So, Fulop's not running for governor, analysis time!

According to now many sources, Mayor Steve Fulop will hold a press conference at Jersey City Hall at 2pm and announce he's not running for governor (His, "Oh boy there's so much going on here in Jersey City I just don't ever want to leave it" speech) and his support will go to Democrat (duh) Phil Murphy.

Johnny has opinions. First, Fulop diddled around way too long to truly run. Secretive meetings, throwing some party people under the bus, secret SuperPACS, and "I might but I might not though I probably will but won't say it now" comments over the past couple years really begin to grate on the citizenry. He had to make a choice and it was NOT going to wait until after the general election as Fulop had previously said when he'd make his official decision and announcement. Phil Murphy stepped in and announced his run in May, began a campaign in earnest in late July and August ramping up television ad buys. Murphy is sitting in the exact "slot" Fulop would have taken in the race, the furthest left progressive guy in a world of Sweeneys, Lesniaks and Wisniewskis. Murphy took that slot and solidified it with each ad that ran. Not only was Fulop going to have to battle Steve Sweeney et al, but just to get air he'd have to tangle with Murphy to again, get that "slot". That's a big hill to even start to climb with less and less time each passing day. Nobody can say Fulop can't read tea leaves, he was going to get beaten around on crime, Abbott Districts, his reckless abatements, his SuperPAC, you name it.

Plus, and feel free to call it piling on, thanks to Johnny, certain other candidates have pictures of Fulop and Rolando Lavarro in Transmission the night it was raided by JCPD. Those wouldn't have looked good in teevee ads. Plus, Johnny said don't put that craptastic club there and you did anyway. Call it piling on but do read Johnny's mission statement here:

He moves silently, like a shadow in the night collecting dirt on the powers that be. Now he calls on a silent army of many to expose the corrupt and irretrievably stupid around town.

Fulop would not have been a good governor in Johnny's opinion. He's wasted almost four years dabbling with the governor idea and giving our fair city short shrift in doing so. Some of his decisions absolutely look as though they were made with Trenton's best interests in mind, not Jersey City's. Whatever it was going to take, whether bad planning, dodgy work on the city he was elected to govern, questionable financing, his run had to be stopped and it's a good thing Murphy got going when he did.