See Spot Rescued just got some money

That's right, after the Jersey City Council's gutless and inexcusable to allow puppy mills continued access to Jersey City pet stores Johnny decided something positive needed to come from their dimwittedness. This morning, Johnny made a donation in EVERY City Council member's name to See Spot Rescued, the not puppy mill place (Of course you could use Liberty Humane Society as well, they're super good).

Maybe it has to come to that here in JC, other people making donations for your officials' poor decisions. Get ready to dig deep citizens.

Interesting idea Michael Yun, very interesting

Ward D councilman Michael Yun is said to be floating an idea that would double city council's salary from $35, 000 a year to $75,000 a year while raising aides pay from $15,000 to $40,000.

Yes, we can hear the audible groans and protests already. But wait, there's more to it.

Yun's plan would also mean council members and their aides are forbidden from taking multiple public jobs. Yeah, and we're all for that happening aren't we? Some people treat three and four government jobs as the norm while they suckle the public teat. While the raise for aides might be a harder sell Yun says the raises for staff are very necessary:

“We’re short on manpower,” he said. “We can’t do true research, analysis.”

So an interesting idea should it come to pass. We know of a former council member who would have hated it, maybe one of the reasons she's not a council member anymore.

You know 'em, you love 'em, you just can't live without 'em -- It's a News Roundup Wednesday

*So Steve Fulop, what have you or anybody else on your ticket done to create wealth and opportunity in Jersey City? Don't give us that lame "But we haven't even been sworn in yet," mope. Look at go-getter city councilman elect Michael Yun, he's already made somebody a millionaire.

*Speaking of Fulop, he's planning on putting more cops into the next recruitment class.

*Some businesses down on the shore have taken to putting lines up on their business to show how high the water from Superstorm Sandy got.

*Fully 10% of the bridges we drive on in New Jersey are structurally deficient. Wanna know which ones? Oh and a note to Mr. Christie. Know when things went south for a formerly popular governor in Michigan named John Engler? When he stopped paying for road repairs (after dumping the mentally ill in hospitals out on the streets but that's a story for another day) and to this day carries the nickname "Pothole John" around the Mitten. Things went south in a hurry too. Just saying.

*We'll end with a story commanding a very high 'cool quotient' today. NPR visited a Jersey City recycling plant and you can learn a lot from watching the animated gifs of the process. Johnny learned that his bottles for his beloved Diet Snapple (Raspberry or Peach let's not fight) may come from this very recycling center. Of course none of this will have mattered when the Sun has exhausted the hydrogen in its core in around 5 billion years and becomes a red dwarf, but we can all feel good for now.

Our final score: Fulop 7, Independents 2, Healy 0

Maybe that's why Beth Mason over in Hoboken attempted a clumsy backtrack and threw a pittance of cash and prizes towards His Excellency Steve Fulop a few days ago. She could see what was coming.

As we said last night the last Healy backers are gone. With the exception of Ward C, where Healy-then-Fulop ticket member Nidia Lopez lost to Rich Boggiano, and in Ward D where Michael Yun dusted Healy supporter Sean Connors (he once called Steve Fulop "un-American") Team Fulop won every ward. Fulop's at-large candidates, Joyce Watterman, Daniel Rivera and Rolando Lavarro ended the council career of Viola Richardson and defeated Sean Connelly. In Ward A Frank Gajewski, part of the Fulop team, bested former superintendent of schools Charles Epps (Those girls are evil). Ward F is stuck with the unfortunate wordsmithing of Diane Coleman. Ward B wasn't even close with Khemraj “Chico” Ramchal defeating Esther Wintner.

So there you go. Things are going to look a lot different July 2nd after the hangovers subside. Certainly Fulop will get just about anything he asks for. On paper (or computer screen) that looks and sounds great. But this IS Jersey City and of course anything is possible. We think Fulop will get a honeymoon but what length we can't say. We do think the first two or three initiatives and whether they are divisive or common-sense fixes will help set the honeymoon timeline. There's a huge budget mess right off the hop, just like a stinking fish left by Healy in Fulop's chair June 30 on his way out the door.

It's Jersey City and anything is possible.

Steve Fulop has been elected mayor of Jersey City!

And what an early call. Well, the call itself was from outgoing Mayor Healy to incoming Mayor Fulop conceding the race. Fulop's candidate in Ward E, Candice Osborne has also won her race defeating Dan Levin and Fletcher Gensamer. The other races may be headed to a runoff which would be well over the three number Johnny set earlier. More updates as they come in or you can just click here for the Hudson County tally.

As of 9:20pm:

COUNCIL AT-LARGE
(Top three vote-getters elected)

*Peter Brennan -- 5,392
*Viola S. Richardson -- 5,788
Omar Perez -- 5,158
Ramon "Ray" Regalado -- 1,840
Sean M. Connelly -- 2,151
Joyce E. Waterman -- 7,576
Daniel Rivera -- 7,464
*Rolando R. Lavarro Jr.-- 7,398

WARD A
Francis "Frank" Gajewski -- 290
Charles T. Epps Jr. -- 443
Ricky "Rick" Johnson -- 111
Jayson H. Burg -- 18
Lori Hennessey -- 61

WARD B
Chris L. Gadsen -- 377
Khemraj "Chico" Ramchal -- 1,244
Gerald Meyers -- 1,141
Esther Wintner -- 570

WARD C
Adela Rohena -- 210
Janet Chevres -- 678
Richard Boggiano -- 1,000
*Nidia R. Lopez -- 872

WARD D
Mario Gonzalez Jr. -- 708
Sean Connors -- 1,344
Michael Yun -- 1,783
Grace Giron -- 196

WARD E
Fletcher Gensamer -- 224
Daniel B. Levin -- 719
Candice Osborne -- 1,680

WARD F
Jermaine Robinson -- 1,113
Kenny Reyes -- 190
Chantel D. Snow -- 200
*Diane Coleman -- 1,229
Deborah King -- 71

* -- incumbent.