October 9, 2007 - 1:00pm
News

If Corzine drops Molinelli...

Someone threw Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli under the bus with the disclosure that he went on a vacation in Italy with Democratic State Senator Joseph Coniglio, the target of a federal criminal probe.  Molinelli, who served as Treasurer of the Bergen County Democratic Organization before his appointment as Prosecutor, is on holdover status since State Senator Loretta Weinberg has not yet signed off on his reappointment.  Published reports of his vacation with Coniglio, who dropped his bid for re-election after the story of the U.S. Attorney’s investigation of his plumbing contract with a local hospital was leaked to the media, could jeopardize Molinelli’s chances to continue as Prosecutor.  

Just in case, several Democratic sources suggest that Bergen County Democrats already have a replacement candidate for Molinelli in the wings: County Counsel Esther Suarez.  Suarez formerly served as Hoboken City Attorney and as an aide to Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano.  Before becoming the full-time County Counsel, she was an attorney at Scarinci & Hollenbeck, a politically powerful North Jersey law firm where Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero is a partner.

Wally Edge can be reached via email at politicsnj@aol.com.