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Posted by Pepe Bonmot () on March 16, 2002 at 11:04:34:
Trouble on horizon 01/16/02 Peter Weiss Hudson Democrats have been at peace for several months. You know that can't last much longer. In fact, it may be over. There are signs of a growing rift between Rep. Robert Menendez, D-Union City, the county Democratic chairman, and Jersey City Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham over which of them is the county Democratic leader. Shared power doesn't seem to be working at all. Talk to Menendez and Cunningham and they insist everything is fine between them. But look at some of the things going on and listen to some of their respective supporters and you get a different picture. Cunningham has called a meeting of county mayors for today. It's mayors only, which means Menendez wasn't invited. If the talk is about things mayoral, like municipal services or state aid, it's no problem. But if they talk about whom to support for county executive in this year's special election, it will raise another flag for Menendez. Cunningham wants interim County Executive Bernard Hartnett Jr. to run for the one year that will remain on the term of former County Executive Robert Janiszewski. Menendez, while not necessarily averse to Hartnett, has made no commitment and won't be happy that others are trying to make the decision without him. Menendez and Cunningham are each courting other top Dems who could make the difference in a county battle, if it comes to that. State Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco, in particular, has gone from looking for a life preserver after Janiszewski's departure to being offered his choice of staterooms by Menendez and Cunningham. Menendez has also called a meeting of the mayors today to discuss the long overdue redrawing of boundaries for the nine districts of the county Board of Freeholders. The new districts have to be in place by the mid-April deadline for filing nominating petitions. Menendez has one plan, Cunningham another, and while they probably don't differ much, the issue of who controls the process is touchy. Menendez recently lit into two county staffers because he thought they were proceeding with the redistricting process without keeping him informed. Sitting in the seat that is traditionally reserved for the state's senior U.S. senator was Menendez, while Sen. Robert Torricelli was two seats away, where the senior member of the state's delegation to the House of Representatives usually sits. Maybe Torricelli should be happy he was even invited on stage. Two years ago he tried to supplant McGreevey as the party's leading contender for governor. The coup attempt was rebuffed largely through the efforts of Menendez.
Speaking of wooing Sacco, he asked Menendez to preside at a recent swearing-in in North Bergen for his new term in the state Senate. They even embraced warmly, although one could be excused for being reminded of Michael Corleone hugging his brother, Fredo.
Cunningham and Torricelli were also there, but Menendez left before the senator spoke. The congressman's office said it was another engagement that caused him to leave early.
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