Why did she give her son two jobs?
Councilwoman Flood speaks for first time on hiring controversy

Ricardo Kaulessar
Hudson Reporter
03/09/2008

Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large Willie Flood gave the simplest response to the controversial hiring of her son for two jobs late last year: "This is what a mother would do."

In an exclusive interview with the Jersey City Reporter last week, Flood spoke about hiring her son Philip Jr. for the $38,000 position of computer analyst in the Hudson County Registrar's Office - with his mother as his boss - and as a City Council aide to his mother at $15,000.

But Philip Flood Jr. may not have been the best job recipient, as he was arrested last year for allegedly selling marijuana out of his mother's Mercedes-Benz at Wayne and Barrow streets in downtown Jersey City. He was also accused in 2006 by state officials of having illegally collected $13,000 in unemployment insurance while working.

Philip Jr. stepped down from the council aide's post in January, but still works at the county job.

Last month, the Mercedes-Benz that Philip Jr. was driving was impounded for having expired temporary tags and being parked in front of a hydrant.

Last week, Flood took issue with a report done by Fox News investigative reporter Arnold Diaz in January, spotlighting her son's dual job holding. She also responded last week to negative comments from her colleague, downtown Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop, on the issue.

Fulop, who was also interviewed by Diaz, has called for Flood's son to relinquish both jobs.

Flood said she believes Fulop was the person who contacted Diaz about doing the story, but Fulop denied that he was responsible when interviewed recently. Fulop is a likely candidate for mayor next year.

Flood has served on the City Council since 2005.

Why she did it

In Arnold Diaz's report, he was shown chasing Flood and her son through City Hall, down the back stairs leading into the parking lot behind City Hall, and then to her car with Philip Flood driving away.

At the time, the councilwoman refused to give Diaz a comment.

Last week, Flood said that in retrospect, she probably would have given Diaz a comment or even a "no comment," but she didn't think that her "answers would have satisfied him."

Flood added, "He already knew what he wanted to do, which is to try to bring down my family."

Watched with family

Flood said she watched Diaz's report when it was broadcast, along with her husband Philip Sr. and son Philip Jr.

"I found myself being critical of myself while watching the show," Flood said. "I would never run from a camera again, and I would walk slowly and I would act natural. I wasn't feeling well and it was raining."

When asked why she didn't just hire her son for one job or none at all, Flood defended her son's qualifications for the county post by saying he received computer training at Delaware State University and at a specialized school, the name of which she could not remember.

She hired him for the council post because he simply offered his services at a time when she was without an aide, she said.

Flood also pointed out that the City Council had to vote to approve the hiring of her son before she brought him on as aide, and could have chosen not to approve. The City Council, with the exception of Steven Fulop (who abstained from voting), voted 8-0 in favor of the hiring.

She said that, at first, she couldn't understand why Fulop would be opposed.

"This City Council, we all look out for each other, and they have been very supportive of me through this ordeal," Flood said. "I am not sure why Mr. Fulop did this, but I don't think he understood why I did it since he does not have children of his own."

As she was about to comment further, Flood started to cry and paused for a moment before composing herself and continuing.

"I have been fortunate that mothers have come up to me and said they would have done the same thing I did."

Why he is opposed

Fulop, a young politician on the rise, said last week that his criticism of Flood hiring her son was not a personal attack on her as much as his continued public railing against the common practices of dual job holding and nepotism that exists in Jersey City and Hudson County government.

He is currently leading a petition drive to get two referenda on the ballot for the November general election, one of which would prevent elected officials or government employees from collecting more than one taxpayer-financed salary. The other would make it illegal for a developer or contractor that does business with the city to make a political contribution to a candidate for a one-year period.

"I spoke at length to Arnold Diaz about not just Willie Flood but also the way government runs around here, which is hurting the taxpayers," Fulop said. "As I commented in the interview, if the citizens knew what was going on in City Hall, they would be coming here with pitchforks."

When asked if he contacted Diaz, Fulop denied that he did. However, he said he would have done so if he'd thought of it first.

Fulop was the target of a previous Diaz segment in June 2006 dealing with access for military veterans to the Korean War Memorial at the southern end of Washington Street in downtown Jersey City.

Fulop said, of Flood Jr., "[He] is out of one job, and he has one to go."

Comments on this story can be sent to rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.

Here are suggestions to help "renovate" Jersey City government -

- support, help, work for elected officials and candidates that constructively support and work for true reform. If you like Steven Fulop's efforts, contact betterjc.org and offer to help (and also contribute up to $20 to support the two public initiative efforts).

there may be others also worthy of support; Paul Catsandonis has run for council in Ward B and school board, and is a supporter of reform initiatives. In the past, other reform minded individuals have run downtown including Yvonne Balcer and Geoff Elkind.

- Civic JC can use help by getting more involved in the group or on specific projects including the two reform ordinance petition initiatives being done with Councilman Fulop?s group. We also could use assistance reviewing state election reports (campaign finance) and when we set up civic educational workshop among other things.

Go to meetings, register people to vote, join your neighborhood association.

If have do not time to volunteer, but can afford a contribution, contribute to the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association?s Legal Fund to challenge the changes being made to the PAD Redevelopment Plan in conflict with the city?s master plan. The issues and problems are relevant and precedent setting for the entire city.

.... or just keep venting here....

Mr. Fulop, if you are following this. How can we as a community rally to put an end to this sort of thing? We need a serious uprising here. This makes me sick.

Your tax dollars at work.? How you can not be a ?libertarian and call for the complete dismantling of all levels of ?government.
?
We all bought that dude's Mercedes. There is no way a 50 K a year job is paying for that 150 K car. He was selling a lot more than weed to pay for it .

is anyone passionate enough about this issue to document the dual job holding and neopotism of the other council members?

This type of corruption is disgusting! What is even more disgusting is the entire City Council (with the exception of Steve Fulop) voting to approve the hiring of this drug dealer. I don't know exactly when the next council election is but I can only hope these corrupt Council members are swept from their seats!

From now on I am having a lot more respect for the shady characters on the corner selling weed, maybe they work at city hall...

The funniest part is when Junior thinks he's being coy and philosophical and asks Diaz, "Nepotism? Well, what is nepotism?"

I watched the entire segment last night and couldn;t stop laughing....

Not only does it bring to light the amount of Bullshit that goes on in local politics, but serves as a slap in the face to each of us that isn't making nearly the $100,000+ annual salary afforded Ms Flood and the $50g's to her iliterate child.

Did anyone catch the point in the segment where the BIg Baby vows to Sue Arny and Fox5 if him and His Mom fall and get hurt ?????

Folks, the scary part about all of this is, that even though all of that has been brought to light, it's going to be Bussiness as usual in good Ole JC......

WHAT A JOKE !!!

CK

Home Depot's having a sale on those tiki torches this week. Just in time for the next City Council meeting, say I.

I'm just worried that with all this negative publicity, how will Willie ever Accomplish the Task for the People?

Fulop's right, for being New Jersey's biggest city, local government is a disgrace.

Hopefully this is not the end of the story. Fulop was the only one who didn't vote for the appointment, big surprise there. Looks like he made the right choice.

So true jeenymayla. Anyone caught wearing baggy leather pants and a XXXL leather trench to a city job should be fired for that alone.

Fulop is right one the mark as well. They both have zero morals and it just prolongs the sordid JC governments history of back dealings, scams and corruption. What a grand city we live in.

jennymayla wrote:
He should be arrested by the Fashion Police. THAT's the real shame. Shame Shame Shame.[/quote]

OK, here is the video: Fulop is hilarious.

Absolutely unconscionable. the pervasive abuse of position. her son needs some tough love rather than enabling him.

He should be arrested by the Fashion Police. THAT's the real shame. Shame Shame Shame.

It snowed in Baghdad last week, and I agree with FAB.

Five more signs of the apocalypse to come.

Stay tuned.

No wonder our cops, courts and legal process of crime and punishment is so fucced up in JC, when people like Flood II are given a slap on the wrist (with no felony conviction against his name) for his crimes and set a precedent for other ass-holes and their attorneys to follow.

'Shame' on Willie Flood airs tonight
by Ken Thorbourne
Wednesday January 16, 2008, 11:22 AM

Television reporter Arnold Diaz's "Shame, Shame, Shame" segment on Jersey City Councilwoman Willie Flood airs tonight at 10 p.m. on WNYWFox 5.

Diaz showed up at City Hall on Dec. 19 to ask Flood, who is also the Hudson County Register, why she hired her son, 29-year-old Phillip Flood II, to work for her in both government offices, especially in light of Flood II's brushes with the law.

Flood II has since resigned his post as aide to the councilwoman but still works for her in her capacity as couty register.

In February 2007, Flood was arrested for selling marijuana out of his mother's Mercedes Benz and in 2006, he had to pay the state back nearly $13,000 in unemployment insurance money he collected even though he was a full-time employee at the Hudson County Schools of Technology when he collected the money.

The drug charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor and Flood II entered pre-trial intervention program to deal with the fraud charge in regard to the insurance money, thereby avoiding a plea.

Link

Quote:


Accomplish the task for the people, Willie! Accomplish the task for the people!

so he's only resigned as her aide but keeps his other city job?

oh well, 1 flood down and 1 to go

Under cloud of controversy, Jersey City Councilwoman Willie Flood's son resigns as her aide
by The Jersey Journal
Monday December 31, 2007, 10:23 AM

A little more than a week after his dash from TV reporter Arnold Diaz and his "Shame, Shame, Shame" camera at City Hall in Jersey City, Phillip Flood II has resigned as an aide to his mother, Councilwoman-at-Large Willie Flood.

The younger Flood has been at the center of controversy over a marijuana arrest in February and a fine he paid for what the state said was unemployment insurance fraud.

In a letter submitted to City Clerk Robert Byrne dated Friday, Flood II wrote: "Out of concern for my mother, and apparently to avoid any additional burden in her effort to accomplish the task for the people in her capacity as councilperson-at-large, I hereby resign from my position as her aide effective immediately."

Flood II was also hired by his mother - in her capacity as Hudson County Register - as a data processing systems programmer for the county.

Jersey City needs to give Wille the boot, and she can take Gaughan with her.

ha ha, this is great, a true early Christmas gift, can't wait to see the report on fox

kudos to capnjon for setting the fox news thing up though...

that's a great image, of one city council weasel helping another to escape a reporter... like I said, you lift up the rock and what's underneath scrambles frantically looking for cover.

Quote:

That was Sottolano not Gaughan.

I hear Arnold Diaz was back at City Hall yesterday looking for the Fleeing Floods. You can't make this stuff up.

This article said that Heights Councilman Bill Gaughan helped her escape.

-----------------------

Run from 'Shame'

Veteran pol flees camera, queries about hiring her son

Friday, December 21, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Councilwoman Willie Flood was on the run Wednesday night, but not for another political office.

Flood, who is also the county register, was high-tailing it out of City Hall with her son and veteran TV reporter Arnold Diaz and his camera crew in close pursuit.

Diaz is working on another of his "Shame, Shame, Shame" segments for Channel 5/WNYW-TV, focusing on Flood's hiring of her son, Phillip Flood II, to work for her at both of her public offices.

And nepotism isn't the only angle here.

Earlier this year, Flood II was charged with selling marijuana out of his mother's car, and last year he agreed to repay the state nearly $13,000 in unemployment insurance the state determined he wasn't entitled to.

Diaz and his cameraman and producer had positioned themselves outside the council caucus room on the second floor at City Hall, when Flood and her son, with the help of Heights Councilman Bill Gaughan, tried to give him the slip.

When Diaz briefly wandered down the hallway, Gaughan waved on Flood and Flood II to dart from behind closed doors and toward an exit door.

Diaz and crew gave chase. Down the second-floor steps. Out the back door.

Flood and Flood II jumped into a car, with Flood taking the driver's seat. But once seated, the 68-year-old Flood appeared out of breath with her head slumped on the steering wheel.

"If anything happens to my mom behind this I'm going to sue all of you," Flood II yelled at Diaz. "How could you treat an old lady like this?"

Diaz shot back, "No one told her to run. She is a public official. Why doesn't she just answer the questions?"

Flood II made his way around the car to do the driving, while his mother/boss slid into the passenger's seat while drawing her fur coat up to cover her face from the camera.

Flood recently hired her son as council aide, for $15,000 a year, and as a data processing systems programmer in the Hudson County Register's office, for $38,000 a year.

Flood II's marijuana pinch was downgraded to a disorderly persons offense and referred to Jersey City Municipal Court, where on July 19, he pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and was hit with $700 in fines. According to state officials, he repaid the $13,000 in unemployment and agreed to pre-trial intervention, avoiding a guilty plea.

Flood didn't return phone calls yesterday and never returned to Wednesday night's council meeting. Diaz's feature report is expected to air next month.

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index ... 98221012115180.xml&coll=3