Political Insider: Who's got the energy vs. who's got threats? Just saying

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
May 04, 2013 at 12:23 AM

For an election where the talk is about how a low voter turnout could be a disaster, unless you are an incumbent, the campaign for the upcoming Jersey City municipal plebiscite has suddenly become one of the more interesting races in decades.

Discussion of the mayoral battle between the prime candidates has nearly reached a level of psychoanalysis. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the undecideds are making up their minds and now, based on some forays in neighborhoods, even those detached voters are starting to feel the anxiety and apprehension that comes with possible succession.

While Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise endorsed Mayor Jerramiah Healy's re-election bid, there are plenty of sources who say that county employees have been released from any bonds of "loyalty" and to act on their own.

Considering that Benjamin Lopez, director of Hudson County Family Services, and E. Junior Maldonado, deputy executive at the county Improvement Authority, are both working for mayoral hopeful and Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop's campaign, it's no surprise. Is there something Mayor Jerramiah Healy has to ask his "pals" at the County Plaza?

By the time this column is published there will be plenty of online reports about recent polls. One has Fulop up by a dozen points, and anything is possible. For those who believe it's a closer race, there's another poll that has the mayor ahead by 3 points -- which could be erased by an error margin of 3-4 points. No one is cheering among the incumbent mayor's inner circle. Even being ahead by 3 points is somewhat of a disgrace for an incumbent who at the time of the poll had more than two weeks to go before the election. Taking all the numbers into consideration, a conservative estimate is that Fulop is ahead by 6 points, but I believe only the last poll on Election Day is what counts.

These mystical numbers were conjured before the release of Fulop's new TV ads linking the mayor with FBI informant Solomon Dwek and the incarceration of key members of this administration on 2009 federal corruption charges in connection with "The Jersey Sting," officially known as Operation Bid Rig III.

The ads must have had the desired effect, because thrice now -- the latest at Thursday's mayoral debate at Downtown's School 4 -- Healy has threatened to bring a lawsuit against Fulop for defamation of character. At the debate, the mayor said he survived the FBI sting, saying he was thoroughly vetted and found clean. He later bristled during Fulop's rebuttal when the councilman said that there should be a higher standard than "I wasn't arrested."

As for the threat of a lawsuit, both men suggested that people look at the entire video at nj.com and make up their own minds.

I believe that instead of threatening to do something, you just do it. Obviously, the mayor is looking for the media to spread his rebuttal threat. It would be terrific if Healy did take legal action. Wouldn't you want to see the mayor on the witness stand and under oath answering questions about his meeting with Dwek, his campaign, and even his relationship with the eatery -- "late" payments for city food licenses, and more -- the mayor frequents and also where he met with the FBI's plant.

Not to goad anyone, but we all know there will be no legal filing.

And can you predict success by the amount of static electricity at each of their recent fundraisers?

Earlier in the week, the mayor had about 350 people at Casino in the Park. It was a quiet affair reminiscent of a book club session, but to be fair it was headlined as a gathering for good food and good friends. It sounds like a place where Astrud Gilberto would be singing or better yet Claudine Longet.

By contrast, Fulop's crowd of more than 400 at the Downtown Zeppelin Hall beer-orium created enough energy to fill the spaces between people -- the kind generated at a political party convention. And to musically confuse you further and please a niche, I'd equate the constant intensity of the gathering to the "Cowboy Bebop" jazz theme "Tank."

Another sign of possible trouble in the Healy kingdom is the endorsement the mayor did not get. Yes, Healy is splashing President Obama's picture on everything and telling everyone how the mayors of Newark, New York City and Boston say he's the greatest, but what gnaws at him and his camp is their failure to get a seal of approval from 31st District state Sen. Sandra Cunningham.

They believe Cunningham's blessing would go a long way in solidifying the city's black vote -- in some minds. Cunningham did come out and endorse a member of Healy's ticket, incumbent Councilwoman at large Viola Richardson, one of the senator's BFFs. Apparently, the senator prefers not to take sides -- more than likely because of the uncertainty of the race. A remarkable choice because while not a fan of Fulop she seems to be a very practical politician.

Another sign of that practicality is that the Urban Times newspaper, which is seen mostly during election seasons, has been accepting all political ads, including Fulop's -- and even on the vaunted back page.

Then there are Healy people who say that there's a good chance the election could be decided in a runoff. Any effort to justify survival seems like an excuse. The mayor could win on his own merits. These people should remember that no incumbent mayor has ever won a runoff.

POLITICAL INSIDER

INSIDER NOTES

-- This is the week the news media will start paying attention to the Jersey City election. After all, this is the second biggest -- should be biggest, if they could count right -- city in the state. And Haguesville is right across from the Big Apple.

Look for the Wall Street Journal, WNYC-TV, this newspaper's sister paper The Star-Ledger, and other news outlets to do their take and editorials on the Jersey City race. Hey, even after the election, you know we'll still be here.

-- Gov. Chris Christie showed up at a fund-raiser for Sen. Cunningham Monday at the Liberty House at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

The governor was rude when he refused to take a photo with political operative and Cunningham guru Joseph Cardwell and former councilman Philip J. Kenny, two -men convicted in the federal Operation Bid Rig III sting operation started by Christie during his days as New Jersey's U.S. attorney.

-- As for Kenny, today he is a totally free man because his probation ended yesterday at midnight. He had been found guilty of corruption and was sentenced to one year and one day with two years of probation. And to celebrate his freedom, St. Al's Church is holding a thanksgiving Mass at 3:30 p.m. today in his honor for all the good work he has done for the parish. God bless you all.

-- Union City Mayor and state Sen. Brian Stack is doing a not-so-slow burn over what he sees as the meddling of Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer in the fight over the 33rd District Assembly candidacy that right now belongs to Mile Square City Housing Authority head Carmelo Garcia.

A group of friends and neighbors of Councilman Ravi Bhalla brought a lawsuit that succeeded in knocking the housing director off the ballot, until the ruling was overturned in state appellate court. The plaintiffs claimed Garcia was violating the federal Hatch Act, which prevents federally paid employees from seeking elected office. The appellate court decided Garcia's salary is not all from federal funds, so he's running under the Hudson Democratic Organization banner andin Stack's district.

Bhalla's plaintiffs are thinking about taking the case to the state Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Stack is giving serious thought to sending his large disciplined army of election workers down the cliff to work against Zimmer's re-election bid in November.

Current 33rd District Assemblyman Ruben Ramos is Zimmer's main rival.

Stack's response will depend on what new Hoboken straw may fall on the senator's back. The question is whether any action against Zimmer would be considered the Hudson County version of the 1914 assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria?

-- While looking at Tarot cards to divine the Jersey City election, I was reminded of the Rule of 32.

Let me note this is the 100th anniversary of when Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague was elected to the city's first commission in 1913 under the new Walsh Act. On his re-election in 1917, Hague was selected among the commissioners as the city's mayor.

Now every 32 years, a little more than a generation, there has been an upheaval -- a change in the ruling political machine. So, 32 years after Hague became mayor, the machine was torn asunder when Hague's second in command, John V. Kenny, defeated Hague's choice and nephew, Frank Hague Eggers

Another 32 years later, rebel and rascal Gerry McCann broke from the existing Democratic Party leadership to become mayor and wrest control of local leadership and quite possibly create more tribal leaders in the city

This city election is another 32 years later.

-- Gasp, I'm up for jury duty this week. I've got an election coming up. Can I get out of this?

I say hang 'em high!

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... got_the.html#incart_river