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Donations to a campaign are not taxes levied by government. HUGE difference.

Nice try though.

Now, don't even get me started on Fulop, he has been knocking healy for 4 years pretending he is some kind of poster boy for ethics , while at the same time he is sitting on 200 thousand dollars or more in campaign cash.

I don't know how to use hte quote feature here, but what are you implying with the comment above? That Fulop does not have ethics because he has raised funds for his campaign? Please explain.

THen, you can try to explain where the MILLIONS that your commander and chief....and your BOSS (Healy) came from? Does he lack ethics too?

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This is exactly the type of behavior that causes the public to lose confidence in it's government.I do not believe in coincidences.I can't find the article you are talking about but I do remember seeing a article on the subject some time ago.

Your post before this one about desertion is a shocker,never heard that one.I don't know how factual it is but it is certainly a long time ago.

What I am concerned about is how this all relates to property taxes and hitting us in the wallet.We need to get
spending under control.

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WHAT? That's a joke, right?

Just remember,the first seventeen people who were promoted all went to a 500.00 a head party hosted by Armondo Roman just before they were promoted.
The money was supposed to be for healys reelection but after Earl Morgan at the JJ did a story on it all the money was returned.

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If I recall correctly, Roman was originally appointed by that well known reformer, Bret Schundler.

I agree this should be looked at closer. It has absolutely nothing to do with the person promoted. If Donald doesn't realize that than he should move to jc and start paying taxes. There is a ridiculous amount of waste and corruption here. Fulop is the only one with the actual interests of jersey city residents in mind. I don't understand how it's possible to live in the highest taxed county in the highest taxed state with such poor public services provided for your money. Additonally, the goverment is funded by the tax revenue from a very small percentage of the people living here, those who own in new developments. Its very disappointing.

Bottom line here is that Armondo Roman is a Hack appointed by Healy who is way over his head.He should have
never have been appointed as he lied on his resume about the fact that he was arrested for desertion from the military in 1976.

Do not take this any way as a criticism of the fire department members who I have personally witnessed in the neighborhood risking their lives to serve the downtown area.I have the utmost respect for them and what they do.

With this said I feel it necessary to comment on the recent promotion of one fireman to fire captain and the analysis of the reasoning for this promotion by downtown Councilman Steve Fulop.

First a few facts.A visit to the Jeresy City fire department website shows( if this is still current) that the fire department has 550 uniform members and 50 civilian employees.

If there are 156 fire captains,without even considering those ranks above captain you have a ratio of 3.5 to 1.If 6 fire captains retired tomorrow the ratio would be 3.67 to 1 considering the uniform members.Again this is without even factoring in the ranks above fire captain.How many in private industry have this luxury.So how "necessary" was this one promotion.

Downtown Councilman Fulop is quoted in the Jersey Journal article of February 16,2009 by Earl Morgan as "He (McGee) is close to the mayor and that is the reason he (Roman) is promoting one additional captain after doing 17 last year."
Fulop noted that a number of the 17 captains promoted last year bought ticket to the "Fire Fighters for (Mayor) Healy fundraiser hosted by Roman.

I found that the increase from fire fighter to fire captain is about $ 25,000 dollars.This is no small sum.

Again for anyone reading this I do not begrudge the captain this promotion and I am glad for him and his family.

What I do have a problem with is not him but the circumstances as brought to light by councilman Fulop.It seems odd that 1 firefighter is promoted by himself without additional promotions and would seem to back Fulop's assertion.

I and downtown residents I socialize with would like further information as to what relationship the promoted fire captain has with the mayor and if the promotion is proper because of this association(Councilman Fulop asserts according to Jersey Journal that promotion is because the fire captain is close to the mayor) if this is the case.

If personal associations can be the basis for advancement in Jersey City government,and not need,especially in these hard economic times then no wonder we are in such dire straits.

To tell you the truth this story would not capture my attention so much if it was not for the recent 28 percent quarter property tax increase.

Roman the Fire director also speaks about the promoted fire captain as being first on the civil service list which could cause one to believe he had the top score in all the fire department.However I would like to know if he is really number 18 after the first 17 fire captains were promoted from the list and is now being billed as being "first on the civil service list" or was he really number one on the fireman's list.Lets have clarity.Why not wait for the new fire captain list which is supposed to become effective soon and hire the first top scoring fire fighter from there?

I am very angry with the property tax increase and if there are games being played which result in property tax increases or eventual rent increases I want everyone to know about them and I want them to stop!

I use the above example as illustrative of what I hope is not going on in our city government.

The Jersey Journal


Fire department promotion sparks political charge
Monday, February 16, 2009

T he promotion of a Jersey City firefighter to the rank of captain has prompted at least one member of the City Council to accuse Fire Director Armando Roman of playing politics with promotions.

Roman denied the accusation and insisted the promotion of the firefighter in question, Terrance McGee, was necessary because the pending retirements of five or six captains will result in a shortage in that rank.

"I have the greatest respect for Councilman Fulop," Roman said, referring to Councilman Steve Fulop, who leveled the allegation of political promotion. "I don't know what would prompt him to say that."

"McGee, who is first on the Civil Service list, was supposed to be made a captain in the last year but he was passed over," Roman added.

Fulop didn't back away from the charge yesterday.

"He (McGee) is close to the mayor and that is the reason he (Roman) is promoting one additional captain after doing 17 last year."

McGee couldn't be reached to comment.

Both Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson and Fulop said they had been caught unaware by the promotion.

This was not a first for the JCFD. In January, George Johns was promoted from battalion chief to deputy chief at a City Hall ceremony so impromptu that former Fire Chief Bill Sennett said he only had one day's notice. Instead of being immediately assigned to fire rigs, the lion's share of the 17 firefighters promoted to captain last year were assigned to fire headquarters.

Six of them reported to the Fire Prevention bureau. One of them donned a "Sparky the Fire Dog" suit to teach grade school youngsters what to do in a fire emergency. Several other captains were assigned to the program to hold props like "Buzz E. Smoke alarm."

At the time, Roman said the assignment was only temporary and funds to pay for the school program were from a federal grant, not the city's coffers. According to Roman, the program is now over and the captains are working in firehouses.

Fulop noted that a number of the 17 captains promoted last year bought tickets to the "Fire Fighters for (Mayor) Healy" fundraiser hosted by Roman.

"Would I promote people who paid $150 for a ticket?" Roman said, when asked about the connection. "I've been in the fire department for more than 30 years. I would never do something like that, which is illegal. No way."

Jersey City Fire Chief Michael O'Reilly also defended McGee's promotion on the basis that more captains are needed in the department.

McGee is at the very top of the current civil service list, O'Reilly said. With last year's promotions, the number of captains in the department has risen from 139 to 156.

EARL MORGAN can be reached at emorgan@jjournal.com

The Jersey Journal
Earl Morgan
Monday February 16,2009
www.nj.com/hudsoncountynow