrow lifted when former gov. Jim McGreevey was hired to head the ?improved? JCEPT and the mayor admits that the city is contemplating putting McGreevey on the municipal payroll as the city tax abatement compliance officer.

While the mayor did the proverbial ?hit the ground running? after his election, the speed of his administration is catching people by surprise. They?re not used to a mayor working at his job, although cynics will say there must be some nefarious world domination plan. I gave Healy a year or so before deciding he had to go. It took everyone else a full-term and several weeks.

Still, we have a right to question those who govern. They just have to grow thicker skin. But, a recall effort is, to put it politely, silly thinking. Besides, people are not good at recall campaigns, if you remember the failed attempt to remove Healy.

INSIDER NOTE

-- The mayor is hosting a Christmas concert at the Loew's Theatre this evening. Notice he did not succumb to "holiday" concert, although he may have been nudged by some constituents. Enjoy the show.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... insider_yet_to_be_ap.html

Jersey City committee ranked McCabe over JCMC for ambulance contract, 3-2

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
December 17, 2013 at 11:53 PM

In close voting, three of the five Jersey City officials who sat on a committee to evaluate proposals for the city?s ambulance provider contract ranked CarePoint Health/McCabe?s plan No. 1 with the other two ranking Jersey City Medical Center first, city records show.

The director of emergency management for the city ranked CarePoint/McCabe No. 1, while the city's health director ranked JCMC No. 1.

The five officials were tasked with looking at the two proposals and giving points based on response time, management and staff, cost and 24 other criteria, according to records provided by the city.

JCMC?s plan received more total points than CarePont/McCabe?s -- 1,201 to 1,191 -- but the majority of the committee individually ranked CarePoint/McCabe first.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Jersey City Taxpayers Pay for Most Water Main Repairs Despite Utility Company Profiting

An I-Team investigation last fall found taxpayers are responsible for almost all wate rmain repairs, even though United Water collects all the water revenue. Chris Glorioso reports

Watch Video on WNBC - TV New York

McCabe supporters pack Jersey City council chambers

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
December 18, 2013 at 9:04 PM

Jersey City today withdrew its request for the City Council to vote on a contract that would have made CarePoint Health/McCabe Ambulance the city?s ambulance provider, but that didn?t stop McCabe supporters from packing the council chambers at the body?s regular meeting tonight.

The proposed contract will now not be voted on until 2014.

The Jersey City Medical Center, which currently provides ambulances for the city at a cost of roughly $4 million annually to city taxpayers, had offered to continue the service at no charge, but their bid was rejected by the city administration in favor of CarePoint/McCabe?s, which offered to reimburse the city for costs associated with firefighters who respond to medical emergencies. The city estimates that could be $2.6 million annually.

City officials said they postponed tonight?s vote so the federal Office of the Inspector General could review the CarePoint/McCabe deal. City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said the city expects to recommend CarePoint/McCabe again next year.

Mayor Steve Fulop tonight defended the CarePoint/McCabe plan to The Jersey Journal, saying the difference between its proposal and JCMC?s is ?night and day.?

Read More from the Jersey Journal

Ex-NJ Transit cop who got disability pension because he couldn't hold gun still shoots at range

By Jeff Goldman/The Star-Ledger
December 11, 2013 at 3:36 PM

A former New Jersey Transit police officer was able to retire with a full pension because doctors said he couldn't hold a gun after the officer inadvertently stapled his finger.

Yet Christopher Onesti still makes leisurely trips to a local shooting range, where he has no trouble discharging a high-powered weapon. That's what an investigation by New Jersey Watchdog uncovered.

Onesti, who lives in suburban Philadelphia, doesn't just get an "ordinary disability" pension ? instead he receives a better-paying "accidental disability" pension that public records indicate pays him $45,936.24 a year tax-free.

It's estimated Onesti will be paid about $2 million from the pension fund if he lives until 80, the report said.

He was injured in 2006 when he mishandled a staple gun while re-attaching a target knocked over by the wind at a shooting range in Stafford. Then 27, Onesti received a wound the "size of a pinprick," according to the New Jersey Watchdog report.

Onesti still managed to pass his qualifying test that day after applying a Band-Aid to the ring finger on his non-shooting hand.

The following day, Onesti reported the injury to his superiors, who told him to seek medical care. Two surgeries and 18 months later, doctors determined that Onesti could no longer work as a transit cop, according to the Watchdog/WNBC-4 report.

"There's no way you're totally and permanently disabled from a staple in the finger," John Sierchio, a Police and Firemen's Retirement System trustee told New Jersey Watchdog.

When contacted by New Jersey Watchdog and WNBC-4, Onesti admitted that "it's ridiculous" and "absurd" that he was ruled permanently disabled and is able to collect a full pension.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013 ... oes_to_range_to_shoo.html

http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2013/12/10/9524/

The rat is back: Sheriff's officers continue protest against 'salary freeze'

By Jonathan Lin/The Jersey Journal
December 18, 2013 at 12:12 PM

Officers from the Hudson County Sheriff's Office who one week ago protested what they called a "pay freeze" by the county administration continued their protest again this morning in front of the Hudson County Brennan Courthouse.

A group of eight officers gathered in front of the courthouse with the same giant, inflated rat as last time, but equipped it with a different sign reading "HAPPY HOLIDAYS! (Hudson County Executive) Tom DeGise & (Hudson County Administrator) Abe Antun. Thanks for wrecking ours!"

Last week, the officers told The Jersey Journal the crux of their complaints had to do with a "sunset clause" the county administration is trying to include in their new contract.

Bill Schulz, 46, of Middletown, who has worked for the HCSO for 21 years and formerly served as P.B.A. Local Chapter 334's president, explained the "sunset clause" would eliminate a new officer's ability to make steady progress toward a top salary in a fixed period of time.

"The sunset clause (stops) you from moving anywhere on the payscale unless you're already at top pay," Schulz said.

For the past 11 years, new officers hired by HCSO were legally guaranteed to go from making a $24,000 starting salary to a $84,000 top salary over a nine-year span, Schulz said.

That guarantee would disappear if the union accepted the offer on the table, he said, which is why the union refused to do so.

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Jewish groups, Jersey City Mayor Fulop slam NRA for Holocaust comments

By David Giambusso/The Star-Ledger
December 17, 2013 at 3:39 PM

JERSEY CITY ? Jewish groups and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop are firing back at the National Rifle Association over what they say were "offensive" and "disturbing" remarks made by a local NRA official last week.

Fulop recently announced he would ask gun manufacturers doing business with Jersey City to answer several questions before being considered for a city contract. The questions include manufacturers' policies on automatic weapons sales, resales and the use of their brands in video games.

Scott Bach, a member of the NRA's board of directors and executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs said he was surprised Fulop would be anti-gun since his grandparents were Holocaust survivors.

"His grandparents were Holocaust survivors according to Wikipedia," Bach said in an interview on NRA News, calling for gunmakers to boycott Jersey City. "So you?ve got to wonder why he is not getting it."

Fulop's grandmother was held at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II and his grandfather was held at a Nazi labor camp. They both survived and emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1960s.

Fulop said today the notion that if his grandparents were armed they would have fared better against the Nazis was "as crazy as it comes."

"Had my grandparents had guns, my grandparents would be dead and I would not be here today," he said.

This week, national and local Jewish groups also criticized Bach and the NRA for likening gun control proponents to Nazi Germany.

"Invoking the Holocaust and bringing Hitler into this argument is historically inaccurate and offensive to Holocaust survivors and the Jewish community," the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ said in a statement. "Access to guns and the systematic murder of six million Jews have no basis for comparison in the United States or in New Jersey. The Holocaust has no place in this discussion and it is offensive to link this tragedy to such a debate."

The national Anti-Defamation League also weighed in.

"There is absolutely no comparison of the issue of gun control in the U.S. to the genocidal actions of the Nazi regime," said Abraham H. Foxman, a Holocaust survivor and league director.

"Scott Bach?s critique of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop?s gun control measures undermines and trivializes the historical truth of the Holocaust as a singular event in human history that led to the murder of six million Jews and millions of others," Foxman said. "That he did so by invoking Mayor Fulop?s family history makes it all the more offensive."

Bach did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NRA and gun-rights activists have routinely raised the specter of Nazi Germany as a warning against curbing access to firearms.

In his 2011 book, ?America Disarmed," NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre wrote, "Paving the way for genocide was the systematic disarmament of Jews and all other opposition elements, in Nazi Germany itself and in conquered territories."

Historical scholars have debated the validity of that comparison.

In the meantime, urban mayors have aggressively sought new ways to curb the flow of guns into their cities.

Fulop, who met with President Obama along with a host of other mayors regarding urban issues last week, said he wants other cities to use their purchasing power to hold gun manufacturers accountable.

"At some point there is going to be a gun manufacturer is going to break from the rest," he said adding that municipal police departments are the biggest purchasers of guns and ammunition.

He said as he was discussing the gun program with Obama on Friday, the meeting got an eery interruption.

"Almost on cue, the meeting got interrupted and the President got a note that there was a shooting in Colorado," Fulop said.

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Jersey City plans to switch ambulance providers after 130 years with same company

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
December 14, 2013 at 3:06 AM

Jersey City is planning to switch ambulance providers after 130 years with Jersey City Medical Center. Pending approval, the city will award a contract to for-profit CarePoint Health and Bayonne-based McCabe Ambulance.

The new three-year pact, if approved by the city council next week, would bring in $2.6 million for the city annually, officials said in announcing the change.

In its most recent contract, JCMC has been charging the city $3.8 million annually for ambulance service over the last three years. But CarePoint/McCabe offered to pay the city for the contract.

The $2.6 million from CarePoint/McCabe would allow the city to pay for firefighters who act as first responders for any calls the new providers cannot respond to in time, according to city officials.

?We made the right choice for the taxpayers of Jersey City and equally important we made the right choice for anybody who needs transportation to the hospital,? Mayor Steve Fulop said in a statement. ?This ensures Jersey City residents will receive the highest quality of emergency health care.?

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