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Posted by Manolo on May 01, 2003 at 17:25:32:
HCDO Offic Manager Defects - Slams "Uncle Harvey" Sellout Urban Times News
April 25 - May 1, 2003 By UTN NEWS
Email. stories@urbantimesnews.com Jersey City Allen Ross used to
be the office manager of the Hudson
County Democratic Organization Office
on Monticello Avenue. But then Ross'
conscience became unmanageable. Ross
can now be seen and heard around Jersey
City campaigning, practically crusading,
for Glenn Cunningham, but also against
The Hudson County Democratic
Organization. Ross' change of heart about
his former party affiliation and employer
centers heavily on Jersey City Council
President L. Harvey Smith.
Ross recalls Smith's role in the
handling of Rev. Ralph Brower's nomina-
tion by Mayor Glenn Cunningham to the
Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.
Smith earned himself the nickname for the
shameless way he connived with other
HCDO aligned council members to block
Rev. Brower's appointment. According to
Ross the incident was "shameful." Those
present last year at the City Council meet-
ing witnessed an obviously pre-arranged
parliamentary stunt carefully orchestrated
by Council President Smith with the con-
nivance of Council members William A.
Gaughan and E. Junior Maldonado.
Eyewitnesses saw Smith hang his
head as Gaughan told the board that Smith
had told Gaughan earlier that the Rev. was
in poor health and that the Rev.'s eyesight
was failing. Thoughtfully, Gaughan
moved to table the motion on Brower's
appointment and like lightning,
Maldonado seconded the motion taking it
out of play for at least two weeks. Only
Viola Richardson was still loyal to Mayor
Glenn Cunningham of the nine council
members. That meant simply that even if
Richardson moved to "untable" the
motion and put it to a vote, there would be
no second and the appointment would
remain tabled forever. As this drama
played out in just minutes, witnesses
watching Smith's body language saw
obvious discomfort as Smith seemed to
shrink to half his considerable size with
his face low and looking at the table top.
Rev. Brower, seated in the back
of the crowded council chamber was pres-
ent as all this played out and those seated
around Brower cried out that Brower was
present in the chamber. Those calls were
followed by jeers of "You better get some
glasses," while the council ignored the
obvious presence of Brower and tabled the
motion while Smith squirmed in his now
hot seat.
Ross says that Smith should
remember that he sits on the council now
only because the man he opposes and is
now running against for 31st District
Senate Seat helped Smith into office.
"Glenn Cunningham put Smith on the
Cunningham ticket, when DeGise and the
Hudson County Democrats refused and
would not have him. Harvey needs to
remember that now that he is opposing the
man who helped him. Now Harvey is
helping the men who would not help
Harvey. That is the kind of guy we are
talking about. We all need to remember
that."
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