Quote:

he taught ethics....

L. Harvey Smith worked in Dickinson High School?
What did he do?

i'm a 2004 Dickinson High School Alum....

I maybe came into contact with harvey about twice throughout my 4 years at the school... and to be quite honest, i don't remember them being pleasant...

i'd always see him around the halls wondering what the hell he really did at the school... he seemed to just be there to have an extra body around and i know he held more clout than other staff members, just didn't know his exact position in the school...

never saw him do much, and it actually seemed like he was never interested in being there

bottom line: I'M NOT SURPRISED

Smith on track to lose Assembly pay and benefits

Thursday, July 30, 2009

TRENTON - State Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith, of Jersey City, one of the 44 people arrested last week in a massive New Jersey corruption probe, is about to lose his legislative pay and benefits.

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. announced the pay and benefits suspension for Smith and two other assemblymen yesterday, following an opinion from legislative lawyers.

Roberts had already removed Smith and Assemblymen Joseph Vas, of Perth Amboy, and Daniel Van Pelt, of Waretown, from their committee posts.

Like Smith, Van Pelt was arrested in last week's federal corruption sting. Vas was charged in an earlier, unrelated case.

Roberts said, "taxpayers should not be on the hook for services that cannot be effectively rendered."

Peter Willis, Smith's Jersey City-based attorney, said Roberts is ignoring the Constitution.

"It would appear that Speaker Roberts has effectively removed the Constitutional guarantee of the presumption of innocence that's found in both the United States and the New Jersey Constitutions," said Willis. "Assemblyman Smith is considering his options and will be guided by the appropriate state and federal laws."

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce, meanwhile, called on Gov. Jon Corzine to order a special session of the Legislature to pass a tougher ethics law.

In a criminal complaint, Smith is accused of taking $15,000 in bribes from a man who he believed to be a developer wanting to build homes on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City.

The complaint alleges that at one meeting with the government informant, who has been identified as Solomon Dwek, Dwek said, "Mr. Harvey, I'll do business with (Smith aide) Rich (Greene) and then I'm going to do 5 ($5,000)," but he is cut short by Smith, who replied, "Stop talking. I understand. You make me feel like I might want to pat you down."

Journal staff contributed to this story.