Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop took aim at Democratic State Committee Chair LeRoy Jones and Middlesex County Democratic Committee Chair Kevin McCabe when proposing lobbying changes, along with other conflict of interest policies, as part of his statewide reform plan.
By Daniel Ulloa and John Heinis/Hudson County View
Fulop said that it was a coincidence this was coming one week after South Jersey political boss George Norcross was indicted for racketeering by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, a move that he said was “a good day for the future of New Jersey.”
“We’re putting things out there without caring about the political repercussions of it. We believe I should be held accountable. The next governor should be held accountable,” the mayor began.
“I felt the [county] line was wrong. I got a lot of pushback from the political insiders throughout the state. It was undemocratic, I didn’t waiver in what I said. We are going to hold ourselves and other people accountable,” he reiterated.
He noted that his campaign for governor filed an amicus brief in hopes of ensuring the county line does not come back in future elections.
Fulop also mentioned he has endorsed ranked-choice voting, and has been a strong proponent of the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) – calling for restoring fee shifting after Gov. Phil Murphy signed a controversial bill earlier this month eliminating it, among other controversial changes.
On the topic of county chairs being lobbyists, Fulop said the current system is outdated and leaves too much room for gamesmanship.
“To have a system in New Jersey where individuals specifically select the candidates and specifically drive some of the lobbying business, and an opaque business in communication is really a problem,” Fulop exclaimed.
” … I put pictures of two of the people there who took advantage of that. If you look at those lobbyist firms, like River Crossing Strategies, he’s [McCabe] not even disclosed as a lobbyist there. He unilaterally selected a huge amount of legislators who he continually communicates with.”
Fulop said that when the New Jersey Legislature is voting on major initiatives like changing the structure of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, the influence of people like McCabe and Jones is clear.
” … You have influence here that is clear. I will make the argument publicly and personally. The goal is always to work with the legislature and get it done properly. I have a relationship with a lot of them and I still hope to get their support, see them regular for breakfast, for dinners, I still want to get their support,” he added.
“That doesn’t change that I want to do what’s right for New Jersey … It’s clearly wrong. I think any reasonable person who looks at it sees that it’s wrong … That doesn’t change the fact that this needs to change … People in leadership positions represent business interests that are counter to … Democratic Party values. It’s a moral issue and an ethical issue.”
He continued that he believes its basically impossible to be an effective lobbyist and Democratic party leader.
“You’re either lying to your client or lying to your constituency. There is no question people have monetized that position of chairman. That should change.”
Jones, also the Democratic chair in Essex County and a partner at 1868 Public Affairs, responded in kind in a phone interview with HCV.
“When it’s somebody like Steve Fulop, who is Mr. Transactional across the state … what goes on in Jersey City, there’s gonna be a reckoning with that – we’ll leave that for the weeks and months to come. Someone who has constantly tried to reinvent themselves and adopt a new identity is nothing more than a chameleon,” he asserted.
” … If there’s a legitimate need to capture a set of guidelines and rules that folks like myself and others should pay attention to, I’ve already done that, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but I don’t think that should come from a person whose been a violator of that and has all of a sudden found religion and wants to further his own political and governmental agenda.”
Fulop for governor campaign spokeswoman Ashley Manz said Jones’ “unhinged rant” is a clear indicator the mayor’s reforms are needed.
“The facts are that Chairman Jones has controlled the political fate of numerous state legislators while simultaneously representing the interests of many of the state’s largest corporations as a lobbyist with little to no government oversight — in fact he recently installed his own son as Essex County sheriff,” she said.
“That’s a recipe for an ethical disaster and it shows why Mayor Fulop’s plans to reform New Jersey government are so critical.”
Fulop also spoke in favor of term limits in Trenton outside of the governor (limited to two, four-year terms), as well updating and expanding the scope of financial disclosure forms, and rolling back the Elections Transparency Act to decrease campaign spending limits.
He further stated that he once again allow the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) to investigate violations from up to a decade ago.
Scott Salmon, an election law attorney working on the Fulop campaign, also indicated that they’d like to implement new software statewide that removes “human bias” from ballot drawings and have same day voter registration.
During the question and answer session with reporters, Fulop didn’t look at his proposal as a way to personally incense members of the political class in New Jersey.
“I don’t think I’m working really hard to piss people off. I am running a campaign that is detail oriented … I don’t know what more specific we can do here,” he said.
He also spoke a bit about how he has clashed with Norcross and U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who is currently on federal trial for a litany of corruption charges, repeatedly over the years.
“I terminated Phil Norcross’s law firm when I first got elected … We would disagree on issues ranging from Atlantic City and beyond,” Fulop recalled.
His relationship with New Jersey’s senior senator is more complicated: he ran against him for Congress in 2004, losing by a roughly 4-1 margin before winning the following year.
While they have had a detente for brief periods, they are never going to see eye to eye, Fulop said, reiterating that he has called him out when he has seen fit.
“The day he had the hung jury, rather than being remorseful … he made comments about people looking to jump in his political grave that was targeted at myself and Senator [Bob] Torricelli, the former senator.”
Fulop also spoke a bit about the growing turmoil within the Hudson County Democratic Organization since he announced running mates last week in light of new HCDO Chair Craig Guy opting not to endorse him.
“The relationship has always been complicated. I ran for office in 2013, none of them were with me. You get into this position and we overlap with them governmentally, but there was always this inherent distrust and discomfort and never really acceptance. Anthony Vainieri as a chairperson said having a governor from Hudson County could only help Hudson County,” he said.
” … I don’t know where that goes ultimately, but it’s not gonna change how we organize the county and Jersey City is 45% of the county, so I feel pretty good about how we’re situated.”
When asked if he thought state Senator (D-33)/Union City Mayor Brian Stack was behind Guy’s recent backtracking, he said it’s no secret Stack was pushing Guy, also the county executive, to be the HCDO chair.
Beyond that, he said he and Stack have always had an up-and-down relationship, something that he thinks will continue through the primary.
He also defended the rewarding process in Jersey City, that Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore, is among those leading the effort to appeal it.
“The judge found they didn’t do anything improper. If you look at it objectively, it is more fair and balanced than it was prior,” Fulop argued.
He concluded by saying he would pick a lieutenant governor before the end of the year, declining to mention who was on his short list.
“We’re gonna change the game,” Fulop declared.
