Democrats and Republicans and the private sector working together?

Ah yes, 2012, well played Mayans...

In fact it is true, Republican Governor Chris Christie and Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Jersey City Democratic Mayor Jerramiah Healy, along with the LeFrak family helped open the new Newport Green "Urban Beach" here in Jersey City, a 4 acre park at Newport overlooking the Hudson River.

The park idea was begun under Governor Tom Kean way back when and will include a huge play park for kids and nice open grassy areas with a tip top view along with a wonderful sand area which puts the B in beach. Please, for the good of mankind however, use the wading pools and sprinklers at Newport Green if you're hot, please don't get an urge to cool off in the Hudson River.

Said Governor Christie “This is a perfect example of what can be done when visionary members of the private sector work with the public sector who believe government can have a role.”

He then added "Get the hell on the beach." Really, he did.

McGinley Square residents get eminent domain letters from the Healy Administration

Property owners and residents in McGinley Square got letters this week that the city is planning on possibly using eminent domain as a plan is in place for newer housing and a very necessary bowling alley. While redevelopments plans can be a good thing, eminent domain is simply a cheap way of screwing landowners out of a fair deal.

Remember, this is the Healy Administration and Jersey City Council we're talking about, where deputy mayors get convicted of felonies, council members wind up going to jail and where there doesn't seem to be much accountability (When was the last time the actual Mayor of Jersey City answered for ANYTHING). How much of a fair price do you think homeowners are gonna get?

Oh we have questions. The city says they have a redevelopment plan. Like the one that gathers dust on Journal Square? In this Journal Square redevelopment plan is the use of eminent domain being discussed or is that just McGinley Square's cross to bear? After the city takes over these properties are they going to turn around and give them to private business to develop? Wouldn't that be great, take someone's property on the cheap and then give it a private business to make money on?

You better believe that's what's gonna happen here, property owners will be lowballed as under eminent domain there is NO reason not to. "Take our best offer or we'll just kick you to the curb". Then the city will practically hand the property over to some slimy development company like Toll Brothers to get rich off of while the people who used to own it try and find housing with the pittance they were offered.

A LOT of questions need to be answered before Jersey City and their band of cronies try this route.

We've been saying it for over a year -- Mariano Vega GUILTY

Political gadfly and all around asshole Mariano Vega resigned his city council seat yesterday under cloak of gloamin, resigning minutes before a city council meeting (more on this in a few) and will today drive his sorry ass out to Newark and plead GUILTY to the crimes he was arrested for in the summer of 2009, you know, the charges he staunchly denied time and time again. Well Mario, guess what, today you are a felon. No more guesswork, no more 'allegedly, no today you become a felon. You were guilty from the outset and you knew it. You wasted time and money of the citizens of this city in pretending to fight these charges all while getting paid to attend city council meetings you didn't bother to show up for. You stole under the guise of representing Jersey City citizens. Simply heinous. There is a special place in hell for those who make themselves rich while they should be doing city business.

As for his resignation, it really wouldn't be Mariano Vega if he didn't pull the equivalent of taking a steaming poop on the carpet of the house he is moving out of. Vega's resignation comes just 4 days after the deadline that would have allowed the citizens to hold a special election for his seat (and we're SURE that Vega had no idea about the timing of this --snork) so now his replacement is appointed (no doubt to get Kwame Healy another lackey on city council) and no special election can be held for Vega's seat until November of 2011. Nice guy isn't he? On his way to plead guilty to felony charges he can't resist gaming the system one more time. Like we said, asshole.

So for now it looks like Vega's council aide Hilario Nunez will be appointed to take over his seat.

Disgusting. Simply disgusting. City voters don't get any REAL say in their representative and can't throw off the shackles of Vega's stink because he wanted his own personal aide to live up to his "high" standards. Citizens of Jersey City, the time is NOW to all show up at city council meeting and DEMAND to be heard. Show up with torches and pitchforks, get in the representatives grills on the street. Let them know you're paying attention. This city simply cannot allow this kind of "I'll steal until they catch me then I'll turn it over to one of my supporters" anymore.

People, we need action and a healthy dose of ANGER over the way this city is run. Healy MUST GO. Nidia Lopez/Boehringer MUST GO. Peter Brennan MUST GO. We have a lot of housecleaning yet to do Jersey City, nobody get complacent.

The Healy promise of "Change We Can See" runs through Federal Court in Newark.

Leona Beldini gets to keep her reservation for jail

Mayor Jerramiah Healy's former Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini tried, oh how she tried, to cancel her reservations to prison yesterday, but lost her bid. U.S. District Court Judge Judge Jose Linares tossed out all of Beldini's appeals on the charges she was recently convicted on, 2 counts of bribery. Beldini faces sentencing before Linares on June 14.

Leona, you'll simply have to email us here and compare the pancakes inside the county lock-up vs those at the Brownstone Diner where some of your malfeasance reportedly occurred. Yeah, that's it, you can be our new jail correspondent and or jail food critic. Shoot us an email, the people of Jersey City would no doubt love to know how jail will be working out for you.

Mmmmmmmm, jail flapjacks, made with love.

If it's the first Saturday in May, it must be the Jersey City Derby!!

So ladies put on those crazy hats, gentlemen start pounding those Pabst Blue Ribbons (no mint juleps allowed here) and get those $2 paramutual bets down.

Here is a clip from last year's race won by 'Jerry Healy' who ran away with the race on the backstretch over 'Cammarano's Cutlery', 'Chris Christie goobermint piggy' and 'Beldini at the Brownstone'. What an exciting race.

Head on over to Jersey City Downs, over by Journal Square near Kennedy Blvd for the 5:20 pm post time.

Is Jerramiah Healy still mayor of Jersey City this morning?

If so, why?

Torches and pitchforks at the ready JC citizens...

The noose is beginning to tighten around our erstwhile mayor here in Jersey City

OK scandal and corruption fans, Mayor Jerramiah Healy has taken a fall back position now that Steady Eddie Cheatam admitted in open court during his sentencing to funneling dirty money into Healy's campaign. Healy who before has said he's done nothing wrong and that he didn't wanna discuss the situation must have realized the more damning admission by Cheatam was rather damaging.

According to the Jersey Journal Hizzoner is saying:
"any donations to my campaign account by those individuals charged in this federal investigation have been isolated for donation to charity."

Ya see Mayor, it doesn't matter if that money is now designated for charity, the FACT it it was funneled into YOUR campaign and certainly a big strong man like yourself knows YOU are responsible for how that money gets into your account. YOU must take ownership of your campaign finances. We find this an apt quote:

Grima Wormtongue from Tolkien's 'The Two Towers'
"Who knows what you have spoken to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all your life seems to shrink, the walls of your bower closing in about you, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in? So fair, yet so cold like a morning of pale Spring still clinging to Winter's chill."

It won't be long now Jersey City but keep up the watch and we commend those taking the message directly to the Mayor. If you haven't yet seen this video of citizens protesting at the Jersey City Hall using theater to do so, well pull up a chair:

Dear Governor Corzine

Since you live just a few blocks up as the crow flies as a resident of Hoboken, maybe you can help. Your neighbors in Jersey City are suffering. We're suffering under the weight of some pretty corrupt bastards running the show here. As you are certainly aware quite a few members of the Jersey City political machine were arrested and also implicated in the FBI sting last month. It obviously goes right up to the mayor's office here and as high in City Council as its president. Now, we know you took an active public interest in Peter Cammarano's situation in Hoboken. Right away you came out and said you were very much against what he stood for and had done and publicly urged him to step down. You used your bully-pulpit to speak out against graft in Hoboken so here's our question.

Why can't you do the same thing to Jersey City?

As governor, you represent ALL the people in ALL the cities, town, villages, townships, bywaters and even those living under bridges and in cars. Why are you so deafly silent on the CRISIS here in Jersey City? Certainly you're not afraid to take on Mayor Healy just because he'll help turn out thousands of votes in the election as a Hudson County Democratic Party big wig are you? If you can use your bully-pulpit to specifically to call out corrupt officials by name in Hoboken you can certainly do it in Jersey City. We not only want you to, we expect you to. If you won't stand up to graft and stand up for us in a time of crisis can you give us one good reason why we should stand up for you in November?

Former Jersey City mayoral candidate Dan Levin wants to clean up the mess at city hall; The Jersey City Desk is backing Dan Levin's plan

Since Mayor Healy has been named in the corruption scandal and he came in first in May's election for mayor, and Lou Manzo who came in second is caught up in the same mess one may wonder where reform hope lies. How about with a guy who finished down the list, Dan Levin? A mea culpa, Johnny did not vote for or support Mr Levin in the mayoral race, he had questions about why a man who wanted to run Jersey City would set up his business in Hoboken BUT, that being said, Mr. Levin like any other Jersey City resident wants clean and fair elected representation. He's not asking to become mayor, he's asking to clean up city hall and Johnny in no way shape or form is going to nitpick with that.

Levin issued a press release today calling for Mayor Jerramiah Healy, City Council President Mariano Vega and Councilwoman Nidia Lopez to resign. Levin's group One Jersey City has suggested several changes to benefit the residents of Jersey City who would like to restore integrity and credibility to city hall. Among the changes One Jersey City is pushing:

* Adoption of the Redevelopment Pay to Play Reform ordinance written by Civic JC
* Application of the State of New Jersey’s Ethics Code in Jersey City
* The halting of all permits and approvals for new construction, development, and redevelopment until proper safeguards are in place
* The resignation of Mayor Healy, Councilman Vega, and Councilwoman Lopez
* The selection of interim mayoral and council replacement appointees from outside the existing political system

Mr Levin and One Jersey City, you have the Jersey City Desk's full support and if you would like to send us information on meetings or strategy this site is all yours. This city need a champion right now, and your reform ideas look like they make you that champion.

How can we help?

If you could ask Mayor Healy a question, what would it be?

A serious question....

The good, the bad, and the ugly on the Jersey City mayoral race

The New York Times had an interesting article a couple days ago on the wild and wooly Jersey City mayoral race to due be decided May 12. Although they mention Mayor Healy skipping debates they never ask him WHY he's done it. That was a shame. Both that he skipped them and that the NYT never followed up and asked him why that was acceptable behavior by someone who wants another term.

Oh here we go, people are upset with a Presidential fly over near NYC and Jersey City

First off, and this can't be repeated enough, the authorities in both NYC and Jersey City were ALERTED ahead of time of the photo opportunity at the Statue of Liberty by a faux Air Force One and an F-16 fighter jet. A lot of office workers began fearing another terror attack and left their buildings. OK, we get that we suppose, but understand, LOCAL authorities knew, it was their call to not alert the citizenry. Maybe they should have alerted certain office buildings about the exercise.

If you're upset, talk to them:
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy: (201) 547-4900/(201) 547-5555
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg: 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)

No planes here


Nope, no planes or big gorillas looking north


None here either, looks like the all it's OK to get back to work


UPDATE:
Now, Mayor Bloomberg is saying he wasn't told, sounds like somebody didn't think he was high enough up the chain of command, LOL.

The NY Daily News points out:

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the department was told told of the "aerial photo mission" last Thursday but ordered to stay quiet about it. But they did alert 911 operators at 7 a.m. to tell callers it was an authorized military mission.

Sounds like Bloomberg's anger should be directed internally to a department he oversees.

Isn't tonight the big Mayor Bloomberg fundraiser for Mayor Healy?

Big doings in Gotham tonight kiddies. Mayor Bloomberg is hosting a fundraiser for Jersey City Mayor Healy as our mayor stokes his campaign warchest for the mayoral election later this year. Johnny has an inside person attending (he might, you don't know) and we'll get you all the gossipy tidbits at a later date.

Mayor Healy, when you dodge debates, you're really dodging questions like "Why has our city become a wild west show?"

When you read about what the Jersey Journal is calling a "shooting gallery", where are you on this? Read these quotes from Jersey City residents:

"Lately it's been crazy"

"I seldom go out. My wife used to walk to the post office, but I told her don't go"

"He (the shooter) shot him right in front of the windows, and I ducked behind the counter."

"It's not safe"

What are you doing about it other than running TeeVee ads claiming you're change we can see? Yeah, we can see change around Jersey City, we can hear it too, trouble is Mayor Healy, the sound of change sounds like a ricochet. It's not JUST in the Greenville section, it's everywhere. You CLAIM in your teevee ads the cops support you and crime is way way down under your stewardship but that's not being backed up by the facts here. The fact is people are frightened to go outside. You CLAIM some computerized algorithm is sending cops here they are needed, apparently that means they show up AFTER the shooting has stopped.

You need to crawl off your high horse and start attending debates whether or not you deem them worthy of your time and start answering HARD questions. You'll show up at every ribbon cutting ceremony and parade you can find but you're dodging public debates at a time Jersey City needs leadership, not political posturing.

By the way, this is NOT an April Fools joke...

Mayor Healy, your teevee ads talk tough on crime, yet, there have been a spate of mob attacks recently, have you heard?

We see your election ads touting your record on crime as all that and a bag of chips. The problem the Jersey City Desk is having is then continually reading about young thuggish mobs attacking, robbing and beating Jersey City residents. Normally when an elected official is running for re-election on a "the crime rate is down" platform, they sit on these zoo animals and step up police patrols and keep the citizenry safer. We're just not seeing that now. Several incidents, from this one, to this one, to this one, to this one to the gang of six to ten hooded or masked crooks who robbed a resident of his cell phone and watch near Kennedy and Van Winkle a few weeks back make your ads look like so much bluster.

If you can't have your police force step up to the plate and do more to PREVENT/catch/prosecute these crimes NOW, before an election, it makes us wonder how bad things may get after the election. You know, once the risk of the voters judgement is no longer such a driving force in your political life. Dammit Mayor, it's close, REAL close to becoming unsafe to walk the streets of Jersey City after dark. All its gonna take is one of these scumbag thug mobs to kill somebody and Johnny's gonna drop some money and put up a billboard along the 1 and 9 and ask why you can't keep us safe while you're claiming to do it.

Statistics are fine things, go tell the crime victims in these stories crime is down on your watch Mayor Healy and see how comforted they become.

Um, think this UFO piece of metal is getting a LITTLE bit out of hand?

Now the Mayor, Jerramiah T. Healy had to show up on the scene, along with Police Director Sam Jefferson and other notables all to say "Yep, that's a big piece of metal" and it crashed through a building here, in Jersey City. The most famous piece of 8 pound metal in American history was found not to be from a space satellite, not something from a comet or the asteroid belt, merely a tooth from a gigantic mulching machine from Reliable Wood Products, 300 yards from it's final resting place at Al Smith Moving at 33 Pacific Ave.

Now, we're all glad it missed Al Smith when it came crashing through his place of business, very glad. But we do wonder if city dignitaries have better things to do with their time than say "Yep, that's metal alright".

So much news, so little time

Quite a bit of vital, disturbing, titillating, and economic Jersey City news in a segment we like to call "Go read it for yourself, Johnny's busy"

First the sexual innuendo news, North Bergen Mayor and State Senator Nicholas Sacco is being sued by an employee for commenting on her ample cleavage-ness.

Jersey City Municipal Court Judge Wilson J. Campbell is being reprimanded for having an affair with a bailiff. What was the old Cheech and Chong line from a skit they did? "Bailiff whack, his pee-pee" takes on a whole new meaning here.

A 16 year old girl was shot in the face leaving a Jersey City laundymat yesterday near Communipaw and Van Horne. Yeah, guns are a great idea...NOT. Hopefully someone will come forward with information.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's budget was rolled out last night. Get the details here.

Big plans for the Journal Square area are afoot. Big doings indeed. MAJOR improvements. Hyperbole aplenty. They even wanna name one of the new proposed buildings after Johnny, *sniff sniff*

Disgraced Jersey City policeman Martin Abreu blew well over the legal limit when given the breathalyzer Saturday night. He blew a .124, and had slurred speech and an open bottle of liquor in his car that hit and killed Marilyn Feng. His partner it turns out was in the car with Abreu.

Mr. Mayor, You CAN announce you're running again without the hoopla

These are lean times. Every penny must be pinched. We'd hope you'd understand that. The gala you threw yourself last night to announce Jerramiah Healy is running for mayor again was a bit over the top. Don't try and tell us each and EVERY expense was paid for by private donors. With all the police and fire presence, and lines of limos, it cost us something.

Seriously, we're not saying you're not the best candidate, but the flash and glam, those weren't needed.

This just in, Bret Schundler will NOT be running for Mayor of Jersey City

Claiming the nation's economic downturn has hurt his portfolio and would not allow him to campaign full time, former mayor Bret Schundler has decided not to run. Schundler told NJ.com:

"This will make it impossible for me to run," Schundler wrote in his e-mail. "I had planned to campaign full-time this Spring and to pay my family's mortgage and my children's tuition bills out of investment savings. Instead, I will need to work full-time at an income-earning job to pay those mortgages and tuition bills."

This leaves ONLY This leaves Mayor Jerramiah Healy, former Assemblyman Louis Manzo, ex-City Council President L. Harvey Smith, and Downtown activist Daniel Levin as candidates.

Maybe Johnny should run, he has a vision. He has lots of visions, mostly on Friday and Saturday nights after he takes his medicine.

We had no idea this was coming, Lou Manzo, running for Mayor of Jersey City

Lou Manzo will make his FIFTH run for Mayor of Jersey City in 2009. Manzo says he's running on a platform of "keeping streets safer, improve the city's image and negotiate better tax deals with developers"

"One thing I pledge is that I will never be an embarrassment to the people of this city" Manzo also said. Look we know you know the issues and take a little offense that you claim the drop in crime is only because "people are afraid to leave their homes" but we're gonna need a little more meat and potatoes than "I won't embarrass you". Unless Mayor Jerramiah Healy suddenly becomes Detroit's Kwame Kilpatrick, embarrassment isn't going to win an election for you.