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If that happened you would be left only with the corrupt and the poor people who keep re-electing them. Congratulations Mayor Healy, Jersey City's Marion Barry.

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Then leave.

I have to say, I think Healy is a poor excuse as the mayor of JC and I certainly did not vote for him.

And not to hijack this thread, but I cannot believe there is not more outrage over the re-election of the three At Large Council seats.

I'm not a great fan of Mariano Vega, but I kind of expected him to win. I outright dislike Brennan, and my feeling about him getting re-elected is really sadness more than anything else.

But Willie Flood? REALLY?!? My head wants to explode on this one.

Who voted for this woman? I mean, if you weren't paying attention, you could have possibly not known of Mayor Healy's antics over the years. There are many people that don't read newspapers. But Willie Flood made it on the TV (twice). It was some pretty big news at the time, and yet she gets re-elected.

I don't understand it. And it makes living in JC very distasteful to me.

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I saw in a lot of places, blaring away after 6pm, in violation of city noise ordinances. But that is no surprise, since it would appear that Healy seems to think he's above the law.

Another four years of his antics...great. Is this the town we live in?

Healy raised $3 million for their campaign and probably spent all of it. I wonder how much it was to have the 4 big screen with the loop of Obama praising him. I saw it a lot by Grove Street.

Newbies often ask me what Jersey City was like 20 years ago. Well. take a look at city hall. It was like this 20, 50 and 100 years ago really.

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No, the persons in question have low-level income jobs, that they applied for. Not every position is patronage, even with Healy. That being said, the reality is if you don't support Healy, his slate of candidate, the HCDO's endorsement of others, even at the lowest level, then there is a palpable fear among some that if they don't tow the line they could lose their jobs.

Just because you support Healy doesn't mean everyone does, particularly if they work for the municipality or county. As to quitting, that's a sophmoric reply. People with wives and children need any job they might have in these times.

BTW, I don't have any connections in city or county beyond voting for and supporting OneJerseyCity.org and Steven Fulop for Ward E. At least I blow your smoke away and state who I supported. Why don't you quit hiding behind your posts knocking those opposed to Healy's administration and speak up as to who you support?

I'm not entirely convinced of the conventional wisdom that Healy won't run again in four years. I think he tried to cut as many deals as possible to keep the most threatening contenders on the sidelines with promises that he's only in it for one more term. Asuming he avoids further legal missteps and he's healthy, why wouldn't he run again? I'd be curious to know how much of the $3 million he actually spent and how much remains in his war chest.

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Sounds like sour grapes.

Did your "friends" family get them these city jobs?

Maybe your "friends" should do us all a favor and QUIT!

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I sure hope Fulop is around to run for Mayor in 4 years. You think Healy is bad, wait for a Sandy Cunningham administration.

I'm shocked by the financial advantage Healy brought to bear in this election. Is there any place online to see who gave him how much? I'd like to know who he is beholden to -- and who is going to get the graft -- over the next few years.

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"friends of mine"

Are they "friends of yours" or "friends of ours".

I'm surprised that Ricardo and other commenters here have not mentioned the 800lb Gorilla in the room:

Healy is Chairman of HCDO (Hudson County Democrat Organization) and friends of mine under employ with the city related how they were told in no uncertain terms that they would campaign for Healy , put up signs, vote for him, and not visibly support any other candidates, lest their jobs and promotions be "under review". Don't bother asking me for names as I won't jeopardize these employees for the satisfaction of some here.

The HCDO also had County employees sending out endorsement letters for Guy Catrillo in Ward E (don't know about other wards), so if you don't believe being King has it's advantages, not just money, you are in for another shock in 4 years when Sandra Cunningham is projected to become the new HCDO leader, run for Mayor, all for her staying out of the Mayoral race this year and declaring support for Healy.

JC Politics is never boring.

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bingo, that's all need to be said.

Healy wins by a landslide
How did mayor crush opponents by more than 2-1?

by Ricardo Kaulessar
Hudsin Reporter Staff Writer

FOUR MORE YEARS ? Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy won the Jersey City mayoral election on Tuesday to earn another

Runoff? What Runoff?

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy won re-election outright on Tuesday night by grabbing more than 53 percent of all votes cast, earning himself another four more years in office. If he had won less than 50 percent of the vote, he would have had to enter a June 9 runoff with his nearest opponent, former Assemblyman Louis Manzo, who amassed roughly half of the votes Healy got.

With all votes except provisional last-minute ballots, which were being counted as of Friday, Healy, 58, came in with 16,736 votes, while Manzo received 8,316. Finishing in third place was Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith with 4,044, followed by Dan Levin with 1,732 and Phil Webb with 716. Provisional ballots (those challenged at the polling place) were not significant enough to affect the ultimate result.

With the city?s murder rate up and taxes also rising, how did the mayor win such a landslide? Part of it may have been the money, his opponents said.

Healy was able to amass a $3 million election war chest, spending an average of $179 per vote. Manzo didn?t even come close, only spending $500,000.

Several of Healy?s critics also lamented the lack of turnout on Election Day. Approximately 31,000 people cast votes for mayor, a mere 25 percent of the 120,132 registered voters in Jersey City. Low turnout tends to favor the incumbent, because his voter base usually comes through for their candidate.

Then again, maybe the public didn?t think Healy has done such a bad job.

That was the perspective of local cable TV personality and Healy critic Pat O?Melia, who was surprised by the result.

O?Melia has been friends with Healy for about 30 years, but they have not been on speaking terms for over a year. O?Melia had predicted a runoff between Healy and Manzo or Smith.

?I am not smarter than 16,000 people, and they have spoken,? O?Melia said last week. ?I will be doing a show to reevaluate if the past four years of Healy as mayor was not as bad as some members of the media made it out to be.?

Healy?s opponents seemed dejected and shocked by the results last week, with some even doubting their future in politics.

?I was disappointed with the results, since I talked to so many people during the campaign and they expressed discontent with how the city was running,? Smith said. ?Obviously, that wasn?t the case when it came to the votes.?

Smith said he isn?t sure of his future plans, except to finish his term in the state Assembly representing the 31st District.

?I?m 60 years old, and what market is there for me?? Smith said. ?Right now, I am still trying to deal with a loss that I can never quite accept.?

One longtime Jersey City election strategist said the Healy campaign had hoped for a voter turnout of less than 35,000, since a larger amount could have increased the odds of a runoff, with more independents and anti-Healy people potentially voting.

Tuesday night

Healy has served as mayor since 2004, the year he won a special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Glenn D. Cunningham, who had died suddenly of a heart attack in office. In 2005, Healy was elected to a full term.
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?Frankly, I am honored and humbled by the turnout today.? ? Jerramiah Healy
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A colorful mayor who?s known for breaking into song, Healy suffered an embarrassing incident three years ago when he was charged with obstruction of a police investigation when trying to break up a fight near his sister-in-law?s bar at the Jersey shore.

Tuesday night, Gov. Jon Corzine, Rep. Albio Sires, and State Sen. Sandra Cunningham looked on at the mayor?s Election Night victory party at Casino-In-The-Park in Jersey City?s Lincoln Park. At the event, Healy credited his victory to his election fund and a hardworking campaign team.

?We kind of expected this a little bit,? Healy said. ?Frankly, I am honored and humbled by the turnout today.?

Healy allies were also successful running for at-large and ward council seats, winning the three citywide at-large seats and Wards B, C, and D (see sidebar). Ward E, the downtown Jersey City seat, was won by the incumbent and Healy critic Steven Fulop.

Fulop has a high profile and had considered running for mayor before deciding to try to keep his seat.

There will be runoff elections in Wards A (the city?s Greenville section) and F (covering the city?s Bergen-Lafayette section) on June 9 because Ward A incumbent Michael Sottolano and Ward F incumbent Viola Richardson each received less than 50 percent of the vote. The second-place challenger in Ward F had yet to be determined as of Friday according to the Hudson County Board of Elections, with only one vote separating Manzo team candidate Ron-Calvin Clark and independent candidate Lavern Webb Washington in Ward F. In Ward A, Sottolano will face Manzo candidate Rolando Lavarro in the runoff election.

The other contenders

Louis Manzo looked back the day after the election and felt ?frustration? with an ?apathetic? populace.

?The amount of problems that this city has with the violence and the rising taxes is undisputable,? Manzo said. ?And yet, a vast majority of the electorate chose not to participate.?

Manzo continued, ?We were getting positive feedback while campaigning, but that didn?t translate to people getting out and vote.?

Manzo took aim at activists in the city. He said that some individuals who approached him during the campaign about their specific issue, but they said they could not vote for him, citing their involvement with their respective non-profit group.

He said those activists, whom he referred to as ?complainers and frustrators,? should look to his mayoral opponent Dan Levin as an example of an activist who found a way to also be politically involved.

Manzo said he doesn?t know if he will run for mayor again or for another political office.

Manzo said he spent $500,000 on his campaign, an average of $60 per vote.

Levin said he stepped down from the boards of the various organizations he was a part of before he officially announced his candidacy for mayor last August. For Levin, who spent $6 per vote, he didn?t see his results as a loss, only a gain.

?I was asked about doing a concession speech and I said I wasn?t giving one,? Levin said. ?I am very pleased with the percentage, considering our strengths and weaknesses. But also, we had approached the election as community building in order to mentor regular people to run for office, and we think we were successful in that respect.?

Levin said he will run again for mayor or City Council in 2013.

?It was exhausting yet wonderful,? Levin said. ?Yet I am inspired to run again and build a broader base in the community.?

L. Harvey Smith said he was in ?a state of shock? from the results of the election, especially the low turnout.

Candidate Phil Webb, a city police detective, said looking back, he thinks it was ?disappointing? how Healy used the image of President Barack Obama during his campaign and put out a commercial made to look like Obama endorsed Healy when it was the other way around.

?A friend of mine told me his wife told him she chose to vote for Healy because of his relationship with Obama,? Webb said.

Yet, Webb does not envy Healy for his win but instead will pray for the mayor, whom he sees as having a ?tough job? in the next four years. That is apropos of a man studying for the seminary.

As for future political endeavors, Webb would not rule out the possibility. His only plan now is to continue working as a detective in the Jersey City Police Department, which he may do for another two years, and take a much-needed vacation in the near future to the Bahamas with his wife.

Bucking the establishment again



Running independently, Councilman Fulop won in a landslide over four other contenders in Ward E, which encompasses all of downtown. His 63 percent of the vote beat the next finisher, Healy-backed Guy Catrillo by 41 percentage points. Fulop had also won his first term in 2005 as an independent.

Fulop, known for his consistent criticism of the mayor?s policies, actually earned some praise from Healy on Election Night.

Fulop said he wants to work with Healy and the City Council but ?will still criticize Healy when it is warranted.?

He said his own accomplishments in office had helped him get re-elected, such as pushing for security cameras on new developments in downtown, advocating pay-to-play reform, and asking for lead testing of children in preschools.

?I will continue to work within the system to get things done for my constituents downtown,? Fulop said. ?But I will criticize the mayor and the City Council if they don?t do the right thing, and compliment when they do the right thing.?

As for Mayor Fulop in 2013, Fulop said ?I don?t know? ? and then gave what he called a ?political answer.?

?We are not going to take our eyes off what we have to do in the next four years,? Fulop said. ?The way I look at it is, we will do a hell of a job for the people downtown, and that I can promise you.?

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

Other wins

There were other interesting City Council victories Tuesday night.

In Ward B (covering much of the city?s West Side), first-time candidate Phil Kenny, with backing by Healy and Hudson County Freeholder Bill O?Dea, won by 900 votes over second place finisher Mike Manzo.

In Ward C (the Journal Square area), another first-timer, Nidia Lopez, won what some considered the surprise victory of the election when she beat five other candidates, including the prohibitive favorite Jimmy King.

In Ward D (Jersey City Heights), Councilman Bill Gaughan was re-elected for a record fifth term in a tough battle against challenger Jim Carroll.

In the citywide council-at-large race with 13 candidates, Healy runningmates Mariano Vega, Peter Brennan and Willie Flood won re-election as well. ? RK

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It is a surprise since Healy doesn't touch the stuff himself.

what a surprise... a vocal anti-healy JClister witnessed some "evil corrupt healy machine talker" at a bar...

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Would have been a good time to remember the message recorder on the cell phone.

Some douche Soprano wannabe was in the Ale House last night spouting off about how he had been out till 4:00am with the mayor on election night. He also bragged that Healy would be mayor for 12 years. He also went on about how his buddies bust peoples balls who try to open new businesses in Jersey City. "He ain't gettin' a C of O unless we say so". A total crony and douche telling the Ale House owner not to worry "we like you". Our city is so friggin' corrupt it's laughable. He was also, no joke, looking for a free meal.

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Brilliant analysis, truly. Are you free for the next election?

We have about 120 thousand registered voters and only 30 thousand voted. Healy got 16 thousand votes. So all you have to do is get 16 thousand votes and you are in charge! I would love to get a dollar figure of his campaign spending and divide that by the number of votes he got. Instead of campaigning he could just write me a check. It would have so much more simplicity, I wouldn?t feel like I was being cheated out of whatever I could hope for in my government representation since I would get a tiny piece of all that corruption and I could put it in the bank. How nice!

Healy was a runaway winner in every ward

Thursday, May 14, 2009
By TOM SHORTELL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Mayor Jerramiah Healy swept every ward in Jersey City by a large margin in his dominant Election Day victory Tuesday, a breakdown of the voting revealed yesterday.

In a preliminary count of votes by ward, Healy secured about 53 percent of the vote in a field of five candidates, enough to win the election on the first ballot. Healy had 16,736 votes, more than double the amount of votes of his nearest challenger, former Assemblyman Louis Manzo. The other candidates were Assemblyman Harvey Smith, Dan Levin and Phil Webb.

Buddy Demellier, Healy's campaign manager, said the margin of victory didn't come as a surprise. "He did well in (Ward) A and very well in (wards) B, C and D," he said. "The mayor's base is spread pretty evenly throughout the city."

A look at the vote totals and interviews with residents seemed to confirm Healy's widespread support. The race was closest in wards E and F, where Healy still beat Manzo and Smith by at least 20 percent.

Walter Daniels, 61, said he voted for Healy because he was happy with the way the mayor governed in his first four years. "My taxes have stayed the same. I see more cops on the street. If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said.

Mark Anthony, a Rutgers Avenue resident, agreed. "I see more of a police presence in the ward. It's my personal opinion he can get the job done," said Anthony, 42.

Many critics have hounded Healy for the 2007 incident in Bradley Beach, where he got into a scuffle with police. The voters, by and large, said the incident didn't weigh in their decision to vote for him.

"He's a man just like everybody else. He's not the only one who's ever made a mistake," said Anthony Nickrasz, a Thorne Street resident.

While Healy's supporters are glad to see him remain in office, they still want to tackle important issues facing the city.

"I'd like to see the taxes lowered, and more city jobs open up," Nickrasz said. "Instead of putting family in there, open it up to the public."

Healy won 16% of Registered voters, or 16,000 of 100,000 registered voters; there was a TOTAL of 30,000 votes cast for all mayoral candidates, of which Healy received about 16,000.

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I really wouldn't call just barely over half of 30 percent of registered voters a "Trouncing" as the paper had it. I hope the mayor realizes this and becomes more open minded, but I'm not holding my breath.
That being said, I do think sometimes he a bit of an oaf (Brady beach and doorstep) and an old school politician, but I don't think he's as bad as people on this list make him out to be.

as for that 80,000 - when you say "eligible" does that just mean "of age" - because there are tons of non-eligible people who are of age - all the non-citizens, and convicted felons...

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There were 30,657 votes cast for mayor. There are 101,311 registered voters in Jersey City as of April 12, 2009.

As of 2000, 24.7% of the population was under 18, so about 80,000 eligible voters are not registered.

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Ward A had the highest turnout for council with 5,138 votes cast vs. Ward E's next best of 4,970. Ward E had almost exactly 1,000 more voters yesterday than in 2005 - 3,971. Fulop beat Junior Muldonado four years ago by a 2,165 to 1,802 count.

Among non-at-large council candidates, Fulop's 3,142 votes were more than 1,000 greater than Ward C's Nidia Lopez's 2,028 votes. Lopez received the second-most votes among non-at-large council candidates citywide.

http://www.hudsoncountyclerk.org/
http://www.jerseycityonline.com/elect ... _jersey_city_election.htm

30,657 people voted in the mayor's race, compared with 24,414 in a less contested 2005 race. The county only reports county-wide turnout, which was 27% - seems like a decent proxy. (Would imply that there are ~ 113,500 registered voters in Jersey City.)

Woman ( i'm not going to get into other groups) have been given the right to vote since 1920. That means that 89 years ago that was not a choice for us. I am sure some of us have grandmothers that are that old. Why on earth a woman would not exercise her right to vote is mind boggling to me... LAzy LAzy.... I talked to 3 moms yesterday that didnt even know it was election day. That made me mad.

I don't know. Am I kidding. Would you or anyone else be surprised? Is Jersey City a model for ethical governance that I'm not aware of? I thought it was incredibly corrupt. No? So?, I think it wouldn't be a big surprise to anyone if it was. The low turnout is not a surprise to me at all. Apathy in caring about politics, the political system, local, state federal government by most citizens is rampant. Why vote and give power to yourselves when you can just be ignorant and dumbed down and watch American Idol and be as blissful as most Americans? You only get treated as badly as you let yourselves.

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Judging by the mayoral vote, about 19,500 people voted in the election. This should be compared to registered voters to determine turnout, or eligible voters, if that number were available. Does anyone know the number of registered voters in JC? I would be surprised if eligible voters were more than 1/3 of the total population (you have to remove children and legal and illegal aliens from the totals).

On a positive note, Ward E had the most votes. I don't know if it's the best turnout since I don't know the number of Ward E registered/eligible voters.