Online Video Clip And A Complete Audio Recording of the Event

Jersey City—They came from all over North Jersey and from as far away as Mayor Ralph Petersen of Pleasantville in South Jersey to back Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham lambasting the renegade Hudson County Democratic Organization trying to disenfranchise Jersey City’s African American voters of the 31st District. Calling the HCDO election challenging tactics blatantly racist harkening back to the days before the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Cunningham said that the tactics were un-American and highly discriminatory, seeking to disenfranchise the voters of Jersey City.

Cunningham’s slate walked away with a generous plurality in the June 3rd Democratic party, but defeated Assembly incumbent Joe Doria refuses to concede, prodded by party leadership up to the state level. Cunningham followed that line to the governor’s office and called on Governor James McGreevey to “Act like the governor of all the people, not just some of the people,” to intercede and put the primary behind the two sides.

Cunningham trounced HCDO Senate Candidate, L. Harvey Smith in the 31st District race for the Senate seat vacated by Joseph Charles. Cunningham’s Assembly running mates Louis Manzo and Anthony Chiappone easily outdistanced, by more than 600 votes of nearly 11,000, HCDO Assembly incumbents Doria and Elba Perez Cinciarelli. Doria refused to concede the vote until certified then demanded a recount, which only increased his loss. Workers for Doria are now occupying office space in the County Superintendent of Elections Office laborious rechecking each and every Jersey City vote for Row B. Those votes in favor of Cunningham’s ticket are heavily African American and Hispanic, representing a majority of the 31st District.

Doria, backed by the HCDO, is expected to go to Hudson County Superior Court to overturn the results of the entire primary, not just his own loss in the 31st District Assembly race.

“When we ran against them, they tried to keep my running mates and I off the ballot. We raised money and they went to court and tried to stop us from doing that. We raised the the money and they went back to court to try to keep us from spending it. We fought hard and we fought fair and we won, and they won’t accept the results. They wanted a recount. Now they are challenging the recount and are going to drag this thing out through more frivolous law suits. This is like Florida all over again. I remember my days in the US Marine Corps in South Carolina in uniform and I could not get a slice of pizza at that restaurant right in the middle of the Cuban missile crisis.”

The message was delivered in person and reinforced by political allies and supporters. Conspicuously next to Cunningham for much of the time was Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, recently defected from HCDO ranks when the results of the June primary showed him the way. Lipski said that the voice of the people was heard loud and clear. “Who am I to go against the voice of the people?” asked Lipski. Lipski, formerly with the HCDO renegades said “Jersey City is united in this and if the HCDO doesn’t realize it then the HCDO will go down.”

Council member Viola Richardson is the only member of the Jersey City Council who stood with Cunningham from the beginning through the war with Organized Crime, as the renegade faction of the Democratic Party is sometimes known. “We have broken our chains and we are still in bondage,” said Richardson referring to the ongoing election challenge. “Jersey City is a problem in America.”

Kearney Mayor Albert Santos is the only one of 12 Hudson Mayors not to que up against Cunningham and called for “An end to this racist attempt to disenfranchise the voters of Jersey City. This is not only about black and white, this is about right and wrong. This is Florida all over again here in Jersey City. Disenfranchisement is racism.”