Funny. McCann says " you throw a rock, I?m throwing a boulder."

He is accused of voter fraud.
He claims the other guy forgot his dad's birthday.

More like throwing a pebble.

Side Note: It's good to see a mention of Healy's photo. Some new residents I talk to have no idea of this.

I still don't understand why no one has challenged McCann's status as a Jersey City resident. The man lives in Bergen County !

Vote for Lester and Waterman and send McCann and Dehere packing !!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/nyr ... ial2/27jerseynj.html?_r=1

Text from the article:

SOME things just don?t change in Jersey City. But at least no one is accusing anyone of collecting votes from the dead.

In the month since Gerald McCann was elected to the school board here, he has been sued by the losing candidate in a vote fraud case involving nursing homes, he has demanded the resignation of the head of the teachers? union, and he has accused the mayor?s chief of staff of being a bad son.

Mr. McCann, the one-time mayor, who was convicted and removed from office in 1992 for bank fraud (he still says he is innocent), is back, after serving more than two years in federal prison, in all his brawling, brash glory. It matters little to him that he is just one of nine members on the board, which wields little power because the school district remains under state control.

?I?m not in it to get into fights with people,? Mr. McCann, 57, a Democrat and real estate consultant, said in a recent interview, ?but to do what?s best for the students of Jersey City.?

Oh, but fighting there has been.

In a challenge that could upend his razor-thin victory margin of 21 votes, Jenny Garcia, the fourth-place finisher, has sued Mr. McCann, accusing him of hoodwinking ?incompetent or otherwise elderly and ill? residents of multiple nursing homes into casting absentee ballots for him in the April 17 election.

Mr. McCann has acknowledged that he helped sign up nursing home residents for ballot applications, but said he did not help fill out actual ballots, which would be illegal.

Ms. Garcia, who was backed by the local teachers? union and Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, has obtained a sworn statement from a man inside one nursing home ? the father of the mayor?s chief of staff, Carl S. Czaplicki Jr.

The statement contends that Mr. McCann got hold of a mailed ballot and tried to get Mr. Czaplicki?s father to fill it out. When he refused, the statement says, a person who Mr. McCann later acknowledged was a campaign supporter came to help fill out the ballot. Mr. Czaplicki refused again, according to the statement. Last week, television commercials began airing locally that deride Mr. McCann over the incident.

Mr. McCann has taken offense to the accusations and has sprayed his own at the mayor, the mayor?s chief of staff and Ms. Garcia. ?I plan to shoot bullets,? Mr. McCann said. ?She shoots at me, I?ll shoot right back at her. Except my bullets will be bigger.? He was not finished. ?Remember, you throw a rock, I?m throwing a boulder. You throw mud, I?ll throw a mountain.?

He?s not kidding. He said that Mr. Czaplicki had forgotten his father?s birthday last year. Mr. Czaplicki did not return calls for comment.

He also accused Mayor Healy of financing the lawsuit out of spite. Mr. McCann said the mayor was probably still mad at him for photographs that surfaced in 2004 that showed Mr. Healy on his front porch nude after a night of drinking. Mr. McCann denies having anything to do with the photos.

A spokesman for Mr. Healy, Stan H. Eason, had few kind words for Mr. McCann, calling him ?a proven liar and fraud.? He characterized the issues surrounding the ballot fight as ?astounding and troubling at the same time? and denied that the mayor was helping in any way with the legal case against Mr. McCann.

Mr. McCann won by garnering 1,476 votes, and around town these days, from a diner in Journal Square to the county courthouse, he is often greeted with clasped hands and smiles. ?Hey, mayor!? exclaimed one man on Newark Avenue, who warmly patted Mr. McCann on the shoulder. Mr. McCann had no idea who the man was.

His popularity might be explained in other ways. In this city, many owe a lot to Gerald McCann. For instance, in 1991, he appointed a lawyer ? Mr. Healy ? as chief judge of the local municipal court. Others talk about Mr. McCann?s cunning and uncanny memory for numbers and history. He is currently helping a successful opponent in the school board race, the former professional basketball player Terry DeHere, in trying to save the varsity football team at a local high school from elimination.

During a hearing this month regarding the 216 disputed votes, the judge in the case, Maurice J. Gallipoli, said one didn?t ?need to be a rocket scientist? to conclude something fishy might be afoot. He wondered why Mr. McCann was trolling for votes in nursing homes.

?Do you think these people in the nursing homes were fully interested in a school board election?? Judge Gallipoli asked Mr. McCann?s lawyer, Mark C. Curtis, saying that under normal circumstances, ?You have to drag them out to get them to vote.?

The case is scheduled to go to trial in mid-June.

If we can get these old school jokers ousted, perhaps the Council won't be so smug in thinking they can do whatever they want and nothing will change. Encourage everyone you know to vote.

We are within two weeks of the next Board of Education election and it is crucial that you exercise your right to vote. Few elections will affect your wallet as much as this one. The school budget is more than $600 million and yet a majority of our public schools are failing.

Two important points as we approach the home stretch for the April 20th election.

First, please remember ballot positions 3-5-8 for the three candidates I believe can have the best impact over the next three years for honest, effective oversight of our schools. I am supporting Sterling Waterman (3), Carol Lester (5), and Angel Valentin (8). Please click here for bio and background information on each http://www.stevenfulop.com/2010boe.

Secondly, Jersey City is notorious for absentee ballot fraud and I urge you all to be cautious if you choose to vote this way. I have attached an article from the New York Times which should provide some perspective on the culture we are trying to change here in Jersey City

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/ 05/27/nyregion/ nyregionspecial2/27jerseynj. html?_r=1

as it relates to the board and the methods of old time politicians who manage to be elected again and again. Please be careful if you vote via absentee ballot.

If we don't put the proper management in place to fix the schools:

- Property values will suffer.

- Families will need to consider moving elsewhere for better schools.

- Taxes will increase.


The reality is that the school system needs to reprioritize and eliminate its culture of patronage and poor oversight. We can no longer afford to put politics ahead of children and the schools.


Please remember to vote. Whether or not you support the candidates I have endorsed, the most important thing is that you have your voice heard.

Sincerely,

Steven Fulop


This message was sent from : Fulop for Jersey City, Ward "E", Jersey City, NJ 07302. You can

Here is the polling place locator for any of you who might be unsure or are looking it up for a friend:

https://voter.njsvrs.com/PublicAccess/ ... Place/PollPlaceSearch.jsp

Jersey City Reporter: April 11th Deadline for April 20th BOE Election

Election-time political letters policy

The Reporter does not run critical letters about candidates in an election during the last weekend before the election. This is an effort to make sure all candidates have the chance to respond to or correct any statements that are made in time. Whether they are new attacks or not, the last weekend is reserved only for endorsement letters or general letters.

If you have a letter criticizing a political official, candidate, or issue related to an election, it must run two weekends before the election, at the latest.

The last weekend for critical letters about the April 20 school board elections will be the issue of Sunday, April 11. Thus, send your letters far enough in advance so that they can run that weekend.[...]

Letters must ALWAYS include the author?s name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. They must also be under 500 words.

Letters sent earlier in the week have a better chance for publication. For instructions for sending letters, word count, and other information, please see our regular letters policy, which often runs on this page, or e-mail editorial@hudsonreporter.com.



Caren Matzner, Editor

I'm delighted to receive Councilman Steve Fulop's endorsement. As one of few independent voices in our city's elected government, Steve is a great asset to Downtown, to the rest of the city - and his support means a great deal to me.

-- Sterling

Quote:

Ditto. And I voted for him. Sorry all.

One Jersey City, Dan Levin, also endorsed Carol Lester. I'll be sure to vote for her. My main hope with these candidates is that they will cut the spending.

Anybody but McCann.............

On April 20th is the Board of Education election in Jersey City, which is of critical importance to you as a resident, even if you don't have children in the school system. I am supporting Sterling Waterman (3A), Carol Lester (5A), and Angel Valentin (8A) as it is critical we elect people with a stake in the system who will be strong advocates for what is best for our students while being vigilant watchdogs of our tax dollars. I cannot stress to you enough the importance of voting in the Jersey City Board of Education election on April 20th. This election typically suffers from extremely low voter turnout yet the stakes could not be higher. Whether you have children or not YOUR TAXES for the school portion of your bill WILL go up. This week the Jersey City Board of Education passed their budget for the 2010-11 school year. As a result of that budget, the school assessment portion of your property taxes will increase 10%.Just as I have fought as an independently elected member of city council against the city?s wasteful spending, we need to do the same for our schools. With a budget of more than $600 million (over $100 million more than the city?s budget), administrative excess and a large number of underperforming schools, it is critical that we elect similarly independent people to the school board. This is why I am supporting Sterling Waterman, Carol Lester, and Angel Valentin in the April 20th school board election. In a follow-up e-mail next week, I will provide bios for each of them. After reading them, I hope you will support them as well. Sincerely, Steve

I will be voting for Carol Lester.

Carol Lester
 From a family of teachers and educators
 Lobbied vigorously on behalf of charter schools after realizing how poor the options were in Jersey City for her own children
 Member of the founding board of the Learning Community Charter School
 Teacher of yoga and music for seniors and children
 JC homeowner and resident for 21 years
Carol has education in her genes. She is a teacher, both of her parents were public school teachers, and so is her husband. Carol?s deep understanding of the issues will serve the school board well.

A response to "Teacher" is this article from the Jersey City Independent, written by Jon Whiten (March 3, 2010):

"Monday was the deadline for prospective candidates to file their paperwork for the April 20 Board of Education election, which will fill three seats on the nine-seat board for a three-year term. A total of 16 candidates, including all three incumbents whose terms are up ? Terry Dehere, Gerry McCann and Angel Valentin ? are running.

Here are the names of the other 13 candidates that filed: Kevin Armstrong, Sebastian D?Amico, Evelyn Farmer, Carol Lester, Gerald Maurice Lyons, June Mulqueen, John Muniz, Marimer Navarrete, Aura Ordonez, Hiral Patel, Anthony Sharperson, Sterling Waterman and Arthur Zigman.

Like last year, we will run a series of Q&As with the candidates in the weeks leading up to the election. The last day to register to vote, or change your registration address, is March 30."

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... rd-of-education-election/

I cannot vote for anyone with a negative background. I cannot vote for anyone that endorses another candidate that has a negative background. Both belong in the same category.... negative.

Gerald McCann is a convicted felon and we need to vote him off of the JC School board. He can't vote in American elections yet he votes on our children's futures. He uses these votes to further his political power and his pockets. He voted his old accounting firm to manage 600M of our $. He is siding with right wing interests in a "creative destruction" campaign on our schools. He is as slimy as politicians come and is considered an "expert" in getting the votes of infirm senior citizens. This tactic was key in winning the BOE election and he was accused of showing up to infirm seniors houses and threatening them in a Rutherford election he was some kind of senior citizen consultant on. He has already used his power on the BOE to get a city job on the Incinerator Authority.

He is siding with his old "family" buddy policeman SEAN CONNERS and possibly Terry DeHure. The COP AND THE FELON a perfect team on the Jersey City School Board.

If you believe the children in Jersey City deserve better please add to this thread and USE FACEBOOK and EMAIL around the April 20th election for the school board.

Is there a full list of candidates? I want someone that
know, respects, and will abide by the word budget, ..as defined in a 1950's dictionary.

I'm guessing the Healy people will back McCann and Connors. Amazing how McCann has become part of the Healy team. Let's hope the people of Jersey City turn out to vote and remove McCann's sorry ass from the BOE.

Thank you both for sharing the candidates background info.
We are getting near term and am so glad for your input.

Now let's get involved and vote everyone!!!!!

The same few folks can't invoke change by themselves.

Apologies if I misstated anything, Dan. It wasn't intentional, just trying to get some info up on Sterling and Carol since folks were asking about potential candidates on the thread. Best of luck to Carol!

Not sure if I should post this, but something about the post by ?whospeaksforyou? rang flat, and I would like to clarify information about Carol Lester posted by him that while minor, is confusing since he had the same source material as I am cut and pasting from. Also, Carol spoke at last night?s council meeting on the budget/taxes municipal/school and did not announce or refer to running for school board.

Carol Lester

2002- 2008 Board Member and 2 term Board President/Chair, LEARNING COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL (LCCS)

2003- 2010 Founder & Chair, CLEAN AIR DURING CONSTRUCTION AT LIBERTY HARBOR NORTH

2002- 2008 New Jersey School Boards Association Trained (NJSB), Certified and Active Member

1993- 1994 Jersey City Community activist lobbying in Trenton for Charter School legislation

1994-1997 Co Founder for LCCS, editor Charter proposal, site alternative and staff committee member

From Carol herself ?

?In 1994 through 1997, my husband and I were part of a team of parents who acted as co-founders for the Learning Community Charter School (LCCS). I served on their Board 7 years and was Board President/Chair for 2 terms. I worked with dedicated Jersey City families back in 1993 to lobby for Charter School legislation in Trenton and then to Co-Found and oversee the creation and growth of one of New Jersey's best charter schools, the Learning Community.?

Note ? Carol?s husband and is a public college professor. She was motivated to help start a charter school when she discovered that there would be 30+ children in her daughter's kindergarten class at her neighborhood school.

btw, I am helping and supporting Carol Lester?s school board candidacy as are numerous grassroots community activists, organizers and more that have known or worked with Carol over the years. There will be an ?official? bio and candidate?s statement forthcoming. (I also find Sterling Waterman an excellent candidate and happy to support his candidacy).

VOTE!

Dan


Quote:

Last night at the Council Meeting, those present were able to hear the views of two candidates running for the Board of Education -- Carol Lester and Sterling Waterman. Both are or have been leaders in the Jersey City school system and neither are products of the machine. They are independent reformers who have already succeeded in making dramatic changes to the educational system in Jersey City.

Here?s a quick wrap-up of what I know of both:

Sterling Waterman
 President of the Concerned Parents' Association (CPA=PTA) at PS#16 where his son is in the 2nd grade
 Head of the JC Coalition of Parent Council Presidents
 Member of the School Leadership Council
 Member of the PCUE (Parents and Communities United for Education) whose stated goal is 100% graduation for Jersey City students
 Big Brother at Big Brothers/Big Sisters
 Operation Ceasefire member
 JC resident for 17 years
Sterling works literally every day to improve the life and pedagogy of schools in Jersey City, both in his capacity as a leader and as a parent. He attends all Board of Ed meetings and is outspoken at most, specifically discussing issues that are pertinent to his and all Jersey City schools.

Carol Lester
 From a family of teachers and educators
 Lobbied vigorously on behalf of charter schools after realizing how poor the options were in Jersey City for her own children
 Member of the founding board of the Learning Community Charter School
 Teacher of yoga and music for seniors and children
 JC homeowner and resident for 21 years
Carol has education in her genes. She is a teacher, both of her parents were public school teachers, and so is her husband. Carol?s deep understanding of the issues will serve the school board well.

I?ve met personally with both; and both are the sort of breath of fresh air needed to clear the waste from that $600 million Board of Education Behemoth and restore learning to its proper place in our city.

Who are the new candidates? Who is running???
I've been trying to find out for 2 weeks. This is the election that can start to make a difference.

Mark Your Calendar and Save the Date!

Jersey City School Board of Education Election

April 20, 2010

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