Dear elected officials of Jersey City,

In October 2006 my wife and I moved into a condo at 325 4th street (we formerly lived on 8th street and before that on Pavonia Ave.). We paid $452,000 for a 1200 Sq. ft. gut renovation duplex and pay approximately $9000 a year in taxes. My wife and I probably don't fit the mold of the majority of people that own places downtown. We both serve the community that we live in as civil servants and work two jobs each to make ends meet. We spent every dime we had to purchase this condo because we love living in Jersey City and are excited about the current revitalization going on here.

We looked at the purchase of this condo as a long term investment in Jersey City's future as well as ours. Additionally, we want our newborn daughter to be exposed to all of the rich culture that exists here.

That being said, I am not sure if my family and I can continue to live here. In the short time that I have lived in my condo it has flooded each time there is a moderate to heavy rain. Apparently, the downtown city sewer system cannot handle the runoff of any kind of moderate rainfall. When this happens water and sewage pour out of the drains that exist outside in the front and rear yards like a geyser. In addition to that, inside my house, sewage pours out of the toilet and the shower drain. JCMUA officials would lead you to believe that this latest nor'easter was an isolated incident but I have documented that what I have just described has also occurred on March 2, 2007 during a short, moderate burst of rain.

This past Sunday (April 15) was absolutely awful. In a matter of minutes I watched the water rise outside my front and rear doors to a height of almost two feet. I could not open the front door to evacuate my wife and one week old daughter so I had to carry them, hysterically crying, through the front window. Imagine how frightened my wife was as I passed our infant of only a few days to her in the driving, cold rain. I spent the next two days and nights pumping out 10-12 inches of raw sewage from my first floor and trying to salvage anything that wasn't damaged.

That being said, I now fear for the health and safety of my family and I can't seem to get any help. I am learning that my flood insurance does not cover the damage to my condo because although the garden level, first floor has a finished kitchen, bathroom and living room, the federal government which administers the flood insurance program considers it to be a "basement". I may have to pay for the sanitization and restoration of the condo, not to mention all of my ruined furniture, out of money that my wife and I don't have. The JCMUA official that was quoted as saying people in Jersey City have no business living in garden level units should be ashamed of themselves. That is just the kind of salt-in-the-wound-blame-the-victim talk that the tax payers of this great city don't need right now. We need some solutions not deflection.

Additionally, I have contacted the JCMUA several times because I feel that they should mitigate this problem by installing back flow preventers or some other engineered solution. They should also pay for the restoration and sanitization of our home if insurance won't pay for it because as I do research, it is apparent that they were previously aware of this problem yet refused to do anything to upgrade the antiquated infrastructure. They have refused to return my phone calls.

How, can I raise a child in a house that continually gets flooded with city sewage and the bacteria and mold that comes along with it? To make things worse there is no way I can get what I paid for the condo if I were to try and sell it. Now that this problem has manifested itself, I stand to lose my entire investment. If I had known that my home would flood every time it rains, I can assure you I would never have purchased it. How can the city continue to add housing units into an antiquated sewer system that they know full well can't handle them? There was no disclaimer on my city issued certificate of occupancy, "buyer beware, you are purchasing a 'basement' condo that will continually flood". No, they issued that C.O. just as they would for any building that meets the city's building codes.

It is not just me and my family that are affected by the continual flooding. There is one other unit above me that is owned by another young couple. The father of their 3 year old boy is currently on his second tour in Iraq, which leaves his wife to deal with their son's asthma being triggered by the mold that is growing.

As an emergency service worker, I am used to helping others before myself. It is awkward for me to reach out to you like this, but I would appreciate any help your office can provide so that my family and others that suffer the same losses caused by the Jersey City sewer system can continue live a healthy and safe life in Jersey City.

I really don't know what else to do.

Respectfully,

Brett Davis
325 4th Street, Unit 1
Jersey City, NJ 07302
BrettLDavis@hotmail.com

This bad boy is gonna kick ass.



http://njrereport.com/index.php/2007/ ... nal-square-redevelopment/

Apr 14th, 2007

The two-tower development planned for Jersey City?s Journal Square now has two partners sharing the risk, burden - and potential rewards - of building the $400 million project.

The board of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency voted yesterday to amend the redeveloper?s agreement with Jersey City-based Harwood Properties to include Washington-based Multi-Employer Property Trust, a national real estate equity fund that invests union pension funds.

?I am confident that with MEPT?s support, Journal Square will soon become a thriving neighborhood and a destination,? said Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Harwood Properties.

?Redevelopment of Journal Square has been talked about for 30 or 40 years. Now it?s finally going to happen.?

?

The project is slated to be built on the site of the old Hotel on the Square and several stores, next to the PATH Transportation Center, and is to consist of two towers, 52 and 46 stories, containing 1,034 apartments, 150,000 square feet of retail space and three levels of parking.

Could this have something to do with our sewers backing up? (I was pretty pissed when I heard Healy sold us out for a quick-fix to the budget.)


(Reposted)

Jersey City getting an infusion of cash - and North Bergen sewage
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
By EARL MORGAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

NORTH BERGEN - In a multimillion-dollar deal announced yesterday, North Bergen will tie into Jersey City's sewage system, eliminating the need for North Bergen to build a $40 million sewerage treatment plant.

Jersey City will receive an initial $8 million as part of the deal, as well as additional fees for allowing the sewage to flow through its system, North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco said at a news conference yesterday at Township Hall.

North Bergen's effluent will ultimately be piped to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority facility in Newark.

North Bergen was under a mandate from the state Department of Environmental Protection to substantially upgrade its sewage treatment operation. The DEP must approve the agreement before it goes into effect on June 30.

Sacco, who is also a state senator, said the township will need to borrow $20 million from the DEP infrastructure fund to finance the project. North Bergen will also get a $3 million grant from the DEP.

"Since we're getting the funds through the infrastructure fund we will only have to pay interest on half of the money," Sacco said.

The project will include converting the North Bergen sewerage treatment plant on West Side Avenue to a facility for pumping sewage into the Jersey City connection. North Bergen will also pay for repairs and upgrades on the Jersey City sewage connection the township will use.

The conversion of the treatment plant will save North Bergen about $1 million a year, township officials said. Further savings will be realized from a reduction in the staff operating the plant.

Sacco said the administration is hoping to phase out some of the staff through attrition and to find positions for others in other agencies.

Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority Executive Director Dan Becht and board president Eileen Gaughan, who attended yesterday's news conference, lauded the agreement.

Becht said the JCMUA will use some of the money to pay an unexpected $2.5 million hike in fees from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority.

Alternate JCMUA Commissioner Janet Gaita, however, voiced her opposition to the agreement.

"I don't think this is a good deal for the JCMUA and the taxpayers of Jersey City," Gaita said. "I believe we could have, and should have, gotten more lucrative terms than $8 million since North Bergen was faced with the choice of connecting to Bergen County's sewage system for a lot more money or building a plant that would cost $40 million."

Quote:

Justi's response nailed it when he wrote:

Quote:

I think our car's in that photo somewhere. Yup, we were stuck in that jam for a little bit. There was a bottleneck on Marin and First. After that, it was loosy goosy.

If the problem is mainly that the pipe leading into the Hudson backs up, why not just build a pumping station at the site where the pipe empties into the river? The pumping station could pump the water up to a higher exit point so that if the water level increases water can still flow out into the river.

Oh, I thought I could finally throw away all my old parking tickets that were from the time of the PROVERBIAL "flood" aka "decades ago."

A Global Warming Sign Meant to Make Passers-By Curious

April 22, 2007
Environment
By JONATHAN MILLER

JERSEY CITY

EVER since November, some cryptic words have greeted hundreds of thousands of harried drivers near the entrance to the Pulaski Skyway here ? not with the usual come-ons for beer or cars or radio stations, but with a message instead about green and dark and thinking or something ? it?s hard to catch it all at 60 miles an hour.

Specifically, the sign reads, ?IT IS GREEN THINKS NATURE EVEN IN THE DARK.?

The glowing red neon letters that make up the message stand eight feet high and stretch across the windows of the former American Can Company building. They can be seen from planes landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to the sign?s creator, Mary Ellen Carroll, a Manhattan artist.

Among those who have puzzled over what this could mean is a blogger who calls himself ?The Slush God? (real name: John Joseph Adams, an assistant editor at the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in Jersey City), who wrote that he didn?t ?understand the phrase or what this is supposed to accomplish, unless its goal is to perplex commuters and possibly cause accidents.? Confusing drivers and prompting them to run to Google for answers was actually part of the plan of those who installed the sign. Plug any part of the phrase into a search engine, and you will discover links to the Precipice Alliance, a nonprofit group based in Manhattan, whose goal is to raise awareness of global warming. The site explains the project, an installation called ?Indestructible Language,? and its carbon-neutral energy usage via solar power.

As Ms. Carroll explains the words on the sign: ?If we know what is scientifically proven ? that the condition exists,? she said, referring to global warming, ?and as an individual or as a group ? or what have you ? if you choose not to either believe it and to do something about it in some way, then that?s the choice of remaining ?in the dark.? ?

She added, ? ?It? refers to the color green, ?it? refers to the environment, ?it? refers to greenhouse gases, but ?it? also refers to money.?

It took Ms. Carroll about three months to come up with that phrase and, she said, ?It should be something you should think about.?

Here, where crumbling highways meet abandoned warehouses and cargo train tracks and contaminated swamps, is a place that the project?s backers believed was perfect for a message about the environment.

?This part of New Jersey is thought of as an industrial wasteland,? said Donna Wingate, executive director of the Precipice Alliance. But that is changing; the building where the artwork appears is being converted to luxury condominiums, called the Canco Lofts. (A banner hanging over the artwork reads, ?Industrial Strength Living.?)

It wasn?t easy getting the artwork up. There were months of meetings with officials in the State Department of Transportation, who fretted about the effect on drivers. Recalling the struggle, Ms. Wingate said, ?What?s more dangerous, a huge billboard of Kate Moss naked ? ?

? ? or a piece of artwork?? interjected Ms. Carroll.

Eventually, officials relented. The group also found an enthusiastic backer in the mayor here, Jerramiah T. Healy, who met with the members of the group and told them, ?I don?t understand art, but I support it.?

The sign is run with low-wattage transformers and lead-free glass tubing. The electric bill comes to less than $100 a month, according to Ms. Wingate; she would not reveal the cost of the work.

Ms. Carroll and the Alliance hope the message doesn?t end when the art is taken down at the end of May. They are searching for a permanent home and have talked to people in St. Louis, Boston and Portland, Me., but nothing has come of those discussions yet.

From time to time, the message beamed from the warehouse has been less coherent, as some illuminated letters go out. According to Ms. Carroll and Ms. Wingate, someone at the site helped himself to the many power cords that help light the sign, but they say the cords have been replaced.

Okay - if I understand what is needed:

1. A parallel set of sewer lines must be built for stormwater (the existing combined line would remain for wastewater). This would require every street (and some backyards) to be torn up and rebuilt. The existing line, which leaks, would be repaired as needed.

2. Every building would have to be replumbed so that rainwater goes into one system and household water into another (presumably not optional and paid for by owner)

3. Filtration and recycling facilities would have to be upgraded.

Raise your hand if you think this will happen.

It might actually be cheaper to abandon downtown (maybe Marin to the base of the Palisades) and let it revert to a wetland.

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Politics is a dirty business, but it ain't just Jersey City:

John McCain's illegitimite black daughter

Swift boating

Barack Obama went to a radical muslim school

Cory Booker is gay, white, and Jewish

The "powers of control" are the voters - if more of us had turned out, McCann's tactics would be viewed as pathetic.

Instead, campaigns all over the country are probably analyzing it for effectiveness going into November.

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Just another example of Jersey City politics - It's just a fcuking disgrace that siht like this can happen and the powers of control are as useless as a bull with tits!

A flood of complaints after nor'easter -- Downtown residents says sewage pipes should be separate from stormwater pipes

Ricardo Kaulessar -- Hudson Reporter -- 04/20/2007

Downtown Jersey City residents are blaming the city's antiquated sewer system for the flooding in their homes after last weekend's nor'easter.

The National Weather Service reported that 7.5 inches of rain fell last Sunday alone in the New York City area.

Downtown residents endured not only stormwater seeping into their homes, but also sewage.

They claim that the 100-year-old combined sewer system that runs through most of Jersey City is problematic. A "combined sewer system" means that both wastewater and storm water flow through the same pipes.

Some residents demanded that the system be upgraded soon, before the next major rainstorm hits.

Christine Mittman, who co-owns with her husband an old row house on Sussex Street, took pictures of nearby flooded blocks and homes.

She is organizing a meeting with Downtown residents and the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA), which maintains the city's sewer system, to call for a new sewer system with separate pipes for sewage and storm water.

"The city has to be reasonable and start thinking about improving the sewer system for its citizens," Mittman said. "This is one of the few cities that still has a combined sewer system."

Joining Mittman in her mission is City Councilman Steven Fulop, who represents the Downtown area. Fulop said that his dwelling had no water damage because it's on the top floor of a brownstone. But he said several of his constituents were not so fortunate. He has been receiving photos and paperwork documenting their problems.

He said he plans to bring up the issue at this Monday's City Council caucus.

"Mayor [Jerramiah] Healy talks about Jersey City being a world-class city; yet there's crap floating in people's basements," Fulop said.

Healy did not respond by press time to questions about the city's future plans to deal with flooding.

Not a new problem

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This isn't the first time Mittman has pursued a sewer system upgrade. She organized two meetings between residents and MUA representatives last year to arrive at a solution.

The dialogue didn't go far.

There was low turnout at the meetings. Mittman also said there was very little respect from the MUA.

"One MUA person said to one of the attendees that they have no business living on the ground floor," Mittman said. "That's not what we want to hear. We pay taxes. We pay sewer charges."

Most of the pipes in the system are made of clay or brick. Newer pipes that connect to the main system are made of reinforced concrete or plastic.

Water that is unable to drain properly backs up, creating the potential for sewage to leak into residences.

MUA says money will cause delays

MUA Executive Director Daniel Becht said he understands the complaints, particularly from Downtown residents. He said the MUA is completing a study on improvements to the sewer system but admitted that financial constraints will delay a remedy.

"We are aware of the problems but we have our limitations," Becht said. "To have a new system with new pipes will cost billions. Right now we are looking for alternate sources of funding since federal grants and municipal funds have dried up."

Rich Haytas, assistant to the MUA's Chief Engineer Joseph Beckmeyer, said normally, storm water Downtown would have drained into the Hudson River. But he explained that the unprecedented amount of rain and the high tide added several feet of water to the river. This blocked the storm pipe leading into the river, causing the water to back up.

Haytas' suggestion?

"Pray it doesn't rain like this again," he said.

More than just water

One of the Downtown areas the storm hit the hardest was the intersection of Grove and Grand streets.

Catherine Hecht has lived with her partner Beth Achenbach in the basement apartment at 246 Grove St. for the past eight years. Last week's rainstorm overwhelmed them.

"I got up 3:30 a.m. [Sunday morning] because that's when it started raining," Hecht said. "We started bailing water until 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon and then we had to get out of here."

Hecht said the owner of the building had put a French drain in the back yard. A French drain is a ditch filled with gravel that redirects surface and ground water away from an area. They also had a sump pump running and used a wet and dry vacuum to remove water.

It was of little help because they had to contend with the water coming through the building's foundation and from other locations.

"The building next to us is abandoned, so nobody was pumping water out next door, and it ended up coming through our walls," Hecht contended.

She said sewage mixed with the water stained the floors and walls. Several essential household items, including their mattress, had to be disposed of, she said.

"I had a special spray that I used to disinfect every place in our apartment [after the storm], and I also scrubbed with bleach," Hecht said. "But we suffered over $1,000 in storm damage."

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

Manzo to AG: Take Sandy off

Saturday, April 21, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Assemblyman Lou Manzo, D-Jersey City, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for state senate, said yesterday he has asked state Attorney General Stuart Rabner to ignore Administrative Law Judge Joseph Paone's recommendation that his chief rival in the race, Sandra Bolden Cunningham, be allowed on the ballot.

Paone ruled Thursday that although Bolden Cunningham's campaigners collected petition signatures on the form for the general election instead of the primary, she still should be allowed on the ballot for the June 5 contest.

Election laws should be "liberally construed" so as not to "deprive voters of their franchise," Paone wrote in his decision.

The final decision rests with the attorney general, who has 45 days to either accept, modify or reject Paone's decision, officials said. The primary is 47 days after the day the ruling was issued.

The Division of Elections has already certified Bolden Cunningham's petitions.

Once Rabner makes a decision, either candidate can appeal it to the state Appellate Court.

McCANN 'NURSED' TO A WIN
Credits absentee votes from senior homes
Saturday, April 21, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Former Jersey City Mayor Gerald McCann apparently can credit the infirm and institutionalized for his victory in the school board election.

When voting ended Tuesday night, McCann trailed School 28 parent Jenny Garcia for the third open seat by 53 votes.

But when absentee and provisional ballots were added in, McCann pulled ahead by 21 votes, according to results released yesterday by elections officials. The vote is expected to be certified Monday.

McCann acknowledges the bulk of his 283 absentee ballot votes likely came from three nursing homes where he helped residents fill out absentee ballot applications: Harbor View Health Care Center on Ogden Avenue, Newport Nursing & Rehabilitation Center on Stevens Avenue and Hamilton Park Health Care Center on Monmouth Street.

One of the people McCann likely helped to fill out an absentee ballot application was Carl S. Czaplicki, the father of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's chief of staff, Carl Czaplicki Jr.

Healy is a political enemy of McCann's and is supporting Sandra Bolden Cunningham in the 31st District state Senate contest against McCann ally Assemblyman Lou Manzo.

Czaplicki Jr. said yesterday that his father is "mentally impaired" and that he told McCann to stay away from him.

"My father has mental issues," Czaplicki Jr. said. "Gerry couldn't be certain that people with their full faculties would vote for him, so this must be his new strategy."

McCann, who denied that Czaplicki Jr. told him to stay away, shot back that Czaplicki Jr. is a "selfish son" who never visits his father.

"On July 11 last year, you ask Carl Czaplicki (Jr.) where he was," McCann fumed. "I was at the nursing home wishing his father a happy birthday. He should love his father, not take advantage of his father for his own political gain."

Garcia said yesterday she might challenge the election in court and Czaplicki Jr. said he might join in. Garcia has until May 2 to challenge the election in court, officials said.

McCann's assistance in filling out the applications could become an issue.

In March, Deputy Attorney General Donna Kelly sent a memo to all boards of elections statewide stating that candidates cannot assist voters in filling out applications for absentee ballots.

But when this issue arose on election night, Michael Harper, clerk to the Superintendent of Elections, said he consulted with two deputy attorneys general, who told him it was all right to count the lion's share of the McCann-assisted ballots, since he helped these voters fill out the application before he declared his candidacy for school board.

Jersey Journal Political Insider Column: Cunningham hearing not a Perry Mason episode

Saturday, April 21, 2007

I t was an interesting Wednesday at the Administrative Office of Law hearing on the legality of the nominating petitions filed by Sandra Bolden Cunningham. Cunningham is the Hudson County Democratic Organization's Senate primary candidate in the 31st District.

The hearing experience seemed hallucinagenic and when it ended and the whole seventh floor of the Newark building emptied, there came to mind a quote: "You seem to have a whole ward to yourself, my boy."

First, Cunningham is on the ballot, as most of us who deal with the political world knew would be the case - at least when one first walked into the hearing room. Coming out of it was another question.

Cunningham and the HCDO are intact, but not because Attorney General Stuart Rabner has expressed a well-thought-out reason why she should be allowed to run in the primary. Instead, so far, Rabner has decided to do nothing. In essence, unless he issues an opinion, he is making use of what could be called a pocket veto of the appeal. Once he makes a decision, and he has 45 days to do it, it opens the door for either side to make an appeal in superior court.

When filed on April 9, those petitions were approved on review by state Division of Election employees, paving the way for Cunningham's candidacy. Since the AG has made no ruling, the process continues as if there were no appeal. With a "pocket veto," Rabner would give Assemblyman Lou Manzo only two days before the primary for Manzo to appeal - and what judge would stop the entire process at that point? Of course, the attorney general could come out with decision next week, but no one is holding their breath.

One could easily have said it would give Cunningham only two days to appeal, but it would be a shock to the journalistic system if Rabner ruled against the widow of Jersey City Mayor and Sen. Glenn D. Cunningham.

One reason is that Administrative Law Judge Joseph Paone decided that Cunningham should be on the ballot, but we'll look at the decision in a moment.

Another reason - more of an observation - is that before his high-speed SUV accident, it was well known in Hudson County and state political circles that Corzine would rather see anyone but Manzo in office. Manzo took every opportunity to challenge the governor on tax reform issues that the assemblyman believed hurt his constituents and favored the more affluent state residents. Corzine resented being characterized by Manzo as sitting on a throne rather than in the governor's chair.

Corzine also likes the idea of having more diversity in the Legislature. It could be because he genuinely feels this way, but we cynics think it is because he may have higher political aspirations down the road - if he keeps his seat belt on.

OK, let's look at the administrative law judge's decision. Remember, we are not as smart as all those lawyers and judges - and I'll grant you that attorneys Stephen J. Edelstein, representing Cunningham, and Angelo J. Genova, Manzo's hired gun, were both impressive. One assumes their middle names are Justice.

The task was harder for Genova because the burden of proof was on the challenger. The judge agreed with Manzo that the wrong petitions - general election - were used and nearly half of the petitions were thrown out as "defective" because some of the petition circulators were not registered voters. There were still enough signatures for a candidacy.

Yet, despite filing "general election" forms, the judge was convinced that there was enough publicity generated - and the remaining petition circulators testified that they told most signers that it was for the primary - that people knew they were signing primary petitions.

Since most of the signatures were obtained in February and early March, it is very doubtful that the signers knew that Cunningham would be running in the primary under the HCDO flag. There was a great deal of assumption then that she would be battling both the HCDO and the Democrats for Hudson County. The "Kumbaya" moment, or reconciliation, with the HCDO came late in March. This is why the petitions had "Democratic" and "HCDO" hand-scrawled on them before they were filed. Manzo's attorney argued that they were essentially different documents from the ones people signed. It matters not.

Then there was the fallback position used to ignore the blunders and procedural mistakes. It is a variety of court cases that essentially made election laws extremely flexible. The judge cited these cases that allow him to use a very liberal interpretation of the law. In his opinion, he cites the Cunningham argument that "... we must look to the intent of the signatories when they signed the defective petitions so that they may not be disenfranchised."

Essentially, yeah, you may be right and that they did all these crazy things and they may have violated the law, but .

The Wednesday hearing was far from a Perry Mason episode, although it had plenty of interesting characters and surprises.

In the hallway were potential witnesses, including former Mayor Gerry McCann. Gerry is interesting because he was also busy on his laptop computer reviewing registered voters. It was interesting because McCann's presence was communicated back to HCDO HQ and they wanted this columnist to call Manzo a liar for previously saying that McCann has nothing to do with his campaign.

It seems that McCann can never stay away from a campaign. The newly elected Jersey City Board of Education member has got to be a magnet for controversy. For instance, did he or didn't he get Carl Czaplicki's father - who is in a nursing home - to vote for him? Czaplicki is Jersey City Mayor Healy's chief of staff. Apparently, other nursing home residents are McCann voters.

Also in the hallway was Cunningham's Assembly running mate, Bayonne Councilman Anthony Chiappone, who seems to have all the answers for Sean Cotter. Cotter is a former potential 31st District Democratic Party primary candidate for Senate out of Bayonne. He bailed out four days after filing when Manzo filed a complaint in court claiming that Cotter was recorded by Attorney General investigators discussing jobs and other items promised to him by the HCDO for running in the primary as a spoiler. No one has seen or heard from Cotter since.

Seated in the hallway among a bevy of Cunningham backers was Domenic Santana, owner of the Hard Grove Cafe.

"What is this, Cuba?" complained Santana. "Is this a democracy?"

Hudson County campaign people are certainly passionate. They are rabid in Union City, dedicated in North Bergen, and emotional in Jersey City.

One witness, Virginia Miller, was quite combative with Manzo's attorney and Genova kept his distance. When she left the witness stand, she stopped long enough to shake her finger at Manzo, but they did hug.

Cunningham spent a long time on the stand and was grilled by both sides, but stood up to it well.

Whenever there was a potentially embarrassing question or critical fact sought, witnesses blamed Mr. "I don't recall" again and again.

The hearing room was hot but no one wanted to leave the all-day session. Audience members were slightly miffed when half of them were delegated to the hallway because they were potential witnesses, but they poured back in when the closing arguments started.

When Genova spoke, there were hisses and some booing from the back rows. There were even some occasional calls of "liar." Give them credit - while they knew the issues were important, they also enjoyed the theater.

Sitting in a corner of the hearing room, this columnist tried to become part of the wall.

"Hey, it's the Insider," they shouted.

"We love your stuff, every Wednesday and Saturday we can't wait," said another.

They also always add : "Why don't you get it right this time!"

In a previous column, it was mentioned that McCann is the theme of the HCDO campaign against Manzo. Look for it to escalate. The premise is simple. McCann is evil. McCann is friendly with Manzo and helps the assemblyman. Therefore, Manzo is evil.

This could be a two-edged blade.

There were no two people closer to McCann than Cunningham's campaign managers Bobby Jackson and Joe Cardwell. Jackson ran twice with McCann, in 1981 and 1985, and Jackson was City Council president in the McCann administration. Cardwell was the Ward F boss for McCann.

It was McCann who appointed Healy a municipal judge and it was the same McCann who fired Manzo in 1989 as the city health officer.

When did McCann fall from grace? Well, there are a few answers to that one.

Glenn Cunningham is the one who was credited with bringing McCann and Manzo back together to be part of his team.

Of course, it was the widow who says she felt disgust when Manzo and McCann wanted to select a replacement for her husband too soon after his death. Then again, she blamed the HCDO and, in particular, County Executive Tom DeGise for making Glenn's political life miserable.

Reconciliation is a wonderful thing in politics.

The mere fact that we had to even deal with this speaks volumes of the serious incompetence of our city. And while I am at it. Why the Hell has Marin Blvd. been riddled with pot- holes for years? Seriously, can anyone answer that for me? Corzine, Healy, etc. have all been down that road many times. It's an utter embarrassment to get out of the Holland Tunnel from NYC and then have to take that first right. Lazy city government! I bet all the auto mechanics on Marin Blvd. have a deal with the city.

Parking tickets from day of flood are void
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Any parking tickets issued for violating alternative side of the street rules in Jersey City on Monday, the day of the heavy flooding, have been voided, the city announced yesterday.

Those tickets will be removed from the Parking Authority's system and will be rendered void. Anyone who has one can simply ignore it, said Stan H. Eason, a spokesman for the city.

In a statement, Mayor Jerramiah Healy said it was a matter of "basic fairness to our residents."

GREG HANLON




? 2007 The Jersey Journal
? 2007 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

Quote:

Andrew Hill was one of the giants of the music, master pianist and composer and influenced many including my good friend, pianist Frank Kimbrough.

He was rightfully lionized by his peers, though the press, some critics and public were late to the party, Lincoln Center and the New York Times finally paid tribute to this wonderful artist.

He will be missed by those who knew him, or his music and hopefully some of those who have not heard him will venture to listen.

Whatever we as a city do, let's please improve the existing Jersey Ave. bridge. To paraphrase Lincoln- If we can pave the bike path from downtown to LSP without building an automobile road, I'm in favor of that. If we can improve the bike path by building a road, I'm also in favor of that. And if we can improve bike and pedestrian access, by allowing some cars and not others I'm in favor of that too.

My final straw was riding to work Tuesday and discovering the bridge and ramp flooded over. Carrying a bike through knee deep water: not a great way to start a day.

Rest in Peace

Andrew Hill died at 4 a.m. today, April 20, 2007, several years after being diagnosed with lung cancer. He was 75 years old and lived in Jersey City, NJ.


Hill, born June 30, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois (contrary to some previously published places and dates dates), had a lengthy international career as performer and recording artist, and educator (at Portland State University; he also gave master classes at New York University, and elsewhere; he leaves a voluminous and highly varied recorded legacy, dating from the 1950s (So In Love) to his 2006 trio album Time Lines (Blue Note), named to many critics' top ten lists. Hill is survived by his wife Joanne Robinson Hill, and a neice, nephew and cousin, besides a devoted coterie of friends, typically creative artists and perceptive fans.

Funeral and tribute information has not been determined.

Sorry, this really pisses me off, especially the part about the schools. When Jersey City Families for Better Schools held its BOE election candidates forum back on April 5th, many candidates said that there was more than enough extra money in the school budget. In addition, the superintendent has a top heavy administration of 34 people, whereas the previous superintendent had 9.

If this pisses you off as much as it does me, get involved in Jersey City Families for Better Schools.

Join here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jcschools/

Pass this on to your neighbors and friends. You don't have to have children in the public school system or even have children at all to care about misuse of public funds and property taxes!

Public to be heard on budget Wednesday

Friday, April 20, 2007

A public hearing on Jersey City's proposed $432.6 million budget - which would raise property taxes by 3 percent - is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 280 Grove St.

For every $100,000 of assessed value, the municipal portion of a property owner's tax bill would rise from $2,373 to $2,453, an $80 bump, according to Tax Assessor Eduardo Toloza. That does not include the county and school portions of the tax bill.

The total to be raised in taxes for municipal purposes is $140 million, $5 million more than last year, officials said. Last year municipal taxes shot up 18 percent.

Due to a cut in state school aid this year, property owners are going to have to shell out an additional $59 for every $100,000 of assessed value for school taxes, officials said.

KEN THORBOURNE

YOUR TAX MONEY AT WORK?
Friday, April 20, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

It's been a sad and embarrassing week for Jersey City, with indictments being handed up for a fire captain, two police officers and a civilian city employee on charges that could put each in prison for 10 years if they are convicted.

"It's an exceptional turn of events, and it's very unfortunate," Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said yesterday, speaking of the indictments, which were handed up Tuesday.

Fire Capt. Thomas Verdon, 58, has been indicted on charges of official misconduct, burglary and attempted theft, DeFazio said. He was arrested on Dec. 13 after stealing stained glass windows from a vacant Jersey City home that had been boarded up by the Fire Department, DeFazio said.

Police Officer Dean Hashmi, 37, of Ocean Grove, was indicted on charges of official misconduct, receiving stolen property and conspiracy, after allegedly reporting his car stolen in an insurance scam, DeFazio said. Hashmi was arrested on Nov. 1 and again the next day when a stolen police radio was found in his police locker, officials said.

Police Officer Edward G. Kopf, 27, Jersey City, has been indicted on charges of official misconduct, insurance fraud and attempted theft, after allegedly reported his car stolen in an insurance scam, DeFazio said. He was arrested in front of his fellow officers when he arrived at work on Jan. 2 and has since been suspended, officials said.

Department of Public Works employee Lawrence Homer, 42, of Jersey City, was charged in connection with the Hashmi incident, and he has been indicted on charges of official misconduct, receiving stolen property, theft and conspiracy, DeFazio said.

Homer was employed repairing police radios and he is accused of supplying Hashmi with the stolen radio, officials said. Homer was apparently not suspended after his arrest and city officials did not return calls yesterday seeking to determine if his indictment would now precipitate his suspension.

Police Director Sam Jefferson said the vast majority of police %%slug%%JURY20JM%%cat%%njc%%ecat%%1

%%pri%%001%%epri%% officers do an excellent job but noted that "no one is above the law and the Police Department polices itself. Any allegation of wrongdoing is investigated thoroughly by our internal affairs unit."

All four are expected to be arraigned in state Superior Court in Jersey City next month, DeFazio said, adding that the charge of official misconduct alone carries a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years.

After Verdon's arrest the charges against him were downgraded because the police report failed to note he was a fire captain, said DeFazio. When the Prosecutor's Office learned he was a fire captain, the criminal charges were reinstated. The identity of Verdon's alleged accomplice has not been determined but it remains under investigation.

The Fire Department and city officials decided not to suspended Verdon after his arrest but instead allowed him to go on a four-month vacation. On April 1 he reached 25 years with the department and retired. Fire Department Director Armando Roman noted that using up the vacation days cut the $119,000 cash pay-out Verdon would have received at retirement by $50,000.

"It's a sad day all the way around for him and his family and certainly for the Fire Department," Roman said yesterday. "He was a dedicated member of the Fire Department and had a stellar career up until these charges were levied against him. I know him as someone who gave his heart to the Fire Department."

ON THE BALLOT
Bolden Cunningham certified for primary over foe's objection

Friday, April 20, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Sandra Bolden Cunningham was cleared yesterday to be on the June 5 Democratic primary ballot.

Acting on the recommendation of an administrative law judge, the state Division of Elections certified her petition signatures yesterday, allowing her to run in the primary for state senator in the 31st District, a seat her late husband, Jersey City Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham, once held.

The judge, Joseph V. Paone, rendered his opinion yesterday in time for Bolden Cunningham to be included in a ballot drawing that was held at 3 p.m. at the Hudson County Clerk's Office.

Bolden Cunningham's opponent, Assemblyman Lou Manzo, D-Jersey City, had challenged her petitions on the grounds that the signatures were collected on "general election" forms instead of "primary election" forms.

Bolden Cunningham is being backed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization and Manzo is running for the Senate seat on a countywide ticket headed by Union City Mayor and Assemblyman Brian Stack, who is a candidate for state Senate in the 33rd District.

Although Paone found Cunningham's petitions "defective," he wrote in his decision that election laws should be "liberally construed" so as to not "deprive voters of their franchise."

"I am very happy," Bolden Cunningham said yesterday. "This is a vote of confidence for the democratic system. The people have won."

Manzo said he hadn't yet decided if he would appeal the certification to the Appellate Court.

"There is enough in the findings of fact to warrant a serious consideration to overturn this case," he said.

Even though her campaign used the wrong petitions, Stephen Edelstein, the attorney representing Bolden Cunningham, pointed out in court that clerks working for the Division of Elections accepted them on April 5 and April 9 and checked the box on a receipt for "primary election."

Besides, "Democrat" and "Hudson County Democratic Organization" were also written on the petitions to indicate they were for a primary.

But Paone found that those slogans were written on the petitions after people signed them.

On the other hand, he also concluded that Bolden Cunningham's announcement that she was running on the HCDO ticket received "widespread local publicity," so he could "infer that many signatories would have known that Cunningham was participating in a primary."

Lumping Manzo in with his campaign ally, former Jersey City Mayor and school board member-elect Gerald McCann, Bolden Cunningham said: "The challenge is typical of the McCann-Manzo team . It's the same team that circulated nude pictures of Mayor (Jerramiah) Healy when Manzo ran against him for mayor."

Manzo called Bolden Cunningham's accusations "a pack of lies," adding: "She has to win on a smear campaign because she can't win talking about the issues."

Prosecutors cheer mayors pushing for info on guns Rapid-fire backup

Friday, April 20, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey is backing Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and a coalition of 214 mayors in their call for repeal of a law that restricts law enforcement access to federal gun trace data.

"This amendment makes absolutely no sense other than to pander to the gun lobby," Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said of the Tiahrt Amendment, which is currently being considered for renewal in Congress.

"This is all an attempt to allow these rogue gun dealers to continue selling guns with impunity."

DeFazio is the highest ranking law enforcement official in the county and the CPANJ delegate to the National District Attorneys Association.

This week, the CPANJ sent a letter to Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., chairman of the subcommittee on Science, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies, advocating elimination of the amendment, which was passed as part of an appropriations bill and has been reauthorized ever since.

"The Tiahrt language imposes unnecessarily broad restrictions on access to and use of gun trace data and prevents law enforcement agencies from fully investigating and attacking the trafficking operations that supply illegal guns to criminals," the letter says.

The Tiahrt Amendment restricts the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from sharing data about the origin of illegal guns. Information can be shared if local officials show it is relevant to a specific criminal investigation or prosecution, but Jersey City's broader requests for data on guns it has taken off the street have been denied.

During an interview with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Healy and others on Wednesday, Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey said the law also prohibits local police departments from sharing the data with one another.

In fact, according to the ATF, the amendment blocks the agency from providing one jurisdiction with information from another jurisdiction but those local law enforcement agencies can share the information with each other.

Comey said yesterday that ATF officials told him there had been a misunderstanding and that police could in fact share the information with other departments or with elected officials.

Quote:

Key confusing pieces are "Jersey City requested from the ATF trace information on guns used in crimes" AND ...
"the agency responded that it could not provide information ...except ... when such disclosure relates to a bona fide criminal investigation".

Were the "JC guns used in crimes" not a "bona fide criminal investigation". Why didn't the ATF consider the JC request "bona fide"?

Emphasis supplied.

Quote:

And Healy / Bloomy / Booker's problem with this is... ?

Guess local floods n stuff in JC don't measure up to photo-ops with Bloomberg and bagpipes.