I have lived through these mayors and started voting with Jordan (and campaigned my ass for him: he was the best Jersey City ever had, the Jimmy Carter of Jersey City, honest, forward thinking and ultimately ineffectual...becasue hJersey City is/was a dirty mobbed up town.)

Thomas Whelan 1963-1971 (Removed)

Charles K. Krieger Aug.-Nov. 1971 (Interim)

Paul Jordan M.D. 1971-1977

Thomas F.X. Smith 1977-1981

Gerald McCann 1981-1985

Anthony Cucci 1985-1989

Gerald McCann 1989-1992 (Removed)

Marilyn Roman Mar.-June 1992 (Interim)

Joseph Rakowski June - Nov. 1992

Bret Schundler Nov. 1992 - June 2001

Glenn Cunningham July 2001- May 2004

Jerramiah T. Healy May 2004 - present


Healy is in the top half. Efforts to remove him will be ineffectual and a silly waste of time. Some of these mayors were real pips, some went to jail. Two TRIED to move the city forward but met with tough economic sledding: Jordan and Cucci. And some were real SLIME: Schundler and McCann, and a bit of Tommy Smith.


For those new to the city, Healy is not too bad as Jersey City mayors go (a very loose standard._

The mayor actually DID give his State of the City address on time, but the press didn't cover it because it was delivered at Rikers Island so that all of the council members could attend.

whats the point?

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/fu ... new-buildings-in-speech-?

Addressing the issues
Healy talks of safety, new buildings in speech
by Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter Staff Writer Hudson Reporter
Feb 22, 2009 | 440 views | 0 0 comments | | 1 1 recommendations | email to a friend | print

Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he?d put more police on the streets and talked about future development projects in his 40-minute ?State of the City? address on Wednesday at City Hall.

?The state of our city is strong,? Healy said, ?and continues to be a beacon in these difficult economic times.?

Healy is up for reelection in the May 12 municipal election.

While some critics said Healy ignored important topics during the address, others gave it accolades.

Public safety first

There have been four murders and one hit-and-run death in Jersey City so far this year, and murder and rape statistics increased in 2008 from the year before. Many residents have been concerned that crime is getting worse and that Healy has been putting a sunny face on the issue.

Thus, on Wednesday, Healy started off the address by talking about public safety.

The mayor said he has ?instructed? Police Chief Thomas Comey to increase the amount of police officers assigned to street patrol by 15 percent starting March 1.

Healy also touted construction of the new West District Police Station on Jackson Avenue, scheduled to start in three months, and vowed to build another new police station in the Journal Square/Heights area in coming years.

He also pledged more outreach by the police to the community, to gather intelligence on criminal activity and deal with other quality-of-life issues.

?Our residents often have the best intelligence as to where and when criminal activity takes place,? Healy said.

Rising up

The mayor then detailed several upcoming development projects in the city, with special emphasis on his ?vision? for revitalizing Journal Square, referring to the redevelopment plan that may bring 10,000 residential units and numerous retail outlets to 244 acres of property.

?As this vision is executed, the economic vitality of the Square will be enhanced by expanding every level of residential and commercial activity in Journal Square,? Healy said.

However, when it came to an arts district downtown known as the Powerhouse Arts District, he only spoke briefly. He said the city was continuing plans for a ?vibrant? Powerhouse Arts District and pointed to pending stabilization of the old Hudson and Manhattan Powerhouse. However, several developers in that district have applied to have their projects included in subdistricts that would free them from zoning guidelines for a certain amount of affordable and artist housing.

Also, Healy lauded 369 units of affordable housing currently under construction throughout the city, and 350 more in the planning stages. Continuing the ?affordable? theme, Healy said that the municipal tax rate will not increase by the time the proposed $460.2 budget is adopted sometime in April.

At the end of his address, Healy talked of paving more roads, working with the Board of Education to implement an independent curriculum audit of the Jersey City school district, and encouraging businesses to stop using plastic bags.

Not in the address

Some residents appreciated the address, while others said Healy sidestepped important issues.

Downtown residents Liz Long and Holly Tienken, co-founders of a local reusable bag company, Bag the Habit, were honored by Healy during the speech for their work. Afterward, they credited him for his recent ?green? initiatives for government operations. The City Council recently passed four initiatives to make city cars and operations run in a more environmentally friendly way.

Tienken said she felt ?well-informed? by the address.

Jersey City native Daryn Martin, a longtime advocate for affordable housing, wanted to hear more discussion of that issue, as well as promises to build more.

Mayoral candidate and good-government activist Dan Levin said Healy gave a ?comprehensive? speech, but took issue with him mentioning the word change three dozen times. Levin said Healy and his administration do not represent change.
_____________

?I think he did a real nice job.? ? Steven Fulop
________



?He didn?t talk about anything relating to improving the operation of government; he didn?t mention the city adopting the state?s ethics code; he didn?t mention anything about pay-to-play reform,? Levin said. ?I?m looking for a mayor who is first and foremost serving the people, not special interests.?

But Healy?s speech won over one of the mayor?s biggest critics ? City Councilman Steven Fulop.

?I think he did a real nice job,? Fulop said. ?I think he has a lot to be proud of, and he highlighted a lot of the positive things that are happening in the city.?

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.


Read more: Hudson Reporter - Addressing the issues Healy talks of safety new buildings in speech

"I am happy and proud to report that 2 out of our 3 at-large councilpeople have not been accused or convicted of a crime...."

I called the mayor's office twice and asked about this. Spoke with either a secretary or assistant who said she would call me back. Nobody has so far. Tomorrow is a furlough day, Monday is Columbus Day, so I'm sure my inquiry will be conveniently forgotten over the 4-day weekend.

Quote:

I wish Healy could go to Mars.

State of the Union messages, State of the State messages have no meaning (remember Bush was going to Mars.) State of the City messages are beyond the pale meaniningless.
Those mayors who avoid them seem to be imbued with more common sense than most.


A chicken in every pot made some sense during the depression; "hope for change" sounds as stupid in 2010 as it did in 2008.

"Don't talk of love, SHOW me"...Julie Andrews said it best.

So NO state of the anything speech seems a good idea to me.

What ever happened to the Jersey City mayor's 2010 State of the City address?

Published: Monday, August 16, 2010, 2:00 AM Updated: Monday, August 16, 2010, 2:07 AM
Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal

Hey mayor: How's Jersey City doing?

In February 2009, a few months before his re-election bid, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy gave a State of the City speech. The lion's share of the address was about public safety. He also talked about some affordable housing and the construction of a "green" building.
In his last "State of" presentation, Healy kept dropping the name of President Obama, his friend in the White House. Jersey City has not heard much from Obama lately.

There was a lot of promises made and talk about pride and dedication. Healy even claimed he was reorganizing "the way the city operates to make government more efficient." He even boasted about a stable tax rate for the third year in a row.

Of course there was the familiar theme. Healy said violent crime has decreased for the third year in a row.

"There is good news out there, folks, in spite of what you might read in the local paper," Healy said to the loudest applause of the night.

Healy called 2009 " a pivotal year." Yes it was.

The mayor won re-election with a small number of voters casting ballots. In the summer, the FBI made massive arrests in a corruption sting and a number of those cuffed were officials and people close to the Healy administration.

Here is the big question: Why was there never a State of the City address for 2010?

Is it hard for this administration to write a speech predicting a productive year and rosy future? Or is it because this is not an election year?

City residents would like to know what this administration is doing -- if anything -- to make their lives easier.