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Posted by Manolo on April 01, 2003 at 09:12:50:
Urban Times News
March 28 - April 03,2003
By Steven Glazer Jersey City-It was as though a
group of circus seals and drunken rodeo
clowns got together and decided to hold a
press conference and photo opportunity and
everybody came-only they came to the
wrong place. Just for the five of them-
Jersey City Council Members-to be there
together at the same violates the Sunshine
law, governing meetings of public officials.
This makes the second time since the holi-
day season that this has happened. For ded-
icated public servants on a mission like
these, lawmakers at that, it is apparently of
little importance.
County employees also employed
by the City of Jersey City plus Jersey City
Council President L. Harvey Smith
appeared with Jersey City Corporation
Counsel Alex Booth, in support of Booth's
mutiny against Mayor Glenn D.
Cunningham. The group appeared on the
steps outside Hudson County's historic old
Courthouse in front of the office of County
Executive Tom DeGise, himself a former
Jersey City Council alumnus, in support of
Corporation Counsel Alex Booth, who
refuses to be fired. Every member of the
group has strong ties to the Hudson County
government politically and monetarily
through the Hudson County Democratic
Organization.
Not only does Booth refuse to be
fired like his brother before him, terminated
by the Jersey City Municipal Utility
Authority, Booth has reiterated many
charges against Mayor Cunningham and
members of Cunningham's staff from the
earlier suit filed by brother Jay. Hudson
County Superior Court Judge Arthur
D'Italia, already dismissed as "utterly with-
out evidentiary value" those allegations, in a
scathing opinion delivered from the bench"
Since then Booth has added a few new alle-
gations of his own against local business-
men who have categorically denied each
and every assertion Booth made.
Nevertheless Booth is pressing his suit-
which is good since it is badly wrinkled.
As the buffoonery unfolded out-
side, Mayor Glenn Cunningham's attorney
filed a motion inside ahead of the April 7
hearing date. Cunningham, represented by
Gary Stein of Pashman and Stein main-
tained that the court has the right to review
the suit and that the suit is base on Booth's
ineligibility to serve as corporation counsel,
and asks that the court therefore uphold
Booth's termination. Cunningham says that
Booth is disqualified because he maintained
his private law practice while holding office
as Corporation Counsel. City ordinance
require full time employment. Booth also
represented the Hudson County
Improvement Authority while Corporation
Counsel, a glaring conflict of interest, the
motion charges.
Booth went beyond the courts and
publicly called for a federal investigation of
corruption in the circle of advisors sur-
rounding Mayor Cunningham which Booth
characterized as a "brain trust." In his state-
ment at the press conference Booth referred
to no-bid contracts awarded to associates
and advisors of Cunningham but failed to
detail any specifics. Booth spoke about a
contract for copier machines but there has
been no contract to buy or lease copy
machines for the city during the time
Cunningham has been in office. Booth said
he was approached by associates of
Cunningham with financial interests in
those contracts but those associates say flat-
ly "It never happened. It is an out and out
lie, according to the businessmen, "We
never spoke about it. In fact, we never
speak and we have not spoken for a very
long time. We never discussed any contract
for copiers. It is a lie, pure and simple."
With Booth and Smith were
Council Members William Gaughan, Junior
Maldonado, Mariano Vega, and Peter
Brennan, all of whom hold County jobs
ranging from a low of $60,000 a year for
Brennan to $95,000 a year for Gaughan.
Insert photo
William A. Gaughan is a Jersey City
Council member who is also chief of staff to
County Executive Tom DeGise at a salary
of $95,000 annually. Marian Vega, Director of Hudson
County's Department of Public Resources
at an annual salary of $93,000 and is also a
Jersey City Council member. Vega has
been the subject of various allegations cir-
culating for at least a year in a letter signed
by six trade employees of the Department
that he runs. The employees allege that
Vega used County employees to make
improvements on his home on Mercer
Street in downtown Jersey City.
Maldonado freely grants that at least one of
the County employees named, Pat Russo,
was at his house. " Of course he was at my
house. He is an old friend of mind and he
has been to my house any number of
times." said Maldonado. Visitors to Vega's
house have been impressed with an exten-
sive collection of artwork throughout the
house. One visitor familiar with art said
that the painting were authentic and worth
thousands of dollars each. "I am sure the
value runs well into six figures. We are
talking about the real deal here. It is hard
to see how somebody could accumulate
assets with that kind of value on the
salary, even a good salary like Vega gets as
a County employee."
Russo was a supervisor of a
group of tradesmen employed by the
County who allege in their letter that he
coerced them to go with him on County
time and do work on Vega's house. Russo
says that he was a Vega's house and that he
did make the repair, a dishwasher installa-
tion that the workers charged in their letter,
but says it took only a few minutes and that
he only spent a few minutes to run to a
nearby hardware store for a thirty-five cent
fitting and that was it. Russo denies all the
rest. Russo was recently forced out of his
County job when the state's merit review
board barred him permanently from public
employment in the State of New Jersey for
a long-ago felony conviction when Russo
was a Hudson County Police officer.
Russo says that the charges only resurfaced
ineligibility to serve as corporation counsel,
and asks that the court therefore uphold
Booth's termination. Cunningham says that
Booth is disqualified because he maintained
his private law practice while holding office
as Corporation Counsel. City ordinance
require full time employment. Booth also
represented the Hudson County
Improvement Authority while Corporation
Counsel, a glaring conflict of interest, the
motion charges.
Booth went beyond the courts and
publicly called for a federal investigation of
corruption in the circle of advisors sur-
rounding Mayor Cunningham which Booth
characterized as a "brain trust." In his state-
ment at the press conference Booth referred
to no-bid contracts awarded to associates
and advisors of Cunningham but failed to
detail any specifics. Booth spoke about a
contract for copier machines but there has
been no contract to buy or lease copy
machines for the city during the time
Cunningham has been in office. Booth said
he was approached by associates of
Cunningham with financial interests in
those contracts but those associates say flat-
ly "It never happened. It is an out and out
lie, according to the businessmen, "We
never spoke about it. In fact, we never
many waste disposal concerns that he is
charged with regulating. Maldonado is also
chainnan of the Jersey City Redevelopment
Agency where he was responsible for the
introduction of a pocket resolution putting
attorney Donald Scarinci in de facto control
of the JCRA including the ability to influ-
ence decisions involving his own compen-
sation. Maldonado is supporting Booth's
suit against the Mayor alleging no-hid con-
tracts exactly like the one given to Scarinci.
Maldonado has frequently come under fire
from others, not part of the Cunningham
administration for misappropriating funds
from a Hispanic heritage event held yearly
in Jersey City, Fiestas Patronales. Former
Council member Jamie Vazques has
charged that Maldonado has raised money
for the festival for years and pocketed the
majority of the funds. Vazquez has chal-
lenged Maldonado to produce financial
records of the affairs, but to date
Maldonado has not done so. Maldonado
denies any impropriety regarding the
Fiestas Patronales.
Peter Brennan is a Jersey City
Council member who was recently appoint-
ed to the post of confidential aide with the
County government when Tom DeGise
took office as County Executive. Brennan
is the owner of a Tavern in Jersey City's
Ward A and is well-known as bookmaker.
L. Harvey Smith, Jersey City
Council President is not employed by the
County of Hudson but is hopeful of the
HCDO sponsorship to run for State Senator
in the 31 st District opposing Mayor Glenn
Cunningham. Smith was denied a spot on
the organization's ticket and rode into the
office he presently holds, ironically, on the
coattails of Glenn Cunningham. Smith's
switch of allegiance and apparent lack of
loyalty to his political benefactor have
earned him the reputation of sell-out, hence
the nickname Uncle Harvey. Smith is an
African American who is seen by the
African American community in Jersey
City as having sold out like the character in
the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Smith
has also been the subject of numerous com-
plaints by developers both in and out of the
area.
One well-known Bergen County
developer said in an interview that he did
not like to take on projects in Hudson
County because "All those guys have their
hands in my pocket up to the elbow, espe-
cially the big guy." Smith stands well over
six feet. The developer confirmed that it
was Smith specifically who was most
aggressive in demanding gifts. "Was it
Harvey?"
The developer was asked. "Yeah,
that's it, Harvey Smith." Another developer
planning to construct houses complained
that Smith tried to shake him down for a
house. It is well-known that Smith's civic
association office is housed in a building
owned by a developer who has done a large
number of projects here in Jersey City.
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