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Re: Mayor Healy sings with Former pop star Darlene Love..
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Music legend Darlene Love visits Jersey City kids, helps deliver 20 new guitars

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 06, 2013 at 8:35 PM

Years after pop star Darlene Love first achieved fame, she was down on her luck, cleaning homes for a living, when her classic hit ?Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)? started playing on a radio as she scrubbed a bathroom.

Love, who reached stardom as a girl-group singer in the 1960s, said she knew then that cleaning homes wasn?t for her.

?It?s not what God put me on this earth to do,? she said. ?He put me on this earth to sing. And I never looked back.?

Love, 71, recounted this story to a classroom full of Jersey City middle schoolers yesterday afternoon when she stopped by to sing a few tunes, offer some inspirational advice, and help deliver 20 new guitars courtesy of music-education advocacy group Little Kids Rock.

In front of a rapt crowd of about 50 students (and a few adults who popped in to get a peek at pop royalty), Love told the kids to never give up on their dreams, no matter how many times they?re told to give up.

?Your dreams are your dreams, nobody else?s,? she said.

During a brief question-and-answer session, Love told the kids she still gets nervous before performing, she embarked on a solo career because she didn?t like the backstage drama that came with girl groups, and she still remembers that producer Phil Spector stiffed her on royalties for her big songs.

Love then joined the kids and Mayor Jerramiah Healy to belt out a spirited rendition of ?Lean on Me.?

The tune brought down the house.

?That was fabulous,? Love said when the performance concluded.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... wowed_w.html#incart_river

Posted on: 2013/6/7 4:56
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Healy ally out as chair of Jersey City Democrats
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Healy ally out as chair of Jersey City Democrats

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 06, 2013 at 12:32 PM

Hudson County Freeholder Jeff Dublin is stepping aside as leader of Jersey City Democrats and throwing his support behind an ally of Mayor-elect Steve Fulop.

Dublin, a vocal supporter of outgoing Mayor Jerramiah Healy, said in a statement from Fulop?s office that his decision to not seek re-election as chair of the Jersey City Democratic Organization is an effort to ?bring everyone together.?

?With a new mayor and council, it?s time for a new direction with the JCDO. I?m going to work with the new leadership moving forward,? Dublin said. ?Jersey City deserves its elected officials to work together for a better Jersey City.?

Dublin was elected the group?s chair in June 2011. But his aggressive campaigning in favor of Healy, who lost the mayoralty to Fulop on May 14, sealed his fate.

Today, Dublin said he is endorsing Shawn ?Sully? Thomas as the new JCDO chair.

Fulop?s camp called Thomas ?instrumental? to Fulop?s win in Ward D on May 14.

Fulop becomes mayor on July 1.

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

Posted on: 2013/6/6 17:56
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Re: JC needs $22 million for payouts for unused sick, vacation & compensatory time to city retires
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GOP legislators point to Jersey City's payouts

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 05, 2013 at 8:04 AM

A group of state Republicans is using recent Jersey City police retirements to argue in favor of statewide reform of sick-leave payouts.

The 20 state legislators sent letters in recent weeks to Democratic state Senate and Assembly leaders asking that they take action on stalled legislation that would ban controversial sick-leave payouts.

In the letters, the Republicans cite news first reported by The Jersey Journal that 25 retiring Jersey City police employees could cost Jersey City around $5 million in payments for unused sick, vacation and comp days.

Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, who becomes mayor on July 1, has criticized the employees, including now-retired Police Chief Tom Comey, for bowing out of city government before Fulop's administration begins and collecting large payouts for accumulated time.

"No public official should have to enter office having to figure out how to save taxpayers from a $5 million bombshell just because Trenton politicians won't do the right thing," said Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, R-Red Bank, in a statement. "We can diffuse this bomb in the future with a uniform statewide policy that says: sick leave is for when you're sick."

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... ators_point_to_jerse.html

Posted on: 2013/6/6 6:04
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Jersey City mayor-elect hosts forum seeking 'big picture' ideas
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Jersey City mayor-elect hosts forum seeking 'big picture' ideas

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 05, 2013 at 8:43 PM

About 200 Jersey City residents packed City Hall tonight to sound off on their hopes and ideas for the upcoming administration of Mayor-elect Steve Fulop.

It was standing-room only inside the City Council chambers, with all seats on the benches filled and individuals standing or seated in any space they could find.

Fulop sat on the sidelines for most of the event, taking notes and offering brief responses.

The mayor-elect said he didn?t want to take center stage tonight. The forum, the first of four scheduled before Fulop takes office July 1, was intended to solicit thoughts on the city?s direction, he said.

?Let?s talk big picture, about the things that you need,? he said to the crowd of hundreds. ?And then we?ll figure out how to get it.?

There was no scarcity of ideas: a better city web site; lower taxes; more recreation programs for teens.

City man Colby Swanson brought down the house with his comment.

?I have a dream that I can walk into the building department one day and get help,? Swanson said to a rousing ovation.

Fulop, 36, currently the Ward E councilman, won a resounding victory over outgoing Mayor Jerramiah Healy in the May 14 citywide election. When he is sworn in next month, he will become one of the city?s youngest mayors.

Many of his supporters tonight said they are optimistic about the city?s future.

?I?ve lived here for 11 years and until this year I never really felt any hope for the future, and now I do,? said Robert Webb.

It wasn?t all sunshine and lollipops. At least one Fulop critic, substitute teacher Telissa Dowling, said it?s ?very difficult? for her to believe Fulop doesn?t support privatization of the public-school district.

During the mayoral campaign, Healy?s campaign warned that Fulop supported privatization, a charge Fulop disputed.

?I want to believe and I need to believe,? Dowling said. ?But what about the people who didn?t agree with you? What are you going to do for them??

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_mayor-elect_hosts.html

Posted on: 2013/6/6 5:26
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Re: June 4th Primary Elections! What are they and Who's running?
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No surprises in Hudson County on primary night

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 04, 2013 at 10:05 PM

It was a drama-free primary election night in Hudson County tonight, with the Hudson County Democratic Organization-backed candidates sweeping the state Senate and Assembly races over lesser known challengers.

In the state Senate races, incumbent Democratic state senators Sandra B. Cunningham (31st Legislative District) and Brian Stack (33rd Legislative District) ran unopposed. They are both seeking their third terms in the Nov. 5 General Election.

State Sen. Nicholas Sacco, meanwhile, has won handily over challenger Francisco Torres. Sacco, who is also the North Bergen mayor, is seeking his seventh term representing the 32nd Legislative District.

Sacco tonight won 9,596 votes to Torres 1,265.

The three Republicans seeking to unseat the three Democrats in November (Maria Karczewski, Paul Castelli and James Sanford) all ran unopposed. They will face Cunningham, Sacco and Stack in November.

The winners in today?s Democratic primaries are widely expected to win their races in November in this largely Democratic county.

In the Assembly races, incumbent Assemblymen Charles Mainor and Jason O?Donnell ran unopposed in the 31st Legislative District, which encompasses Bayonne and parts of Jersey City.

Assemblyman Vincent Prieto and Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez won a spot in the general election, where they will seek re-election to the 32nd Legislative District, which includes East Newark, Guttenberg, Harrison, Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus and West New York, plus Edgewater and Fairview in Bergen County.

Prieto and Jimenez were being challenged by Democrats Myra Dominguez and Ines P. Serna. The incumbents each won about 9,000 votes, while their challengers didn't garner over 1,300 apiece.

In the 33rd Legislative District, which encompasses Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken and parts of Jersey City, first-time Assembly candidates Carmelo Garcia (executive director of the Hoboken Housing Authority) and Raj Mukherji (a Jersey City deputy mayor) won over fellow Democrats Peter Basso, John Hilt IV, Anthony Mills and Hoboken Councilman Ravinder S. Bhalla.

With most precincts reporting, Garcia won 9,933 votes and Mukherji 8,989, while their closest opponent, Basso, grabbed only 1,365.

On the Republican side, Maria Malavasi-Quartello and Lee Marie Gomez ran unopposed in the 32nd district, as did Jude Anthony Tiscornia and Armando Hernandez in the 33rd district.

In the 31st district, Republicans Gerard Pizzillo and Juanita Lopez won over Michael Alonso and Tony Zanowic.

There was also a primary in the race for Hudson County Sheriff. Both Democrat Frank X. Schillari, the incumbent, and Republican challenger Fernando F. Villar Jr. ran unopposed.

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

Posted on: 2013/6/5 3:26
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Re: Chief Comey, other JCPD top brass planning to retire before Fulop takes the helm?
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Four retired Jersey City police officials to receive $1.3M for unused time

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 04, 2013 at 4:14 PM

Jersey City is set to pay nearly $1.3 million to four retired police officials in exchange for unused time, with one retired deputy police chief set to receive more than half a million dollars.

The news is sure to reignite a furor that started two weeks ago when Mayor-elect Steve Fulop blasted retired Police Chief Tom Comey and other high-ranking police officials for retiring before Fulop takes office and taking big bucks with them on their way out the door.

City officials had previously estimated how much the retirements would cost taxpayers, but today they released the details for the four men after an inquiry by The Jersey Journal.

UPDATE: NJ Republicans use Jersey City retirements to argue for sick-leave reform

Comey, who retired effective June 1, will receive $170,384.32, which doesn't include $26,496 that he received in previous years when he cashed in his unused time early. Comey's new payout is for 215.5 days.

Comey retired after outgoing Mayor Jerramiah Healy lost his bid for a third full term to Fulop, who currently represents Downtown on the City Council. Fulop becomes mayor on July 1.

The payments to Comey, a member of the force since 1981, and the three retired deputy police chiefs will be issued in two payments, city officials said.

Former Deputy Police Chief Peter Nalbach will receive $565,797.28 for 754 unused days; former Deputy Police Chief Robert Kilduff will receive $306,604.02 for 419 days; and former Deputy Police Chief Hugh Donaghue will receive $252,768.98 for 344 days, according to city budget officials.

All three former deputy police chiefs retired as of June 1, and each have worked for the police department for more than 25 years. They are among 25 police employees who are set to retire by Aug. 1.

Two weeks ago, when news of the retirements leaked, Fulop said the payouts will be examined for inconsistencies when he becomes mayor. He said he found it hard to believe that many of the officers set to retire had not used so many vacation, comp and sick days.

Comey, in reaction, called it ?disappointing? that the mayor-elect would ?attack? officers who had logged more than 25 years of service. Nalbach?s daughter wrote a letter to The Jersey Journal defending her father from Fulop?s criticism.

Comey and the three deputy police chiefs accumulated the unused time when they were police officers and when they were management. They will receive the cash for unused vacation, sick and comp days, in addition to "frozen time" they accumulated before contractual changes implemented in 1988 restricted the amount of unused time employees could roll over indefinitely.

Sick time is paid out at 80 percent of its value, while the other days are paid out at 100 percent, using the employee's final salary.

Each man also accumulated terminal-leave days, a set number of days given to police officers annually that they trade in for cash when they retire.

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

Posted on: 2013/6/5 3:16
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Re: JC needs $22 million for payouts for unused sick, vacation & compensatory time to city retires
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NJ Republicans use Jersey City retirements to argue for sick-leave reform

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 04, 2013 at 2:17 PM

A group of state Republicans is using recent Jersey City police retirements to argue in favor of statewide reform of sick-leave payouts.

The four state legislators, who represent districts in northern and central New Jersey, sent a letter to the chair of the Assembly State Government Committee last week asking that she post a bill the four sponsored that would eliminate future sick-leave payouts for public employees.

In the May 29 letter to Assemblywoman Linda Stender, the four Republicans cite recent news that 25 retiring Jersey City police employees could cost Jersey City around $5 million in payments for unused sick, vacation and comp days.

Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, who becomes mayor on July 1, has criticized the employees, including now-retired Police Chief Tom Comey, for bowing out of city government before Fulop?s administration begins and collecting large payouts for accumulated time.

?No public official should have to enter office having to figure out how to save taxpayers from a $5 million bombshell just because Trenton politicians won?t do the right thing,? said Assemblyman Declan O?Scanlon (R-Red Bank) in a statement. ?We can diffuse this bomb in the future with a uniform statewide policy that says: sick leave is for when you?re sick.?

The other legislators who signed the letter are Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande (Freehold), Nancy Munoz (Summit) and Donna Simon (Flemington).

Their bill, A-2495, was introduced in February 2012 but has not received a full floor vote. It would end sick-time payouts from the date of the bill's passage, in addition to requiring public employees to show medical documentation for absences of six or more consecutive days.

Today, The Jersey Journal revealed that Comey and three retired deputy police chiefs will receive nearly $1.3 million for their accumulated time. The four men retired effective June 1.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie has railed against the practice of public employees accumulating unused days and trading them in for cash upon retirement, but Christie?s efforts to end the practice have met with resistance from state Democrats who would rather curtail it.

Supporters of sick-time payouts argue that they were agreed upon in collective-bargaining agreements and should be honored.

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

Posted on: 2013/6/5 3:11
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U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg dies at 89
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U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg dies at 89

By Matt Friedman/The Star-Ledger
June 03, 2013 at 11:24 AM

TRENTON ? U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, a multimillionaire businessman who went to Washington in 1982 and carved out groundbreaking legislation intended to improve the health and quality of life for the average New Jerseryan, died this morning at 4:02 a.m. of complications from pnenueomia, his office said .

The New Jersey Democrat was 89.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... i.html#incart_maj-story-2

Posted on: 2013/6/3 15:49
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Re: Bike Racks to enhance Jersey City's bike infrastructure
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Jersey City asks residents to help redesign bike racks

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 03, 2013 at 10:54 AM

Do you have a passion for design and cycling? Then Jersey City has a competition that?s right up your alley.

The city, Jersey City Art School and Bike JC are hosting a citywide design competition for new, creative bicycle racks.

The competition strives to promote cycling as a sustainable transportation option, and seeks unique designs that will add visual appeal and functionality, city officials said Friday.

The competition will feature two categories: racks for two bikes and racks for three or more. Designs "with the spirit and history of Jersey City considered" are preferable, officials said.

Design submissions will be accepted from July 29 through August 2. Submission forms can be found on the city?s website (pdf)

http://jerseycitynj.gov/uploadedFiles ... ompetition%20Complete.pdf

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

Posted on: 2013/6/3 15:38
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Re: Jersey City mayor presents budget with no tax hike; rival warns of 'massive increase' next year
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Jersey City's outgoing mayor and mayor-elect are butting heads over budget figures

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 31, 2013 at 8:07 AM

About an hour after polls closed in the May 14 Jersey City mayoral race, outgoing Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Mayor-elect Steve Fulop pledged to work together for the good of the city.

Those shiny, happy feelings lasted about two weeks.

Now, the outgoing and incoming mayors are sniping over the proposed 2013 budget, with each man blaming the other for a possible tax hike.


Fulop says the city administration fudged the numbers so Healy could campaign on keeping taxes stable, while Healy says Fulop is trying to embarrass him in his administration?s final days.

?Winning the election was one thing, but knocking us in the ass on the way out must be something else they wanted to achieve,? Healy said yesterday in a City Hall conference room.

The sparring began at Wednesday?s City Council meeting when city budget officials (at Fulop?s behest) offered a budget amendment that would have increased the local tax levy by about $16 million, a roughly 8 percent hike. Healy opposes the amendment.

The council voted not to add the amendment to its agenda after four Healy allies changed their votes from ?yes? to ?no? leading Fulop to accuse Healy?s administration of ?playing games with numbers.?

Fulop alleges the $500 million spending plan, which has yet to be adopted, was kept artificially low to assist Healy?s re-election campaign and says the council should now adopt a budget that is ?factual based.?

?All I?m saying is for Jerry to finally be accountable,? Fulop said. ?It?s not about kicking anybody on the way down.?

Most of the $16 million gap between the introduced budget and the proposed amended budget involves a $12 million sale of city land by the Jersey City Medical Center. Fulop says there is no buyer. Healy insists there is but won?t say who.

?This is realistic projected revenue,? Healy said. ?To say we misled the public, which is what the councilman said, is absolutely false.?

Assistant Business Administrator Bob Kakoleski told the council if it wants to adopt the budget by July 1 when Fulop becomes mayor state officials won?t allow the city to include revenue from the property sale. The revenue could be added if the budget is adopted later in the year, Kakoleski said.

If the budget is adopted as introduced, taxes remain stable. The amended budget shot down by the council Wednesday night would hike municipal taxes by about $258 for a homeowner with an average $93,500 assessment.

The final council meeting of this term is on Wednesday, June 19. Fulop said he hopes the nine-member body will adopt the proposed amended budget on that date.

?Option two is a new council and I will bear the burden of cleaning up their mess,? he said.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... ys_outgoing_mayor_an.html

Posted on: 2013/6/3 4:25
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Re: "Empty Sky" - NJ State 9/11 Memorial in Liberty State Park
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From the Jersey Journal:

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

While the original design came with a $23 million price tag, Pratt says the current budget is closer to $13 million, with $6 million coming from the state and the rest from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Posted on: 2013/6/1 5:29
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Jersey City OEM earns award for state-of-art communications system
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Jersey City OEM earns award for state-of-art communications system

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
May 31, 2013 at 7:59 PM

The Jersey City Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is being honored as an international 2013 Computerworld Honors Laureate for implementation of a remarkable, interoperable communication system.
"Interoperability has been a concern since 9/11 because you have all these disparate agencies out there," said OEM Director Greg Kierce said today.

In 2006 the OEM signed on with Mutual Link, an Internet-based system that allows the users to communicate across various frequencies and types of communications, as well as allowing users to tap into various video systems.

At first the system was used to access video links to all Level 1 trauma centers in the Newark/Jersey City Urban Area Security Initiative. But later additions included access to security cameras in the Newport Centre Mall, St. Peter's University, New Jersey City University, Jersey City public schools, Jersey City police closed circuit cameras and the Goldman Sachs building. The local list will be expanding, Kierce said.

The system can also be used to tap into security cameras operated by NJ Transit, FBI, the Port Authority (such as at airports and the PATH), and many more systems. The system uses a "drag and drop" system on a computer to connect to cameras or access communication. Access can be accepted of denied.

If access was granted by numerous organizations, it would be possible to watch a man get off a flight at Liberty International Airport and follow him through the airport and to a parking deck using a series of the security cameras in the facility, Kierce said.

The person might then be spotted on NJ Transit cameras in Newark Penn Station and followed by Port Authority cameras as he got off a train at the Newport/Pavonia Station in Jersey City. From there, he could be followed around inside the Newport Mall as he shopped, Kierce said.

Upon leaving the mall, the person could be followed around Jersey City using a series of the CCTV cameras in the city, Kierce said. The whole time, the system can be used to communicate with the various agencies.

"This is a testament to the hard work of the OEM staff who often go unrecognized. We thank them for their dedication and excellent service for the residents of Jersey City, " Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said.

The OEM was selected from more than 700 nominations to be named one of 269 Laureates from 29 countries.

Kierce will pick up the award at on June 3 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. He is also slated to speak on communications and the response to superstorm Sandy before a Congressional subcommittee next week.

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

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Posted on: 2013/6/1 3:40
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Re: Chief Comey, other JCPD top brass planning to retire before Fulop takes the helm?
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Jersey City police captain to become acting police chief

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 30, 2013 at 5:06 PM

A Jersey City police captain who works in Downtown?s East District is being appointed acting police chief effective June 1, city officials announced today.

Capt. Joseph Connors has an ?impeccable record of police service? with ?strong ties? to the community, outgoing Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in a statement.

?Joe Connors is a respected leader within the police department, and I have full confidence in him,? Healy said.

Connors will temporarily replace Police Chief Tom Comey, who announced last week he is retiring after more than 30 years on the force. Comey, a Healy ally, is retiring a month before City Councilman Steve Fulop becomes mayor, on July 1.

The East District includes Downtown and Bergen-Lafayette.

?It?s my intention to serve the residents and visitors of this city consistent with the manner in which I and the officers in the East Precinct did, and that is being fair, honest, responsive, and dedicated to the task at hand with the utmost professionalism,? said Connors.

Connors, a 32-year veteran of the police department, earns a $153,139 annual salary.

News of Comey's retirement caused a furor last week, thanks to the terminal-leave payouts he and other retiring officers are set to receive.

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

Posted on: 2013/5/31 0:06
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Re: JC mayor, mayor-elect to meet with Obama, Christie in Asbury Park
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Posted on: 2013/5/29 1:23
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Re: Only ONE Council Seat Decided - ALL Others Up for Grabs
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Another Healy ally may drop out of June 11 runoff elections

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 23, 2013 at 5:57 PM

And then there were two?

Jersey City man Jermaine Robinson, a candidate for the Ward F City Council seat, told The Jersey Journal he may drop out of the June 11 runoff election, leaving only two candidates backed by Mayor Jerramiah Healy running in next month's race.

Robinson, 37, said he has seen business both at his caf? and his barber shop suffer since he started his bid to win election to the council. That, coupled with a loved one?s illness, may send Robinson to the exit door, he said.

He hasn't made up his mind whether to quit the race, but "it's really looking that way," he said.

Robinson would become the fourth council candidate allied with Healy to back out of the June 11 runoff election. Healy lost his bid for a third full term last week to Councilman Steve Fulop, who becomes mayor on July 1.

In a field of five candidates, Robinson finished in second place on Election Day last week, just 55 votes behind Ward F Councilwoman Diane Coleman in the closest of the seven council races. Coleman is a Fulop ally.

Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, Coleman and Robinson are headed for a one-on-one matchup on June 11.

Of the seven council races held on May 14, only one, in Ward E, was decided on Election Day, while the rest will be decided after the runoff election.

Robinson?s probable exit is good news for Fulop, virtually guaranteeing Coleman a win in Ward F (Robinson?s name will likely remain on the ballot). Fulop has said one of his top priorities until he becomes mayor is to get his allies elected to the nine-member council.

The three other Healy candidates who have already backed out of the runoff election have cited financial reasons and the difficulty of defeating Fulop-backed candidates. At-large hopefuls Councilman at large Peter Brennan and Omar Perez have withdrawn from their race, as has Ward B hopeful Gerald Meyers.

Meyer?s withdrawal leaves Fulop candidate Khemraj ?Chico? Ramchal as the only candidate running in Ward B. Meyers, Brennan and Perez exited the race early enough to have their names removed from the ballot.

If Robinson indeed withdraws, only two Healy-backed candidates will remain in the running on June 11: Councilwoman at large Viola Richardson, who is running solo against Fulop?s three at-large candidates; and former schools superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr., who is running in Ward A against Fulop ally Frank Gajewski, a former police chief.

In the Ward C and Ward D races, Fulop?s allies are running against independent candidates. The Healy-backed council hopefuls in those races did not win enough votes on May 14 to win a spot in the runoff elections.

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

Posted on: 2013/5/24 5:35
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Re: Chief Comey, other JCPD top brass planning to retire before Fulop takes the helm?
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25 retiring Jersey City police employees could cost taxpayers $5M, city says

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 22, 2013 at 6:24 PM

Jersey City taxpayers may shell out over $5 million in retirement payouts to 25 Police Department employees who are expected to pack it in by August.

The expected retirements include Police Chief Tom Comey and at least two deputy police chiefs who have each worked for the city for over 25 years. Police employees can accumulate unused vacation and compensatory days and exchange them for cash upon retirement.

Up until today, city officials had declined to confirm the news when contacted by The Jersey Journal. A city official who asked not to be named said Comey himself refused to fork over the information when requested.

Included among the employees who filed retirement paperwork with the state are Comey, two deputy police chiefs (Hugh Donaghue and Peter Nalbach), five captains, five sergeants, three detectives and nine police officers.

Nalbach's terminal-leave payout alone could cost $600,000, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Comey couldn't not be reached to comment. Sgt. Robert Kearns, who heads the Jersey City Superior Officers Association, declined to comment, saying he wants to speak to Fulop first to find out what the mayor-elect's concerns are.

Comey?s retirement was expected after Councilman Steve Fulop unseated Mayor Jerramiah Healy in last week?s mayoral race. Comey is a Healy ally, and was seen leaving Healy?s campaign headquarters with the mayor after Healy conceded the race to Fulop last Tuesday.

Fulop this morning said he plans to audit any request for terminal-leave payouts when he assumes the mayoralty on July 1.

?Some of these officers that are requesting taxpayer payouts are saying that in 30 years of policing, they never took a single sick or leave day, which is just not realistic or believable,? Fulop said in a statement from his campaign. ?I will not allow these officers to rip off the taxpayers. Jersey City's overburdened families deserve no less.?

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

Posted on: 2013/5/23 6:54
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Re: Steve Fulop says police restructuring, teen recreation, abatements policy top agenda
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Posted on: 2013/5/21 22:31
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Re: PolitickerNJ: Steve Fulop can’t escape gubernatorial politics
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Jersey City mayor-elect says his eyes aren't on Trenton

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 20, 2013 at 6:35 PM

Jersey City Mayor-elect Steve Fulop doesn?t think much of inquiries regarding his intentions for higher office.

The May 14 mayoral race wasn?t even certified before members of the media began peppering Fulop with questions about running for governor. Those questions are evidence ?the bench is very weak? for state Democrats, Fulop told The Jersey Journal.

?It?s less a testament of me than it is to the weakness of the Democratic Party in New Jersey,? he said.

Fulop said he is committed to at least one term as the city?s mayor and, if voters will have him, a second term.

Last Tuesday, Fulop won a resounding victory against incumbent Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who had been seeking a third full term. Fulop won 53 percent to Healy's 38 percent.

Fulop becomes mayor on July 1

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... y_mayor-elect_says_h.html

Posted on: 2013/5/21 18:30
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O'Dea, Cunningham to co-chair transition team for new Jersey City mayor
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O'Dea, Cunningham to co-chair transition team for new Jersey City mayor

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 21, 2013 at 11:04 AM

Hudson County Freeholder Bill O?Dea, an early supporter of Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, will co-chair Fulop?s transition team with state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham.

Cunningham, widow of the late former mayor Glenn D. Cunningham, notably never took sides in the fierce campaign for mayor that saw Fulop last week defeating incumbent Mayor Jerramiah Healy?s bid for a third full term.

?I am proud to have two esteemed community leaders heading my transition team,? Fulop said in a statement from his campaign. ?My goal is to make Jersey City one of the best mid-sized cities in America and Bill and Sandra have the experience and leadership to help me achieve that goal.?

O?Dea, a former two-term councilman, represents Jersey City?s West Side on the Freeholder board. He was one of the few elected officials who backed Fulop over Healy in the May 14 mayoral contest.

Cunninghan represents Bayonne and portions of Jersey City in the state Senate.

?I gladly accepted Steven?s invitation to join as co-chair of his transition team,? Cunningham said in the statement. ?Bill and I will work together to ensure the Fulop administration reflects the great diversity of Jersey City and has the experience and energy necessary to help the mayor accomplish his goals.?

Fulop becomes the city?s 48th mayor on July 1

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ngham_to_co-chair_tr.html

Posted on: 2013/5/21 18:27
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Steve Fulop says police restructuring, teen recreation, abatements policy top agenda
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Jersey City mayor-elect says police restructuring, teen recreation, abatements policy top agenda

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 21, 2013 at 10:08 AM

Jersey City Mayor-elect Steve Fulop plans to be just as "hands-on" a mayor as he was a councilman, Fulop said Friday during his first wide-ranging interview since he defeated Mayor Jerramiah Healy on Tuesday.

Fulop, 36, who rarely goes a minute without checking email or messages on his phone, said he trained a lot of his campaign volunteers to be as responsive as he is, and he'll bring that same kind of alertness to City Hall starting July 1.

"There will be a culture of responsiveness that's going to be much more apparent than there is now," he told editors of The Jersey Journal.

Last Tuesday, Fulop won a long and hard-fought campaign against Healy, during which Fulop, currently the Downtown councilman, promised to change City Hall and seek to make Jersey City the best mid-size city in the nation.

His first duties as mayor will be to implement Police Department restructuring, developing additional summer recreation opportunities for teens, and instituting a new system for awarding long-term tax breaks to developers.

As for who will run the city under his administration, Fulop didn't offer any names, aside from his campaign manager, John Thieroff. Fulop declined to specify what role Thieroff will play, adding that he made no commitments to anyone during the campaign and he doesn't intend to summarily ax Healy allies.

"I'm not looking to come in to be a butcher for the sake of being a butcher, vindictive," he said.

Fulop won every ward in the city except Ward F, according to official election results. He lost Ward F by about 50 votes, but the margin of defeat was much more lopsided in the Bergen-Lafayette section of the ward.

Asked whether he thinks he needs to work on convincing voters in Bergen-Lafayette that he will work for them, Fulop said many of his proposals -- to decrease crime, to encourage development in areas aside from the waterfront -- are targeted to improve the lives of residents there.

He also intends to be a resident there soon. A longtime denizen of Downtown, Fulop has sold his Paulus Hook walkup and is seeking to buy a home in Bergen-Lafayette.

"It's a strong signal, is really what I think," he said. "I want to have a commitment to the area beyond just saying it."

For now, Fulop has more campaign work to do: six council races have yet to be decided, since no candidate except Downtown Councilwoman-elect Candice Osborne won more than 50 percent of the vote. And there's an upcoming vote to decide who will be chair of the Hudson County Democratic Party.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... _says_p.html#incart_river

Posted on: 2013/5/21 18:25
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Re: Ex-mayor McCann's letter: Fact-checking Healy's boasts
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McCann Letter: Most in office opposed Fulop's successful mayoral bid

By Letters to the Editor/The Jersey Journal
on May 20, 2013 at 7:40 PM

In 1981, when I was elected mayor in a runoff election and defeated the Hudson County and Jersey City Democratic organizations, it was considered a major upset. The election Tuesday of our next Mayor Steven Fulop is by far more remarkable than my accomplishment.

First, he did it on the first ballot. I am sure that on the next election, he will carry the rest of his team.

What Mayor Fulop did, though, far surpassed my victory. He had to overcome the endorsement of the most recently elected president of the United States. I was fortunate to have the support, although not the endorsement, of President Ronald Reagan. Jersey City, that had overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama, had less than six months later to reverse course and support Steven Fulop. I know that Mayor Fulop was a very early supporter of President Obama and held campaign rallies for his election. The other side labeled him a Republican with stickers the night before the election. They made false claims about his career in finance and about his campaign contributors. They labeled him an outsider although he has lived here for 12 years.

Mayor Steven Fulop faced down the endorsements of the Hudson County Democratic Organization and its chairman, Mayor Mark Smith of Bayonne. He was opposed by the Jersey City Democratic Organization and its chairman, Freeholder Jeff Dublin. The mayors of New York (Bloomberg), Newark (Booker) and Boston (Menino) as well as the Democratic nominee for governor, a Democratic senator from Middlesex County, threw their support against our mayor-elect. He was opposed by Congressmen Sires, Pallone, Pascrell and Senator Lautenberg. Freeholder Rivera, Assemblymen Mainor and O'Donnell, both representing Jersey City, rejected Mayor Fulop.

Finally he was enthusiastically opposed by the teachers, police and firemen of Jersey City and all of the municipal unions in Jersey City. I am sure the crying has just begun about their sacrifices.

Mayor Steven Fulop had only his desire and hard work to offset all of their combined support against him. He had one other tough great supporter. He had the citizens of Jersey City. As he said at his victory party, he had a democracy of the people to support his election.

God bless Mayor Fulop and his many, many supporters. God bless Jersey City and its very wise voters.

FORMER MAYOR GERALD McCANN
JERSEY CITY

Posted on: 2013/5/21 2:35
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Re: Michael Yun for Council - Heights Ward D
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Former Jersey City mayor claims council candidate lives in Montville

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 20, 2013 at 6:38 PM

A former Jersey City mayor, working as a surrogate for Ward D City Council candidate Assemblyman Sean Connors, is alleging that Connors? opponent in the June 11 council runoff election does not live in Jersey City.

Michael Yun, who runs Central Avenue store Garden State News, doesn?t deny that he owns a home in Montville, but Yun told The Jersey Journal his 27-year-old son lives there. Yun and his wife live in one of the two residential units above his store, he said.

In a field of four candidates, Yun finished in first place in the May 14 city election. Yun won 2,307 votes, and Connors came in second place with 1,833 votes. Because Yun didn?t win more than 50 percent of the vote, voters will choose between the two men on June 11.

Former Mayor Gerry McCann?s efforts to derail Yun?s candidacy over residency issues are ?dirty? and ?childish,? Yun said.

?This is a very unpleasant story,? he said.

The flap began on Sunday, when McCann visited Yun?s Montville home, which property records show is assessed at $859,600, and had a verbal altercation with Yun?s son, Benjamin. The younger Yun ended up filing a trespassing complaint against McCann.

McCann today filed a letter with the Superintendent of Elections listing his concerns about Yun?s residency, claiming that as late as March, another individual lived in the apartment Yun claims as his own.

Yun, who is registered to vote in Jersey City, said county election officials came to his store at about 2:30 p.m. and demanded to see the inside of his apartment.

Soon after, Yun allowed a reporter with The Jersey Journal to tour the third-floor apartment, where the closets were filled with clothes, there was food in the kitchen and two sets of slippers lay on the floor by the bedroom.

Yun campaign manager Cynthia Hadjiyannis said McCann?s campaign to get Yun disqualified from the June 11 race ?perfectly illustrates? why Yun is running.

?It?s this kind of crap that needs to change,? Hadjiyannis said.

McCann isn?t backing down from his claims about Yun?s residency.

"Here's a guy who sells pornography in his store, sells drug paraphernalia in his store with roach clips and rolling paper ... and then he's questioning me, that I'm harassing him?" McCann said.

McCann said he is not working in tandem with Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, who is backing Connors. Fulop campaign spokesman Bruno Tedeschi said Fulop?s focus is setting up his administration, ?not where Michael Yun lives.?

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

Posted on: 2013/5/21 2:23
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Re: Only ONE Council Seat Decided - ALL Others Up for Grabs
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Candidates in Jersey City council races eye dropping out of runoff elections

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 20, 2013 at 7:26 AM

At least one candidate in the forthcoming Jersey City council runoff elections is bowing out of the race, and others may be considering it as well.

Gerald Meyers, who came in second last Tuesday in his bid to win the Ward B council seat, told The Jersey Journal Friday he doesn?t want to participate in the runoff election.

Omar Perez, whose at-large council team came in second behind Mayor-elect Steve Fulop?s three-person team, has also expressed interest in bowing out, according to a city source.

Sources say Councilman at large Peter Brennan, who ran on Healy?s ticket with Perez, may also ask voters not to consider him for the runoff. Requests for comment from Brennan and Perez were not returned.

??State election law says candidates cannot be removed from runoff election ballots unless they die seven days or more before the election. City Clerk Robert Byrne said Friday that candidates would have to sue him to force him to remove their names.

Meyers, 65, a part-time Hudson County worker, ran on incumbent Mayor Jerramiah Healy?s council slate (Healy lost to Fulop). He finished in second place on Election Day, coming in about 200 votes behind Fulop ally Khemraj ?Chico? Ramchal.

Meyers told The Jersey Journal he thinks it would cost about $30,000 to campaign between now and the June 11 runoff, and he said he doesn?t have the funds.

?Wish I had money trees in the backyard,? he said, adding that he also worries that he?ll miss family gatherings if he?s elected to the council.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... y_counc.html#incart_river

Posted on: 2013/5/20 16:07
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Political Insider: Healy council candidates can run, but also can hide
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Political Insider: Healy council candidates can run, but also can hide

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
on May 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The coup d'etat for the remnants of the administration of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy comes on June 11 with the runoffs for council candidates. There is no longer a Team Healy -- workers or funding -- now that the mayor lost Tuesday to Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop.

There is no runoff in Ward E, where newcomer Candice Osborne won Fulop's old council seat.

Some administration candidates want to bail out. It is not that easy. Each candidate would have to petition a judge to remove themselves from the ballot. Should one get judicial permission to drop out, a third-place finisher has no chance of moving up into the runner-up's runoff slot.

Now who wants out? Better to ask who can come up with another $20,000 to $25,000 to fund another run?

Don't expect any activity from Ward B council hopeful Gerald Meyer. At-large council hopeful Omar Perez would have to dig into his own pockets to run, an unlikely scenario.

I can't see Councilman at large Peter Brennan continuing without buddies Healy or ex-councilman Bill Gaughan in local government. He must have some campaign funds should he want to take a shot. Brennan isn't answering his phones -- not a good sign.

If they intend to bow out, these folks were told by the administration to just abandon the election, leaving their names on the ballot.

Those Healy acolytes who I expect to go down fighting are at-large candidate Viola Richardson, an incumbent, and Ward A hopeful Charles Epps. Epps, the former superintendent of schools who does Jack Benny proud, will not spend a dime in the runoff campaign and hopes name recognition will carry him to victory. Ward F candidate Jermaine Robinson believes all those votes he received in Ward F will return for a second time.

I knew Richardson would not go quietly.

They should also realize that there is no President Obama endorsement available for them.

Yesterday, Mayor-elect Fulop said he will support all his running mates (even Heights candidate Sean Connors). He added that his campaign will probably blitz Ward A and Epps in support of his man, former police chief Frank Gajewski.

This means independent candidates and top vote-getters Michael Yun of Ward D and Richard Boggiano of Ward C will have to do it again to prove it wasn't a fluke the first time. I expect Yun to get even more campaign donations and Boggiano will walk door to door much faster.

'UNEASY LIES THE HEAD ...'

As mayor of the second largest city in the state and biggest in Hudson County, Fulop will have political responsibilities on top of running the city. After awhile, the politics will distract and at times annoy.

The day after Fulop was elected there were two stories written about him on the Internet. One was that he does not intend to endorse anyone in the gubernatorial race and the second is that Freeholder Bill O'Dea, because of his early support for the councilman, has a shot of replacing U.S. Rep. Albio Sires of West New York in Congress.

Even before taking office, Fulop says he has a transition to worry about and it would be "ludicrous" to get entangled in the race between the very popular Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democratic sacrificial lamb Sen. Barbara Buono.

Yet he is a Democrat in the Hudson County seat, a major Democratic Party stronghold. Even though Buono endorsed Healy, I say he does want to get involved in making changes in the Hudson County Democratic Organization, so in the end he'll back the Dem candidate.

BAYONNE CALLING, COLLECT

Do the changes include HCDeadO leadership? Let's just say that Fulop was very unhappy with the head of the HCDeadO, Bayonne Mark Smith, for getting involved in another city's election by wheeling thousands of HCDeadO dollars into Healy's campaign war chest. Everyone who called to congratulate Fulop got a call back, except Smith and Assemblyman Jason O'Donnell of Bayonne.

As for the other story -- O'Dea could probably fill many positions, if offered, but it would be difficult for the freeholder to replace Sires in the 8th Congressional District unless he moved from his present address in U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr.'s 10th District.

If we're going to speculate about the freeholder, let's talk about his interest in County Executive Tom DeGise's job, a post Bayonne's Smith may also covet. As for the Fulop administration, I doubt O'Dea would say no if offered the business administrator's post. At least he'd think about it real hard. I wonder if that is why present Business Administrator Jack Kelly showed up late to Fulop's election victory party at Zeppelin Hall Tuesday night -- much to the chagrin of Healy's inner circle.

Now, after the June primary, would all those committee people from Jersey (Fulop) City remove Smith as HCDeadO leaders? There's a consensus that former state Sen. Bernard Kenny of Hoboken would be voted in as the new county Dem head.

Why?

Smith's county political post is a thankless position. Why take over an organization that is headed for a humiliating defeat in November? Better to take over the following year. Then Smith can be blamed for backing Montclair Sen. Nia Gil over U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's choice of Payne Jr., getting involved in a losing effort in the Jersey City election, and leading a party that gets crushed by Gov. Christie.

What about the Jersey City Democratic Organization reorganization after the June primary? Freeholder Jeff Dublin is gone as chairman. Dublin was heavily invested in the Healy re-election bid. At almost every mayoral debate, Dublin led the booing of Fulop and cheering of Healy. He and Eliu Rivera will eventually be replaced by Fulop on the county Board of Freeholders.

One name I keep hearing as JCDO leader is the mayor-elect's Heights campaign guy Sean "Sully" Sullivan. A woman nominee could also make Fulop look good, but right now that's pure speculation.

POLITICAL INSIDER

-- Thinking back on the Healy campaign: his people put their hearts out in this campaign. Then he opens his mouth and the long campaign and the Obama free-pass is gone. On election night, when it dawned on the mostly city employees that they lost, they are already thinking about how they're going to pay the mortgage and other bills. So what does the lame duck mayor do? He starts singing "Folsom Prison Blues." Sorry, but Healy was never a leader.

Yesterday, Fulop told The Jersey Journal editorial board that he's "not looking to be a butcher, vindictive." He said he needs people to run the city government and doesn't intend to be the only employee sitting in City Hall. The inference is that if people do their jobs well, they'll probably continue working. Some who obviously work at the pleasure of the mayor will be looking elsewhere.

-- I suspect they've already fired some county school teacher to make room for the return of city Housing, Economic Development and Commerce Director Carl Czaplicki, who has been on leave from his educator duties for some time now.

-- One day, the Fulop camp, specifically O'Dea and company, needed good campaign workers who could quickly place political literature on doorknobs of homes. The call went out for Alex and Greg Stamato. "Can you come down to headquarters at 4?" Alex was asked.

"Yeah, right after school," said the 16-year-old boy, a McNair student. His 13-year-old brother Greg would help.

"No Alex, that's 4 in the morning."

Their mom, Barbara, somewhat reluctantly, drove them to their destination.

Some of the best workers in the mayor-elect's campaign were young people, but there were no harder volunteers than the very young Stamato brothers and Robert Zielinski, 14.

It's a tradition in this county where the likes of an O'Dea or Brian Stack, future Union City mayor and state senator, become heavily involved in local politics in their early teens.

"I could see Alex catch the bug," said his mom.

The 16-year-old is more interested in landing a military academy appointment than running for office.

-- My sources tell me thaty not only did the Healy campaign get President Obama's endorsement, payback for Healy's early backing, but they were working with the Democratic National Committee for a date when Michele Obama would visit Jersey City just prior to the city election.

Fulop's camp complained to the DNC about its involvement in a Democrat versus Democrat race and the First Lady visit was never mentioned again. Would she really have popped in for a hello, if asked? Well, we are close to Broadway, etc.

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

Posted on: 2013/5/18 5:09
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Re: Only ONE Council Seat Decided - ALL Others Up for Grabs
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Jersey City runoff elections tend to favor first-place finishers

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 16, 2013 at 12:08 PM

Good news for the first-place winners in Tuesday?s Jersey City City Council elections: history indicates they will likely go on to win their runoff elections.

Since 2001, there have been 12 runoff elections for council races, and in all but one case, the first-place finisher in the first round of balloting won the subsequent runoff.

That one exception occurred in 2001, when every council race resulted in a runoff. Peter Brennan, the current councilman at large who lost on the first ballot that year in his bid to become the Ward A councilman, later scored a strong win in the runoff.

Brennan now faces another runoff. He, Councilwoman at large Viola Richardson and former mayoral aide Omar Perez finished behind Mayor-elect Steve Fulop?s at-large council team: Councilman at large Rolando Lavarro (no stranger to runoffs himself), Daniel Rivera and the Rev. Joyce Watterman.

Only Ward E Councilwoman-elect Candice Osborne won her council race outright on Tuesday night. The remaining eight races will be decided after the Tuesday, June 11 runoff elections.

First-place finishers this time around include former schools chief Charles T. Epps Jr. in Ward A; council aide Khemraj ?Chico? Ramchal in Ward B; retired Jersey City cop Rich Boggiano in Ward C; business owner Michael Yun in Ward D; and Councilwoman Diane Coleman in Ward F.

Fulop has said his No. 1 priority between now and June 11 is helping his candidates win their runoff elections, though only two of his candidates (Ramchal and Coleman) head into the runoffs after finishing in first place Tuesday.

It?s ?crucial? to have a council with Fulop allies, Fulop said yesterday, because otherwise the nine-member body could be ?obstructionist? to his administration.

Having the new mayor-elect on their side could help even those Fulop candidates who came in second place on Tuesday -- he may be able to raise more money for them than the independent candidates (Boggiano and Yun) or Healy's candidate (Epps) will scrape up.

After the 2005 city election, there was only one runoff, for the Ward A council seat. Michael Sottolano won on the first ballot in May and then won the subsequent runoff. Still the Ward A councilman, Sottolano opted to run for a third term this year.

Sottolano faced another runoff in 2009, when he won on the first ballot in May but didn?t win more than 50 percent of the vote. The second-place finisher was Lavarro, who later lost the runoff, too.

Richardson, running for re-election to the Ward F council seat in 2009, also faced a runoff then. She won on the first ballot, and was victorious in the runoff.

Next month?s runoff elections will be the third time Richardson has been forced into a re-match after a May city election.

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

Posted on: 2013/5/16 17:12
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Re: Jersey City election 2013: where the race stands
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Jersey City mayor-elect outlines priorities for his administration

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 15, 2013 at 8:30 PM

Replicating the resurgence of Jersey City?s Downtown in the other areas of the city is an ?absolute priority? of Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, he said today at the Grove Street PATH station.

?You can?t keep building low-income housing in one area of the city and expect a good outcome,? said Fulop, who appeared on Grove Street to thank supporters coming home on the PATH trains.

Fulop, 36, won a decisive victory in Tuesday?s mayoral race, nabbing 53 percent of the vote to incumbent Mayor Jerramiah Healy?s 38 percent. Healy had been seeking a third full term.

The mayor-elect's appearance at the PATH station just before rush hour was a mini-sensation, with a little crowd gathering around him taking photos. Linda Kolodzieg, who grew up on Wayne Street, asked to pose for a personal photograph with Fulop.

"I am so thrilled," Kolodzieg said about Fulop's Tuesday victory. "I believe he's going to do great things for the city."

All but one of Tuesday's City Council races have yet to be decided, with eight of the nine contests heading into runoff elections on June 11. One of those races, in Ward A, will pit former schools superintendent and Healy ally Charles T. Epps Jr. against police chief and Fulop candidate Frank Gajewski.

Epps finished in first place on Tuesday, but didn?t win more than 50 percent of the vote. Fulop, who has said Gajewski was instrumental in putting together Fulop?s anti-crime plan, said today that the Ward A race being in limbo will not affect his ability to put together a plan to revamp the Police Department.

Fulop said he sees no trouble bringing to fruition the numerous plans for city government that he presented as a mayoral candidate.

?Everything that?s there, I feel confident in saying we can accomplish,? he said.

Fulop said Gov. Chris Christie left him a congratulatory voicemail on Tuesday night, and state Sen. Barbara Buono, Christie?s likely Democratic challenger, called him this morning. Asked if he?ll take sides in the race, Fulop said it would be ?ludicrous? to do so.

As for Healy, Fulop said he intends to reach out to the mayor tomorrow to talk about the transition (Fulop takes office July 1). Fulop said he will ask the mayor to place on hold any personnel or large-scale budgetary decisions until Fulop assumes office.

After taking questions from the media, Fulop stood at the top of the escalator at the PATH station to greet commuters and thank them for their support.

After about 15 minutes, a Port Authority Police officer told Fulop he was standing too close to the escalators and needed to move farther away.

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

Posted on: 2013/5/16 5:26
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Re: Journal Square: Suspect in fatal beating apprehended in Pa.
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Jersey City man guilty of reckless manslaughter in 2009 fatal beating

By Anthony J. Machcinski/The Jersey Journal
May 15, 2013 at 4:44 PM

A Jersey City man accused of beating a man so severely that the victim fell into a coma and died a month later has been found guilty of lesser charges of reckless manslaughter and criminal trespass.

The man, Tim McGeachy, 46, sat silently in the courtroom while the jury returned its verdict this afternoon in front of Hudson County Superior Court Judge Joseph Isabella.

McGeachy had been charged with felony murder, as well as robbery, burglary and criminal trespass. The jury found that McGeachy was not guilty of two counts of felony murder, but said he was guilty of second-degree reckless manslaughter. McGeachy was also found not guilty on both the robbery and burglary charges.

On Nov. 24, 2009, McGeachy got into an altercation with Jackie Sinclair, 31, of Dales Avenue in front of Sinclair's home. During the fight, McGeachy threw Sinclair down a flight of steps and "pounded" him, according to one witness.

Sinclair was taken to Jersey City Medical Center following the incident, where he died on Christmas Day 2009.

McGeachy will be sentenced on June 28 and faces 5 to 10 years in prison.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _in_200.html#incart_river

Posted on: 2013/5/16 4:21
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Jersey City will get $349,580 from state to help fight litter
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Jersey City will get $349,580 from state to help fight litter

By The Jersey Journal
May 15, 2013 at 1:23 PM

Jersey City is slated to receive $349,580 in Clean Communities grants from the Christie administration to help fund litter cleanup efforts, according to officials.

The money going to Jersey City is the most of any municipality in the state except Newark.

The Department of Environmental Protection is awarding a total of $18.3 million, including $16.2 million to 559 eligible municipalities. Seven municipalities are not eligible because they have fewer than 200 houses.

?These grants help enable our cities, towns and counties to move ahead with programs that eliminate litter from our neighborhoods and along our roads and highways, making our state a better place to live and work,? said Jane Kozinski, assistant commissioner for environmental management.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... 9580_fr.html#incart_river

Posted on: 2013/5/15 23:47
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Re: Port Authority to replace Goethals Bridge, raise roadbed of Bayonne Bridge, simultaneously
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$1.3 billion project to raise Bayonne Bridge gets final approval

By Steve Strunsky/The Star-Ledger
May 15, 2013 at 1:11 PM

The U.S. Coast Guard has approved an application to raise the roadway of the Bayonne Bridge, seen here in August. A permit could be issued allowing work to being as early as May 24.John Munson/The Star-Ledger

BAYONNE ?The U.S. Coast Guard has approved raising the Bayonne Bridge roadway, a project intended to clear a navigational obstacle that threatened the viability of the East Coast's busiest port and the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in commerce that depend on it.

It is the last approval necessary for the project to begin, authorities said.

"We?re looking forward to seeing the project proceed,? said Chief Warrant Officer Russell Tippets, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, the federal permitting agency for the $1.3 billion project.

The project will raise the roadway of the bridge by 64 feet, giving it a new total clearance of 215 feet above the Kill van Kull at high tide. Proponents of the project, including shippers, longshoremen, labor unions and its sponsor, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, say raising the roadway is necessary for the latest, largest generation of container ships to have access to terminals in Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island following completion of a Panama Canal expansion in 2015.

As a result of the canal expansion, proponents say the big so-called Post-Panamax vessels will begin traveling directly to the East Coast from China and other Asian export nations, and if the roadway obstacle is not eliminated, the terminals ? and related trucking, warehousing and other industries in the bi-state region ? will lose cargo business to competing East Coast ports.

The Port Authority says 270,000 jobs and $36 billion in commerce depend on the terminals, which, along with others in Jersey City, Bayonne and Brooklyn, are collectively known as the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The project's potential to create thousands of temporary construction jobs, combined with its importance to the region's long-term economic outlook, prompted President Obama to select it in July as the first large-scale public infrastructure job to be granted fast-track review status under his "We Can't Wait" initiative.

The Coast Guard completed its environmental review of the project on May 3, as indicated on the Federal Infrastructure Projects Permitting Dashboard and the guard's Finding of No Significant Impact, or FONSI, was posted online this morning by the Federal Register, one day prior to the decision's official publication.

Coast Guard officials say the actual permit for the project could be issued on or about May 24, allowing work to begin.

In anticipation of the permit, the Port Authority last month granted a $743 million provisional contract for the bulk of the bridge work to a partnership between Skanska Koch Inc. and Kiewit Infrastructure Company.

Port Authority officials say the existing roadway should be removed by the time the Panama Canal expansion is complete in 2015, when a single lane for traffic in each direction will be open on the higher roadway. The new, wider roadway, with two lanes in each direction, shoulders, and a center divider, is to be completed two years later.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency and private environmental and community groups had raised concerns that increased cargo volumes resulting from the project would mean more container truck traffic and higher diesel emissions in neighborhoods surrounding the terminals. Because the port neighborhoods are made up largely of poor and minority residents disproportionally effected by industrial pollution, private groups have threatened to file lawsuits to block the project under an area of the law known as environmental justice.

The Port Authority has insisted it has taken steps to mitigate port pollution, including several initiatives outlined in an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection that is related to but not offiicially part of the Bayonne Bridge permitting process.

The Coast Guard also insists the project is environmentally sound.
?We took every expressed environmental concern seriously," said Tippets. "And we adequately addressed all concerns."

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

Posted on: 2013/5/15 17:40
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Re: Jersey City election 2013: where the race stands
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Jersey City voters elect Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop mayor

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
May 15, 2013 at 11:28 AM

Steven Fulop, the Downtown councilman who pitched himself to voters as a reformer bent on cleaning up Jersey City politics, was elected mayor yesterday after a brutal campaign against his political rival, Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Fulop, 36, won 52 percent to Healy?s 38 percent on the first ballot, eliminating the need for a runoff election.

Former hoops star Jerry Walker came in third with 8 percent, while Abdul Malik came in a distant fourth with 1 percent.

?Thank you for believing in this great American experiment called democracy,? Fulop said to hundreds of supporters gathered last night at Zeppelin Hall Restaurant and Biergarten. ?We are going to work relentlessly to make sure that those of you who put your faith in us, we will make you proud.?

When news of Healy?s concession speech spread through the Downtown Jersey City eatery, Fulop?s supporters erupted in cheers. Fulop entered the room about half an hour later, to the strains of Queen?s ?We Are the Champions.?

Fulop, a Wall Street trader, has long eyed the mayoralty. He first won election to the City Council in 2005, representing Ward E, the Downtown, and won re-election in a landslide in 2009 after opting against running for mayor.

After his victory speech, Fulop told The Jersey Journal he intends to be mayor for the entire city, including his opponents.

?I?m going to work hard to instill trust from them, too,? he said.

Fulop?s victory is the end of an era for Healy, a fixture in Jersey City politics who was seeking a third full term as mayor. Healy, 62, was first elected mayor in 2004, succeeding Glenn D. Cunningham in a November special election held six months after Cunningham?s death.

The election was over quickly, with Healy conceding before 9 p.m. Polls closed at 8 p.m.

?If there is anything I can do to help him out after the transition, I stand ready, willing and able to do it,? Healy said to crestfallen supporters at his Oakland Avenue campaign headquarters.

Initial figures from the Hudson County Clerk?s Office put voter turnout at 24 percent. Fulop won 18,265 votes, Healy 13,108, Walker 2,996 and Malik 347.






Enlarge Aiyana Cronk/The Jersey Journal Jerry Walker campaign workers at the Hub on Martin Luther King Drive. Ken Thorbourne/The Jersey JournalJersey City Municipal Election Day 2013 Part 1, May 14, 2013 gallery (46 photos)







Healy?s campaign thought the election was all but sewn up in March, when it received a coveted, and rare, endorsement from President Obama, whose face subsequently appeared in almost every piece of Healy campaign literature.

But political observers believe the election moved away from Healy starting in mid-April, when Fulop began sending out campaign literature and airing television ads featuring information about the 2009 corruption sweep that landed numerous Healy allies in federal prison on bribery charges.

Healy was never charged in the sweep, but he was featured in a hidden-camera video meeting with disgraced developer Solomon Dwek, the confidential informant who helped federal officials make their cases against corrupt pols like Leona Beldini, Healy?s 2009 campaign treasurer and deputy mayor. One of Fulop?s ads featured footage from that meeting.

A Healy insider who asked not to be named told The Jersey Journal that Fulop?s focus on the corruption sweep ?definitely? hurt Healy?s standing with voters.

Joshua Henne, a spokesman for the Healy campaign, said he wouldn?t allow Rosemary McFadden or Bill Matsikoudis, two top officials in the administration and high-level campaign functionaries, to comment.

Last night, after conceding, Healy shook hands of his supporters outside his headquarters and apologized to them for losing.

?I think the people of Jersey City get sick of you after a while,? Healy said. ?I guess I?ll check to see if my law license is still in good standing.?

Journal staff writer Michaelangelo Conte contributed to this story.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... ys_new_mayor_says_he.html

Posted on: 2013/5/15 17:34
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