|
Posted by Manolo
on February 27, 2003 at 04:40:58:
Uncle Harvey Leads Council "BLACKOUT" AgainUrban Times News
Volume 41, Issue 130
February 14 - February 20, 2003 By Steven Glazer (Jersey City) Muhammad Ali invented the
Rope-a-Dope.
Uncle Harvey invented the "Blackout." Jersey City Council President L.
Harvey Smith has perfected a fake maneuver that has come to be known as the
"Blackout," earning Smith the nickname
Uncle Harvey in the African American
community here. This skillful parliamentary feint requires Uncle Harvey's leadership as council president to line up votes
informally before public meetings to be
sure the resolutions will fail. Uncle Harvey
can then safely vote in favor of the appointments and other measures favored by the
African American community so his public
voting record can show support for the
nominees and other measures. Meanwhile
while his behind-scenes-efforts to sabotage these appointments are informal and do not
appear on any official record. Smith would
not discuss nor comment on the
"Blackout." Most recently the
appointment of Rev. John McReynolds to
the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency
was voted down by a council vote of 5 to 3,
with Council Member Mary Donnelly
absent, recovering from surgery. Council
Members Jeremiah Healey and Viola
Richardson voted for McReynolds and
were joined in their support of Rev.
McReynolds by Smith. Richardson is
elected to represent the city's predominantly African American Ward F, and Healey
and Smith both are "at large." Smith, in his
leadership role, is able to informally "count
noses," before an official public vote and
ascertain that it would be safe to publicly
register his support for McReynolds. McReynolds' appointment is politically
opposed by operatives of the Hudson
County Democratic Organization, where
Smith's loyalties lie. Smith is looking to the powerful fundraising abilities of the HCDO to help propel
him into office as State Senator, a contest he
could not hope to win without the powerful
support of HCDO. The outrage of misplaced loyalties and betrayal both in the
community and in the administration of
Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham,
Jersey City's first African American Mayor,
has tagged Uncle Harvey with the nickname that denotes traitor. Smith's last
relection bid came on Cunningham's coattails. Smith returned to office on
Cunningham's ticket after he was rejected
by the opposition candidate, Tom DeGise.
DeGise is now County Executive. In a heated
exchange with Council Member E. Junior
Maldonado at the last Council meeting former council member Jaime Vazquez
implied the same type of sellout by other
council members. "Half of you work for
the County anyway," said Vazquez. In fact,
Council Members William A. Gaughan,
Peter Brennan, Mariano Vega, and Junior
Maldonado work at various County posts.
Gaughan is chief of staff to County
Executive DeGise at a salary of $95,000 a
year. Mariano Vega is head of the
Department of Public Resources at $93,000
a year. Maldonado is deputy director of the
Hudson County Improvement Authority at
$88,000 a year. Peter Brennan was newly
appointed to the post of "confidential aide"
at $60,000 a year. Uncle Harvey's end of
the deal apparently includes a boost to the
State Senate Seat currently held by Joseph
Charles of the 31 st District. "Those County
salaries buy a whole lot of support and loyalty. Win their pockets and their wallets and
their hearts and minds will follow," said
Vazquez, Vietnam Veteran. The County
posts are appointed by, and serve "at the
pleasure" of the County Executive, Tom
DeGise. DeGise himself serves "at the
pleasure" of the HCDO, controlled by
Congressman Robert Menendez D-13,
Mayor Cunningham's political adversary.
Political commentators universally agree
that DeGise would not be able to win
reelection to the County post or any other
without the monetary firepower of the
HCDO funding a campaign. The battlelines between the
Cunningham administration and the HCDO
can be seen in terms of County versus City,
but HCDO have been very careful to avoid
the appearance of a split along racial lines.
Uncle Harvey has to maneuver adroitly to
avoid the appearance of racial sellout while
delivering the reality. Cunningham recently terminated Corporation Counsel Alex Booth. In a strongly worded letter
Cunningham said flatly that he did not trust
Booth nor the advice his administration
received from Booth. Booth went straight
to Uncle Harvey, termination letter in hand,
to round up votes needed to overturn
Cunningham's firing. Smith went to work
behind the scenes and in no time rounded
up the needed votes to allow Booth to defy
the Mayor. In public however, at the
latest regular meeting of the Council, Smith
turned in an Oscar-caliber performance
complete with headshakes and deep sighs
to bemoan the state of affairs that now
forced the Council to pay attorneys to represent all three parties in Court. Booth will
be represented by the law firm of Stephen
Edelstein who has done work for Scarinci
and Hollenbeck recently in the matter of
termination of County employees.
Scarinci, treasurer of Menendez for
Congress, was originally to represent both
council and Booth, but has apparently
decided to farm out the work to Edelstein.
Cunningham is represented by Michael
Stein of Pashman Stein. Stein is the son of
retired Supreme Court Justice Gary Stein.
Uncle Harvey's most memorable performance to date was in conniving with other
County employees on the City Council to
block the appointment of Rev. Ralph
Brower to the Jersey City Redevelopment
Agency. Smith proclaimed loud and long
in public how long he had known Rev.
Brower and how well and how high regard
he held for the Reverend. For public consumption, Smith could not say often
enough nor loudly en
Follow Ups:
| |
