With 100 percent of today’s votes tallied in Ward A, Michael Sottolano is the clear victor with 57 percent of the vote. He has 1,776 votes to challenger Rolando Lavarro’s 1,331. In Ward F, where 29 of 33 precincts are reporting, Viola Richardson maintains a healthy lead over challenger Ron-Calvin Clark, 1,354 votes (63 percent) to 781.

Clark is the pastor at Jersey City’s Anointed Gospel Christian Center Church, and community director of the Jersey City Urban Coordinating Council. He ran in this election on Lou Manzo’s ticket, and previously squared off against Richardson in the 2005 race for this seat.

Richardson was first elected to the Ward F seat in 2001, and was reelected in 2005. She ran with Mayor Healy in this election. Richardson is now retired from a 21-year career with the Jersey City Police Department.

They both recently answered questions from JCI on crime, economic issues, open space and constituent services.

Your ward has been one of the areas hardest hit by violent crime. What would you do as a council member to try to reduce the level of crime?

Clark: One of the ideas I have is to bring about gang intervention and mentoring for our young people. I think part of the problem that Ward F has is that we need more mentoring. I propose to involve the local churches, which we have been doing for a while — many of our churches are opened during the week to the community — and with me on the council, that would only bring them more resources.

We want to engage the kids that are in these gangs and move them from the street into a more productive environment. I’d work with nonprofit groups — the Urban League, Friends of Lifers, and others — to bring about an environment conducive to learning. Instead of putting a gun in their hands, we can put a book or a computer, or perhaps some studio time — a lot of these kids are very involved with the arts, they have a lot of talent. If we give them a vehicle to do these things, it would better serve our community and help reduce the crime.

They’ve talked about the gun buyback program, but I’m not sure how effective that has been over the years. One of the problems that we face in Ward F is that often things are started as an initiative but there’s no follow-through. That’s been one of the challenges.

I would partner with the Jersey City Board of Education — having been a board member — to open the schools up. I’ve also proposed a Recreational Trust Fund, to have some of these developers give back to the community. We’ve also talked about having a neighborhood house — when I was growing up we had the CYO, we had the teen post, we had the Oxford Hall and different venues. My idea is to have the community operate these proposed neighborhood houses. For example, we would hire someone like the block association president to actually be the one to operate that house. We hope to be able to do that as well.

Richardson: As a mother, grandmother, and a former police officer, of course I am very troubled by the level of crime in Jersey City, and in particular, in my ward. Over the last several years, I have worked with Mayor Healy to increase the number of police in Jersey City as well as to diversify the police force. These efforts led to a significant decrease in violent crime. However, due in large part to our nation’s ongoing financial crisis, cities across America are seeing a spike in crime.

If the voters in Ward F give me the privilege of serving them again, I will continue to aggressively advocate for both the hiring of additional police officers and for an increased police presence in my ward. However, more police is only part of the solution. It is critical that we have more programs designed to provide our young people with constructive activities. Early in my tenure, the Police Activity League (PAL) in my ward only had 2 programs and 50 students. I am proud to say that the PAL currently has 14 programs and over 1,000 students. Nonetheless, I am committed to further expanding these programs.

Job creation is also a necessary component of crime reduction. We created the Jersey City Apprenticeship program, which requires developers to place residents in union apprenticeship programs. My goal is to significantly grow this program so that Jersey City residents and residents in Ward F can benefit from all of the development that is occurring. We have also been successful in reinstituting the Second Chance program, which gives opportunities for employment to those who may have had a brush with the law in the past. Far too often, people in this circumstance are completely ruled out by employers, thereby forcing them back into a life of crime. We want to show them that there is a chance for redemption and that they can be contributing members to society if they stay on the straight and narrow — this is what the Second Chance program represents.

Ward F is an epicenter of environmental problems. What is you position on the PPG settlement with the city to cleanup chromium on Garfield Avenue? And what is your position on the open-air wood mulching being done in Ward F?

Clark: There are 300,000 tons of chromium in Ward F. My position is that PPG should pay for excavation and they also should provide more than just 12 painting jobs for this community. The settlement of $1 million that the city gets in this deal is crazy, coming from a billion dollar company.

I’m a proponent of medical monitoring — actually I was the first candidate to fight for lifelong monitoring. If someone decides to move out of Jersey City to, say, New Orleans, that health care should follow them. In addition, I think that there are jobs that can come about out of this settlement.

I am a supporter of the settlement, but only if its done in a way that benefits the community, not PPG.

Richardson: I do not agree that my ward is the epicenter of environmental problems. My ward, Jersey City in general, and many urban centers across America have until recent times been the victims of lax environmental laws and environmental injustice. I have worked hard to force polluters to clean up their shameful sites. I have also aggressively fought against environmental injustice in my ward.

To this end, I supported the mayor wholeheartedly in the legal action that he took against PPG. And thanks to our efforts, progress has been made. However, I have said on the record that I do have some concerns about some of the specific terms of the settlement, which is why I pushed for the public hearing that was recently held in City Council chambers. At this meeting, I stood with my constituents and challenged the representatives of PPG on the concerns raised by the community. Additionally, I brought these concerns to the city’s Law Department, and it is my understanding that these issues are now back in negotiation. I look forward to seeing the revised settlement.

In regards to open-air wood mulching in my ward, I oppose it and am addressing it.

Your ward has also been hit hard by the foreclosure crisis — what would you do as a council member to keep people in their homes and also mitigate the effects of foreclosures on your neighborhood?

Clark: I think the federal stimulus money should be used to help the foreclosures. I’m a advocate for reducing the number of foreclosures we have in Ward F — I believe we have the largest number across the city. I’m hoping that we can bring resources to the homeowners like refinancing, and loan modification awareness, so they don’t leave their homes — we need to help them stay in their homes.

I was a victim of the foreclosure process, and so I know there are resources out there that I can connect the Ward F residents to. I would also have someone from my cabinet, if you will, reach out to the homeowners and see what we can do personally to help link them to those services.

I have a number of Realtor friends and colleagues who are very much interested in partnering with me to help these foreclosed properties, so we don’t continue to lose them to developers. I’m encouraging people not to leave their homes — there are so many programs out there that they can use, rather than just walk away.

Richardson: Actually, my ward has not been hit as hard as equivalent wards or districts in other cities across the country. Nonetheless, I take the foreclosure issue very seriously and am committed to ensuring that residents, who are either in foreclosure or on the brink, can stay in their homes. Job creation is a crucial part of addressing the foreclosure crisis, and as I mentioned, I have and will continue to make job creation one of my top priorities. Moreover, I worked with the Jersey City Housing Economic Development Corporation to develop an advisory guide to educate homeowners, who are either in or are close to foreclosure, on their options as well as the resources that are available to them.

Do you believe there are enough parks and open space in your ward? If not, do you have concrete plans on how to create more?

Clark: As far as actual parks are concerned, we do have a number of parks. But there need to be events and activities in the park that can bring about the recreational and community interaction; whether its midnight basketball, baseball, swimming pools. That’s what this community needs.

Often I ride by the parks and you see the little kids playing, but there are no structured activities for our community. There haven’t been in the last 4 to 8 years.

You have the city recreation department, but it needs to do more for this community. We have the highest crime rate, we have the highest unemployment rate and we have the lowest amount of recreational activities in the city. We do have Caven Point and the activities there, but we need more inner Ward F activities.

The Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center is a building that many people are excited about, but the community doesn’t see the building as a community center. There are so many programs and services that have lost the ability to work in that building due to the astronomical rent. That building needs to become a real community center, one the community can actually use without having to pay these rents and these fees.

I think that Mary McLeod Bethune would be kind of insulted by the usage of that center at this point because it doesn’t help the community. We have programs like the Hudson Repertory Dance group that serve a hundred and something kids a day, and they weren’t able to maintain their space there. A lot of the money they were raising went to the rent, not to developing the programs the community needs.

Richardson: Historically, there has not been enough usable open space or parks in my Ward, but the mayor and I have taken some bold steps to address this issue. We are embarking on an unprecedented citywide plan to build 100 acres of new parks and to restore older parks. In Ward F, we have upgraded the equipment in Arlington Park. We are also restoring several other parks that are in disrepair, and we are building a beautiful new park, Berry Lane. Berry Lane will include 13 acres green space and a state of the art recreation center.

Jersey City’s unemployment rate, particularly in your ward, is the highest it has been in the last decade or so. This is a two-part question. First, what would you advocate for, in terms of policy, to help get more people working, particularly at living-wage jobs? Second, how would you work with community groups to make productive use of the people that are unemployed in your ward?

Clark: The city has a consolidated plan, and in that plan it talks about the creation of jobs. I will look at that plan intensely, and work with the local businesses and other companies that want to be here to make sure they employ residents from Ward F.

The first source agreement that the city has with these companies is something that has not worked effectively. I think that on the council I would be able to work with these companies to employ Jersey City residents.

For example, there’s the second tunnel that’s being built to New York — that’s a possibility to give some Ward F residents jobs for the next 10 years. We need to make those jobs available.

There’s a lot of development and construction going on in Ward F. I would also work with the local unions, who I’ve already met with, to bring about opportunities for residents with the unions.

I’ve also developed a program where young people give back to their community by helping seniors. They go wash the dishes, take out the garbage, and go to the grocery store for the seniors. That program has already started, and I would look to make that a Ward F project for community service.

I’d also work to get the young adults who are unemployed to give back to the community, whether its through training, teaching about resumes, or mentoring. The Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, which I was the executive director of and chairman of the board, is a good example of how to bring mentoring possibilities to the young adults that are struggling out there in our community.

There’s also the Second Chance program that Glenn Cunningham started — I think that we need a new look at the Second Chance program. It doesn’t look good when you have Newark residents coming to Jersey City to get a job when there are so many Jersey City — and Ward F — residents who are in need of employment.

The Ready, Willing and Able program helped so many people get a new start; for that to be taken away does a disservice to the community. I’d fight to bring that program back and bring some new innovative and creative ideas for it too.

These young men and women deserve a second chance. We can’t stop fighting and we can’t give up on our community.

Richardson: As I mentioned in response to a previous question, I worked with the mayor to develop and to create the Jersey City Apprenticeship program, which requires developers to place residents in union apprenticeship programs. In a very short period of time, the program has been extremely successful with over 100 residents having been placed. While serving on the City Council, I also worked with my colleagues to pass a living-wage ordinance.

With respect to working with community groups, I am working with them to ensure that our residents are properly trained so that they can access more of the opportunities resulting from the economic development in Jersey City. I am also working with the mayor to make sure that community groups in Jersey City and in my ward in particular are able to access the federal funding that has been allocated for workforce training through the stimulus.

What would you do to encourage small business development in your ward?

Clark: There are a number of business resources from the state redevelopment authority and business alliance that we can tap into to help local nonprofit and for-profit organizations start businesses. There’s a nonprofit organization on Martin Luther King Drive that has students in an apprenticeship program; it teaches them how to write business plans and that kind of thing. I will work with them to ensure that they have the resources that they need to help better the quality of life for the residents of Ward F.

There are nonprofit organizations that need additional funding. I’m certified by the Grantsmanship Foundation, and I will use my experience and skills to help them tap into additional money. But it’s not enough to just get the money, so I’d also help teach them to best use the dollars to service their constituents through their programs.

Richardson: Working with the mayor and his administration, we have instituted policies that require redevelopers to use locally based small businesses on their projects. In addition, we have taken advantage of UEZ funding that supports business startup and business relocation grants. If you were to tour parts of Martin Luther King Drive and Monticello Avenue you would see how these programs have developed streetscape initiatives to help new businesses get off the ground and to produce new storefronts for dilapidated business zones.

Do you feel that your ward is adequately served by mass transit?

Clark: Absolutely not. I know that we have the light rail, and that’s great, but the light rail doesn’t service the inner city of Ward F. That’s a problem. Residents are also screaming at the top of their lungs that we need bus lines to get to the inner city or other areas in Jersey City, like Journal Square or Newport Mall or Bayonne city line.

It seems that we’ve lost transportation services; we need to have them restored. No one should have to walk from Randolph Avenue up to Bergen Avenue just to get a bus. We need to make sure that the services that Ward F needs are given to us, not taken away from us. It seems like that has been the temperament of prior and present council members — they are letting the services go in our ward. We need someone that can fight to maintain these things.

There is an opportunity for us to partner with NJ Transit and to perhaps bring the jitney buses that are up in the Heights to Ward F. If they’re going to get rid of the bus lines, then bring the jitneys here to ride up and down Ocean Avenue and take people where they need to go.

I think Ward F deserves the same opportunities that the other wards have; to be able to have transit operating to the needs of the community instead of the dollars they’re looking to save.

Richardson: We have made exceptional strides in improving mass transit in my ward. We built the Martin Luther King Drive light rail, which has added tremendous value to our residents from both a transportation and economic development standpoint. I am also working with the mayor to secure additional state and federal funding to add more bus lines especially in areas which have been drastically cut or reduced. Furthermore, there are plans to expand light rail service through the ward that will eventually cross over Route 440 and provide access to the shopping and future residential areas there. Better access will also aid those who are seeking employment.

Do you feel that your ward has a sufficient amount of affordable housing?

Clark: Well, what’s affordable to you and I may not be affordable to the majority of residents in Ward F. It all depends on the definition of “affordable.” They’ve seemingly gotten rid of low-income housing, but Ward F still needs that low-income housing. People cannot afford these rents and I understand that, on the other end, homeowners have a hard time keeping rents low, with taxes going up and maintenance costs.

At some point, what do they think is going to happen — where are we going to go? Are we looking at gentrification here?

We need to make sure that the residents of Ward F are able to purchase homes through the city’s first-time homebuyers program. I would continue to advocate that residents participate in that.

Although Ward F is changing drastically, we still need to make sure there’s a mix of residents that are going into these redevelopments and that we’re not being gentrified as a community. Although Jersey City is the most diverse city in the county, I think we need to ensure that people who choose to live here the rest of their life can stay here. They shouldn’t be forced out of Jersey City.

Richardson: During my tenure, we have built hundreds of new units of quality affordable housing with several hundred units under construction. Moreover, we have had tremendous success with workforce housing. Late last year we cut the ribbon on the Harriet Tubman Homes, which are high-quality, mixed-income townhouses. With the rise in housing prices often outpacing the rise in salaries, we can never have enough affordable housing. However, I believe that our neighborhoods should be a blend of affordable, market rate and low-income housing — not polarized and segregated by class. Nonetheless, I will continue to work to increase the amount of affordable housing in this ward and the other wards throughout the city.

How do you, or would you, handle constituent services? How can residents of your ward get in touch with you to voice concerns and how can you, in turn, reach out to the community to make sure your finger is on the pulse?

Clark: This has always been a challenge for Ward F residents — having access to their council representative. It’s particularly been a challenge to connect to the council person in the last 8 years. I will change that.

For example, in all of my literature since I started campaigning, people had my personal cell phone number. I was very accessible — I’ve had people that call me at 1 or 2 am or 6 am, and I’ve been accessible. The only time that I’m asking the community to give me is my Sunday mornings for church. Outside of that, I don’t have 3 or 4 jobs. I’m not taking any other jobs — that’s my commitment to this community. I will be here full time. I also propose having a community newsletter that will go out on a monthly basis, and an internet service that will be separate from the city’s website, where people can have a community bulletin board.

I will also make sure there are ongoing community meetings — to bring them up to speed as to what developments are going on, should be going on and will be going on. This will allow them to take part in that process, rather than having things getting built before they even know about the plan. Ward F is always the last one to know about what’s going on in this community. After we find out, the building is already up, the program is already here, so what say does the community have if that’s the case?

I want to make sure that the residents are not just aware, but engaged, in that process so they can decide what’s best for their community. With that in mind, they’ll be pleased to have a councilman that’s accessible.

I also anticipate opening up an office in the community. It will be like Ward F City Hall — they’ll be able to access services right in Ward F to do what they need to do. During this campaign, people saw me in the streets, knocking on doors. Once I’m elected, I will continue that same grassroots approach, where the community can touch me and I can touch the community.

Richardson: One of the areas about which I am most proud is my constituent service work. I work very hard to be both accessible and responsive to my community. In addition to my office in City Hall, I have a satellite office in the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center, which is in the heart of my ward. I also have a dedicated phone line for constituents to call with questions or concerns. These calls are returned expeditiously by me, my aide or the respective department representative. I am also actively involved in several organizations and am very visible in the community by attending community meetings and functions.

- Other than the illegal apartment issue, much of what Healy proposes for the next four years is more of the same, specifically in the areas of fighting crime and luring development. He did say that furloughs for every department but police and fire are possible “if things continue in a downward trend,” and that layoffs can’t be taken off the table.

- Ward F City Council candidate LaVern Webb-Washington’s challenge of Ron-Calvin Clark’s second-place finish on three grounds was rejected by a county judge yesterday. Clark will face incumbent Viola Richardson in a June 9 runoff.

- The state Supreme Court upheld Gov. Corzine’s new school funding formula, which effectively scraps the Abbott funding system that poured extra money into Jersey City for the past few decades. While Mayor Healy’s office said he hadn’t yet reviewed the court’s decision, he expressed concern. “The Abbott program has been successful in Jersey City and to lose any portion of this funding would be disconcerting,” he said.

- Hudson County executive Tom DeGise fires back at the Journal editorial page today. Yesterday the paper implied the county hadn’t been actively seeking the best deal on the formerly contamined Koppers Koke site in Kearny, and that this lax attitude was contributing to the county’s fiscal problems. Not so, says DeGise: “The picture presented of our administration’s handling of the issue is simply at odds with the facts.” He goes on to lay out the history of the county’s involvement with the site and preview what might come next.

- The world’s best golfers will be on hand when Liberty National Golf Club hosts the 2009 Barclays tournament in late August. The tournament has teamed up with local nonprofits and charities to let them benefit from the tourney as well, through the Tickets Fore Charity program, which donates 100 percent of ticket cost to charities. For more on the program visit this site.

- “The Division Bell: Black and Blue,” an exhibition that looks through artists’ eyes at the prejudices and stereotypes that U.S.-born black people have about black immigrants, and vice-versa, is currently showing at the es oro gallery on Brunswick Street.

In statewide news:

- As Tuesday’s primary election approaches, a new poll has Republican Chris Christie leading his closest GOP challenger, Steve Lonegan, by 11 points. Meanwhile, Christie has raised more than $2.2 million in contributions and has received $3.1 million in public matching funds, while Lonegan has raised nearly $1.3 million and has received $1.5 million in matching money. Christie is also facing — and dodging — questions about an adviser’s part-time political job that keeps him in the government pension system, something the candidate has campaigned against.

- An audit released yesterday finds that taxpayer dollars may have been used to buy fuel for the personal vehicles of state child-welfare workers and to pay their parking fines.

- An allergist at UMDNJ says global warming is making this year’s allergy season worse.

- A shortage of qualified nursing educators in New Jersey is leading to tough competition for few spots in this state’s four-year nursing programs.

- Two Jersey City cops were arrested in separate incidents at the Jersey shore over Memorial Day weekend. Brian McGovern was charged with simple assault, while Kevin Cieslak was charged with a DWI after being pulled over going 89 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone.

- Ward F candidate LaVern Webb-Washington’s court challenge of the election results is reportedly on the court docket for this afternoon. Webb-Washington contends that the second-place finisher in that ward, Ron-Calvin Clark, does not live in the ward. As the second-place finisher, Clark is in a runoff with incumbent Viola Richardson. Webb-Washington finished just two votes behind Clark.

- The Insider revs up his crystal ball and begins wondering who will run for the mayor’s seat in 2013. So far, he’s got Ward E councilman Steven Fulop and Sandra Cunningham in the mix.

- The Jersey City Reporter is launching a new midweek print edition called The Midweek Reporter. It is slated to hit the streets today.

- We told you yesterday about a rally that Friends of Liberty State Park is holding today to protest the state’s new expenditure of $700,000 on the “Empty Sky” 9/11 memorial at the park, while the memorial’s fate is still tied up in litigation. Pro-memorial folks say they are holding a rally as well.

In statewide news:

- The future of the state Supreme Court and video lottery terminals were among the issues debated last night on 101.5 FM by the three Republicans (Chris Christie, Steve Lonegan and Rick Merkt) seeking their party’s gubernatorial nomination in next week’s primary.

- Independent gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett will reportedly file nominating petitions with the state today to assure his place on the general election ballot.

- New Jersey is seeking to become the 37th state in the county to oversee hundreds of nuclear licenses, including those issued to research labs, hospitals, universities and manufacturers.

- Several municipalities around the state are turning to solar power to help trim electricity bills.

- Ward F City Council candidate LaVern Webb-Washington, who fell just two votes short of second place (and the chance to enter a runoff with incumbent Viola Richardson), will challenge the results in Superior Court. She says she is challenging second-place finisher Ron-Calvin Clark’s residency, on disputed ballots and on a broader claim of election fraud.

- Ward A runoff candidate Rolando Lavarro, who will face off against incumbent Michael Sottolano, says he’s proud of the work his team did during the general campaign but that there’s obviously more to be done. “My very worn out shoes tell the tale of how hard we walked the streets and neighborhoods,” he tells the Asian Journal. If elected, Lavarro would become the first Filipino-American elected official in Jersey City.

- JCPD chief Tom Comey says that crime is declining, and he is upset that the media and some candidates running for office in recent months implying the police were not doing enough to stop crime.

- A Jersey City building inspector was fired this week after pleading guilty in federal court to using his position in a scheme to extort money at construction sites.

- Two men were shot early Saturday morning near Exchange Place.

- A man wearing a hat and shirt with JCPD logos and wielding an Uzi robbed a man of more than $10,000 on a Downtown street Friday.

- Two more cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Hudson County.

In statewide news:

- Republican gubernatorial frontrunners Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan both oppose a proposal likely to be on November’s ballot asking voters to approve borrowing $600 million to preserve open space. Christie says the state should fund such purchases without debt, while Lonegan opposes the concept itself.

- Meanwhile, Christie and Lonegan have both thrown out ideas on the trail about how to dramatically remake state government, but insiders say most of the ideas can’t be accomplished by a governor alone — even in a state with the most powerful chief executive in the nation.

- Smaller pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms are flourishing in New Jersey even as the big pharma companies struggle.

- Most observers say that businesses at the Jersey shore are likely to struggle again this year as the recession shows no real signs of ending.

- While the state’s financial situation is grave right now, some say its not nearly as bad as the 1936 crisis that sparked the “Siege of Trenton.”

- More cash-strapped New Jersey public schools are joining their private brethren in the hunt for public and private money to expand programs or fill holes.

- As handfuls of car dealerships are being closed across the state, what will become of their real estate?

- Troubled automaker Chrysler filed a plan in bankruptcy court Thursday to eliminate 789 of its dealerships nationwide. One of them is Jersey City’s Walsh Dodge, which is located off of Route 440 by the Hudson Mall.

- Unnamed sources tell Politicker that Jersey City may consider a change to its form of government that would change May non-partisan elections to partisan elections, with a June primary and a November general election.

- A new report from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign calls on the Port Authority to do a better job of enhancing bus service from New Jersey to New York City and accommodating existing and future bus passengers.

- A Jersey City man has been charged with “death by auto” after allegedly running into a man driving a motorcycle on JFK Boulevard yesterday.

- Cops have charged a Union City man in the fatal stabbing of a Jersey City resident outside his Journal Square apartment earlier this month.

- Officials at the Harsimus Cemetery say a tombstone wouldn’t have fallen on a woman this week and broken her leg if funeral attendees hadn’t been sitting on the tombstones.

- The cleanup of PCBs from the Hudson River is finally set to begin today in upstate New York, where General Electric legally discharged more than a million pounds of the chemical for decades.

- Need to dispose of hazardous household materials? Sunday’s the day.

- Mack-Cali’s Harborside Plaza One at Harborside Financial Center recently won an Office Building of the Year award in the renovated building category from the New Jersey Chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association.

In statewide news:

- With fewer than seven weeks until the close of the fiscal year, Gov. Corzine says weaker than expected revenue collections will require $1.2 billion in reductions in the current state budget.

- A new poll finds Republican gubernatorial hopeful Chris Christie leading Gov. Corzine by nine points, (47-38 percent).

- NJ Transit has reached an agreement to operate a new 8.3-mile rail system between Hackensack and Hawthorne.

- The economic meltdown means good deals are available for New Jersey shore rentals.

All the candidates except for King had made an appearance at the party by 11 pm, and many stated that low voter turnout worked to the detriment of the ticket’s chances. Manzo’s campaign manager Sean Connolly said he was “astonished” that so many people “stayed home.” Manzo attributed the low turnout to “voter apathy,” a sentiment echoed by Williams when he said that “people are tired of the same old business as usual.”

Manzo appeared disappointed by the loss, but said he was “not deterred.” Referring to the candidates who may have made it to runoffs, he said he is hopeful that “we’ll have a more independent council” in four weeks’ time.

Serrano arrived at the restaurant late, after a long day of campaigning. Saying she was “very emotional,” she exuded pride when she talked about what she called “a ticket with a conscience.” Outlaw was disappointed by the results. “I was really looking forward for [Manzo] to have this opportunity to serve the people of Jersey City,” she said. Cassidy echoed her disappointment, quipping that “money wins elections.”

Lavarro took a cautious tone, noting that independent challenger Andre Richardson was very close to his second-place position. Regardless of the result, he said that the fact that incumbent councilman Michael Sottolano did not win on the first ballot showed that “we desperately need change in this city.”

Clark was similarly cautious about his own close race, couching his remarks in the “contingency” that he should make the runoff. He emphasized that his primary goal in running against Ward F incumbent Viola Richardson was “to put a new person in office,” and reiterated his pledge to support any candidate who makes it to a runoff.

Those who knew their races were over did not let the agony of defeat get the better of them. Carroll said he had heard reports of a large number of provisional ballots that were discounted in Ward D and stated he intends to investigate the matter. Williams congratulated his opponents, calling them a “fine group of gentlemen” and wishing victor Phil Kenny good luck. Williams stated he “absolutely” intends to run for the seat again in 2013. First-time candidate Tarrazi said the campaign had been a “good experience” for him.

Among the slate’s volunteers who attended the dinner, the mood was somewhat more bitter. Saying he was “totally disappointed,” Darrell Laval called the low voter turnout a “disgrace.” Renee Martain had similar sentiments, saying the turnout showed “a total lack of community responsibility.”

There was hope in the room, however. Ludy Corrales said she was very happy to hear about fellow Filipino-American Lavarro’s shot at the runoff. Whether or not he makes it, though, she feels that the mere fact of Lavarro’s candidacy is history in the making. “We have to celebrate, especially if he makes it to the runoff,” she said.

Shouts, hugs and handshakes filled Casino in the Park Tuesday night as supporters of Mayor Jerramiah Healy relished their candidate’s victory. With 30,657 votes cast, Healy won — and avoided a runoff — with 52.9 percent of the vote. Absentee and provisional ballots have yet to be tallied.

Supporters began gathering in front of a screen showing live results from Hudson County shortly after the polls closed at 8 pm. Healy’s percentage of the vote never dropped below the crucial 50 percent mark as the crowd steadily grew.

Healy celebrated with by his winning council At-Large running mates, a who’s who of Hudson County officials such as Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, and prominent state Democrats including state Democratic Chairman Joe Cryan and Gov. Jon Corzine.

“As America was on the cusp of change, Jerry Healy stood up for Barack Obama, now you stood up for Jerry Healy,” said Corzine, who faces his own bid for reelection this fall.

Unlike Corzine, Healy was an early supporter of Obama during the presidential primary. Obama was featured in a Healy campaign commercial that, among other spots, repeatedly played on big screens inside and outside of Casino in the Park, located in Lincoln Park.

Healy, who is also Hudson County Democratic Organization chairman, thanked supporters including those gathered around the podium.

“Working as a team with all these people, we’ve done a lot for Jersey City,” Healy said. “You look forward to working hard over the next four years to do much more and to truly make this city, as Ronald Reagan used to say, the shining city on the hill.”

As often is the case in municipal elections here, turnout was low, with less than one-quarter of registered voters casting a mayoral ballot.

Lou Manzo’s campaign manager Sean Connolly said he was “astonished” that so many people “stayed home.” Manzo, who finished in a distant second place with 26.3 percent of the vote, blamed “voter apathy” for the low turnout. “People give up because thy don’t think they can beat a machine,” he said.

Manzo appeared disappointed by the loss, but said he was “not deterred.” When asked if he would run for mayor a sixth time, Manzo laughed and said he will definitely keep working with his Office of Public Advocacy.

At third-place finisher Harvey Smith’s Monticello Avenue headquarters, the mood was somber. By 9:30 pm, supporters were already taking down campaign signs and looking for any kind of encouragement from the incoming numbers.

“I’m a little disappointed,” Smith, who received 12.9 percent of the vote, said. “But I wish Jerry (Healy) a lot of luck. I commend them and their campaign”

Smith, whose entire slate was defeated yesterday, said his campaign spoke about “change and things that matter to everyday Jane and John Doe,” of Jersey City, including getting more police on the streets, fixing the local housing problems, and trying to get federal stimulus dollars into the city.

“I want to thank all the people who supported me,” he added. “We did the best we could with the resources we had.”

When asked what was next on his plate, Smith said he needed a much-deserved break. “I want to go fishing,” he said.

At Downtown bar the Golden Cicada, Dan Levin was optimistic, saying his loss in the campaign didn’t constitute failure. “The campaign was started to get regular people involved in local politics,” he said. “The end result was not the vote, but getting more people involved in the community building process in order to move towards a more accountable and responsive local government.”

A little after 10 pm, Levin, who came in fourth with 5.6 percent of the vote, spoke to the group, expressing pride in all that his One Jersey City team had accomplished — and reaffirming that the volunteer effort was just beginning.

“We knew we were the little guy, but we weren’t doing it for us — we were doing it for everyone,” he said. “One Jersey City is not a political movement; it’s a community.” A few attendees wiped away tears, applauding Levin’s efforts in forming both an alternative political candidacy and in bringing together people from disparate parts of the city under a banner of reform.

Ultimately, Levin said the moment was a special victory, even as it was a loss. “It’s inspiring,” he said between smiles. “Regardless of the outcome, we built an organization, a movement. We got together and did something really good.”

Two City Council Seats Up for Grabs

The City Council will be welcoming a few new faces and many familiar ones when it’s new members begin work in July. Last night, Healy candidates and incumbents Phil Kenny (Ward B), Bill Gaughan (Ward D), and Peter Brennan, Willie Flood and Mariano Vega (At-Large) all secured victories. They will be joined on the council by running-mate Nidia Rivera Lopez, who won the Ward C seat vacated by outgoing councilman Steve Lipski.

In Ward A, all four candidates finished with more than 10 percent of the vote, which puts first-term incumbent (and Healy candidate) Michael Sottolano in a tough spot. Despite the fact that he leads the pack with 39.3 percent of the vote, he will face a runoff opponent. What is not yet clear is who that opponent will be.

Currently, Manzo’s candidate Rolando Lavarro is in second place, with 1,260 votes (24.5 percent). However, independent candidate Andre Richardson is only 21 votes behind Lavarro, with provisional and absentee votes yet to be counted. Those ballots should be tallied by the end of the week.

Lavarro said the result in Ward A showed that “we desperately need change in this city,” and expressed his “great pride in [the] hopes” of the Filipino-American community. If elected, Lavarro would be the first Filipino-American to serve on the City Council. However, he was quick to add that he is “running to be the councilman for all people” of Ward A.

Ward F is also a nail-biter for the Healy team, with incumbent Viola Richardson heading towards a runoff.

Richardson seems to have been plagued by a multitude of candidates. While she maintains a commanding lead of more than 1,000 votes, with four other candidates receiving more than 10 percent of the vote, she falls far short — at 39.6 percent — of the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Like Ward A, the runoff opponent here is not yet clear. Only five votes currently separate Manzo candidate Ron-Calvin Clark (656 votes, 15.1 percent) from independent candidate LaVern Webb-Washington (651 votes, 15 percent).

Clark said he “look[s] forward to the runoff” and was hopeful that with the support of the other Ward F candidates, “we can achieve our goal to put a new person in office.”

Healy pledged to work hard for Sottolano and Richardson in the next month. The runoff election will be June 9.

“We think we can bring them home to victory, and put the team back together once and for all,” Healy said.

At Casino in the Park, Healy didn’t mention any of his mayoral opponents but congratulated Steve Fulop, who cruised to victory in Ward E with the night’s most commanding victory, garnering 63.2 percent of the vote.

At Fulop’s campaign headquarters, spirits were high as by 9:15 pm it was obvious that he had been reelected to his post. On Newark Avenue, Fulop supporters could be seen heading from the headquarters to LITM restaurant where the victory party was already underway. Fulop himself walked, with his family, to the headquarters of Guy Catrillo, his closest competitor, to congratulate him on a good campaign.

Shelley Skinner, Fulop’s campaign manager, attributed their victory to an outstanding voter turnout in Ward E. In an election where voter turnouts were, overall, disappointing, voters in Ward E came out in force and helped Fulop to his victory.

Fulop agreed that turnout was the key.

“The fact that we were able to achieve 63 percent in a field where the mayor spent a lot of money and sent out countless mailers, speaks to the residents of Ward E,” he said. “They understand the issues. It’s a very educated bunch down here.”

On his way to the victory party, Fulop greeted supporters and talked of a “stressful and concerning” campaign.

“We try to run a good campaign, a positive campaign,” he said. “We made a decision as a team, that I’m kind of happy about, that we’re not going to engage in anything personal about any of the candidates and it turned out to be a good thing. In hindsight I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”

Nancy Benecki, Irene Borngraeber, Jonathan Fitzgerald, Shane Smith and Jon Whiten also contributed to this report.

- The New York Times has a story on the mayoral race, saying Mayor Healy “is not acting like he’s worried about winning re-election.”

- The Insider weighs in on Mayor Healy’s new ads attacking Lou Manzo’s record when he served as an Assemblyman in Trenton, and also reports on a kerfuffle between Ward F candidates Omar Barbour and Ron-Calvin Clark.

- A former recruiter for PC Tech Learning Center, a medical training school, has been accused of stealing $5,000 from 30 students. Columnist Earl Morgan has more on the scam.

- The roadwork planned for this weekend on the Turnpike’s Casciano Memorial Bridge has been postponed because of the weather. There will be no lane closures.

- Urban American Management is selling its Jersey City apartment portfolio, which includes 10 buildings and more than 300 apartments in and around the Journal Square area. CB Richard Ellis has been tapped to handle the sale.

In statewide news:

- The Hackensack University Medical Center pulled advertisements this week from the Bergen Record’s parent company and banned the paper from hospital property following publication of a story about its governing board. The hospital quickly reversed course on Friday.

- Gov. Corzine says his administration decided to delay an offering of $364 million in transportation bonds this week as tax revenue continues to decline, worsening the state’s budget crisis.

- The state’s Safe Streets and Neighborhoods program is set to receive $29.7 million in federal stimulus money.

Last night, the Martin Luther King Drive Merchants Association held a “Meet the Candidates” forum at the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center. The event was rightly centered on problems and policies in Ward F, and close to 200 residents came out to hear what the candidates for that ward’s council seat had to say.

A common theme in the remarks of all six candidates — Tyrone Ballon, Omar Barbour, Ron-Calvin Clark, Calvin Hart, Viola Richardson and LaVern Webb-Washington — change, specifically change from within. Change is needed from the rampant crime, violence and poverty in Ward F,  the candidates said. They also talked about the much-needed physical change of converting abandoned property into productive housing and businesses.

Specifically, the candidates addressed three topic areas: economic development, housing and public safety. Here’s our quick & dirty highlight reel.

Economic Development

Clark: Said economic development will be based on businesses coming in and bringing financial revenue into this ward. Pledged to work with state officials to use stimulus money appropriately for the community.

Ballon: Discussed how economic development could help the community address some of the root problems of crime like poverty and unemployment. Noted that Ward F’s streets were finally being paved — a month before an election. Said the ward needs additional city resources.

Richardson: Leaned on her record, saying she has increased the number of minority contractors on development projects around the city through apprenticeship programs and advocated for vocational training.

Webb-Washington: Said that too many people were excluded from the city’s current apprenticeship programs because they require GEDs and drivers licenses.

Hart: Advocated for second chance programs to allow ex-offenders to become a part of the community and their families again.

Barbour: Stressed his leadership skills as the best way to guide the ward’s economic development.

Housing

Richardson: Said she supports both mixed-income and affordable housing. Stressed that the old-school high-rise projects are no longer acceptable forms of housing.

Clark: Agreed with Richardson on mixed-income housing, but stressed that the city needs to stay on top of how that housing is allocated. Advocated a first-time home buyer’s program and called for more oversight of abatement money.

Webb-Washington: Pointed out the difference between affordable housing and low-income housing, and said that it was hard to move up the housing ladder without a job.

Barbour: Said that foreclosed and abandoned homes should be seized by the city and put back on the market.

Public Safety

Barbour: Criticized the current administration for not having a zero-tolerance approach for TO low-level crimes like public urination. Said that vigilance will bring about change.

Webb-Washington: Said that she’d work to make the streets safe by engaging the community. Criticized the timing of additional cops walking the streets lately.

Ballon: Called on the community to step up and work with the police to fight the scourge of crime in the neighborhood.

Richardson: Touted her experience as a police officer and said she knows how to bridge the gap between cops and community. Said the community needs to work out some of its social problems before asking the police to solve the crime problem.

Steve Gold contributed to this report.