Political Insider: Who'll be going to Trenton? Here's how HCDeadO chose 33rd District Assembly seats

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
March 30, 2013 at 6:08 AM

Coming up with Democratic Party candidates for two Assembly seats to run with 33rd District Sen. Brian Stack of Union City was not an exact science. Stack, and to some extent Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, had to feel comfortable with the choices. So, you start by eliminating those who were lobbying for annointment.

For the so-called Jersey City seat, Stack felt he could live with Healy Deputy Mayor Raj Mukherji to fill the post still held by Sean Connors. After all, should the senator sour on the young man, he could easily replace him, as he is doing with Connors.

"The kid's OK," say Union City operatives. And how long will he keep the seat should Healy lose in May? That's rhetorical.

What was not kosher was the big push by the Jersey City administration for the No. 1 choice, Councilman and Hudson County Chief of Staff Bill Gaughan. Gaughan -- known lately as The Scarf for his penchant of wearing a long muffler that would have made Isadora Duncan jealous -- really wanted the post.

One could envision the councilman escaping the confines of a besieged City Hall and exploring those Trenton new eateries and watering holes with buddy and fellow Councilman Peter Brennan and lobbyist Rudy Garcia. I wouldn't be surprised if the gin mill owners of the city with the motto "We make, the world takes!" did some hard lobbying for the Jersey City politician. I suggest that Trenton shorten the motto to a nickname, perhaps the We Take City. Sorry, I wander.

Gaughan was never in the running because of his close relationship with Garcia, a former Union City mayor, ex-assemblyman, and an old hated Stack nemesis.

I guess you could say that Mukherji was pushed on Stack. The Hudson County Democratic Organization would have you believe that they were just keeping the time honored tradition of allowing the mayor of a city within the district to pick an Assembly candidate.

If this was true then I guess you could say Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer has something to squawk about because this is the second time this tradition has eluded her. Perhaps HCDeadO Chairman Mark Smith was so busy brokering a fragile peace with Stack (and North Bergen Mayor and Sen. Nick Sacco) allowing for a united Democratic primary that he just forgot, again.

You obviously can't say present 33rd District Assemblyman Ruben Ramos was Zimmer's choice. Ramos plans to run for mayor in Hoboken in November. Now, the other Assembly seat is definitely going to Hoboken Housing Authority Director Carmelo Garcia. The late Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons, who saw Garcia as a future elected official, would be pleased. While even Sacco was OK with Garcia, the choice has supremely roiled Mile Square City politics.

I've felt that Councilwoman Beth Mason and former school board member and rich developer Frank Raia were strong picks for the Assembly seat. You had to believe that Stack was listening because either one could easily wipe out any lingering campaign debt. Only it sounded too much like Obama's old Illinois U.S. Senate seat being put up to the highest bidder.

There were other Hobokenites interested -- did I say Councilman Mike Russo? -- along with Mason and Raia, who would often make evening sojourns to North Hudson diners to meet with Stack and company. It was incessant courting, but as one politico noted, Mason and Raia would go up there and Garcia would be just leaving. One aforementioned City Council member was concerned that he was out of the running and went up to a Kennedy Boulevard eatery (that has great cheesecakes), unaware that Stack was sitting at the Malibu Diner in Hoboken with Garcia.

The Hoboken Housing director is an interesting selection because Stack was never big on Ramos and yet there is a longtime comradeship between Garcia and the outgoing assemblyman.

As for Zimmer, her choice was Hoboken Councilman Ravi Bhalla. By placing Bhalla in Trenton, Zimmer would have had a voice in the Legislature and, at the same time, eliminate a potential ambitious rival.

All this provides grounds for some good conspiracy theories.

Does Stack plan to dabble with Hoboken politics with his pick of Garcia? The Union City mayor won't get involved, but advice is always free.

Hoboken Housing Authority members were trying to oust Garcia as director. Instead, they now plan to curb some of his powers. I don't know if that means administrative duties or the ability to get votes. With his annointment, will Garcia care?

What about those whose aspirations were crushed?

It was pointed out to me, and it could actually happen, that scorned Mason and Raia could be pushed by the snickering attacks of local bloggers, who swoon over the city administration, into considering a third ticket in November. Don't look for either Mason or Raia running. I would expect them to manipulate the stage with the hope of creating major chaos.

Here's one of two questions for the two Democratic Party Assembly candidates. If Stack endorses Republican Gov. Chris Christie for re-election, will they? The question is just to titillate readers. We'll discuss this issue and other arts of prestidigitation at another time.

The other question is just how long will they stay on Stack's good side if they cannot keep up with the senator's grueling Eveready Bunny work ethic and demands? While Hoboken has no major political impact on the county, I would say that its politics are starting to get very interesting, again.

POLITICAL INSIDER

-- How will HCDeadO's Smith decide who gets the line for the Hoboken Democratic Party's committee seats? Jaime Cryan's term as chairman of the Hoboken Democrats is up this year. Will it be those party people loyal to Mayor Zimmer or those anti-administration folks who backed Cryan? Smith faces a ticklish conundrum, but considering how Zimmer has fared with the HCDeadO of late, it may not be much of a *Morton's fork.

-- Check back here with Hudson Voices on Monday for more Political Insider.

*Now look it up and try to figure it out.

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