Posts Tagged ‘Bret Schundler’

Lou Manzo ran five times for Mayor of Jersey City.

Friday, April 16th, 2010

The Lou Manzo follies

The first trip on the merry-go-round was in the ’92 special election held after Gerry McCann got the gong from Michael Chertoff. With the Hudson County Democratic Organization’s backing, Lou appeared poised to win. But, as luck would have it, Lou’s brother Allen decided to place his name on the ballot, too. Jersey City voters got the chance to view Smothers Brothersesque campaign commercials with Momma Manzo affirming that she liked Lou best. There was no brass ring for Lou.

In the 1993 regular election for Mayor of Jersey City, Lou Manzo was again the HCDO candidate. This time, brother Allen did not run. A bizarre theme of the Manzo campaign was to blame Bret Schundler for Apartheid in South Africa. Though Lou seemed to have missed it, the voters knew that Apartheid was abolished some years before the election. At least one audience walked out on him.

Losing by a two to one margin, Lou Manzo said that he felt like he’d been “hit by a refrigerator.”

Manzo ran again in 2001 in a three way race with Glenn Cunningham and Tom Degise. Knocked out in the first round, Manzo backed Glenn Cunningham in the run-off. An early City Hall meeting between Lou and the newly-elected Mayor didn’t turn out so well. Manzo complained that he’d been kept waiting in the reception area. As the weeks wore one, the lumps got kneaded out. Lou Manzo ran (and won) for Assembly in the 31st on the Cunningham reform ticket.

After the death of Glenn Cunningham, it was deja vu all over again with Manzo in the 2004 special election. That spectacle dwarfed anything that had been seen in Jersey City for generations. This time ’round, another brother, Ron, managed to cause trouble. Ron Manzo pleaded guilty to insider trading, involving McGreevey’s Chief-of-Staff. The Cunningham supporters backed Willy Flood and called Lou Manzo a “political charlatan and backstabber.” Lou Manzo wasted time and energy ousting Ron Buonocore from the race. And in yet another sideshow, a convicted sex offender accused another candidate of ordering a hit on Manzo.

Manzo managed to spend over two million dollars, plastering the town with signs — including huge picture banners strangely reminiscent of Citizen Kane — and filling mailboxes with gibberish printed in three colors on glossy paper. But, despite the extraneous motion spending spree, the Manzo campaign never developed a clear, coherent message. Plus, Manzo had no Get Out The Vote, the spearhead of Hudson County ground war politics (and the raison d’être of Machine politics). Manzo lost this time, too.

And that’s not all.

Post-election, Eyewitness News featured Frmr. Candidate Manzo for stiffing campaign workers.

Charged with taking bribes from Solomon Dwek in connection with the 2009 run for mayor, the curtain seems to have finally closed on the Manzo Follies.


LOUser Manzo Malarkey


From the Assemblyman Manzo Web Site:
Manzo was not afraid to take on powerful political figures and big developers. In the mid 1980′s, Manzo halted construction at the site of one of New Jersey’s largest developments, Newport, on the Jersey City waterfront. He challenged the world-renowned developer, Samuel LeFrak, when he discovered that the development was dumping contaminated soil on the site and into the Hudson River. Furthermore, Manzo shutdown portions of the Newport Mall when it became infested with rodents because of the developer’s failure to properly bait excavation sites.
. . .
In 1989 when a pro-development candidate was elected Jersey City’s Mayor, Manzo locked horns with politicians overattempts to stifle his Division’s efforts to have chromium sites excavated. The Mayor felt that Manzo’s efforts were scaring away potential developers from the city. Manzo was forced out of office and pursued a lengthy, unsuccessful battle in the courts to retain his job.

In 1990, Manzo became the first independent in Hudson County history to win election to the Hudson county Board of Freeholders, defeating the hand-picked candidate of the very Mayor who forced him out of his Health Division post.
# # #
Manzo’s “raids” on Newport were his version of “Oh WAITER, there’s a FLY in my soup!” For LOUnatic Manzo, being Health Officer meant one cheap publicity stunt after another, the public be damned.

That supposedly evil tool of developers Jersey City Mayor who “Manzo locked horns with” was Gerry McCann, Lou Manzo’s biggest backer.


The Lou Manzo follies

Hudson County Hate Monger Hal Turner assaulted Purple Heart Veteran Jaime Vazquez

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

“If I had to assess my role in the world, I think I would be more like an inspiration to a whole slew of potential Timothy McVeighs! I don’t make bombs, I make bombers.”
Hal Turner

Hal Turner - Hudson County hate monger and FBI informant
From North Bergen, Hal Turner preached racism and violence over the Internet and over the airwaves. — while a Federal snitch.

On July 10th, 2006, North Bergen based Hal Turner — an FBI informant who posed (?) as a professional racist — again faced Jaime Vazquez, Vietnam veteran, recipient of the Purple Heart, director of the Jersey City Office of Veterans Affairs, Frmr. Deputy Mayor, and Frmr. Ward E Councilman. This time the confrontation was in the North Bergen court instead of the street.

Jersey City attorney Ray Velazquez, Jr. represented Jaime Vazquez.

The original court appearance was on May 17th, 2006. There, Hal Turner said that his attorney, Jim Orlando, could not take the case. For that reason, Hal Turner requested a continuance. With no objection from Vazquez’s attorney, Ray Velazquez, Jr., Municipal Court Judge Nino F. Falcone granted the postponement.

Jim Orlando later told the Jersey Journal “that Turner had never hired him.”

During the May 17th appearance, Jaime Vazquez’s lawyer, Ray Velazquez, Jr., informed the Judge of death threats posted on Hal Turner’s Web Site aimed at Jaime Vazquez. The Judge then ordered both parties not to make any public comments until the trial is over.

Hal Turner then tried to explain the material on his Web Site. The Judge interrupted Turner saying, “You are here before the court on serious charges. Refrain from making comments about the case until further notice.”

This comment (by one “POGO”) appeared on a Message Board at the Hal Turner Web Site:

I was in court this motning (sic) to monitor the violent spic’s phony counter-charges against Hal Turner. Mind you, this is a municipal court, not State or Federal, and yet the judge imposed a GAG ORDER on both parties. The case is postponed one month.

Howard W. Bailey was Hal Turner’s attorney in 2006.

Purple Heart Veteran Jaime Vazquez denounces Hal Turner
Purple Heart Veteran Jaime Vazquez denounces Hal Turner.

On April 2006, in response to published statements by Hal Turner calling for the killing of undocumented aliens, Jaime Vazquez picketed in front of Turner’s house. Vazquez carried a sign: “Hal Turner — shoot me! Racists and bigots like you are cowards.”

Hal Turner came out of the house to challenge Jaime Vazquez. Here’s a description of the incident from the Turner Web Site:

. . .
Turner defended himself by putting Vazquez down into the gutter at curbside. Vazquez was removed by ambulance.

“Folks who don’t like my radio show should not listen to it. and folks who don’t like my web site should not visit it.” said Turner. “Coming to my house to cause trouble or to attack me will not go unconfronted.” he continued.

Jaime Vazquez was in poor health and weighed approximately 135 pounds. The week before the incident Mr. Vazquez had been in a car accident. He had sustained back injuries.

Here’s one visitor’s comment from Hal Turner’s Web Site:

We need to KILL this spic ASAP!!! He out right attacked Hal, some one should just take him out, what is this spic anyway? does it have any ”family”? if not it should be very easy to KILL it. There are 4 million more like this spic, and 6 trillion JOOZ to take care of….can we do it???? I SURE HOPE SO. we may DIE off trying, it will not be pretty, it will NOT be funded, LOL!
. . .

The Anti-Defamation League has criticized Hal Turner’s extremist views many times. Turner outlines what he calls “Patriotic Assassination” — “The final option for cleaning things up would be to use force and violence to effect change via assassination of members of Congress and the Supreme Court.”

Hal Turner stated that on May 10th, 2006 a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark and a Detective Sergeant of the New Jersey State Police Office of Counter Terrorism delivered a message: “Headquarters in Washington has instructed us to close you down.” Here’s Turner’s response from his Web Site:

. . .
If I had to assess my role in the world, I think I would be more like an inspiration to a whole slew of potential Timothy McVeighs! I don’t make bombs, I make bombers.

If my assessment of my influence is correct, it seems to me that before FBI or another government agency takes me out, they need to ask themselves how many government buildings they want to lose to truck bombs if some of my listeners decide to take revenge? 5? 10?
. . .

For some years, Hal Turner crowned himself as the “Chairman of the Republican Party of Hudson County, NJ Corp.” This group is in no way involved with the Hudson County Republican Party that is recognized by the state and national GOP. Local Republicans have never heard of Turner’s “NJ, Corp.” Hudson GOP figures believe that Turner’s “Party” is no more than a paper corporation with little or no membership.

Over ten years ago, Hal Turner sought the support of then Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler for a proposal to end rent control immediately and abruptly. Knowing that this would mean economic dislocation for the city’s most vulnerable residents, Schundler refused to support the measure. Around ten years ago, Bret Schundler threatened a law suit to force Hal Turner to stop using Schundler’s name in fundraising literature.

Bret Schundler supported a Latina, Teresa deLeon, as a Hudson GOP candidate for Congress. The Hudson County Republican Party chose Ms. deLeon instead of Hal Turner.

Mayor Schundler appointed Jaime Vazquez Deputy Mayor of Jersey City.

Amiri Baraka mentions Bret Schundler in “Somebody Blew Up America”

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

In the second stanza of the controversial poem “Somebody Blew Up America,” Amiri Baraka puts Bret Schundler in the company of David Duke and Jesse Helms. Bret Schundler was Mayor of Jersey City for a decade. Jersey City is just one station away from Newark on the PATH subway. Amiri Baraka spoke in Jersey City at least once while Schundler was Mayor. For the previous forty years, the entrenched political organization let the African-American neighborhoods of Jersey City die and rot. Under the leadership of Bret Schundler, major redevelopment projects reversed this decay. So why would Baraka lump Schundler in with two White supremacists? Baraka might have been trying to make his piece “relevant.” At the time of 9/11, Bret Schundler was running for Governor. By mentioning him, Baraka gives the poem an urban New Jersey connection. This ploy also could have had the efffect of assisting the Newark Democratic machine in its efforts to install McGreevey in Trenton.

When Baraka Blows His Horn

Sylvester Stallone on location in Jersey City

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

A Sylvester Stallone movie was filmed in Jersey City.

Clinton awards Schundler

Thursday, December 31st, 2009


After the Clinton political machine hired private investigators to “destroy” Monica Lewinsky for telling the truth, Bret Schundler ran radio ads and issued a press release calling for President Clinton to resign.

Demonstrating the cluelessness of the administration, the President’s staff invited Schundler to the White House to receive an award and to meet with Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary.

Manzo Follies

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

The Lou Manzo follies

Lou Manzo ran five times for Mayor of Jersey City.

The first trip on the merry-go-round was in the ’92 special election held after Gerry McCann got the gong from Michael Chertoff. With the Hudson County Democratic Organization’s backing, Lou appeared poised to win. But, as luck would have it, Lou’s brother Allen decided to place his name on the ballot, too. Jersey City voters got the chance to view Smothers Brothersesque campaign commercials with Momma Manzo affirming that she liked Lou best. There was no brass ring for Lou.

In the 1993 regular election for Mayor of Jersey City, Lou Manzo was again the HCDO candidate. This time, brother Allen did not run. A bizarre theme of the Manzo campaign was to blame Bret Schundler for Apartheid in South Africa. Though Lou seemed to have missed it, the voters knew that Apartheid was abolished some years before the election. At least one audience walked out on him.

Losing by a two to one margin, Lou Manzo said that he felt like he’d been “hit by a refrigerator.”

Manzo ran again in 2001 in a three way race with Glenn Cunningham and Tom Degise. Knocked out in the first round, Manzo backed Glenn Cunningham in the run-off. An early City Hall meeting between Lou and the newly-elected Mayor didn’t turn out so well. Manzo complained that he’d been kept waiting in the reception area. As the weeks wore one, the lumps got kneaded out. Lou Manzo ran (and won) for Assembly in the 31st on the Cunningham reform ticket.

After the death of Glenn Cunningham, it was deja vu all over again with Manzo in the 2004 special election. That spectacle dwarfed anything that had been seen in Jersey City for generations. This time ’round, another brother, Ron, managed to cause trouble. Ron Manzo pleaded guilty to insider trading, involving McGreevey’s Chief-of-Staff. The Cunningham supporters backed Willy Flood and called Lou Manzo a political charlatan and backstabber.” Lou Manzo wasted time and energy ousting Ron Buonocore from the race. And in yet another sideshow, a convicted sex offender accused another candidate of ordering a hit on Manzo.

Manzo managed to spend over two million dollars, plastering the town with signs — including huge picture banners strangely reminiscent of Citizen Kane — and filling mailboxes with gibberish printed in three colors on glossy paper. But, despite the extraneous motion spending spree, the Manzo campaign never developed a clear, coherent message. Plus, Manzo had no Get Out The Vote, the spearhead of Hudson County ground war politics (and the raison d’être of Machine politics). Manzo lost this time, too.

And that’s not all.

Post-election, Eyewitness News featured Frmr. Candidate Manzo for stiffing campaign workers.

Charged with taking bribes from Solomon Dwek in connection with the 2009 run for mayor, the curtain seems to have finally closed on the Manzo Follies.


LOUser Manzo Malarkey


From the Assemblyman Manzo Web Site:
Manzo was not afraid to take on powerful political figures and big developers. In the mid 1980′s, Manzo halted construction at the site of one of New Jersey’s largest developments, Newport, on the Jersey City waterfront. He challenged the world-renowned developer, Samuel LeFrak, when he discovered that the development was dumping contaminated soil on the site and into the Hudson River. Furthermore, Manzo shutdown portions of the Newport Mall when it became infested with rodents because of the developer’s failure to properly bait excavation sites.
. . .
In 1989 when a pro-development candidate was elected Jersey City’s Mayor, Manzo locked horns with politicians overattempts to stifle his Division’s efforts to have chromium sites excavated. The Mayor felt that Manzo’s efforts were scaring away potential developers from the city. Manzo was forced out of office and pursued a lengthy, unsuccessful battle in the courts to retain his job.

In 1990, Manzo became the first independent in Hudson County history to win election to the Hudson county Board of Freeholders, defeating the hand-picked candidate of the very Mayor who forced him out of his Health Division post.
# # #
Manzo’s “raids” on Newport were his version of “Oh WAITER, there’s a FLY in my soup!” For LOUnatic Manzo, being Health Officer meant one cheap publicity stunt after another, the public be damned.

That supposedly evil tool of developers Jersey City Mayor who “Manzo locked horns with” was Gerry McCann, Lou Manzo’s biggest backer.


The Lou Manzo follies

Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler and Bayonne Mayor Joe Doria worked together to get the Battleship New Jersey brought to the Hudson River Waterfront.

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler and Bayonne Mayor Joe Doria worked together to get the Battleship New Jersey brought to the Hudson River Waterfront. As the number of visitors to the WWII vessel in Camden has been disappointing, the Hudson County mayors’ initiative was the better plan.