Feds Accuse Jersey City Man of Pocketing More than $117,000 After Filing False Income Tax Returns: A federal grand jury today indicted a Jersey City man who is accused of pocketing more than $117,000 after he filed false income tax returns.

Former Jersey City State Assemblyman Says Corruption Charges Against him are Part of Effort to Elect Christie Governor: The attorney representing former Jersey City assemblyman and mayoral candidate Lou Manzo argued in court yesterday that corruption charges against Manzo are bogus and was part of a conspiracy to get Republican Gov. Chris Christie elected.

Original Manager Protests Duprees 50th Anniversary Show Tonight in Jersey City, Calling Performers a “Cover Band”: The Duprees will be celebrating the doo-wop group’s 50th anniversary at the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Journal Square tonight. But the original manager of the “You Belong to Me” singers, who formed the group in Jersey City, is calling the current incarnation of the group a fraud and says it has no right to use the name.

The Original Business at Monmouth, Newark and First–V. Fiore’s Deli, Since 1912: Dislocations talks about the history of the Italian Village, specifically regarding delis, and has photos of the original establishment’s facade at the new Studio 17 building, which was revealed during construction.

In Statewide News:

State Senate Readies for Second Try to License Single-Room Surgeries: Sen. Joseph F. Vitale, chairman of the Senate’s health committee, is moving swiftly on a bill that would require all operating rooms to be licensed and inspected by the state Department of Health.

Mixed Reviews for Office of Clean Energy’s Solar Plan: The Office of Clean Energy’s two options for stabilizing the solar sector won mixed reviews at best from some of the state’s utilities, which would be asked to extend programs that helped residents and businesses put solar systems in place through long-term contracts.

New Jersey Pensions Earn 1.7% in 2011 as Real Estate Gains: New Jersey’s pension funds, with about $70 billion of assets, returned 1.7 percent last year as gains from debt, private-equity and real-estate investments tempered losses from global stocks.

Joseph Cardwell, the political consultant who acted as go-between for a Hudson County official and a man he thought to be a rich developer but who was in fact a cooperating witness for the FBI, Solomon Dwek, was sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined $3,000 on Friday, January 13th. Cardwell, 70, had earlier plead guilty to the Federal charges and will be under home supervision for two years following his release from prison. He was also made to pay back the $31,500 he received from Dwek.

The arrest came as part of a larger operation known as “Operation Bid Rig,” a sting that brought down the careers of dozens of New Jersey politicians and catapulted the profile of then-US Attorney and current New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. It also netted former Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega.

According to official documents, Cardwell attended meetings with Dwek– who was posing as a rich developer and wearing a secret video recording device– for the purpose of discussing political officials Dwek could curry favors from in exchange for ‘contributions’ of cash payments.

Cardwell then set up and brought a Jersey City official to two meetings with Dwek. Cardwell had also instructed Dwek on what to say to the official to get his message across: “I want to help out any way I can,” Cardwell told him, adding Dwek should offer to help with “whatever [the public official] wants, however he wants.” Whatever “he wants” turned out to be $10,000 in cash.

The meeting between Cardwell, Dwek, and the public official took place at a restaurant on August 14, 2008, but the official, not trusting Dwek, at first refused the payment. Cardwell then promised Dwek he would find a way to get the money to the official, which he later did, handing off the money because the official preferred to get it from someone he knew rather than the unknown Dwek.

According to a statement from the US Attorney’s office, the following day “Cardwell met Dwek in a Jersey City parking lot where he accepted two $10,000 cash payments – one for Cardwell and one intended as a corrupt cash payment to the Jersey City official. Cardwell reiterated that he would handle the payment to the official. At a Sept. 5, 2008, meeting in Jersey City, Cardwell told Dwek the Jersey City official had instructed Cardwell to use the $10,000 for the official’s benefit to take care of a second Jersey City public official by purchasing tickets to fund raisers for the second Jersey City official’s re-election campaign.”

The name of the public official is left unidentified in the statement.

Standing in a corner looking on was Guy Catrillo. The unsuccessful 2009 City Council candidate who just served a prison term for taking bribes from government informant Solomon Dwek was the last person you would expect to see at such an occasion.

But the students weren’t surprised, as Catrillo is part of their psychology class. The celebration took place partly because of him. He helped bring the music, provided by longtime friend Greg Rivera. Greg Malave, another longtime friend, was the event’s emcee.

Catrillo was there through the entire performance, taking home the donated canned and boxed food from the audience to bring to the Hoboken Homeless Shelter later that week.

It was one of several community events that Catrillo has been involved in since he was officially released in July after serving his prison term.

He was not taking part as some kind of penance; rather, Catrillo has been doing these kinds of good deeds for years.

What sent him to prison was something else.

Catrillo pleaded guilty in September 2009 to accepting $15,000 cash in three payments from Dwek. The cash was offered as part of the government’s corruption sting that led to the July 2009 arrests of 46 people, including a number of prominent Hudson County politicians, among them former Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega and former Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini.

He was sentenced in January 2010 to 18 months and was the first person from the arrests to serve time. He ended up serving more than 15 months of that at the Fort Dix Federal Penitentiary in South Jersey and served the remaining time under house arrest.

Since his official release, he has not spoken to the press, but decided to do so recently in an exclusive interview with the Jersey City Independent.

Catrillo spoke about everything from being imprisoned to life under the watch of federal authorities, as he still has two years probation. The one thing he couldn’t talk about was the case.

What do you think about as you look back at your experience in prison?

In the beginning, I did not want visitors and the counselor over there, who was a decent human being, he said, ‘Catrillo, I have about 50 applications for visits, what’s going on here?’ And he says, ‘What do you want me to do with these?’ And I said,’ I don’t know.’ He says, ‘You wanna pick 10 out of here?’

I said, ‘I really don’t want visitors.’ Then he sat me down and he explained to me so well…’When your mother sees you face-to-face and she knows you are doing well, it’s going to mean something to her.’

Did you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation while serving time?

I was in trouble there…they call it respect issues. In all honesty, you have to fight and that’s it. Got my ass kicked. There were two serious ones — and it ended. Especially being white, you get picked on a lot. But it’s really strange because the other guys respect you for standing up for yourself. One guy started crying after he picked me up and threw me into a wall. He started to cry like a little kid and said he’s sorry, he lost it.

How do you think you have changed as a person after being behind bars?

I am less judgmental now, and I don’t think I was judgmental to begin with. Now a guy can walk up to me and say ‘I got 27 years and I served 20 of those 27,’ and it wouldn’t faze me.

What is it like for you to readjust after life in jail?

It was very confusing. I would not recommend house arrest. I also had to report to a halfway house five times a week in Newark in very controlled moves. If they gave me 35 minutes to go from Jersey City to Newark, it better be 35 minutes…[The government] also monitored me for depression, they feel if you have been incarcerated with potentially heavy criminals that it may rub off on you before good behavior rubs off on them.

As someone who ran for political office and was involved in Jersey City politics for years, what is it like being away from that arena and now observing it again?

I remembered pulling my voting record like it meant something, and I never missed an election since 1972 until the time I was busted. I can’t vote any longer, I can’t give blood any longer. It was interesting to see the recent [City Council] election and some of the people who were running, who I knew personally. I even wished that some of my friends, who I liked, didn’t win so that they would not be subjected to what I went though.

Do you have any last words or observations?

Music and my faith kept me alive my whole life. One thing’s for sure, you won’t see me wearing a suit in the future. It seems like every time I had a suit on, I was in trouble. I am going to keep with the guitar and keep doing the things I want to do, whether people like it or don’t like it…that’s the way God wants it and that’s the way it’s going to be.

Photo by Tom Horan, taken at federal prison in Fort Dix, NJ, in winter 2010

But with two as-yet unopened cartridges hanging in the balance, Mack says she will ask for vote counts to be checked “if results are close,” and Lavarro supporters yesterday turned out at the Hudson County Clerk’s office to protest the delay and demand their candidate be declared the winner.

The Lavarro supporters yesterday carried signs reading “We Demand Transparency Now,” “Hudson County Be Honest For Once,” “Don’t Steal History From Us” and “Asian Americans Unite!”

As results remained stuck at 95.05 percent of votes counted Tuesday night and into Wednesday, “Lavarro was not informed of the next steps of the count,” said a statement released by his spokesman Andre Richardson; he did not get a “courtesy call” to witness the mail-in ballot count and wasn’t told which districts remained unaccounted for.

“We would be foolish to think that there’s not at least the possibility of some clandestine activity happening here,” wrote Richardson, who is not related to Viola Richardson. “There is a serious lack of transparency in the part of the Hudson County Clerk’s office and the Board of Elections as to how the vote count procedure took place at the conclusion of election night on November 8.” Lavarro did not respond to a request for comment.

Mack ended Tuesday night some 300 votes away from Lavarro with 95.05 percent of votes counted, not including mail-in and provisional ballots, and told JCI the night after the election that she would not concede until the rest of the votes were counted. The as-yet unopened cartridges will be opened Monday by court order, according to Board of Elections Clerk Michael Harper.

Results have since been updated to reflect 98.9 percent of votes counted, based on two cartridges that were mistakenly left at PS 39, near Lincoln Park, and not picked up and counted until Wednesday morning, according to the BOE; those results show Richardson with 3,937 votes, Lavarro, 3,443, and Mack, 3,168.

Adding those totals to the number of mail-in and provisional ballots, the gap between Lavarro and Mack is now 219 votes.

But no matter what happens next, Mack said today that she will ask for results to be checked. She said she would have to look into the exact process she would pursue and the potential cost.

“I’m going to ask for a re-check, this has just been too strange,” Mack said. “I see no downside to asking for a re-check.”

It’s possible the two unopened cartridges were never used, according to Harper. With totals in for mail-in votes and provisional ballots, “There’s not enough out there to really change anything,” he said.

Mack received the most mail-in votes, according to the BOE, but not enough to pull ahead of Lavarro. Vote counts provided by the BOE show Mack leading with 157 mail-in ballots; top finisher Viola Richardson, Councilwoman for Ward F, received 153; Rolando Lavarro, 105; At-Large Councilwoman Kalimah Ahmad, 96; At-Large Councilman Ray Velazquez, 86; and Omar Perez, 78.

There were less than 200 provisional ballots, and among them were 21 votes for Richardson, 17 for Mack and 13 for Lavarro, according to the BOE.

“There’s no reason to concede at this point in time,” Mack told JCI the night after the election. “I worked very hard on the election. I had a very good team of people with me… It wouldn’t be fair to the people I worked with if the process is incomplete.

“At the end of the day, if Rolando wins, I will be very happy to support him,” she said. “He’s a very nice person and I will be very supportive of him, if he indeed does win the election.”

Photo courtesy of Andre Richardson

Earlier tonight, with a little over 80 percent of the votes tallied, Richardson, 66, gave an informal victory speech.

“I have the best workers anyone could ask for,” she said to an enthusiastic group of about 20 supporters who had come to her Greenville office to wait with her as results came in. “I could not have done that without all the people you see in this room.”

Richardson was vying to move from her ward council seat to one of the citywide slots. The at-large seats were open because of Mariano Vega’s ouster due to his corruption arrest and conviction and Willie Flood’s resignation due to illness.

The special election was a historic opportunity for voters to decide the composition of the council — for the first time, according to the city clerk, two at-large seats were up for grabs.

Lavarro, who had bracketed with Richardson, moved into second place as the votes were tallied, bumping Sue Mack back from second to third; by 10:11 pm, with 95 percent of votes counted, Lavarro had 3,359 to Mack’s 3,049. Lavarro, 41, is Filipino-American and would become the city’s first Asian-American councilman if elected.

It’s a position he was almost in before. In 2009, Lavarro got enough votes in his challenge to Ward A councilman Michael Sottolano to force a runoff election, which he ended up losing.

“I just feel very strongly that we need to bring change to Jersey City,” he said tonight from his office on John F. Kennedy Boulevard among some 30 supporters. “Folks aren’t happy with the status quo.”

None of his campaign workers were paid, said his campaign manager, Helen Castillo, 50.

“Without money, without machinery, we won,” she said.

Lavarro and his supporters were heading to the Mojo Lounge on West Side Avenue to celebrate.

Macks’s supporters were watching results come in over appetizers and drinks at Brightside Tavern, and when the returns shifted to put Lavarro in the lead, the room grew quiet and there were some audible sighs.

“I’m surprised that Viola is doing so well because she’s not backed by the (Hudson County Democratic) Organization,” said Mack supporter Diana Hucyk, who remained hopeful Mack would win.

Mack, for her part, said she would not concede until the absentee ballots had been counted.

Downtown at the Port-O Lounge and Restaurant, supporters of Dan Levin watched election results on a big-screen monitor hooked up to a laptop. The gathering consisted of a small group of campaign workers, friends and relatives. As results came in and Levin moved farther from the top of the pack, the mood was somber but stayed positive.

Kalimah Ahmad was also upbeat as she arrived at Puccini’s Restaurant on West Side Avenue tonight with a group of about 35 to 40 people that included a handful of supporters in yellow and black “Team Ahmad” shirts, Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Councilman Bill Gaughan.

“I see everyone looking so sad, but not me, I’m smiling,” said the incumbent Democrat. “I’m just excited to be here, I’ve never seen an election from this point of view.”

“I have no intention of ever running again,” Ahmad added. “You can quote me on that.”

Healy seemed to accept the defeat of Ahmad and her running mate, councilman Ray Velazquez, who was not at the restaurant.

“The people have spoken and we accept the verdict,” Healy said early on as it became clear Ahmad and Velazquez would not end up in the top two slots. “I’m looking forward to working with whoever ends up winning.”

In her Greenville office tonight, Richardson thanked her children, nephews, a local pastor and councilwoman Nidia Lopez, who was at her side the entire night and said Richardson deserved one of the at-large seats.

“She’s been doing at-large without the title,” Lopez said. “She’s a woman of integrity that cares about her ward and for her people.”

John Miller, 46, a Richardson campaign volunteer, said the councilwoman had helped him get a job cleaning city streets after he was released from jail.

“I’ll do anything for her, six days a week,” Miller said. “She’s a straightforward person.”

As election returns continued to come in and kept her in the top spot, Richardson was asked if she would run for mayor in 2013.

“I might,” she said with a smile as her supporters cheered.

“She should,” Lopez said.

With reporting by Karen Keller, Chris Neidenberg, Matt Hunger and Tom Howard.

Photo of Viola Richardson and Nidia Lopez by Karen Keller

Richardson received 3,881 votes and Lavarro received 3,359; behind the winners by a margin of about 300 votes was Mack with 3,049. Ahmad received 2,910 votes and Velazquez, 2,687.

Richard Boggiano placed sixth with 2,429 votes and Dan Levin came in seventh with 2,024. Mack’s bracketing partner, Omar Perez, garnered 1,507 votes, behind Imtiaz Syed, who received 1,559.

Democrats swept the statewide offices in Hudson County, with State Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham keeping her seat (31st District) with nearly 81 percent of the vote. State Senators Nicholas Sacco and Brian Stack of the 32nd and 33rd districts won their contests with 81 and 86 percent of the vote, respectively.

For the General Assembly, it was Charles Mainor and Jason O’Donnell in the 31st district, Vincent Prieto and Angelica M. Jimenez in the 32nd, and Ruben J. Ramos, Jr. and Sean Connors in the 33rd.

Thomas A. DeGise won for county executive with more than 81 percent of the vote, and Pamela Gardner won for County Register.

Look for more election coverage from JCI tomorrow.

The reward? Short job security. The winners will only serve the remaining 18 months of the three-year terms vacated by Mariano Vega (ousted following a corruption arrest and conviction) and Willie Flood (who left because of illness).

But it will give the eventual winners, including 14 challengers in a field with appointed Democratic incumbent Councilmembers-at-large Ray Velazquez and Kaliimah Ahmad, and Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson, time to build a political base throughout Jersey City.

One challenger, city veterans affairs director Jaime Vazquez, is looking to return to the council after serving from 1985 to 1997. Five-term school board member Suzanne Mack, elected citywide in her current capacity, is eyeing the same results at the municipal level.

Others in the crowded field are: Richard Boggiano, Ihor Ed Ciolko, Melissa Alexander Clark, Brian Lane, Rolando Lavarro, Patrick Leonard, Dan Levin, Juanita Lopez, Omar Perez, Adela Rohena, Imtiaz Syed and Nabil Youssef.

Bracketed together as slates on the ballot are Ahmad and Velazquez, Mack and Perez and Lavarro and Richardson.

Even as outsider Lavarro has bracketed with a councilwoman, much of the election dialogue has seen those candidates looking to enter (or re-enter) the City Council criticizing the administration of organization-backed Democratic Mayor Jerramiah Healy and the nine-member council. Most of its members, like Healy, have won with backing from the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).

Anti-Organization Councilman Steven Fulop of Ward E, eyeing a challenge to Healy for the mayor’s chair in 2013, has officially remained neutral.

Themes from the anti-incumbents have included allegations of continuing corruption and abusive patronage, long associated with Hudson County, coming at the expense of taxpayers and bloating the municipal budget.

The three current council members, along with Clark, have been no-shows during the last two debates. This has caused some challengers to harshly criticize anyone who might purposely skip the forums in trying to avoid greater scrutiny.

And in recent weeks, complaints have arisen concerning confirmed inaccurate statements in campaign fliers. Ahmad and Velazquez were taken to task for claiming the city imposed “no layoffs” in 2011 when it issued 366 pink slips. Mack and Perez were accused of purposely deceiving voters in the north end of Jersey City with literature claiming they had been endorsed by popular State Sen. Brian Stack, who represents the area, even though Stack denied endorsing anyone. The candidates have said they do not know who produced the flier.

JCI is providing a sketch profiling the candidates individually, in alphabetical order. Most of the information is based on comments made during the Nov. 2 forum held at Ferris High School. In the case of no-show council members Ahmad, Richardson and Velazquez, information was obtained from their official biographies listed on the Jersey City Web site. Attempts to track down Clark have been unsuccessful.

Views expressed by candidates during an Oct. 13 forum at PS 28 in the Heights are online here. Polls are open until 8 pm tonight.

Kalimah Ahmad
The Democratic incumbent’s official bio says the assistant Hudson County counsel is active in a number of legal professional organizations and has raised monies for lymphoma research by competing in a triatholon and to send youths to summer camp. She is thought to be Jersey City’s first Muslim council member. She has also volunteered her time to numerous civic organizations.

Among the cited accomplishments in her bio is writing “Where Have All My Brothers Gone?: An Exploration of New Jersey’s 1000-Foot of a School Zone Statute,” a review of the law’s sentencing policy banning drug possession within the zone. Ahmad was also a three-time recipient (2002-04) of the Hudson County Bar Association Scholarship Award. She is bracketed on the ballot with Velazquez.

Melissa Alexander Clark
Clark, who missed at least the last two forums, could not be reached by JCI for comment.

Richard Boggiano
Retired from the Jersey City police force after 37 years, the longtime president of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association prides himself on fighting for residents’ interests against city government and regional agencies, such as the Port Authority (PA) of New York and New Jersey, over the years. He called the decisions of the two incumbent candidates to miss the final debate “disgraceful,” and has promised to serve, if elected, for a salary of $1 per year. In his campaign, Boggiano has emerged as one of the loudest critics of the HCDO.

“Let’s get rid of the hacks who have been serving in Jersey City,” he demands, referring to highly-paid political appointees he alleges serve on a number of boards which serve no real purpose other than padding the budget when the public’s money can be put to better use. Boggiano maintains granting the Jersey City Parking Authority an annual $4 million budget is an extravagance, while at the same time, he feels the city has dangerously attritioned the police force from a high of about 1,200 officers during his tenure to a level “in the 700s.”

Ihor Ed Ciolko
A retired construction inspector for the city, Ciolko says he is the right person at the right time because the council needs someone with expertise in real estate development to promote responsible growth while attracting ratables. He has even floated the seemingly radical idea of trying to get back at least a substantial part of Liberty State Park from New Jersey to replace green space with more ratables. Ciolko also wants to pursue more tax abatements.

“I can make a difference. I can make change,” Ciolko has said. Given the Port Authority’s plans to eventually raise the Bayonne Bridge to accommodate more commercial shipping, Ciolko recently proposed making the city’s portion of the Hackensack River a “port entry zone” with financial incentives. Ciolko recalled the waterway’s days as “a vibrant shipping area” he wants to see revived.

Brian Lane
The Hudson County sheriff’s officer vows to be in the vanguard of the fight against Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s fiscal policies, which he says have devastated Jersey City. At the last candidates’ forum, he harshly criticized Lopez’s defending Christie for revoking various forms of state aid from Jersey City since taking office.

From the governor’s prior efforts to revoke school aid to his floating the idea of possibly terminating New Jersey’s Urban Enterprise Zone program, Lane says, “I believe the governor has been a stand-up guy and now it’s time for him to step down.”

Rolando Lavarro

Rolando Lavarro, New Jersey City University’s assistant director for grants and special programs, is among those in the anti-Christie chorus when it comes to the governor’s urban policies. Yet he also maintains the mayor and council share the blame for some of the city’s own fiscal problems. Lavarro wants the budget examined under the process of “priority-based budgeting,” which would require that an independent firm come in to weed out any waste and abuse.

“I believe this governor, with cuts to school aid, has basically declared a war on our teachers and public schools in Jersey City,” says Lavarro, a former state legislative and council aide who grew up in Greenville. “All of my adult life has been dedicated to public service, whether working in non profits or in government,” he says with pride.

Patrick “PJ” Leonard
Did not attend the Nov. 2 forum, but at the Oct. 13 event he noted that he grew up on Sip Avenue. He feels he has developed good insights on how to improve the city in part by living here over the many years. He has called for the city to make a greater commitment to offering youth programs in trying to prevent juvenile delinquency.

Leonard cites as a priority reviving the Journal Square neighborhood, starting with renovating the historic Landmark Loews Jersey Theatre. “If we work together, we can make Jersey City what it used to be, not what it is right now,” he has said.

Dan Levin
The Downtown resident was the founder and past president of Civic JC, a good government organization, and believes the current city government encourages a culture of “corruption” that must be fought to get Jersey City back on track.

Levin, the owner of a small business in Hoboken, insists the city must do more to take “stakeholder” concerns into account in crafting policy. He also wants it to create “a strategic plan to see where we want to go in the future.” Included in that, he says, is incorporating policies to encourage putting “light industrial uses” in either vacant or underutilized buildings while de-emphasizing building more “market-rate housing.” He says the latter tends to consume services rather than generate ratables. He also wants to see a complete revamping of the building department, saying, “Plans stay on shelves for four months, six months, eight months, nine months.”

Juanita Lopez
A substitute teacher in the city active in groups in her Heights neighborhood, Lopez describes herself as an average taxpaying homeowner with an associate’s degree in urban policy.

Lopez defended Gov. Christie at the Nov. 2 forum, saying she believes the governor rescinded much of Jersey City’s aid because “it wasn’t being used right.” Lopez says she wants the council to engage in “research and studies” aimed at lowering property taxes to help small business flourish. She explains, “I believe it all comes down to lowering property taxes. And if you lower property taxes, it will encourage building owners to bring down their rents.”

Suzanne Mack
Sue Mack is the school board’s most senior member and a licensed professional planner who serves as an unpaid liaison for commuters with NJ Transit’s executive board. She wants to implement a comprehensive recreation program, and slow down the process of initiating an upcoming revaluation so residents better understand what’s at stake.

One of her first priorities on the council “is to have a summit by the end of 2012″ to bring in groups such as the Hudson County Boys Club and other non-profits to explore what they can do in helping the city provide recreational and social services. Further, Mack says, “We must end the who-you-know culture that governs Jersey City politics.” She maintains business development can be further promoted if the city eases restrictions on its entertainment ordinance, to allow more such commercial uses.

Omar Perez
Mack’s running mate is an administrator for a Latino fraternal organization. He previously served in various governmental and political posts at the city and state level, including the New Jersey Legislature.

“I’m definitely against tax abatements in Jersey City unless it’s for affordable housing,” he says. Perez is also calling for implementation of new “community policing” initiatives, and expressed concern that the city government is “working at cross purposes” with the department. He says he’s no fan of Christie, noting, “I do not agree with him on any of his policies thus far, and I don’t think I will agree on his policies in the future.”

Viola Richardson
According to her official city bio, she was first elected in 2001 and is the youngest of 12 children. She is described there as being “well-known in the community” and “a strong advocate for social change.”

“She believes that every individual must assume responsibility for making the community better if we are to survive,” the bio says. Further, Richardson insists, “We must take control of our lives. We cannot turn our backs on our youth and expect that the social agencies will take care of them.” She warns youths will become “unproductive” as adults unless society “pays now,” and commits the proper investments in helping them develop into responsible citizens.

At a recent public meeting on the progress of chromium cleanup at 900 Garfield Avenue and Berry Lane, she spoke on behalf of residents concerned about possible water contamination issues.

Adela Rohena
Like Lopez, she is active in her Heights neighborhood. Rohena also serves as a teacher’s aide in the Jersey City district. While she has been critical of Christie, she says the council must be more directly accountable for its actions.

Rohena describes herself as a reformer. “Many times, I have been invited to join the boat of corruption involving Jersey City officials, and I’ve refused,” she has said.

Rohena is demanding police implement a more aggressive policy to combat gang violence. She also would “add more police to the streets of Jersey City,” and says, “The reason we see violence, especially every week in our public schools, is because we see in the streets the gangs of Jersey City.”

She also says she will be a “fiscal watchdog” for taxpayers.

Imtiaz Syed
He cites prior challenges, including then-Gov. Christie Whitman’s appointing him to the school board upon the state’s initial takeover, and helping develop 250 affordable housing units in Lafayette while chairman of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, as helping prepare him for the council.

Syed promises to be “a full-time councilman,” and will install “an action line” in his office so residents facing problems get calls returned quickly. While not ruling out tax abatements, the candidate says he would take a tough approach. He suggests possibly imposing an 18-month window where applicants would need to “prove you’re committed” to creating jobs benefiting Jersey City. “We have to give them the chance to show they want to keep their business in Jersey City,” Syed says.

Jaime Vazquez
The candidate says he will make a key priority re-establishing the city’s youth and family services division in all six wards to promote more recreational programs. To try enhancing the city’s coffers, the former councilman says he will propose trying to push the Port Authority to impose a “25 cents levy on every vehicle that passes through the Holland Tunnel” into Manhattan. He estimates this could generate up to $3 million in new revenues annually.

Like Syed, he stresses providing full-time service, but notes he’s already been there. “You have to be here. You have to be available,” says Vazquez. “People come to City Hall to look for someone to help them.”

Radames “Ray” Velazquez
Ray Velazquez is a litigation counsel for the Hudson County Counsel, a former city municipal court judge, former county freeholder and the city’s first openly gay councilman.

The attorney’s official city bio describes him as being “known for his straightforward approach to life,” as evidenced by his coming out while in public service. Velazquez, whose brother, Hector, is a Hudson County Superior Court judge, also says in his bio, “I am proud to represent all of the people of Jersey City, but I am particularly proud to represent those people who need a voice to advocate on their behalf on those issues that affect them in a unique way.” Velazuez adds he is “glad that my voice speaks for so many people, including those often underrepresented in a position of authority.”

Nabil Youssef
The city high school teacher, who ran unsuccessfully for the school board in March, promises every decision he makes will be first and foremost in the interests of taxpaying Jersey City residents and not special interests or political bosses.

Without offering details, Youssef has issued as a key position the idea of getting the school board and council to “share” one budget, saying, “We can reduce taxes, (improve) education and clean our streets.”

“I had run in the school board election to take (Charles) Epps out,” says Youssef, who at the time called for the ouster of his boss, the controversial schools superintendent who is expected to retire in January. “I am now running to take Healy and his whole cabinet out.”

Photo: Steve Gold

It’s the result of one of the more tumultuous periods in recent City Council history, with Mariano Vega resigning in September 2010 after he pleaded guilty to bribery charges and Willie Flood stepping down from her seat in February due to health issues.

Appointed by Mayor Jerramiah Healy to their fill the vacancies respectively were Radames Ray Velazquez, Jr. and Kalimah Ahmad. But the duo will be facing competition from 15 other contenders: Richard Boggiano, Ihor Ed Ciolko, Melissa Alexander Clark, Brian Lane, Rolando Lavarro, Patrick Leonard, Daniel Levin, Juanita Lopez, Suzanne Mack, Omar Perez, Viola Richardson, Adela Rohena, Imtiaz Syed, Jamie Vazquez, and Nabil Youssef.

Voters, however, will not be going to nearby polling places just to pick from names on the crazy-quilt ballot but also to see that those they select will perform for their constituents.

JCI interviewed residents not only about their choices but also about what they want to see accomplished in office by the winners.

John Seborowski

The longtime Jersey City Heights resident has become a familiar presence at City Council meetings the past two years as a vocal critic of various Healy administration policies.

Seborowski said he was definitely not going to vote for either Velazquez or Ahmad, seeing them, along with current council members Peter Brennan, Bill Gaughan and Michael Sottolano, as “rubber stamps for the mayor.”

Instead, he is leaning towards Rich Boggiano, Dan Levin and Sue Mack — he has not made his final selections among the three — based on their past accomplishments as community activists and advocates for good government.

Seborowski is looking for those elected to deal more carefully with the city’s financial situation. In particular, getting the budget passed as early as possible and approving tax abatements for revitalizing the less-developed areas of the city.

“I think the [Downtown] waterfront has outlived these tax abatements, I have said this for a long time,” Seborowski said. “I think you need tax abatements for development in Greenville, Bergen-Lafayette and the West Side.”

Karen DeSoto

Karen DeSoto is a private-practice attorney and TV commentator who lives with her husband and son in the Society Hill residences in the city’s Greenville section.

She is well-versed in local politics, having worked as a city corporation counsel during the administration of the late Glenn Cunningham, and having run for City Council in 2005.

DeSoto has already settled on the team of Lavarro and Richardson, having “admired” both for a number of years because of Richardson’s work on the council and Lavarro’s past stances on civic issues as well as his council run in 2009.

What she is seeking in her candidates, or any of the candidates who prevail Tuesday night, is not just someone being able to champion the cause for better city services but to do so in an economically challenging environment.

“Now, you got to fight for every scrap and that’s going to definitely take a different kind of person,” DeSoto said. “It takes someone who will be creative, and someone who will be able to get some money in.”

Roberto Cruz

Roberto Cruz may be a registered Republican, but he is still getting out and voting in Tuesday’s non-partisan election. And the Downtown resident, a veteran worker on local political campaigns, sees several good Democratic candidates, although he has managed to narrow the list to a trio.

Yet, what is paramount to him, no matter the victors, is that they commit themselves to achieving some simple goals while in office for an abbreviated 19-month term.

“The first thing they need to tackle is taxes; make sure they stabilize them with the way the economy is going,” said Cruz, who works in accounting for a major household goods retail company in New Jersey.

Cruz also wants the newly-elected councilpersons to make the city offices more “people-friendly” to the public, and to address residents’ issues more expediently.

As far as who he wants to see sitting in the council chambers, Cruz said he is torn between Levin, Leonard and Syed.

Irina Zaki

Irina Zaki works and lives in the Journal Square area. She is also a member of the Magnolia Avenue Neighborhood Association.

Being active in the upkeep of her block as well as her past experience as a council aide for former Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski informs what she hopes the next councilpersons will do in their position.

“I just want someone to come to community meetings to hear about the people’s problems not just before election — but also after the election,” Zaki said. “You call for someone at City Hall to help you with your problems, and you only get half of the problem solved and then have to call another office to solve the other part of the problem.”

Zaki said she favors Boggiano because of his leadership of another Journal Square community group, the Hilltop Neighborhood Association, and has “liked” Richardson since her time working as Lipski’s aide.

THEY WILL DECIDE THE FINAL TWO – Jersey City residents, like the ones who showed at a candidate forum at Ferris High School last week, will be the ultimate deciders of who fills two City Council at-Large seats at Tuesday’s election.

“[There were] too many tapes, too many videos. Even If I was successful on the substantive issues, there’s the count of obstruction,” Willis said, explaining why he didn’t take the case to trial and instead had Vega enter a guilty plea last fall. The obstruction in question occurred when the FBI confronted Vega with a picture of Dwek two days after the two had met. Vega denied any knowledge of the cooperating witness, and that, said Willis, was something he felt was too much to overcome.

Speaking before the court, Willis called the case “one of the saddest” he’s worked on. He painted Vega as man of the community whose good work could not be ignored “because of one mistake.”

Willis added that Vega was “the most successful Hispanic leader” in Hudson County and Jersey City, and asked rhetorically what could have motivated Vega to make such a “stupid” mistake. The answer he came up with — the difficulty and desperation of a political campaign, in which his approximately $100,000 was nowhere the $1 million he claimed was needed for such a race — tried to frame the crime as “in the heat of the moment.”

“Unfortunately in life, good people make bad choices. That’s where we’re at today,” said Willis. “Filtering money into the campaign treasury. It’s out of tone of the entire life Mariano represented. It’s sad and disappointing.”

Linares, however, was not convinced, reminding Willis that Vega accepted bribes from Dwek both before and after the election.

And as Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Moser noted, Vega’s net worth was approximately $3.3 million, further undercutting the suggestion of a desperate man.

“To see a politician succumb to greed and corruption and fail the citizens of New Jersey and [their] families is at times devastating. Mr. Vega, like many others who have come before this court, was by all accounts a respected public official who was clearly loved and supported by his family. Yet the [FBI’s] investigation and his own words to the court on the day of his plea agreement show a different part of Mr. Vega,” Linares said as he sentenced Vega. “That our political system has built into it fundraising as a necessity at times leads many a politician astray, as was the case here.”

While noting the amount of money Vega accepted was “fairly substantial, with the three different meetings where he received $10,000 each time,” Linares still acknowledged that “the individual characteristics of the defendant” had to be considered, with a nod to the “philanthropic” work he has done “for the community.”

Linares explained his sentencing decision by looking at similar situations, saying that a sentencing should “promote respect for the law and act as an adequate deterrent … to protect the public from this conduct.”

Before he heard the defense, he said, he was leaning towards a “sentence towards the upper part of the guidelines.” But after reading the letters in support of Vega and learning about the positive things he’s done, Linares was swayed.

“The court is not perfect. It’s not pleasant to sentence another human being to prison; nevertheless, sentencing is required in this court’s view,” he added, before giving Vega the minimum term suggested: 30 months.

In addition to the prison term, Vega will serve two years of supervised release and be forced to forfeit the $20,000 he received from Dwek. Vega was released on a $75,000 bond, pending his surrender on June 6.

Willis requested Vega be sentenced to Pennsylvania’s Schuykill Prison, a minimum-security facility that would potentially have Vega in a halfway house within 15 months.

Vega was one of many Jersey City politicians arrested in the sweep on July 23, 2009. But he maintained his innocence for more than a year, ignoring calls to resign his City Council post. He pleaded guilty in September to taking $20,000 in cash from Dwek, and agreeing to take $10,000 more.

Overall, Vega served 14 years on the City Council, as Ward E councilman (1997-2000), At-Large councilman (2001-2005), council president (2005-2009), and then again as At-Large councilman from October 2009 until his September 2010 resignation.

Photo: Steve Gold

He will also face two years of probation and a $1,000 fine. He was told to turn himself in on June 6.

After proclaiming his innocence for more than a year, Vega pleaded guilty in September to taking $20,000 in cash from FBI informant Solomon Dwek, and agreeing to take $10,000 more.

Vega served as council president from July 2005 to October 2009, and previously served as Ward E Councilman from 1997-2000, and as an At-Large Councilman from 2001-2005.

Photo: Steve Gold