Local politics in New Jersey, as we all know, is a blood sport. While Union County may not be quite as rough as the legendary Hudson County, we are still no slouches.
Take, for instance, Linden. In November, 30-year mayor John Gregorio was unseated in a close race by his once-pal, now-adversary Richard Gerbounka. It was bad enough for Gregorio to lose the powerful mayor's job (think contracts, jobs, vendor contributions) -- he also lost his kingpin standing in the Democratic City Committee because he was no longer an elected official and, according to the bylaws, could not be an officer (read more here...).
Not to worry. The Committee, oblingly, was prepared to rewrite the bylaws so the diselected ex-Mayor could continue to have a political life. And, the pliant chairperson announced she was ready to step aside in favor of the ex (read more here...)
Someone dropped a dime and the Ledger found the situation of enough interest to write it up as two stories. And that's where Jerry Green could teach the old pro a thing or two.
For years, Green had represented his neighborhood (Ward 2, District 6) as an elected member of the Plainfield Democratic City Committee, and the Committee had elected him chair at each biannual reorganization.
Until Peter Janis ran a write-in campaign in 2001 and successfully unseated Green as the district's male committee member.
Though committee insiders were shocked -- and even fought the results in court -- when push came to shove, Green was re-elected chairperson at the subsequent committee reorganization. How could that be? The bylaws allow it:
"Article 3. Section 1. Persons eligible to run for or to hold an officer position in the Plainfield Democratic City Committee must be bona fide residents of the City of Plainfield and registered Democratic Party voters."Whether or not the Comittee's bylaws were prescient, Green was rescued from being removed from the levers of power (which, in Plainfield, really reside in the Democratic City Committee).
Gregorio certainly could have benefitted from Green's experience and planned in advance. But extended periods of having absolute control can breed a certain arrogance -- as if nothing could ever unseat those in power. Which led to a certain sense of agita when the tide turned.
Agita that Green has never had.
BACKGROUND: New Jersey provides that members of the local political party committees -- both Democrat and Republican -- are elected at the Primary Election, one male and one female per district, for a term of two years. The parties alternate years -- Plainfield Republicans elected their committee in 2006, and all 68 seats (one male and one female for 34 districts) of the Democratic committee will be up in 2007. Leeway is left to the parties to design their own bylaws covering who qualifies to serve as an officer. Party committee members are technically elected to the COUNTY party committee -- a fact which is often not of importance except when there is a local contest. Plainfield witnessed such an intervention last year, when County Democratic chairperson Charlotte deFilippo engineered the denial of the mayoral line to then-mayor and city committee chairperson Al McWilliams. What surprises will there be in this year's primary season -- which will feature Council seats in the 2nd Ward and Wards 1/4 at-large as well as the complete City Committee? Stay tuned.
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