When voters return to the polls for the June 11 runoff, they will have the option of giving Mayor-elect Steve Fulop clear support on the Council, or not. While Council members, once elected, have a tendency to go their own way — eventually — Fulop maintains it’s important to have their support right out of the gate. After all, Fulop says they agreed to be on his slate because of a shared vision that goes both ways.

While three Team Healy candidates (and counting?), citing financial concerns and the significant vote-gap, have dropped out of the race so far, there are still heated and close races in the remaining races.

Here’s a recap of all of the candidates still running, now that Team Healy candidate Gerry Meyeres dropped out, leaving the Ward B race uncontested.

Ward A — Where the Mayor-elect’s candidate trails

Mayor-elect Steve Fulop already finished the hard part: getting himself elected mayor. Sources close to the race say Fulop was trailing as close as two months before the election, but made significant strides to beat Mayor Jerramiah Healy by 6,000 votes. In his upward rising poll numbers he helped carry his slate to near-victories everywhere, with the exception of Ward A. There, Healy’s man, Dr. Charles Epps Jr., leads the race by a few hundred votes — in fact, Epps is the only Team Healy candidate to get more votes than a rival.

But Healy’s funding has dried up, and Epps has struck out on his own. The question remains: will Epps’ work as the former superintendent help or hurt him? For all of the criticism of the school system’s failings — and there is quite a bit — Epps claims he’s done a lot of good, too. And if not, then the controversial way he was ousted has made him sympathetic to some.

Yet Gajewski, a former police chief, may end up being helped by Police Chief Tom Comey’s decision to retire. Someone who has served as the head of the police may be a serious draw for voters.

Frank Gajewski – Fulop’s Ticket

A big part of Fulop’s public safety platform is informed by what he describes as successful policing strategies in the city’s past. That includes strategies implemented under Gajewksi during his 13-month tenure as police chief.

Those community policing tactics everyone has been talking about getting back to? They were a reality under a Gajewski-run police department. And for born-and-bred Jersey City folk who are worried about the so-called interlopers, Gajewski is a breath of familiarity. A name, face, and decorated uniform (thanks in no small part to his risky undercover work), not to mention the credibility he lent to Fulop’s ticket. A competent police chief who says things can be better and that Fulop is the man to do it — it helps a campaign.

For Gajewski, who retired 12 years ago, his ideas still make sense. As does his pairing with Fulop. “I wouldn’t want my name on a ticket of someone I didn’t respect,” said Gajewski, “and the same is true of Fulop.”

This mutual appreciation stems from what Gajewksi calls his frustration over “what was coming out of City Hall.”

“I’m always saying someone has to do something about it. And I guess I’m the guy who has to do that something,” he said.

While the former police chief began fund-raising in 2011, bringing about speculation that he might try to run for the At-Large seats in November’s special election (he opted not to), the campaign infrastructure afforded a candidate on the richest slate to date means so much more. If this run is three years in the making, his frustration is much longer than that.

“Really, for most of this past decade, I’ve seen a lot of things going on in city government that have been embarrassing,” he says, referring to Operation Bid Rig, the FBI sting that netted 15 Jersey City politicians including some working Healy. “When I leave the state, people are always asking me which politician got arrested recently.”

But the crime Gajewksi hears most about is the kind that directly affects a neighborhood’s safety, not pride in their politicians.

You might find Gajewski circling the Ward on his bike, where he says he keeps hearing about how bad crime is.

“There’s a lot of street violence in my ward,” says Gajewski, who was inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame at Virginia’s George Mason University in 2011. “When you talk to people in the streets, they’re concerned about things like shots being fired. People are concerned about coming out of their house in certain areas.”

Yet this narrative flies in the face of crime stats coming out of Trenton, where crime appears to be trending down in the city as a whole, and where the homicide-rate is lower than it’s ever been. And while both Comey and Healy said they’d love to implement community policing, they argued it was impossible due to budget constraints and the high-rate of retiring officers. Then again, neither Healy or Comey will have jobs come July 1.

Knowing all this doesn’t mean Gajewski is convinced by the numbers or the explanation. With the caveat that the police department is “doing a good job,” he says bad shots and good doctors are often the difference between a homicide and a shooting. The real story is that residents don’t feel safe, and that means a “commitment” to community policing, that seemingly fabled approach to policing where police were seamlessly integrated into a neighborhood.

And if At-Large Councilman Rolando Lavarro’s attempt at enforcing a law requiring a police operational review to be undertaken every four years won’t pass at the council level — blocked by Healy’s supporters, as it turns out — Fulop and friends might as well get someone who can do some of that himself, which Gajewski said he’ll do if elected.

While Gajewski said he couldn’t comment on specifics of what that would entail without looking at a table of operations, he could point to his C.V.

“When I was chief, there were a number of things we developed to move the officers away from doing some administrative tasks so they could go out and do police work. There’s not one thing in particular to change,” he continues, “I just know we can do better.”

Comey has maintained that when community policing was in effect, the police department’s ranks had about 200 more police officers than they do now. With the number the department has and the budget constraints in a tough economy, other solutions need to be considered beyond adding additional officers to community policing tactics.

And as for that baggage that comes with Fulop’s secret BOE meeting in May 2011, Gajewski says it’s nothing to be worried about.

“It’s the schools, that’s why people I know have left Jersey City,” he says. “There are a lot of good teachers, but the way the school district was run was a failure. I don’t understand why someone would have a problem with someone trying to make the system better.”

Charles Epps Jr. — Team Healy

Epps’s saw room for improvement even while he was campaigning for Healy’s reelection. There’s always more that can be done, after all.

“I see things we can correct just walking around the neighborhood,” says Epps. “Ensuring garbage is picked up in a neat fashion, that neighborhoods learn how to keep the streets in front of their houses clean.”

The beautification of the city, he says, begins with the reestablishing of neighborhoods, which he says is a lost art in much of Jersey City.

“I can remember when my mom would wake up and go around to the corner store, but that comfortability is just not there anymore,” says Epps. “Parents could let kids go to the park without worry about drug or gang activity.” Back then, “everyone knew one another [and] if you did something wrong, the lady on the corner would know your mother and father.”

“I want to feel that we can do that again and create neighborhood spirit,” he continues. To do so, he says the city needs to expand the recreation activity options for the city’s youth. Little League, he says, is a key part of keeping kids involved in positive pursuits, but there also needs to be more “places for children to go.”

On top of that, he says the “adults in the community need to be more responsive.”

This is where Epps’s experience with parents and the school system comes in handy. He’s spoken with unhappy parents about their child’s progress or punishment; he knows which schools can offer what recreation opportunity for after school options.

Like in much of Jersey City, the warehouses are gone or on their way out. A workforce that once depended on such employment went without jobs for long stretches of time, and as the Hudson Mall took stores away from typical urban business corridors, the ward continued to suffer. For Epps, the obvious answer is finding a way to retrain these adults.

“The Ward lost its way via unemployment,” says Epps. “People weren’t working as much as they were after factories moved out of Hudson County.” Which means, he continues, “employment and training is key.”

“As kids grow up, not everyone is going to college, even though I do advocate that,” adds Epps. Instead, the area should consider reintegrating training programs for technical jobs the once helped out-of-work residents get back on their feet.

If these are ideas that sound like they might come from someone challenging the current administration, Epps says he has a strong working relationship with the mayor to get these ideas traction. Incidentally, Epps supports community policing, a police tactic that was implemented under rival candidate Gajewski’s tenure as police chief (which is, in part, why Fulop chose him for his slate).

“My role is to create change, to inspire the mayor,” says Epps, who was quick to note that he thinks Healy has done “a wonderful job.” Yet, ever the instructor, Epps borrows a truism favorite of teachers the world over: “We all make mistakes, we all have something we can improve on, from the President to mayors of cities.”

Epps acknowledges Ward A is a “work in progress in terms of inequality,” but insists it’s no worse than elsewhere in the city. “It’s the same with Ward E and B.”

But if he’s a known commodity whose ouster has led to numerous headlines, from secret meetings that led to a full-fledged investigation into the state’s influence on the district, Epps has found a simple way to move on.

“The Board of Education wanted to go in a different direction,” he says. “I’ve been in the system for 42 years, I’m not going to see eye-to-eye with everyone.”

In his wake, Epps left a seriously flawed school system, but one he says that made progress under his stewardship.

Calling it the most important thing he’s worked on, Epps says under his leadership the school system made a concerted effort to work on test scores. “We were not all that successful in every school, in some schools we were and others we were not, but that was true all over the country.”

Coupled with the school district’s “strong anti-bullying program,” Epps says he’s incorporated a wide net of solutions to address problems in the school system, including the creation of charter Infinity School.

Still, for all of the works Epps has done, and for all his claims to having “moved on,” the school district still struggles, has too much state control for many, and has a Board largely consisting of people who opposed his superintendency. But what is unclear is how the political light cast on the school district will play out with voters.

Ward B — One Name on the Ballot

With Meyers announcement that he’ll choose family-time over politics and fundraising $30,000 (the approximate amount of money insiders say is needed to successfully campaign in the runoff), the only name on the ballot will be Kemaj “Chico” Ramchal, Fulop’s endorsed candidate.

That is, unless independent candidate Esther Wintner decides to file a complaint with the courts to have her name re-added to the ballot. Indeed, what is a runoff election between one candidate?

There is paperwork to fill out, says Wintner, and of course limited time. We’ll keep you posted as decisions are made.

Ward C — Independent Rich Boggiano Looks to Unseat Incumbent Councilwoman Nidia Lopez

Rich Boggiano is perhaps the best debater in the history of Jersey City. Given two debates against rival candidates for Ward C’s Council seat, Boggiano managed to run the table at both (yes, even the one that hasn’t happened yet). That’s because his opponents simply don’t show up. Is he that good of a debater? Who knows. What we do know is no one wants to share a stage with him.

That being said, a great debater doesn’t necessarily make a better politician, and voters have seen both Lopez and Boggiano in action for years now. With definite records to go on, there is more to point to in this race than any other.

Rich Boggiano – the Independent

Retired police detective Rich Boggiano, the long-time president of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association, is running for office for a second time. There are some important similarities – he’s a known commodity and an independent voice who resonates with voters tired of Hudson County’s cynical politics – but there are even more important differences from his last run.

The first time around, 2011′s special At-Large candidate election, he only started campaigning about four weeks out from the election. Though Boggiano only started running in earnest six-weeks ago, giving him two months of campaigning, he announced his candidacy in September. Back in 2011, Boggiano’s last minute decision to run meant limited time to raise money. This time around, his campaign has managed to raise twice what he did last time — and that was before the runoff.

“Making the runoff has only helped him raise money,” says his son, Chris Boggiano.

But as confident as Boggiano is – “I’ve never run from a fight,” he says, “just ask anyone in the Hilltop Neighborhood Association,” – he knows Jersey City politics are never pretty. Back in March, Boggiano already started to see campaign signs “disappear.” That concern was echoed by numerous candidates and their supporters, regardless of which mayoral candidate they were aligned with, or in the case of Boggiano, even if they were running as an independent. Though Boggiano refrained from making outright accusations, he says he has some strong suspicions.

To sell his candidacy, Boggiano’s campaign manager, Tony DeLuco, says it helps to have a known commodity. DeLuco, a developer and property manager who is running Boggiano’s campaign for the second time (which is also his second time running any campaign), says in real estate the challenge is selling something people don’t know. But in Ward C, Boggiano’s 20 years heading the Hilltop Neighborhood Association means he’s already well-known. So if selling is hard work in real estate, “with Boggiano, it’s easy,” says DeLuco. “People know Richie, and they like him.”

Boggiano has been among the most vocal critics of the Robinhood Plaza settlement, which granted a tremendous height density increase for the property owners there. In return, the city will receive 0.8 acres of land to be used as a park. But not only is there currently no money to fix up the tract of land – on a steep hill and largely unusable, in current form – the property is across the street that was meant to act as a buffer between the skyscrapers coming to Journal Square and the two- and three-family homes in the surrounding area.

“Ward C needs proper development with people in mind,” he says. Putting a skyscraper on the east side of Summit Avenue is unacceptable he says, and voting for it, as Lopez did, is simply wrong. This building doesn’t belong among private houses,” Boggiano said at a Council meeting when the vote was cast in favor of settling. Having a Council person who will fight to keep that development appropriate for the neighborhood is crucial, argues Boggiano. “If I get in, I’m pro-development, but with people in mind.”

The common refrain among independent candidates is that they wouldn’t have it any other way, and that’s as true for Boggiano as it is for anyone else. “I’m happy to be independent,” he says. “I was told I’m too independent to join a slate.” But that’s fine by him, he maintains, saying he “fight[s] for the neighborhood.”

“I have to tell you something,” said Boggiano. “I’m not political, I believe in what I’m doing.”

“Too many people are playing politics or on a power trip or are doing it for their personal gain,” Boggiano says. That means “nothing will change.”

Another of Boggiano’s biggest beefs is something the entire city seemingly relates to: not enough police officers, not enough foot patrols, not enough attention to the quality of life. In fact, as a veteran of the Jersey City police department for over thirty years, Boggiano recalls the days of a 1,300 officer police force. Those days are gone, he says, because of decisions at the top that go back almost twenty years. Currently there are 802 police officers according to city documents.

Boggiano’s record, which includes both successful and unsuccessful fights, has taken the administration to task for their seemingly hands-off approach to the sale of Christ Hospital, the closing of the city’s police academy, and the threat of laying off police officers two years ago. Christ Hospital ultimately remained a not-for-profit hospital, for which Boggiano helped drum up attention, and the lay-offs were averted, but the police academy is history. “It’s shortsighted,” he said of the decision.

Nidia Lopez – Fulop’s ticket

Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Lopez is the only candidate in the election to have worked with both Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Mayor-elect Steve Fulop behind closed doors. And the takeaway, she says, is that Mayor Jerramiah Healy works with his Council people in a vastly different manner than how Fulop does.

In fact, Lopez ran on Healy’s slate four years ago, but her candidacy was likened to that of a “ sacrificial lamb.”

“They told me I’d maybe be in a run-off [election] or not make it,” she recalls. Despite the best guesses of Team Healy’s campaign prognosticators and controversy over her residency, she won, but found her insight wasn’t valued so much as her Council vote.

“They wanted a rubber-stamp, that was the turning point,” said Lopez. As she recalls it, there was pressure to vote a certain way, and when she refused she said she became a “target.”

“People got nasty, they don’t support you when you want something done,” she said.

The Healy campaign shot back, saying Lopez only became a rubber-stamp when she joined Fulop’s campaign.

There were petty consequences, she said, claiming she was passed over for choosing a street renaming in her Ward. But then there are the more serious complaints, saying the Mayor’s Action Bureau, which fields quality of life complaints, largely ignored her request to be told about every complaint in her ward.

“I would like to call those individuals [who filed complaints] to make sure they get the service they deserve,” she said. Not only did many residents not get the requested service, she says the bureau failed to tell her about complaints, which she’d hear about later when she would attend community functions.

“If you’re not careful as a Council person, if you’re not on top of it, people are going to think you’re not doing anything,” she says. Rather than blame the Action’s Bureau for deliberately not passing on the calls, she says it’s the fault of an antiquated communication infrastructure in City Hall. “We need more technology that works,” she says. That means a better way of keeping track of and sharing resident complaints than the system currently in place.

If Lopez is unhappy with her treatment behind closed doors, she’s equally unhappy with the administration’s actions in plain view. That means “cleaning up City Hall and the deadwood that hangs out in there.”

Not happy with the leadership? Change it, says Lopez.

“This is the reason why I took it upon myself to pass the resolution to make the Council President term only two years,” says Lopez. “I felt if you don’t run council office the right way, you don’t deserve to be in charge.” The ouster of Council President Peter Brennan in 2012 failed after the mayor vetoed the move, and Brennan had threatened to sue the city if it had moved forward, saying there was no cause for his dismissal as head of the Council. Ultimately, the Council voted to make all future Council President terms two-years after Brennan’s term is up.

Lopez’s insight into Council affairs gives her a clear edge when it comes to tackling issues. She’s unhappy with the lack of timely budgets, which forces the Council to vote twice a month on emergency appropriations as a stop-gap measure to keep municipal services going until a final budget can be put together. This, she says, shows poor long-term planning and lessens the input of the Council in a budget year when most of the year is over.

Another target of Lopez’s are tax abatements being used downtown. While in the past Lopez was less opposed to these, she’s come around to Fulop’s point of view. “We need conditions now, we should not just give them out as a piece of candy,” she says. Those conditions would require more Jersey City residents hold construction and contractor jobs and could also mean putting some of that money to the school budget or to help the city’s homeless.

That is, in part, why Lopez supports the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment plan. The controversial plan allows for skyscrapers in the immediate area of Journal Square, which activists have argued is inappropriate for the neighborhood. When she voted for it, Lopez looked to deflect criticism by pointing to the revenue and jobs created by the move. More recently, she voted to permit a 42-story zoning in a property outside of the immediate area of Journal Square in a settlement with Robinhood Plaza.

People, including rival candidate Boggiano, “gave me a lot of heat for Robinhood Plaza.”

“What people don’t understand is that my ward is the one with the least parks,” she says. The Robinhood settlement would give the city a 0.8 acre park, but the land is in need of serious development before it could be open for public use. But equally important, the promise of accelerating the promised resurgence of Journal Square in the three years since the redevelopment plan was passed was too much to pass up. A number of skyscrapers are just around the corner, notes Lopez, including the KRE building, but it’s been too long.

Ward D — Independent Michael Yun Takes on Assemblyman Sean Connors (Fulop’s slate) in a Heated Race

Not all of the dirtying tactics leading up to May 14 were exhausted, apparently. Most recently, independent candidate Michael Yun’s son discovered former Mayor Gerry McCann on his Montville home property with a video camera. The short of it: McCann, a relative of Connors, contends Yun has lied about his residency and he aimed to provide video evidence. Instead, he received a restraining order. Well, you win some and you lose some.

Distractions aside, the candidates say there is a real difference at stake. Yun, the head of the Central Avenue Special Improvement District, says he has a strong record to go on that proves his ability to lead economic development in the city.

Only Connors says in the 20 years Yun has lead the CASID, the improvements have been modest. It’s time, he says, to get bigger businesses in Ward D.

At least both have greed to the Ward debate at the end of the month.

Sean Connors – Fulop’s Ticket

Assemblyman Sean Connors decision to withdraw support for Team Healy in order to join the Fulop slate was until recently the biggest surprise in the mayoral race (we’ll give the “three Hispanic girls,” who were recent additions to Healy’s revised account as told to the Star Ledger of the drunk photo incident, the top grade here).

A former Board of Education member with apparently little love for Fulop just a short while ago, Connors had gotten into it with the Councilman when Fulop accused some of Healy’s supporters of double-dipping (or even triple and quadruple-dipping) public jobs. Fulop’s argument was that Healy is in with career politicians who supposedly abuse the system at the expense of the taxpayers.

Connors, in reply, said he “couldn’t in good conscience support Mr. Fulop’s mayoral campaign.” Bold if apparently retractable words.

It turns out much can happen in three months (as one person close to the Healy campaign put it, “They must have offered him more than we did.”).

A former BOE member and soon-to-be outgoing Assemblyman with contacts in Trenton, Connors says he always knows who to call when something needs to get done.

But Connors, who also works as a police detective, is more than the past few months of political in-fighting and behind-the-scenes power brokering.

As a one-term Assemblyman, Connors has worked on bills to review the safety of halfway houses and provide tax incentives to companies that hire students internships, as well as to add security to senior homes in high crime areas. Connors also supported legislation to allow incinerators in the state of New Jersey to perform functions beyond their original intention – no incinerator authority incinerates anything anymore, and in Jersey City the JCIA has many general maintenance responsibilities.

Connors also supported an increase to the minimum wage and marriage equality, which was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie. But after a short-stint in the Assembly, Connors says he’s ready to return to municipal politics. “I care about constituent services first,” he says, adding there’s no better way to help the area than as a Council person.

He’s also attacked Yun’s record, which he says does not demonstrate enough in terms of economic development. “Where are the bigger stores?” he asks. Although Connors is supportive of the mom-and-pop shops in the area, he says a bigger economic driver is needed to make a difference in the Ward.

In addition to his detective work, for which he’s received numerous awards for his work, Connors is involved with community organizations, from sports to neighborhood groups, in the Ward D area.

Michael Yun – an Independent Candidate

For an independent, Michael Yun has raised quite a bit of money. Twenty years as the head of the Central Avenue Special Improvement District and thirty years as the owner of the Garden State News store on Central Avenue — to name just two of the many groups Yun is associated with — makes him a staple of the community for whom wallets will more readily open than your typical candidate.

With over $160,000 in campaign contributions raised since May 2012, Yun’s fundraising efforts have been more impressive than any other non-mayoral candidate. That, he attributes, to connections he’s made in the Korean-American community New Jersey. “Many of my contributions come from outside of Jersey City,” he says. Still, he says Jersey City is where his strong record of economic development can be found.

Yun, who has been living in Jersey City for the past 33 years, can also point to governmental experience along with his fundraising and business management prowess. Yun served as a member of the Jersey City Development Agency under former Mayor Gerald McCann, and later he worked as a mayor’s aide in Mayor Bret Schundler’s administration.

Although on good terms with Gaughan, whose experience he calls “very valuable,” Yun said “it’s not that I disagree with what he’s done, but I can improve on what he’s done.”

Specifically, he says quality of life and public safety would be his focus, two big issues that have caught the public’s attention – and ire – over the past few years.

“What [residents] pay and what they get from city services is not enough,” he said. “What they pay for and what they get from public safety in this area isn’t satisfying.”

Another of Yun’s longest-running bones to pick is with the Jersey City Parking Authority, which installed what he calls “faulty” parking pay stations. These, he says, are the biggest detriment to businesses along Central Avenue, a problem that motivated him to announce his interest in heading the JCPA for a $1 a year (the city declined his generous offer).

“Delivering for the people is the bottom line,” said Yun. “Over the years I’ve proved it and my approval record shows I have leadership ability. I have the guts to correct the problem. I’m not afraid of nobody, I only care about the people. My ambition is to make Jersey City’s Heights better than before.

Yun’s sympathies for the Healy administration have soured recently, with Yun criticizing the city for how they are choosing to spend the remaining Urban Enterprise Zone funding, a popular program in cities that Governor Chris Christie is cutting in order to exert more control over how it is used. The consequences to the Central Avenue Special Improvement District, which he still heads, will severely impact what the SID can do.

After learning about his new found limited budget, Yun penned a letter to the mayor arguing that the city is not fulfilling their obligation to CASID.

“Ending CASID’s sanitation program after twenty years of service to the community is an agonizing, but necessary, decision because the merchants and commercial property owners on Central Avenue no longer have the resources to continue,” CASID President Michal Yun wrote in a letter to Mayor Jerramiah Healy last November. “As a reminder, SID programs exist to supplement, not substitute, municipal services.”

Healy has publicly supported UEZ funding, but was unable to convince the governor the program should continue. For CASID, which had to end the Everything Jersey City Festival, that comes as small comfort.

“As a result of the City of Jersey City’s misplaced priorities, the Central Avenue and Heights neighborhood cannot host the festival…Our organization explored every option possible to move forward with the festival this year but could not guarantee a well-organized event without the minimal staff,” he says.

Yun also endorsed At-Large Council candidates Rolando Lavarro, a current Councilman, and Sean Connelly, a former Corporation Counsel. Lavarro is on Fulop’s ticket while Connelly is on Jerry Walker’s.

With the biggest coffer in the Ward, Yun might be the independent with the best chance of representing his Ward.

Ward E — the only Ward seat filled on May 14

Candice Osborne, Ward E’s new Council person, won outright over Team Healy’s Dan Levin and independent candidate Fletcher Gensamer.

Ward E residents can still vote for At-Large candidates on June 11.

Ward F — With a four month record to go on, Councilwoman Diane Coleman looks to keep her lead against challenger Jermaine Robinson

There was a lot of confidence coming out of the Coleman camp right before the election. Campaign manager Eugene McKnight boasted that polling showed an overwhelming lead — and in fact, Coleman did receive a few hundred more votes than Team Healy challenger Jermaine Robinson, just not enough to win outright.

Now there’s word that Robinson — who did not respond in time for this publication — might be dropping out, too, as reported by the Jersey Journal.

Until a definite decision is made, here’s a recap of both candidates.

Diane Coleman – Fulop’s Ticket

When Diane Coleman won her seat late last year, it seen as the last nail in the coffin of Healy’s political career. If a Fulop-backed candidate could win this close to the election, went the thinking, so could Fulop come May.

Turns out the prognosticators got one right.

What they were less correct about was Coleman’s path to victory this time around. Although Coleman herself was not available for comment as of this publication, JCI spokes with McKnight about his candidate’s chances and plans.

Coleman is still protested at Council meetings for a controversial joke — another reason why politicians limit when they speak off-the-cuff — and there is an apparent rift between At-Large Councilwoman Viola Richardson — the former Ward F rep — and the current one. Coleman, who did not immediately apologize for “joking” about the number of Ward F residents with criminal records, has seen frustrated residents at Council meetings, who carry signs calling for her dismissal.

Yet Coleman’s work and reputation in the area has helped her maintained a lead, at least according to McKnight at a Fulop fund-raiser. “Our polling has her with 80% of the vote,” said McKnight at the time.

With help from her staff and 15 volunteers, the Bergen-Lafayette resident has been knocking door-to-door between council meetings and her other duties to campaign. As the founder of Building an Empire, a nonprofit that offers social service programs, McKnight says she was well-known in Ward F even before she was elected.

“She’s known through helping people and getting things done for people in Jersey City,” says McKnight. “She’s about giving people a hand rather than a hand-out. She wants to know when babies are born and when people die–that’s how close she wants to be to the community.”

If re-elected, he says Coleman also wants to reform the Jersey City Employment and Training Program and make the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center a venue for recreation, education and the arts.

Coleman is running on Fulop’s slate, says McKnight, because they share the same vision, as outlined in Team Fulop’s plan for public safety in the city. They also agree on other issues specific to Ward F, says McKnight.

“There are a number of problems here economically, educationally, recreationally, in regards to public safety–major issues,” says McKnight. “And she feels Fulop’s committed to helping her turn this ward around.”

Jermaine Robinson – Healy Ticket

Back in the early aughts, Jermaine Robinson, was a regular name to appear on the City Council agenda, one of twenty or some speakers who took advantage of the public hearing portion of the meeting. He’d complain the government wasn’t doing enough for his neighborhood in Ward F. He voiced a common criticism: more was done for Ward E than elsewhere.

But then he got his opportunity to speak to then-Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson who recognized him. Why, he asked her, did an entire ward feel “left out” from the recovery coming to the city. To which Richardson, now an At-Large Councilwoman and Robinson’s slate-mate on Healy’s mayoral ticket, said, “We didn’t leave you out. You left yourself out.”

“It was a wake up call,” says Robinson. The government can do a lot – they can respond to police calls, they can (slowly) fix infrastructure, and they can certainly collect revenue. But they can’t be everywhere at once, he says, for which he borrows the truism,“The squeaky wheel gets the oil.”

For the first half of his life, Robinson says he lived on “one of the worst corners of Jersey City, Randolph and Cartaret.”

He can recall how his mother, a former president of a Little League program in the city, got her children involved with sports so she could keep them safe and away from crime in the area. That became a lifelong connection for Robinson, a Little League coach to this day who has spent money out of his own pocket to purchase new gloves for the league.

There was a second lesson for Robinson: sometimes, you have to lead by example. Back in 2006 Robinson, a realtor by profession, decided to open the Light Rail Cafe on 237 Randolph Avenue, a short walk from the home he grew up in. Things had improved since his childhood, but the business he bought had not. Too many people gathered outside and the area would turn a blind eye to drug deals out front.

Which is one of the reasons when Robinson took over the bar he turned it into a cafe to end its reputation as a place that didn’t ask questions. Robinson says the city should institute fines for loitering to help business owners who have little success driving away people from gathering outside their door. “We’re not getting the big Walmarts or Hyatts here,” he says, meaning jobs have to come from small businesses. And they need help, both legally and from the police.

The other reason it closed, he admitted, is there is “too much red tape” for small businesses. “It took me four years to get all the permits I needed,” he said, though he pointed out that his situation took longer than it does for most because of the extent of the repairs being done. Landlords, he adds, often ignore needed repairs, meaning building code violations fall to business owners, another hindrance.

All this has to change, and will, he says, if he’s elected. In fact, the city has been trying to streamline the permitting process, but it has been slow to come.

“My parents tried to sell twenty years ago but no one wanted to buy there,” he recalled. Now, he says, it’s the “next big thing.” That’s the kind of change he says he’s been working towards his whole life.

At-Large Race

There are four candidates for three At-Large Council seats, now that two out of three of the Team Healy slate has dropped out.

That means At-Large Councilwoman Viola Richardson, now without Council President Peter Brennan and Omar Perez’s support, is the only Team Healy incumbent running for office.

Richardson, who did not return a call in time for this publication, has seen her political fortunes turn. In November 2011, she helped bracket-mate (and now rival) At-Large Councilman Rolando Lavarro win over the Council incumbents appointed by Healy. That alliance ended shortly after, with Lavarro joining Fulop and Richardson re-aligning with Healy. “I saw how Steve [Fulop] works,” she said of the change of heart, pointing to the secret meeting with Education Commissioner Chris Cerf. But those watching from the Council chamber pews would identify Fulop’s push to consolidate the JCIA and DPW as the starting point for that friction.

Still, Richardson’s claim to popularity is undercut by the fact that she was only the fourth highest vote-getter in the At-Large race. The question remains: who can get the vote out a second time? Without Fulop’s funding or incentives — who doesn’t want a sympathetic Council right out of the gate? — Richardson’s career that started in 2001 is in jeopardy.

In fact, with the remaining three candidates on Fulop’s ticket, it’s likely that for every one person who goes out to vote there will be three Fulop slate votes, a tremendous hurdle to overcome.

And already they have the lead going in. At-Large Council candidate Joyce Watterman (15,170), Lavarro (15,000), and candidate Rivera (14,629) have a fair margin over Richardson, the next highest vote getter (12,186).

Watterman, a pastor, prison chaplain, and volunteer who runs a summer camp for the city’s youth, may not have stood out in at least one of the Council forums, but her work has clearly resonated with the voters.

Lavarro, who took up causes on the Council such as supporting immigration reform in Congress and calling for an operational review of the police department (something sources close to City Hall said was a good idea, even if it was a nonstarter for the mayor) benefited from his ideas and experience.

No longer with Richardson’s support, Lavarro did one better: he got Fulop’s.

Rivera, a former marine and recreational advocate, came with the experience that garnered former mayoral candidate Jerry Walker so much praise: give kids opportunities that are healthful, productive, and social.

Perhaps another advantage is Rivera can describe himself as anything but a politician.

“From my fumbling answers you can tell I’m not a politician,” said Rivera at the forum. “But I want to bring pride back to this city.”

Photos of Sean Connors, Diane Coleman, and Nidia Lopez by Steve Gold; photos of Michael Yun and Frank Gajewski courtesy their respective campaigns; photos of Charles Epps and Jermaine Robinson by Matt Hunger

Hudson County residents who want to pursue an education but who cannot afford it can now apply for a scholarship created by the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders (seen at right with others).

The Hudson County Government Scholarship aims to provide financial assistance for county residents who have attained a record of academic success and want to pursue an associate’s degree at Hudson County Community College (HCCC). Each scholarship is renewable for up to three years, provided the applicant remains in good academic standing.

Applicants must meet the standard admission requirements set forth by HCCC, enroll as a full-time student at the school and submit a financial aid application to the college, although it is not a requirement to submit the form to the state or federal government. Applications are due on Aug. 1.

Students currently enrolled at HCCC may apply, though the scholarship cannot be applied to previous balances.

Scholarship recipients must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 to maintain scholarship eligibility.

For more information and an application form, visit the HCCC website.

Recently, HCCC held commencement ceremonies at the New Jersey Pperforming Arts Center in Newark.

Photo courtesy of Edgar Martinez

Memorial Day weekend is here and Jersey City residents are not only honoring those who have served our country, but also spending time with family and friends. We’ve rounded up some things you can do in Jersey City between today and Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

Note that municipal offices will be closed on Memorial Day, May 27, and that parking enforcement will be suspended. Also, the city recently opened its pools and sprinklers in time for holiday weekend and for the summer. Click here for a list of open pools and sprinklers.

NJ Transit is offering “early getaway” rail and bus service today, May 24, for those who are leaving work early for the state of the holiday weekend. Extra outbound trains will operate on multiple lines starting at about 1 pm. Extra buses will operate from the Port Authority Bus Terminal on more than three dozen bus routes starting around 12 pm. On Memorial Day itself, NJ Transit trains will operate on a holiday schedule. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule. Bus schedules vary by route. For complete details, see the NJ Transit website.

TODAY

The Stronger than the Storm campaign shows that the Jersey Shore is still Jersey Strong and open for business this weekend. Ribbon cuttings for various communities down the Shore are held from 8 am to 9:30 am in municipalities like Seaside Heights, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Asbury Park, Brigantine, Highlands (Saturday), Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Ocean City, Oceanport, Spring Lake, Stone Harbor, and The Wildwoods.

DJ Alexis Fair spins and local band Pilot Jones performs groovy punk rock at the Creative Grove Artist and Designer Market where locals can also workout, paint fridges and shop from local artisans and vendors (3 pm; Pilot Jones performs at 7 pm).

Brand new theater company FITR Productions continues their run of dark comedy The Pillowman, which ends on Sunday (8 pm, $25). (See JCI‘s story on this event.)

TOMORROW

Get fresh produce and other goods from the Van Vorst Park Farmers’ Market (8:30 am) and other wares from the McGinley Square Market (10 am).

Green Villain holds a Memorial Day barbecue in the Lafayette Community Garden, serving up some grub with a side of music and art (12 pm, $20).

Liberty State Park hosts the Hudson Lightning Liberty Hustle 5K followed by a post-race festival, weather permitting (8:15 am).

The Naked Blues Loft Music Series kicks off with performances by Eliza Neals and Debra Devi in the PAD (6 pm, $5). (See JCI‘s story on this event.)

Owel, Band of Mountains and Brook Pridemore perform at the Lamp Post Bar and Grille (9 pm).

SUNDAY

Relax with some meditation at Yoga Shunya (9 am).

Get food and other goods at Farms in the Heights at Riverview-Fisk Park (9 am).

The 35th annual Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo Mass (2:30 pm), procession (4 pm) and street fair (10 am to 8 pm) will be held in Downtown Jersey City.

DJ RightOnShawn and DJ Bill spin at Lucky 7 Tavern (10 pm).

MEMORIAL DAY, MONDAY

The Lafayette Amvets Post 33 holds a Memorial Day Parade which will kick off at Pacific and Bramhall avenues and end at St. Mary’s Church with Mass. There will also be a memorial service and luncheon (9:30 am).

The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery holds Honoring Our Heroes, a military and musical tribute (1 pm).

JCI file photo by Steve Gold

$1.1 Billion in Sandy Aid Announced for Transit Systems: Apart from its destruction along the Jersey Shore that remains evident even heading into Memorial Day, Hurricane Sandy caused billions in damage to transit systems in the northern part of the state.

Community Group Fighting Development on Former Cemetery Property: Residents on DeKalb Avenue are up in arms over the proposed development on a lot that once was part of the Historic Speers Cemetery.

Science Fair Winners to Get Medals at Ceremony: Students who won medals or special awards in this year’s Hudson County Science Fair, mark your calendars will receive awards next Thursday.

Construction Workers Avoid Injury in Scaffold Collapse: Quick-thinking construction workers who were perched 200 feet above the ground narrowly averted tragedy when they escaped a scaffold that began to collapse outside a local high-rise.

Bubbling Hydrant Causing Problems: For several weeks, water has been bubbling up from the ground at Summit Avenue and Grand Street, the site of a fire hydrant that needs to be replaced.

Funeral for Slain Boy Draws Hundreds: Cries of grief rang out beside a small white casket at the funeral service for the 12-year-old boy who was shot in the chest during a robbery last week. Reports say a woman has been charged in relation to the incident and that two more men are being sought.

Crime Blotter: Already in custody on gun charges, two reputed Bloods street gang members now face up to 30 years in prison after being additionally charged with “gang criminality,” reports said. Also, yet another employee of the Sunnyside Academy daycare center, a 69-year-old, has been arrested on charges of abusing children at the facility at the upscale Port Liberte development.

In Statewide News:

Bill Would Give Teachers New Career Ladder to Climb: Teachers generally have two career choices: stay in the classroom and get the predictable salary bumps for years of experience or become an administrator and leave the classroom. But some in New Jersey are starting to rethink that situation, led by the state’s teachers union and a growing cadre of legislators in the Statehouse.

Democratic Gun-Reform Package No Sure Shot: Democrats say the multibill gun-reform package they are poised to send to the governor’s desk can be a model for other states, but there are no guarantees that it will become law.

Shared-work space Indiegrove, where you bring your virtual office when it needs real walls, will be marking the changing ways our economy works with a celebration of networkers called “Entrepreneurs: Leaders, Innovators and Connectors!” Bringing together both Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, and over 100 local entrepreneurs, community leaders and business owners, the event seeks to capitalize on the plasticity of workplace landscapes. Indeed, where better to network than a place where the stranger across the table is only chatting you up because of your graphic design work. The celebration begins today, May 23, at 4 pm.

Indiegrove (121 Newark Avenue, 5th Floor) was recently admitted to the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District, just a handful of months after they opened their doors at the start of 2013. Membership of the group includes everyone from software developers, lawyers, therapists, writers, fitness trainers, tech consultants, cinematographers and marketing consultants.

A footbridge connecting Jersey Avenue to Liberty State Park was promised — and delivered — by Memorial Day, thanks in part to the efforts of city officials who honed in on fixing one of the last vestiges of Sandy’s effects on the city’s communal spaces.

“We know how important this piece of infrastructure is to our residents, and that is why we worked with our OEM officials and our Engineering staff to find a way to expedite the replacement of the Jersey Avenue footbridge,” Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in a statement. “I am pleased that we have been able to complete this project on schedule and open the bridge for the Memorial Day weekend.”

At a price-tag of $800,000, officials are hopeful that FEMA will pick up most, if not all, of the cost of replacing the pedestrian and cyclist bridge.

Thanks to Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, the bridge will be known as the “Ethel Pesin Liberty Bridge,” in honor of the founding trustee of the Friends of Liberty State Park. Pesin, who died earlier this year, was instrumental in the creation of Liberty State Park, a task she undertook with husband Morris Pesin.

The nation’s Toxic Substances Control Act will be greatly expanded to protect the environment and public health thanks to a modernizing amendment that will require chemicals be better monitored for adverse affects. Sponsored by U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and David Vitter (R-LA), the bill would further ensure transparency in the chemical review process and give more authority to the Environmental Protection Agency, the two say.

“This bipartisan agreement is an historic step toward meaningful reform that protects American families and consumers. Every parent wants to know that the chemicals used in everyday products have been proven safe, but our current chemical laws fail to give parents that peace of mind,” Lautenberg, who first introduced legislation to reform TSCA in 2005, said in a statement. “Our bipartisan bill would fix the flaws with current law and ensure that chemicals are screened for safety.”

For Vitter, the important benefit that helped ensure bipartisan support is the “balance between strengthening consumer confidence in the safety of chemicals, while also promoting innovation and the growth of an important sector of our economy.”

Vitter adds that the bill will give “the EPA the tools it needs to make critical determinations while providing a more transparent process. The benefit of such a system is that industry should also have more confidence that the federal system works to facilitate innovation and grow our economy.”

Called the “Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013,” the new regulations were applauded by some in the science community for bringing up-to-date a law that was 25 years old.

“This bill is both a policy and political breakthrough. It gives EPA vital new tools to identify chemicals of both high and low concern, and to reduce exposure to those that pose risks. And while this bill represents a hard-fought compromise, it opens, at last, a bipartisan path forward to fix our badly outmoded system to ensure the safety of chemicals in everyday use,” Richard Denison, Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement.

Some of the new requirements include labeling designating the chemicals to be of low or high priority as regards human health and the environment. The new bill would also extend the authority of the EPA to conduct further environmental safety reviews when a hazardous chemical is being used, as well as ban a chemical that is deemed too unsafe. A renewed focus will be given towards making the chemical designation process more transparent to ensure unsafe chemicals aren’t overlooked for the benefit of industry.

Blues singer Eliza Neals (seen right) has had enough of the Jersey City music scene–or rather, of its malnourishment. Now, she’s starting the Naked Blues Loft Music Series, what she hopes will be a bimonthly event that will bring together local musicians, artist spaces and venues.

“I am not impressed by the scene here because the community and venues as a whole do not back us very much,” says the Powerhouse Arts District resident. “For so many people you would think there would be a venue to support live music…I believe that good music is a cure and Jersey City is trying to get well.”

Neals, whose raw, sultry style has won her accolades including two Detroit Music Awards this year for Best Blues Recording and Best Rock Songwriter, has been a lifelong blues girl.

“I grew up in the Motor City from a musical family so it drives my soul,” she says, adding that collaborating with other musicians gives variety and life to her music. “Bootsy Collins anointed me with his funky balloon at a record store. Then I met Motown legend Barrett Strong and started songwriting and singing with him.

“I’m a kamikaze-style frontwoman. I can find a ‘good’ musician in a bowl of rice and boom–we’re performing together,” she says.

Neals hopes to bring the same electric spontaneity to the Naked Blues series, which will be the latest local effort to give JC musicians a place to regularly perform. She’s running the series from 150 Bay Street, a condominium which is also home to many local artists.

“Being a musician, I feel like that live music is always a sideshow in Jersey City, not the main act,” says Neals. “Many artists open their doors for art sales, etc., so being in the Jersey City Artist Studio Tours, I figured why not open the doors and showcase music?”

For the kickoff concert, Neals herself will perform. The show will also feature Debra Devi, a rock musician and author of The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu. The Downtown Jersey City resident is best known as the frontwoman of rock band Devi.

“Debra will perform naked–yes, naked, stripped down, so you can listen to her words and hear her perform. Just her guitar and one other musician, similar to how I will perform,” says Neals. “Debra is also a cutting-edge female artist, and indie females need to support each other in this male-dominated biz.”

Overall, she says musicians need to band together and take control of their destiny.

“Independent musicians need to get together and not wait for a venue just go for it,” she says. “If you don’t try something, you got nothing.”

The Naked Blues Loft Music Series launches on Saturday, May 25, 7 pm to 10 pm at 150 Bay Street. Drinks and dessert will be served. Admission is a suggested donation of $5. Doors open at 6 pm. A doorman in the lobby will direct guests to the appropriate loft.

Photo courtesy of Eliza Neals

Today, over 850 will be graduating from Hudson County Community College (HCCC) at its 35th annual Commencement Ceremonies in Newark.

Tonight, at Prudential Hall at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, May 23 at 5 pm, graduates from Hudson County Community College (which has campuses in Jersey City and Union City) will receive their diplomas.

Yvonne Andreula, a culinary arts major who hopes to start a catering business, is a little older than most typical college graduates at age 37. Andreula attended HCCC after obtaining her adult high school diploma from Kenmare High School, an alternative high school for women who dropped out of other schools.

The Jersey City Heights resident said while going back to school had its challenges (like English class, she says), her passion for cooking and desire to obtain a degree pushed her forward. She offers simple advice for those making plans for their education: “Go to school and don’t give up!”

For Debra Croskey, 44, and Jamilah Tyler, 24, education is a family affair. The mother-daughter team decided to major in culinary arts at HCCC because both women shared a love of food.

Croskey, a certified nursing assistant and medical assistant, decided to go back to school after raising her family and is hoping to start a soul food restaurant and catering business after she graduates next year.

“It was hard to go back to school after so many years,” says Croskey. “I struggled in certain areas because things are so different now than when I was in school. Even so I am more determined than ever to reach the finish line and walk across the stage.”

Today, however, she will watch her daughter graduate. Tyler previously studied computers and web design at another college, but made her way to HCCC with hopes of learning how to work in the culinary industry and someday open a bakery and cafe. (Both mom and daughter add that despite their different restaurant concepts, collaboration is definitely a possibility.)

“I’ve always had a love for international cuisine and different cultures,” says Tyler, adding that the most rewarding part of her time at HCCC has been “making lasting relationships and being taught by talented instructors who also care about their students and their progress.”

Together, the Marion residents encouraged others to study at HCCC and pursue degrees in general. “Attending college is a great way to set yourself up for success. Not only are you learning a new craft, you are building lasting relationships with those around you. Whenever an obstacle arises, the best thing to do is keep moving forward until you overcome it. No one can hold you back from your full potential but you,” they agreed in a statement.

Glo-an Garcia Ramos (seen above, center), 36, of Secaucus, went back to school with her husband when their kids were grown. She’s no stranger to higher education–she studied engineering at De la Salle University in Manila, Philippines, and after moving to the United States became a licensed practical nurse after studying in Harrison. She is also currently enrolled at the Bloomfield College School of Nursing, something she says she wouldn’t have been able to do without studying at HCCC.

“Hudson County gave me an opportunity to finish school and earn a degree in Health Science. I have met a lot of excellent professors and motivated students like me who have families while going to school,” she says.

“Because of the grades I have earned at HCCC there were so many opportunities and doors that opened for me. I was accepted by a couple of colleges and universities and became a Phi Theta Kappa member because of HCCC. I was offered a lot of scholarships because of PTK. HCCC opened a lot of doors and opportunities and I am very grateful.”

“It was also hard to go back to school again after so many years. The journey was very hard but it was all worth it,” says Ramos.

The ceremony, which will be held today at 5 pm, will feature a keynote address will be delivered by J. Noah Brown, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). Brown is nationally recognized as an authority on community college governance, and is the author of the book First in the World: Community Colleges and America’s Future, which was awarded the 2013 Bellwether Book Award from the Community College Futures Assembly.

HCCC will also present its 2013 Heritage Award to Kearny resident Kenneth H. Lindenfelser. A former mayor and councilman of Kearny, Lindenfelser has dedicated much of his time and energies to the community and chaired the HCCC Foundation’s Taste of Fall fundraisers in 2011 and 2012. He is also the President of Lindenfelser Associates, an aerospace consultant firm.

For more information, visit the HCCC website.

Photo courtesy of Glo-an Ramos

The city is opening its outdoor pools and turning on all park sprinklers to help locals cool off and have fun on Memorial Day weekend.

Both sprinklers and pols will be open to the public through Labor Day and provide children with a supervised way to cool off and play during the summer months. The sprinklers do not require swimming skills to be enjoyed.

Outdoor public pools:

Pershing Field Pool, 201 Central Ave.
May 27 from 12 pm to 6 pm
After Memorial Day: 12 pm to 4 pm

Lafayette Pool and Aquatic Center, Johnson and Pacific
May 24 from 2 pm to 7 pm, May 25 to 27 from 11 am to 7 pm
After Memorial Day: Weekdays 7 am to 10 am for adult/lap swim only, 4 pm to 7 pm open swim; pm, weekends 11 am to 7 pm

Pavonia Pool, West Side and Pavonia avenues
May 24 from 2 pm to 7 pm; May 25 through 27, 11 am to 7 pm
After Memorial Day: Weekdays from 4 pm to 7 pm; weekends frm 11 am to 7 pm

Sprinklers will be open seven days a week starting Friday, May 24, from 11 am to 7 pm, weather permitting. They are located at:

Pershing Field
Summit Avenue and Pershing Plaza

Audubon Park
103-129 Bergen Ave.

Arlington Park
785 Grand St.

LaPointe Park
90-92 DeKalb Avenue

Roberto Clemente Park
Eighth Street and Brunswick Street

Rev. Ercel Webb/Lafayette Park
Maple Street and Van Horne Street

Dr. Lena Edwards Park
325 Johnston Ave.

Country Village Park
30 Sycamore Rd.

Columbia Park
Bartholdi Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard

Bayside Park
480 Garfield Ave.

Hamilton Park
Between Eighth and Ninth streets at Hamilton Place

Muhammad Ali Park
Van Nostrand Avenue between MLK Drive and Ocean Avenue

For more information on the sprinklers, call the Division of Parks and Forestry at 201-547-4449. You can also visit the city website.