Manzo to unveil slate next week

Jersey City mayoral candidate Lou Manzo has filled in most of his council slate and plans to start rolling out names next week.

“We will have the majority of the known candidates that are seeking office. It is so tough to find people who want to run, and out of the people who want to run I think I’m going to get the lion’s share of them,” said Manzo, a former assemblyman who’s embarking on his fifth try for the office on Grove Street.

Manzo said that finding quality council candidates has been especially difficult this year. He’s still working on recruiting Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop, who has entertained a number of offers from mayoral candidates to join their slate.

“Everybody’s still fishing for Fulop. He hasn’t made a decision yet. We’re in that race too,” said Manzo.

Fulop, for his part, said merely that he’s “exploring all options.”

Meanwhile, Manzo has hired veteran New York-based political consultant Hank Sheinkopf to “develop message and strategy.” Sheinkopf worked on Manzo’s 1992 mayoral campaign – the first time he ran.

Also running for mayor are incumbent Jerramiah Healy, Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith, former mayor Bret Schundler and good government activist Dan Levin.

State Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham, the widow of former mayor Glenn Cunningham, is expected to announce whether she’s going to run this month, although when reached for comment today she said that she has not made a decision and has not set a date to announce it. Most insiders, however, believe that she is using her potential candidacy as a bargaining chip with Mayor Healy and does not really intend to run.