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Hudson County Politics Message Board |
Posted by How does Greg Brickey do it? on September 22, 2005 at 13:50:41:
Trick or Treat? Urban Times News By Greg Brickey The Great Pumpkin of the Jersey City Heights has returned. Former council president Tom DeGise, missing in action since losing the recent Jersey City mayoral election to fellow Democrat Glenn Cunningham, crawled out of the political weeds last week to work in the gubernatorial campaign of his former boss, Republican Bret D. Schundler. DeGise, said to be nursing a grudge against Hudson County Democrats for not supporting him during his run for office, is apparently still too angry and hurt to work with Mayor Cunningham or his supporters, and is consequently working against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim McGreevy. By joining Bret Schundler and the radical right-wing of the Republican party, DeGise broke ranks not only with Hudson County Democrats, but also with Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan, long known as DeGise's closest political ally. Urban Times News ran into Gaughan as he campaigned for McGreevy on Palisade Avenue, and asked if it was true that DeGise was working for Schundler. "Yes, its true," answered Gaughan. "He won't work with Cunningham. I think it's a bad move, and it will hurt Tom politically if he runs for office again in Jersey City." Few political observers were surprised by the DeGise/Schundler alliance. During the January 10 Jersey City Council meeting, DeGise spoke at the press table of starting a Democrats for Schundler group if he didn't receive the support of county Democratic leaders for his mayoral run. Gaughan said he knew of no such organization, but added that "even if it exists, it would be weak and disorganized." Speculation about DeGise's shaky political orientation became widespread when Schundler backed him as his sucessor during the recent mayoral election. During a press conference where Schundler announced his endorsement of DeGise, UTN questioned the candidate about his support of Schundler for governor, and his proposed "Democrats for Schundler" group. "I never said it," snapped DeGise. "It's not true. I never said I was forming any Democrats for Schundler thing, but if you've got it on your tape recorder then print it!" UTN has yet to receive one of DeGise's terrifying "vote for Bret" phone calls, but we did catch Schundler confonting a woman in Hoboken last week. Just as the woman took down a "Schundler for Governor" sign illegally posted on a street-light pole, Schundler's car pulled up and the window rolled down. "What are you doing?" Schundler demanded, "do you want a summons? What is your name?" Undaunted, she handed Bret a piece of his own poster. "It's against the law to put these up on lampposts," she said, "and they're right about you, you're too extreme." Ironically, Schundler outlawed the posting of political signs on public property when mayor of Jersey City.
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Hudson County Politics Message Board |
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