Hudson County Facts

As Jersey City Mayor Tommy Smith started his ride off into the sunset with a windmill-tilt run for Governor, Eddy Ecke and Skippy of Shannon’s Bar backed Sheil. During that race, Gerry McCann tried to campaign at the bar, but they literally slammed the door on him. As supporting the incumbent is always the best way to hedge your bets, Shannon’s quickly was in the good graces of the new regime.

As the McCann-Cucci conflict began to build, Shannon’s at 15th and Jersey was the epicenter of the McCann campaign. A few blocks away on 13th and Henderson, Mecca Trucking was the power plant for the Cucci effort. At the time, my father’s bar was smack dab in the middle at 15th and Henderson. Most of our customers were Cucci backers. When they asked my father who he thought was going to win. He honestly answered that with most of the big money behind McCann, it looked like he had it in the bag. But, my father added, as Eddy Ecke’s ability as a prognosticator did not extend to Politics — everybody he backed lost big time — the odds favored Cucci.

Even with at least one major rally at Shannon’s, Jesse Jackson campaigning in Jersey City for McCann, and many other high firepower supporters, Gerry McCann lost.