Untouchable?
An appeals court is weighing arguments from a group of Tea Party activists in New Jersey who want to recall Sen. Bob Menendez. The groups were in court this week, asking an appeals panel to let them continue to collect names on a recall petition while the court determines if they can even recall Menendez. Read More…
Sixth Street, looking west
Now that’s how you do a snowstorm. 48 hours of steady falling snow can do wonders for a city. Before it turns to hard gray slush, the blanket of white and the hush it brings can fool you into thinking that this little town is something close to heaven. Granted, you gotta be a little starry-eyed, (or cross-eyed) to see it, but Jersey City in the middle of a major snow event, is hard to beat. Read More…
Don't strain your eyes looking, Healy wasn't here
The public hearing on the municipal budget began around 7 p.m., with the first of what would be 30-some-odd speakers. Slightly after 7 p.m. I was on my way out the door. I know this rankles a few of you. How can he report on a meeting he didn’t even stay to watch. I could write “so-and-so said blah blah blah, and the people said “Yeah!” or “Recall!” or “Steven!” (and I literally wouldn’t be too far off) but I’ll leave that to the kids at JCI, HR and the JJ, who get paid to do that sort of thing. Read More…
Ever since the days when former Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague threw his wild, whiskey-fueled, Roman-themed parties at the old Casino, Asbury Park has always been the shore destination for Jersey City folks. Actually, I made that part about Frank Hague up, but it could be true. The more likely reason for Asbury’s popularity among JC folks was its relative close proximity in those pre-Parkway days and the easy train commute.
I love it down there and was actually part of a team that helped relaunch the old Stone Pony a decade ago. (That’s anoher story for another day.) It’s grittier than the rest of the shore and, since the 1980’s was one of the most-neglected shore towns. The city has boomed and busted and boomed and busted since then, but it has remained popular, especially with gay people and those not looking for a Jersey Shore experience.
I was down last week to do a radio piece on the Silverball Museum, a pinballer’s heaven, which just moved to the spiffed-up Boardwalk. The owner, Rob Ilvento, is part of the Ilvento’s of Jersey City, who ran the West Side Avenue eatery of the same name for decades. You can listen that story here.
Summer can’t come soon enough.
Thursday’s indictment of former Newark Deputy Mayor Ron Salahudddin may yet prove to be a blow (or not) to the Cory Booker reelection campaign, but the mayor’s response to the announcement is something Booker’s buddy, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, might’ve been wise to study. If only the U.S. Attorney’s office had announced the Sullahadin indictment earlier, Healy could’ve studied the tape. (But you can’t control the timing of a corruption investigation, can you?) Read More…
We asked last week if Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy felt that he should apologize to JC residents for the actions of close friend and former Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini and other Healy Team members during the spring of 2009. Here’s the mayor’s response: Read More…
If you know me, you know I love the city of Montreal. They’ve got a great jazz festival up there and I try to go every summer. Lucky for me, I used to get paid to go to jazz festivals, see great shows and interview amazing artists from a wide range of experiences and geographic locations. While my annual trips to Montreal were almost always work-related, I have had enough personal experiences up there to fill a chapter or two. Read More…
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is throwing his weight around in the first days of his administration. I wanted to get that out of the way early because I have not come to mock Chris Christie, I have come to praise him. Sure, he’s bypassing the Democratically-controlled state legislature with his budget-slashing executive orders, but last week’s budget crisis speech was the kind of move you make when you know you’re in for a tough fight. You punch the other guy in the face before he even gets his jacket off. Read More…
It’s safe to say the heat is now on high. Today’s quasi-conviction of former Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, while not a home run by any standard, confirms that stink is in the mayor’s inner circle. (In case the dozen or so guilty pleas in this case hadn’t already done that.) Whether you believe that an illegal campaign contribution is a bribe or not, a jury has found that the mayor’s close personal friend broke the law.
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