The Jersey City Independent "

Share/Save Most — but not all — of Hudson County’s legislators lodged slightly greener votes than their peers during the last legislative session, but they were still far from being true environmental champions, according to a report released today by Environment New Jersey. The group’s legislative scorecard examines the voting records of New Jersey’s state [...]

Share/Save- Smith Trial Set for November: Mark your calendars: jury selection in the corruption trial of former assemblyman L. Harvey Smith will begin Nov. 22. – PSE&G Rates Should Stay Steady: The state has reached a tentative agreement with PSE&G that would effectively freeze rates for its electric customers for the next two years. It [...]

Share/Save- The jurors in the federal corruption trial of suspended deputy mayor Leona Beldini asked for four things during deliberations yesterday; as the Journal notes, some were important, some not so much. Meanwhile, the jurors will have a snow day today and are set to resume deliberations on Thursday if the weather cooperates. – In [...]

Share/Save- Several advocates point to the latest corruption arrests as proof that there are serious problems with the way development happens in New Jersey, while Mayor Healy and others are quick to defend the city’s record on development. – Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith, who last week announced he would not resign his spot in Trenton [...]

Share/Save- A new newsy political blog is recently on the JC beat: Douglas Carlucci has been closely following the corruption scandal since it broke on July 23. His posts are as thoughtful and relevant as they are numerous — some highlights are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. – David Cruz is [...]

Share/Save- Despite rumors to the contrary, 31st District Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith has announced he will not resign his post, even though he has been charged with accepting bribes totaling $15,000 as part of last month’s federal corruption bust. Smith’s pay and benefits have been suspended by Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, and Smith’s term ends [...]

Share/SaveDue to a technical error, the content of this morning’s roundup post was deleted. Here is your Wednesday Afternoon News Roundup, with our apologies: – About 300 people rallied on the steps of City Hall last night to protest alleged corruption in City Hall and demand Council President Mariano Vega*’s resignation. This was the second [...]

Share/Save- Political consultant Jack Shaw had reportedly agreed to cooperate with federal authorities in their corruption probe after he himself was arrested last week. He told the feds he could help develop new information on those already charged in the case and to possibly identify new targets. Shaw was found dead in his apartment on [...]

Share/SaveAssembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. says he has suspended the salary and benefits of the three Assembly members facing corruption charges — L. Harvey Smith, Joe Vas and Daniel Van Pelt. “Any member charged with criminal activity is incapable of effectively attending to their constitutional duties and should not be entitled to taxpayer-paid compensation [...]

Share/Save- The corruption probe took a human and perhaps dark turn yesterday when Jersey City political consultant Jack Shaw was found dead in his Paulus Hook apartment. There is speculation and unconfirmed reports that the death may have been a suicide; we might not know for a few weeks if a toxicology report has to [...]