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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The attached story is fascinating just because it
involved one of the most entrenched political machines in the country, Hudson
County New Jersey, being upended by a reform slate. Not that the reformers
are wild-eyed radicals, but they were up against the County Executive, most
Jersey City Councilmembers, and Congressman Menendez. Their main asset was
the relatively popular mayor of Jersey City, Glenn Cunningham (first black mayor
of that city), and a good grassroots effort.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Voting on Tuesday, what fascinated me was that it
felt like a general election. Beside each office, state legislator, state
Senate, et al, were multiple columns of candidates. Each column was
labelled with the name of the slate of candidates-- the machine (Hudson County
Democratic Organization) in Column A, the reformers (I think Dems for Better
Hudson County) in Column B, and some stray folks with their own name in Column
C. You could vote individually, but probably like most folks, I just
flipped the switches for all the reform Dems in Column B.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And they seemed to have edged their way to
victory.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>On the why run in the Dem primary, nothing seems
more convincing than a place where you can give your slate its own name and
identity and get your own column to have party loyalists pull. It just
seems crazy that the Greens and Socialist Party who run statewide candidates in
NJ don't run slates in primaries in places like Hudson County where they could
probably be listed on the ballot.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>-- Nathan Newman</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></STRONG>
<P><FONT size=5>Doria got the vote out, but may lose Trenton job </FONT></P><B>
<P></P></B>
<P>
<P>Thursday, June 05, 2003</P>
<P></P><B>By Ronald Leir</B> <BR><B>Journal staff writer</B>
<P>
<P>He had the money, he had the campaign workers and he had the high-powered
connections, but he could lose his Assembly seat. </P>
<P>Bayonne Mayor Joseph V. Doria Jr.'s 24-year career in the Legislature, which
included a two-year stint as Assembly speaker in the early 1990s, may have ended
Tuesday night in a stunning upset - although he hasn't conceded the race, and a
recount seemed inevitable today as Hudson County election officials continued
counting vote tallies from Tuesday's Democratic primary. </P>
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<P></P>
<P>But the unofficial results give the edge to the candidates on Row B - the
slate led by state Senate candidate Glenn D. Cunningham, the Jersey City mayor -
and appear to show Louis Manzo edged out Doria in a close race for the second
Assembly seat in the 31st District. </P>
<P>Bayonne Councilman-at-Large Anthony Chiappone appears to be the clear winner
for the district's other Assembly seat. </P>
<P>Ironically, Doria and his Row A Assembly running mate, Elba
Perez-Cinciarelli, handily swept the Bayonne portion of the district by an
average margin of 21/2-to-1 - but Jersey City voters, who comprise the majority
of the district, apparently voted in strong enough numbers to send the renegade
Dems to state office. </P>
<P>Assessing the vote early yesterday, Doria preferred to focus on the Bayonne
vote. </P>
<P>"In Bayonne, I beat him by 3,300 votes and Elba won by between 2,400 and
2,500," Doria said. "I believe I ran an exceptional race in Bayonne. </P>
<P>"More than 8,700 Democratic voters turned out - more than 50 percent of the
registered Democratic voters in this city, and that's the highest for a primary
election since the 1980s. In Bayonne, we did exactly what we had to do." </P>
<P>So what went wrong? </P>
<P>"Glenn's got a lot of pressure points and he had much greater (name)
recognition factor," and "Chiappone ran on the coattails of the Jersey City
mayor," Doria said. </P>
<P>Chiappone said that campaigners - and Manzo in particular - going
door-to-door instead of relying on mailings and radio spots to carry their
message, Cunningham's popularity in Jersey City and a backlash against "negative
ads by the Democratic organization" all made the difference for the Row B
candidates. </P>
<P>If he is edged out, Doria predicted that Bayonne would "lose its influence
with the Legislature." </P>
<P>"It will be much more difficult for a freshman legislator to leverage for
grants for the city," Doria said. "I just hope the Legislature will still be
responsive to us." </P>
<P>Doria's campaign literature boasted that during his Assembly tenure, Doria
has been able to secure huge amounts of state funding for the district. </P>
<P>Doria served as Assembly speaker in 1990 and 1991, and helped push through
former Gov. Jim Florio's tax increases. After the resulting tax revolt, Doria
found himself the minority leader for nearly a decade. </P>
<P>In 2000, Democrats recaptured the Assembly on the strength of James E.
McGreevey's election as governor, but Doria's hopes to return as speaker were
dashed when McGreevey picked Albio Sires of West New York. </P>
<P>Two Bayonne City Council members - Ted Connolly of the First Ward and John
Halecky of the Second Ward - also voiced concerns that Bayonne could suffer
without Doria in the Assembly. </P>
<P>Connolly said: "Joe has a powerful position in Trenton because of his
longevity, experience and his wonderful relationship with both Democrats and
Republicans, and New Jersey Monthly rated him the most astute in getting things
accomplished." </P>
<P>But Chiappone shrugged off the gloom and doom predictions. </P>
<P>"Mayor Doria started new (in the Legislature) at one time and became
effective, and I believe the same thing will happen with me," the two-term
councilman said. "I can build relationships (with fellow lawmakers) and I'll
have two years to prove whether I'm suited for the job. The proof will be in the
pudding." </P>
<P>To help deliver on that promise, Chiappone pledged to "close my (Broadway
photo studio) business, come Jan. 1, assuming a victory in November (in the
general election), and become a full-time assemblyman." </P></DIV></BODY></HTML>