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Posted by Pepe Bonmot
on March 20, 2002 at 10:59:30:
March 15, 2002 Bitter Feud in Contest for Party Post Goes Public "He has used that position to grab power for himself like a modern-day Boss Hague," Mr. Cunningham said from City Hall, referring to Frank Hague, the Jersey City mayor and Democratic machine boss who ruled from 1917 to 1947. "He has created havoc in Hudson County." The issue that ignited the feud between the mayor and the congressman, who are former allies, is who will succeed the former Hudson County executive, Robert C. Janiszewski, who resigned in September. But the battle between Mr. Menendez and Mr. Cunningham is really about who will dominate in Hudson County, a place long known for its rough-and-tumble, take-no-prisoners politics. Mr. Menendez, a five-term congressman, was instrumental in the campaign to elect Gov. James E. McGreevey. Mr. Menendez has spent the last few years consolidating power in Hudson County, a stronghold of Democratic votes, and now he finds himself with a local fight on his hands in a year when he is up for re- election. But the risks may be greater for Mr. Cunningham, who has been mayor less than a year, and who was elected with Mr. Menendez's support. The mayor is backing Bernard M. Hartnett Jr., a former county Democratic chairman, in a special election in November to serve the remaining year in Mr. Janiszewski's term. But Mr. Menendez said he would not back Mr. Hartnett, who has been acting county executive since Mr. Janiszewski left, because Mr. Hartnett has said he would not run again, even if he is elected in November. The congressman persuaded the mayors of Hudson County's 11 other cities to go along with him. "I have never been more offended in my 28 years in public life than I am by what Mayor Cunningham said today," Mr. Menendez said. "What he fails to understand is that the days of bossism are over. My job is not to accede to his demands but to try to produce the best candidate for the party primary." The mayors of the other Hudson municipalities issued a statement this afternoon saying they were on his side. While they did not name a candidate, other officials said the most likely choice was Tom DeGise, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor against Mr. Cunningham last June. Mr. Cunningham said Mr. Menendez was not backing Mr. Hartnett because he would rather have someone who would award county contracts to his cronies. "He is a political terrorist," Mr. Cunningham said. He said that if Mr. Menendez did not agree to step down as county chairman, he would back someone else for congressman in the Congressional primary in June. Jersey City, he said, has half of the Democratic votes in the district. |
