Quote:

In the real world, it might not be easy for the size of the Jersey Journal to do much real investigating.

But the JJ could just do a weekly article on what the city business administrator says he's doing, and maybe what the planning people say they're up to. Even if the articles are really puffy articles, at least they would help the reporters get to know the staff people.

Chances are that, even if there is some corruption, the main reason the JJ doesn't cover these people is simply that the reporters don't ask, not because the city is trying to hid the city business administrator.

Quote:

ALB has a good point.... I would like the JJ would dig a bit deeper to look at who is pulling the strings.... does he look out for friends? is he given marching orders??? is he the most powerful person in Hudson County politics? is he really in charge ?

Quote:

I didn't write that 3,000+ city/county staff employees are dishonest. I wrote that I think a lot of any significant amount of corruption that exists in the county probably exists at the staff level. (And by staff, I meant the "staffers who make the various operating divisions of local government run," not the "assistants of the mayors and city council members.")

If I'd been thinking more clearly, I guess I also would have written that there must be an awful lot of power wielded at the staff level in a completely legal way but almost entirely in the dark, just because the Jersey Journal and the Hudson Reporter ignore the people at the staff level.

R Pinkowitz has had a lot more first-hand experience with all of this than I have, but it seems to me that, for all of their faults, mayors and members of the various city councils get some media attention and have to get re-elected every year. Even in this area, there are some (loose) limits on how corrupt they can get.

But members of the operating staffs get virtually no attention. In all fairness, I started thinking about this because the Jersey City city council itself let a tape of a city council committee meeting appear on the Comcast public access channel, and I saw some top-level Jersey City staffers that I'd never heard of.

Probably those of us here who work for the Jersey Journal are probably sputtering and will whip up new avatars so that they can post a long list of JJ references to people like William Matsikoudis, the corporation counsel, and Brian O'Reilly, the city business administrator.

But I think these staffers get a lot less press attention than city managers, general counsels and chief planners in a lot of other communities get from their local papers, and, within Hudson County, they've gotten way less media attention than Katia Stack and Carla Katz.

I see 69 JJ article and blog hits for Katz, for example, and only 12 for Matsikoudis. I only see 2 hits for Katia Stack, but that's just because the current archive only covers 2007, and the Katia story seems to have peaked a couple of years ago.

In other communities I've lived in, the city manager, the chief planner all were mini celebrities, and the papers quoted them to the point that it was a little embarrassing.

Quote:


I'm not clear where alb's posts states that all 3000 city employees are corrupt - is it your position that corruption does not exist at a remarkable level within Jersey City municipal government?


"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair

Quote:

Perish the thought.

Quote:

It amazes me how much you can post that 3000+ employees are dishonest. Are you posting this comment with hard facts or just "throwing" a comment out there?

FYI Alb,
Like any position in private and public sector, the staff is only as good as the management and training they receive. The majority of the ?staff? happens to be very hard working, and have put up with years of lack of positive role models, support, training and strong, qualified management.

I don?t know your background Alb, but I will tell you first hand as someone who has spent over 20 years in private sector and in those 20 years have trained and overseen hundreds of managers and thousands of their support staff, we are as only good as the people we train properly and hire. It?s no different in the private and public sector when it comes to proper training, positive enforcement, and most important: that management is leading by example.

Maybe some have given up the "will" to fight because they feel it's a waste of time effort or fear retaliation, and some just go through the motions, but that is a huge difference than being "corrupt". I will agree that government everywhere is behind the times when it comes to basic human resources "101" for support staff. There is no difference between private and public sector when it comes to basic management, human resources and proper/ basic training.

Link
Political Column
Fulop's choice: congressman or mayor

By Al Sullivan
Reporter senior staff writer
12/11/2007

Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop shocked a lot of people when he showed up recently at an event held by the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

Since he and the HCDO have not always been on speaking terms, it seemed strange to many that he would make an appearance, and started the spin doctors pondering the possibility of some sort of deal.

Fulop loyalists claim the appearance was designed to taunt his political enemies, not mend fences with them.

From every indication, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy - the chairman of the HCDO - is fearful Fulop will run for mayor in 2009.

Fulop's push for an ethics referendum is seen by some as the first volley in what is expected to be a crowded field of candidates. Fulop is using the referendum as an early platform that puts his name before the public in a way that could generate votes citywide in 2009.

Healy has apparently been doing everything possible to derail a Fulop mayoral run.

Perhaps Healy's greatest fears center on a possible political marriage between Fulop and the county's other most prominent political prince, state Senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack.

Invincible in Union City, Stack has tried to spread his influence to other parts of the county, but lacked real strength outside the 33rd elective District in the primary elections this past June. This could change with Fulop as his ally.

Healy can deal with the Fulop problem in several ways. He can divert Fulop to another elected office. He can also try to weaken Stack's influence.

While many of the lords of political power in the HCDO such as state Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco and County Executive Tom DeGise seem willing to back Fulop for a possible run against incumbent Rep. Albio Sires in next spring's Democratic primary for the U.S. Congress, Healy apparently is trying to lure Sires back into the HCDO.

This would weaken Stack in North Hudson, since Sires along with Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner are Stack's staunchest allies.

While it would seem in Healy's interest to back Fulop against Sires, Healy apparently fears Fulop will run for mayor anyway, regardless of what deal he brokers today.

Stack against Sacco all over again?

The Healy-Fulop skirmishes, of course, are being played against a much larger conflict that has Stack pitted against Sacco.

Although reports keep emerging about peace deals, the ill feelings generated during last June's Democratic Primary just won't heal.

The latest outbreak of political rage came as a result of Sacco's attempt to block the reappointment of Stack associate, Commissioner Chris Irizarry, to the North Hudson Community Action Corporation, a non-profit health care agency.

North Bergen's legal department even went to court to stop the vote, asking the Superior Court to shut down the NHCAC's board until its membership could be reviewed to determine if it is legally constructed. The Sacco team even proposed shutting down NHCAC's operations - which means loss of heat and other assistance in the weeks prior to Christmas.

Even the Grinch who stole Christmas doesn't seem nearly as heartless as this.

Fortunately, Superior Court Judge Maurice Galipoli saw through the political ruse and put off any rash action until early next year. Meanwhile, Sacco suffered a significant political setback when commissioners from all but two Hudson County municipalities voted in favor of Irizzary's contract. One town's representatives, abstained leaving North Bergen to look remarkable Grinch-like in its vote against him.

Irizarry modified the proposal for his employment contract to give the board more incentive to approve it, including his $139,000-per-year salary. He cut the request from three to two years, with a buyout clause that would require the board to pay him only for six months if they choose to remove him rather than to pay the customary year's salary.

The conflict over control of the NHCAC actually predates the Sacco-Stack battle. Sacco, along with Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, tried to install Tom Calvanico, former executive director of the Hudson County Improvement Authority, into the post. Turner, Sires, and others resisted the move, eventually leading to Irizzary's appointment.

NHCAC is a political goldmine since it provides many social service programs that have a direct impact on the public and generate a significant appreciation at the ballot box later.

While North Bergen is disputing the current makeup of the board that controls the NHCAC, this is partly because mayors have less influence over the operations than they would like.

This is largely their own fault since many of the programs NHCAC offers used to be under the auspices of the North Hudson Council of Mayors - which still offers one or two programs to the public.

Most of the programs were designed by Ridge Applegate when he worked for the mayors council, but neglect by the mayors over the years eventually caused NHCAC to pick up the management and control of the programs.

"These programs generated a lot of jobs," one political observer said.

The loss of influence meant that mayors had less patronage to dole out to supporters.

Who will be freeholder chairman?

While it still uncertain if Stack will mount a challenge for control of the freeholder board, the battle for chairmanship is heating up within the ranks of the HCDO.

Current Chairman Thomas Liggio, of North Bergen and Secaucus, has expressed the desire to serve in that post again. But Freeholder Jeff Dublin is apparently also being considered.

This could pose some serious problems in the near future if reports are true that state Senator-elect Sandra Cunningham intends to replace Dublin in next June's primary.

Liggio is liked even by those who oppose Liggio's mayor, Sacco.

"His decisions over the last year have been largely free of politics," one freeholder said. "I would like to see him remain in that post, even if it means putting up with Nick Sacco."

Meanwhile, reports that Bayonne Freeholder Doreen DiDomenico may be dumped are apparently wrong. Both Healy and DeGise had come out in support of her re-election.

Delle Donna maintains his innocence

Reports claim that Guttenberg Mayor David Delle Donna will not plead guilty to charges that have been brought against him.

He has told several key people that he is totally innocent of any wrongdoing.

But Delle Donna's legal woes may leave his mayoral seat up for grabs.

Perhaps Delle Donna can recoup his good name and his political career, in a similar fashion to former Guttenberg Mayor Nicholas Cicco, who was cleared of charges brought against him in 1989. Unfortunately, Cicco lost his bid to retain the mayoral seat.

Among those rumored as possible mayoral replaces are Councilmen Gerald Drasheff and Frank Criscione. Also rumored is Brian Guaschino, one-time state Assembly aide to Sal Vega.

Ranking Hudson's powerful, in descending order

Jersey Journal
Political Insider
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

On Saturday, the Insider's Hudson County political power list named our No. 1 - Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who is also chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

If you missed, or skipped, that lengthy column - I don't blame you. So let me repeat verbatim some important points about lists: Understand that rankings, no matter what people tell you, are to a point subjective and the order in which these people are placed has much to do with fortune, design, and just the natural order of things.

Warning: while it would be nice, character is not a prerequisite.

Since the Healy column, I'm happy to report just a handful of politicians and their underlings called to influence the list.

Unlike the days of County Executive Robert Janiszewski, who became a free-range politician, the power in this county usually belongs to its mayors. For a while, the other exception was U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of Hoboken (but really Union City), but more so during his state Legislature days. As stated in Saturday's column, despite what you read elsewhere, his influence is not as pronounced as it once was and he is more a mediator these days. Let's keep him out of the list. We will also keep another Hobokenite, Gov. Jon Corzine out - besides, the governor has less power here than in Trenton.

One cannot recall another period with such a large number of politically weak mayors in the county. It shows in the rankings. As high as some people are on the list, they can also have a long way to fall next year. So, let's get on with it.

INSIDER'S POWER LIST FOR 2007

1. JERRAMIAH HEALY: We already went into detail about the mayor of the county seat who, as chairman of the HCDO, beat back some (not all) challengers, and still has more than a $1 million campaign war chest, but not for the HCDO.

2. BRIAN P. STACK: The mayor of Union City and assemblyman also is senator-elect for the 33rd Legislative District. He is the 800-pound gorilla in the middle of the county Democratic Party.

More than a year ago, Stack might have been listed in the bottom half of a top-10 list, but then someone made the mistake of kicking sand in his face and the party has not been the same since. Ready for a long war of attrition, as a state legislator, Stack is not averse to making allegiances with South Jersey power brokers, a relationship that for some Hudson politicians is blasphemy.

Last year, when Senate President Richard Codey assisted HCDO Sens. Nick Sacco of North Bergen and Joseph Doria in approving legislation to primarily block Stack from running for Senate while sitting as mayor, it was South Jersey's Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts who blocked the measure.

When South Jersey's Stephen Sweeney was voted Senate majority leader for next year over Sen. Paul Sarlo of Bergen County, Stack played a big role. He sat with the South Jersey contingent when it came time for the Democrats to vote. His early decision also convinced some other undecided senators to go along. Ironically, the new majority leader will be replacing Bernard Kenny of Hoboken who "chose" not to seek re-election.

Stack's forte is getting obscene voting totals in his city and the 33rd Legislative District. He is considered hands-down the hardest-working mayor in the county.

For more than a year, the Union City politician's influence has stood the county on its head. As a result, public servants and allies were sacrificed and millions of dollars spent in a county realignment.

3. NICHOLAS SACCO: Mayor of North Bergen, Sacco has been the 31st District state senator since 1994. He has been a township commissioner since 1985. Sacco is also an assistant superintendent of schools for North Bergen. We are talking about a major entrenched political strongman.

When the late Union City Mayor Bruce Walter once said, "fences make for good neighbors," he was talking about North Bergen in the same manner that South Vietnam talked about North Vietnam. Walter and others before him did not bother their neighbor - a sort of don't play with the piranha mentality.

Like Stack, Sacco has a well-organized, slightly smaller local party machine that provides the administration with lop-sided victories. The difference between the two is that Sacco is aligned with the bigger, more influential HCDO.

While HCDO leaders are starting to play a bit with the notion of peace with Stack and the Democrats for Hudson County, Sacco is the type who may never capitulate. In the past, if the HCDO faltered in their determination to battle the rival DFHC, Sacco rallied the leadership to fill any breech.

Somewhat secretive in his local political machinations, Sacco operates best undercover. It gives him almost a Darth Vader-like quality that strikes fear among some county politicians, including those in his fiefdoms of Secaucus and West Hudson.

He obviously plans to be around a long time.

4. RICHARD TURNER: The mayor of Weehawken wears many hats. He is state chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, of West New York, and a close DFHC comrade of Stack. He has total control of the small waterfront township of Weehawken.

It is his relationship as consigliere to both Sires and Stack that makes everyone else take him seriously. One of his biggest assets is being a member of the highly influential Local Finance Board. Turner is a most useful fellow. It does not matter on which side of the fence a politician stands, he or she knows Turner will always assist them with any fiscal problem their municipality may have.

There is also a certain naivet? about Turner. Politically, he is willing to take someone's word and is willing to discuss an issue. This is why when the HCDO tries to sway their arch-rivals or leave a message, it usually is through Turner.

He is close to becoming the Neville Chamberlain of county politics - always hopeful that cooler heads will one day prevail. Having helped to engineer a reunification with West New York's Vega, Turner suggested the unity of the 33rd District could influence talks with the rest of the county.

5. TOM DeGISE: The county executive is ranked fairly high here, considering he serves at the pleasure of all the mayors. This tells you something about how weak are the majority of the mayors in Hudson as a result of local upheavals and the dominance of just a few local chief executives.

What DeGise has going for him right now is that he can decide how county patronage positions are distributed. He is also backed by Healy and Sacco, who know he is content with his job and does not have higher aspirations. The county executive is content with expanding open space and maintaining infrastructure.

The HCDO played DeGise up as a major leader because it was an election year. He is friendly even with some of the opposition, including Sires. While the primary fight witnessed some of the dirtiest election campaigns in memory, the county executive race was hardly noticed.

The betting here is that this is DeGise's last term in office.

6. ALBIO SIRES: He is a freshman congressman in the 13th District and one of the main honchos of the DFHC, along with Stack and Turner.

Sires could benefit from peace in the county. Should hostilities persist, he must fend off an HCDO challenge, but his chances at victory are pretty good. No one wants to attack a sitting congressman in a presidential election year. There is also no credible opposition out there - yet.

The congressman has brought to Hudson County federal dollars for transportation, public safety and homeland security.

He still has influence in his hometown and in the county because of his relationship with Stack and his right-hand man, Turner.

If he survives this next election, look for Sires to spend several more terms in office and Hudson County's federal influence will grow.

7. SANDRA BOLDEN CUNNINGHAM: The widow of Jersey City Mayor Glen D. Cunningham is the 31st District state senator. There should be an asterisk here and point out that this ranking is shared by political operatives Joe Cardwell and Bobby Jackson, who have acted as Cunningham's advisors.

Her status is tied to how much Healy has agreed to provide her by way of appointments and patronage jobs. The senator's requests at times seem excessive, but the mayor has obliged.

The only question here is whether she will run against Healy - a proposition the mayor does not believe is in her mind - or continue to leverage her potential candidacy for more influential appointments and jobs in local and county government. More than likely, they will come to an agreement where Healy gets Cunningham's support in 2009 and then she gets his the next time around - although this calls for way too much trust.

8. STEVEN FULOP: The ranking of the Jersey City councilman this high is sure to raise a few eyebrows, but this is the fun of lists. Presently, Fulop is Healy's biggest problem. There is no hiding the obvious, Fulop wants to be mayor and he is tirelessly working toward that goal.

The Downtown councilman is raising a small volunteer army to place several ethics initiatives on the November 2008 ballot - should the City Council refuse to accept the measures. It is a short hop from November to the next May and a city election.

We'll acknowledge that his political influence around the rest of the county is almost nonexistent, but he is starting to make waves in the county's biggest city. He needs to because he started this year with low name recognition. This may be changing with such efforts as supporting the grass-roots effort to convert the Sixth Street Embankment into open space.

The big eye-opener was a summer fundraising event and rally for Democratic Party presidential aspirant U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. Fulop hooked up with Jamie Lefrak of the LeFrak Organization to co-host the function. It impressed Clinton people, as well as state and national Dems.

Healy and the HCDO took Fulop seriously enough to offer Fulop the congressional candidacy to take on Sires during the county civil war - hoping to rid themselves of a headache.

9. RUBEN RAMOS: This past year's tumultuous politics has left Hoboken in a need of a psychiatrist. Ramos should apply. The councilman is one of the more respected local politicians, and his stature grew when he joined the Stack 33rd District team and won an Assembly seat in Trenton. As one colleague described him, "Ramos is widely considered the cornerstone of citywide electoral victories in the Mile Square and commands respect from Hoboken's perennially fractious groups."

Even before taking office, he has expressed his opinion about such issues as a proposed increase in the PATH fare - he's against it. There's a sense that his star is rising.

10. ANTHONY CHIAPPONE: You can almost hear the howl from Bayonne. The simple fact is that Chiappone, the Peninsula City councilman, has won an important Assembly seat and returns to the Legislature after a one-term hiatus, obviously helped by his association with Cunningham and the HCDO.

One cannot deny that the councilman is a survivor and Mayor Joseph V. Doria's hasty exit has further strengthened Chiappone's position and makes his criticism of the administration seem justified. Getting on the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Agency is affirmation of his spreading influence in the City Council. By his returning to the state Legislature, a job he says he had enjoyed, could gain some more county influence. He could guarantee it by winning a mayoral election.

Let's see if he's still on the list next year. Then again, he could be if we expand the list from 10 to 20. Let me know what you think.

Vega, Turner make it official: Dems' split a thing of the past

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

WEST NEW YORK - The "war" may be over before it ever really began.

Two North Hudson mayors held a news conference yesterday morning to tout an armistice between the two rival factions of Hudson Democrats.

West New York Mayor Silverio "Sal" Vega, on the Hudson County Democratic Organization slate, was crushed in the 33rd District primary election in June by Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who ran on the Democrats for Hudson County slate that he formed with Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner and Rep. Albio Sires, D-West New York, Vega's predecessor as mayor.

Turner, standing beside Vega yesterday, said the factions in the 33rd District are ready to make peace.

"We will not allow past political differences to distract us from our goal," Turner said. "Our focus is and always be the needs and interests of the people."

Neither Stack nor Sires was present at the news conference. Turner, Sires' chief of staff, said the congressman was in Washington for a voting session and that state Sen.-elect Stack was in Trenton discussing school funding for "Abbott school" districts.

Vega apologized for any negative comments he may have made about his opposition during the primary campaign, and added that he was also willing to forgive his former foes. In the primaries, Stack's group ran nine candidates against the HCDO, with three emerging victorious.

"If I offended anyone, I offer my apologies and assure everyone that I am not going to harbor any ill feelings about things that were said about me," Vega said. "It is time for us to move on for the benefit of all."

Vega said he needs cooperation from the county, state and federal governments to run West New York.

"A municipality cannot function alone," Vega said. "It can only survive with the aid and support of all levels of government."

Vega also said that he was spending too much time and money waging battles against the Democrats for Hudson County.

Sires has been widely reported as being unhappy with the direction of West New York since he stepped down as mayor. Stack, who could not be reached yesterday, is establishing a district office in West New York. He publicly split with the HCDO when he began his campaign for Sen. Bernard Kenny's seat.

HCDO chairman and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said that he began peace talks a month ago. He said it's important for Hudson County to speak with one voice in Washington and Trenton.

"By the time we go into the next legislative session I am optimistic that we will bring closure to this matter and bring the county together," Healy said.

I think the secret to Hudson County politics is that the real power and the real corruption are probably hidden away in the Jersey City and Hudson County staffs.

Someone I know was doing some business at City Hall. It was a sleepy little place with patronage hires trying not to look as if they were deadwood. Then he went to the city administration offices at 30 Montgomery, and there was still a lot of deadwood, but a lot going on, and a lot of people from there talking in hushed voices at the Au Bon Pain.

I'm sure there's something equivalent going on at the county level.

And I love the Jersey Journal police blotter, feature and general assignment reporters, but I think the political reporters, and, especially, the columnists, are pretty weak people who probably keep their jobs by using ridicule to squash their critics.

But, if the political columnists and reporters at the Jersey Journal were any good, they would be telling us almost as much about the Jersey City administrator, the city planners, the county planners, etc. as about Healy.

Instead, the city and county staffs let Healy, Stack, et al. entertain us with their antics, and maybe get jobs for their kids and their friends, then the administrative people go back to their offices and cut the real deals. My guess is that most of us except, say, the builders here don't even have the conceptual framework in our heads to understand what we should be worried about at that staff level.

Does Healy have this power because he is the Mayor of the largest city in the county or because of his history with the HCDO?

For instance, if Fulop were to become mayor, would he yield similar power in the or would he still have to struggle against the rest of the county?

No surprise there - Healy must know all the skeletons behind each political member and has a history of employing or not removing those in his administration of illegal or unethical behavior to counter any history or misdeeds he has.

Information is power, not leadership skills in Hudson or JC Politics!

Healy rides the crest of Hudson County politics

Political Insider Column - Jersey Journal
Saturday, December 08, 2007

Just what is the pecking order among politicos in Hudson County?

Glad you asked, because I have this power list - doesn't every political writer. It is just that I can't recall anyone ever doing one for this county, where (and sorry, Boston, Chicago and Ancient Greece) politics must have been born. And you might as well know about it now because fortunes change among our public servants faster than for contestants on "The Price is Right."

While both Gov. Jon Corzine and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez are both residents of Hoboken, they do not make this list. Corzine does not influence the daily political machinations of the county and Menendez, while having some influence in local politics, does not have as much as some pundits and pol watchers believe.

Let's go from top dog to the end of the ladder. Understand that rankings, no matter what people tell you, are to a point subjective and the order in which these people are placed has much to do with fortune, design, and just the natural order of things.

HE'S THE MAN

Right up front, let's say that this column will look at only numero uno. The next Insider read will cover the rest of the rankings.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy is at the top of the list.

It helps to not only be the mayor of the county seat and the largest municipality in the county, but also to be chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, or what was once the only game in town.

One could say the Jersey City mayor should always be on top, but there a number of reasons why this is not necessarily true. Mayor Bret Schundler, a Republican, did not have that countywide influence. A very divided city can also weaken a mayor. The U.S. attorney in Newark can make a difference.

When Healy makes a political decision, whether one believes it is right or wrong, it can create ripples in the county. It was he who ultimately made the HCDO decision on the June primary running mates in the state 31st Legislative District. The choices (among more local reasons) pushed Bayonne Mayor and incumbent Sen. Joseph Doria out of county politics and into the post of commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs.

There would be no civil war had he not agreed to do battle in the state 33rd Legislative District, against Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires and his state chief of staff, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, and their Democrats for Hudson County organization. Healy's main allies are County Executive Tom DeGise and North Bergen Mayor and 32nd District Sen. Nick Sacco.

Yet, Healy - who says he is 56 years and a 111/2 months old - probably has the fewest reasons to fight, other than to make certain Assemblyman Lou Manzo, a future rival for mayor in 2009, loses. Usually, it is expected that the chairman of the HCDO will maintain unity. Without one big happy family, the county becomes a player with no lines on the statewide political stage.

Unfortunately for Sen. Bernard Kenny of Hoboken, the party civil war happened on his watch and it was over his seat in the Senate. The divided county has already made Hudson County an afterthought in the state. South Jersey has become what Hudson was once, powerful and feared, traits that translate to more state aid and influence.

THERE ARE HEADACHES

On a personal level, Healy has been embarrassed by late night revealing photos taken during his mayoral election campaign, and this year he lost his appeal of a disorderly conviction stemming from an altercation with police outside a Bradley Beach tavern where he was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed.

Healy is in office at a time when big decisions have to be made that will determine the character of Jersey City in the 21st century. The mayor supported using the Summit Avenue reservoir as an urban park. There are grumblings about the direction that the city is going in the Powerhouse Arts District and over the future of the Sixth Street Embankment. Healy has also been criticized for his lack of financial and administrative support for a volunteer group that's in the process of restoring the landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre.

At times, his administration seems to be always swimming against the current - crime persists, a ticket-fixing scandal broke out in municipal court, a number of uniformed city employees have had problems with the law, and City Council nepotism is irritating local residents.

There are even rumors that members of his family have asked him to reconsider running for re-election - which he has denied. Healy has already raised a large campaign war chest, but the next municipal election is expected to be the costliest ever held.

LET HEALY TELL IT

Is Healy a good leader, powerful enough to have a positive effect on his city and county? Why not let the mayor, an attorney and former municipal judge, tell you what it takes to be effective.

"You have to lead by example," Healy told the Insider. "Don't be the guy who just yells, but be the person who does what he should be doing in the field.

"Being mayor is also a learning process. The hardest thing is to try to solve everything."

Asked if he has ever had to flex his political muscle to get his way, he assumed the query involved his support for construction of a warehouse off Route 1&9.

"What you learn is that in government you have to build a consensus among other elected officials who have to serve their own constituency," Healy said.

As an example, he talked about getting approval from the City Council for the warehouse project on the PJP landfill along the Hackensack River in the Marion section. It is safe to say that the majority of people in the neighborhood were against the warehouse because they did not want additional truck traffic and wanted more open space. In the end, the City Council approved the warehouse, including Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello.

"You have to engage (neighborhood) groups," the mayor said. "Whether or not you can convince them - you still have to hear their position

"Conversely it is true. I had other ideas for the reservoir before going there."

The mayor said once he saw the grounds and the man-made lake, he thought the area was much more interesting as a passive recreation space.

"We're hoping to put in a running path," he added.

NO CHEST POUNDING

Council President Mariano Vega praises Healy as an administrator and for political skills.

"He trusts the professionals around him to do what needs to be done," Vega said of the mayor. "Politically, he has created reasonable peace in Jersey City.

The councilman listed some of Healy's successes, including the condo project at the old American Can Company, "a project that is way off the waterfront."

Vega said the mayor got the redevelopment of the eyesore block on Journal Square underway, and notes that everyone, artists and homeowners, will benefit from the Powerhouse Arts District projects.

"We will see the build-out of the old Medical Center, and the PILOT payments for the project came under his tenure," Vega said. "When there was a hiccup at the Whitlock Cordage housing project, it was the mayor who got it going again.

"The mayor doesn't go around pounding his chest. He calls it what it is, and at the end of the day he just tries to get things done. For instance, the city spends millions on infrastructure, things people don't see, but we're better off for it."

With Assemblywoman Joan Quigley making the introductions, Healy has learned to go to Trenton to make his points. He has started to expand his sphere of influence in the state. Healy joined with Newark Mayor Cory Booker in support of the campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, even though the HCDO is backing U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

Being top dog does not mean ignoring alliances. Most countywide politics is discussed with county Executive Tom DeGise, whose own cadre of backers are stong campaigners and organizers. DeGise was only surprised by the mayor's backing of Obama for president.

CAN HEALY HEAL?

Healy's place at the top of the county power list is based in part on the fact that he has the power to put warring factions together. He and others in the HCDO underestimated the Kenny/Stack situation when it first broke out. Back then, it was about protecting the veteran legislator from a newcomer. They failed to recognize the Union City mayor's strength in the 33rd District and that despite his being younger, Stack probably has had as much or more political experience than any of them.

The spin has gone from the HCDO keeping Stack from winning the 33rd District to keeping the Union City mayor and his buddies from taking over the county by winning two out of the three legislative districts. The truth is that they each won a district, or rather Sacco won his, and Sandra Bolden Cunningham won the third. When it comes to Healy's mayoral seat, Cunningham's intentions are yet to be known - although the feeling here is that she believes he is just keeping the seat warm.

Of late, members of both sides of the schism wonder if they can continue financing this war of attrition.

Healy is the figurehead for the county Democrats. As chairman of the HCDO, can he unite the county?

"The state of the HCDO is important," said Healy, stating the obvious. "It's important that all elected officials (Sacco, Stack, and Cunningham) be on the same page, particularly on big issues. They don't have to love each other, but they have to be able to work together. There are others (in the state) that would like to see us bickering."

As for healing the Democratic Party rift, Healy suggests why he may be the best person for the job.

"The reason is that I have no personal animus in this," he explained.

A few days later, he "secretly" met with Stack in the Coach House diner in, ironically, North Bergen.