I'm on my way to vote for the Candidates for Excellence.

1I Jessica Rosero Daye
3I Micheline Amy
6J Carol Lester
1P Ellen Simon

The old board wasn't making a difference, the schools kept getting worse or at best running in place. The new team is the best hope for getting the schools to do a better job educationally.

There aren't any good options once the closures happen.

If NJDOT has some ideas, I'd like to hear them. If they don't I wish they'd just say so.

I will not be joining the parade to elect Cory Booker based on name recognition alone. He has no legislative experience and the very best you can say about his record in Newark is "mixed." A gift for self-promotion does not mean he's earned a job promotion. (BTW, running out on Newark before completing the term he promised to finish.)

Unfortunately, with the trio of Holt, Oliver, and Pallone each taking their slice of the electorate, the election will look like a cakewalk.

Frank Pallone and Rush Holt have each done fine work representing their districts in the House of Representatives. Each would represent NJ well, and nobody would doubt that their #1 focus would be working in the Senate to benefit New Jersey and our nation.

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It took me 3 whole clicks from this thread and zero typing to find their names.

http://observer.com/masthead/

Which is not really relevant to the question is Jim McGreevey suitable for the job?

On the one hand is his deceit, incredibly poor judgment and character issues from his prior political life. On the other is his record since then and the work he's been doing. His capability as an executive is established, his experience in re-entry is solid. Whether you like the guy or not, he has the capacity to do a great job, and is a quantum leap beyond what we have had.

If you're suspicious, then watch him closely. McGreevey should be judged on the job he does for Jersey City and the people in his program.

It was a risk for Steve Fulop to pick him, but the potential benefit is huge. Fulop as a candidate said he was eager to try some new things. He's delivering on that promise, now they just have to work, something nobody can know this month or next. Good managers take smart chances, then watch how they go and make corrections when needed.

I think we've got the kind of Mayor he said he'd be, and I hope like hell it all works out.

Now my comment...

JC is LGTBI-friendly, Mayor Healy not so much.

Like so much else he presides over, there are long periods of inaction, then right before an election a flurry of activity, much of which is aimed at electoral interests.

After 9 years in office he only established the task force in election season. He didn't significantly outreach the LGBTI community in town, nor does this task force seem to have much of a charter beyond the photo op.

Healy chose the pastor of an anti-gay church to be his running mate, and his allies have been conducting a whisper campaign to paint his main opponent as gay. If you put on a gay-friendly face for a press conference, but support an anti-gay agenda in private, THAT IS NOT GAY-FRIENDLY.

I got this story as a Google alert. It is an endorsement masquerading as a news story, and it really made me boil.

Jersey City Institutes LGBT Task Force

Across the country, some of the most important work being done on LGBT inclusion is happening in cities and towns. It makes sense ? there is no level of government with a more personal relationship with its citizens. Cities have the power to make real, substantial change in their communities and, as the 2012 Municipal Equality Index showed, cities are bringing equality to a hometown near you.

Here?s an example: while Mayor Healy has been a friend to the LGBT community throughout his term as Mayor of Jersey City, he recently instituted a mayoral LGBT task force. Jersey City earned an 83 on the 2012 MEI, and while that score was in the top 20% of scores nationwide, Mayor Healy was not satisfied. He has his sights set on a perfect score in 2013, and he?s appointed a task force to help him do it.

The story includes a picture (I think of the task force): Jean Williams, Chief Clerk EEO/AA Office; Linda Ivory Greene, Health Educator; Darlene Pharmes, Director of Personnel; Mayor Healy; Cathryn Oakley, HRC; Ruben Rodriguez, LGBT Liaison to Mayor?s Task Force; Alex Perez, Cultural Affairs; Jeana Abuan, EEO/AA/PACO Officer. Not pictured are two other members of the Task Force, Radames Velasquez and Detective Philip Raleigh.

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As Councilman: passed the state's toughest pay-to-play legislation and would have gone further except for Healy's veto. Started cutting back on Healy waste through free cars to freeloaders. Led the fight against more waterfront abatements (which Healy always supported). Proposed great ideas (bring autonomous agencies back into city) torpedoed by Healy. Delivered great constituent service.

As civic leader: brought an end to HCDeadO control of the schoolboard, helping elect new board members who brought in a new, professional superintendent.

As Mayor: that's what we'll see. I'll wager he never approaches Healy's record for arrests (personal or within his administration). I'll also bet that he'll see more affordable housing built, see more services consolidated, and see more jobs created. but that's what this election is about.

Have a nice day, cheesy.

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Looks like he'll be on the job for May 14, assuring integrity in the voting process. A week later he's still in the office, talking on a cellphone in what sure seemed to be a non-business call.

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If you're feeling adventurous, go for it. You're probably right.

Even if they can figure it out (like from an obvious added number or letter outside the format, they shouldn't be able to change the ticket to fix it.

Your risk is $10, and you'll get a notice in the mail following the court date if you don't show. Which you could then contest.

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Isn't the point not about who's offended, but by what it reveals about Healy's attitude to most of the city?

He claims to be able to do the best job for everyone - but when he's among his loyal followers it's straight US vs THEM.

And he acts the same way as Mayor. His actual agenda is to care about the developers, the county pols, the HCDO faithful. For everybody else he'll show up to your event and sing a song, but forget it when it comes to funding or legislation or keeping a sound eye on the budget.

I can't get how anybody would try to defend or explain this one away. It's not just Healy's dis of newcomers - it's the way this translates into how his administration functions.

National media story: Old Guard Sees Threat in Youthful NJ Urban Influx

By KATIE ZEZIMA Associated Press Apr 14, 2013, 12:08 PM
To many longtime Jersey City residents, there's no better mascot than their mayor, a colorful veteran of the region's rough-and-tumble politics who released an album of Christmas classics while in office.

But there's a relative newcomer giving the mayor a run for his money in a race that embodies the changes happening as young urbanites flock to northern New Jersey, looking for some relief from New York City's oppressive rents while still living in an urban area in its orbit.

The campaign between 62-year-old Jerramiah Healy and 36-year-old Steven Fulop personifies the gentrification playing out in cities across the country, from California's Bay Area to New York City, as young, mostly white professionals priced out of certain areas build new lives ? and in some places a new political culture ? amid swaths of the old guard.

Perhaps no place displays the tension as acutely as this slice of northern New Jersey, where political shenanigans have long been a fact of life ? one that newcomers see a chance to change.

"This is indicative of a larger trend. I really think because of housing prices, cheap urban areas are kind of ripe for gentrification," said Brigid Harrison, a professor of political science at Montclair State University. "And as gentrification occurs, there becomes that subsequent change in political leadership."

In Jersey City, a place long plagued by political corruption, crime, financial mismanagement and industrial pollution, the newcomers have settled in gleaming new buildings around the newly developed waterfront. It's where financial companies including Goldman Sachs have put down stakes, creating a Wall Street West.

Others have moved into brownstones around a New Jersey-New York subway station, where some old-timers occasionally yell out to the "yuppies," or using a term that Jersey City natives have adopted, "interlopers."
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"I've been around a long time, and Steve is a relative newcomer," [Healy] said. When asked why people should vote for him, Healy said touted reduced crime and increased development and park space.

"If it isn't broke, don't fix it," Healy said.

In an interview at his campaign headquarters, its walls painted with Jersey City landmarks, Fulop, a former Marine who moved to Jersey City shortly after graduating college and was elected to the City Council in 2005, said he cares deeply about quality of life in Jersey City and it doesn't matter whether he was born and raised here.

"I think there's a culture in this administration that's an acceptance of mediocrity," Fulop said. "I think people in this city want results, and Jersey City is at a real crossroads not only for the next four or eight years, but how it's going to be defined for a generation."

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100% agreed. you won't hear too many positive sentiments about parking in JC, but there's not much in the way of "ugliest parking scar draining the life from a downtown?"

Save that honor for PATH Plaza, which killed Journal Square - but not principally because of parking.

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Umm... isn't there something called "zoning"?

Does anybody think that these "big city mayors" know anything about Jersey City, or know anything about Healy other than he signed onto their gun project?

Does anybody think that Fulop, or Jerry Walker, or Abdul Malik wouldn't get their endorsement if they were the incumbent?

Non issue.

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Maybe I don't understand something here. Didn't the Sandy-type flooding occur when the storm surge raised the level of the Hudson River significantly above its normal banks?

How does pumping water into the Hudson River help that?

Exactly how much water would you have to pump, and pump it to where would address that problem?

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People Before Politics, but Politics Before Cars. Read the fine print.

Everybody hates parking enforcement. But in this case, the Parking Authority is thoroughly deserving.

Overpaid, underworked, poorly-managed. It should be a disgrace to the people that "run" the place, all of whom were appointed by... hmmm... who could that be...?

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No, family starts at home. Policing picks up where family leaves off. A policing strategy has to take into account the families we have and keep neighborhoods and residents safe by effective law enforcement.

Locating the policing problem in the home takes the administration and police department off the hook for soing a better job with the residents we have.

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Healy is an idiot. He can pour money down every other rathole, but not for a local gem that has anchored the neighborhood already, and can be a showpiece for a new commercial district.

It's happened all over the place. A classic movie palace with good programming brings new audiences, and audiences want restaurants and other amenities. It makes offices more liveable and attractive.

Healy has supported a lot of other projects without nearly the bang for the buck. Shortsighted does not begin to describe his lack of vision.

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You're kidding, right? He didn't say that, did he?

He was a day late for April Fool's Day. Absolutely incredible.

in?cred?i?ble adj. 1. too extraordinary and improbable to be believed 2. not credible

If elected, Rev. Mario will have the opportunity to vote on:

Grant funding to LGBT groups or projects.

Support for LGBT cultural events like the Pride Festival.

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So what you're really saying is that Dan doesn't have much in the way of principles, and we can expect him to change his public stance any time he thinks it's expedient? Great endorsement.

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The whole idea that "Dan is still Dan" was pointless enough. The "discussion" about who didn't say what is even sillier.

Why haven't any of the candidates condemned the Pavonia massacre? Why has no one spoken out against the Black Tom sabotage? People might get the impression JC is a hotbed of genocide and internationsl terrorism, and that our civic leaders condone those things.

It's a forum for the mayoral candidates. I got my notice from the Riverview Neighborhood Association. I have something else happening tonight, so will have to get to one of the others, assuming there are others.

Isn't it amazing? For three and half years (at least since Operation Bid Rig took down his team), you had a stealth mayor. Following Hurricane Sandy, he became practically invisible.

Now, he's everywhere. Where will Jerry turn up next?

The Mayor of Jersey City, Jerramiah Healy, Visits the NYSE

The "newsletter" hasn't made it to my house yet. Nor have I been getting them on any kind of a regular basis.

Driver's license, voter, taxpayer, juror, lived at same address more than 10 years. Maybe it's just another example of City Hall's incompetence.

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Rev Colon is not on the ballot.

This is about Rev Gonzalez, who advertises his church as having a mission to change the city, and whose church subscribes to beliefs that could cause problems for the way he votes. And Rev Gonzalez seems to confuse church and state boundaries.

The Council passes the budget, which makes choices about issues raised here. The Council also passes ordinances and makes judicial appointments. I don't know that Rev Gonzalez would be unfair in how he approaches these things. But nothing he's done so far says that he would be.

What's out there already raises the question, and his defensive "I'm being persecuted for my faith" responses before he stopped saying anything doesn't reassure me.

He has the right to say anything he wants to about his faith. He has the right to not say anything about it, also he seems a bit hypocritical in making his religion and his church part of his campaign before he was confronted.

And we have the right to question whether this is good judgment, good politics, or good for Jersey City.

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That's a branding statement, not a platform or a vision. Tom's of Maine is an alternative to Crest and Colgate.

What kind of alternative is he?

I don't know anything about Mr. Walker besides what I read. his website (working today) is really light on substance. Having played basketball is fine, but it isn't one of the things I would see as a prerequisite for office.

Does he know how city government works? Has he done anything to get laws passed or policies implemented? What kind of support does he have in the city? I could probably get a dozen people to march with me in the St. Patrick's Day parade, but that's a long way from city hall.

Religion does not get an exception, you need a permit to set up shop on PATH property. The PA cops chase others off when they find them.

If anybody should know the law on soliciting, it should be JW's.

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But that belief becomes fair game when you start asking people to vote for you to legislate public policy.

The Reverend wants it both ways. He wants his beliefs to be private and off-limits, yet he has people from his church running his campaign, and his church has an agenda of changing the city. It's somehow un-American to ask what he means? Puh-leeeeze!

He says his campaign is is about values. His co-pastor urges people to vote for him because they are Christian. And it's an attack to question his commitment to the separation of church and state? To ask how, while holiding religious beliefs about women and gays, he could be fair in making decisions about women and gays?

The Rev's statements and his behavior don't match. Jesus had a big thing about religious hypocrites. The Rev hasn't convinced me he's being straight here (no pun intended).