Czaplicki up for reappointment tonight

Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop says he will abstain on the council’s vote to reappoint Carl Czaplicki as the director of the Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce.  

Czaplicki, who was Mayor Jerramiah Healy’s chief of staff before taking on his current position, appears in the federal corruption complaint against political consultant Joseph Cardwell as “JC Official 3.”  

“I don’t think I can vote yes at this time until the situation is cleared,” said Fulop, who thinks that Czaplicki should be left on in an acting capacity.  “There is a cloud looming here, so I think the mayor/council should leave him as is until the situation is cleared further. There is no reason for the mayor to endorse or reject him today in light of the recent events until there is more info.”

Czaplicki has not been charged, but was a close political ally of Cardwell’s and figures prominently in the corruption complaint against him.  In it, Cardwell claims to be the middleman between Czaplicki and the FBI's cooperating witness, Solomon Dwek.

Czaplicki met with Dwek (“CW”), who was posing as a developer, at a Jersey City restaurant.  According to the complaint, Dwek asked Czaplicki for help securing approvals for a fictitious development project.

According to the complaint, “In response, JC Official 3 told the CW that JC Official 3 could offer the CW advice and only wanted what was good for Jersey City. JC Official 3 further added that if he could ‘fast track’ matters, then he would do so.”

Later, Dwek attempted to hand Czaplicki an envelope stuffed with $10,000 in cash but was rebuffed.  

“JC Official 3 then told the CW that he did not do that, and that the CW should deal with defendant Cardwell, who knew both JC Official 3 and the mayor.  JC official 3 told the CW that there would be events and tickets and that defendant Cardwell knew the ‘playing field.’”

Despite Czaplicki’s appearance in the federal complaint, Healy (who appears in a different federal corruption complaint as “JC Official 4” and who has been visited by the FBI since the July corruption busts), had no second thoughts about reappointing him.

“Based on [Healy’s] reading of the complaint, it appears that JC Official 3 did nothing untoward or illegal,” said city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill.  

Czaplicki’s reappointment is not expected to meet with much resistance in the council.  Ward B Councilman Phil Kenny told PolitickerNJ.com that he does not have an issue with Czaplicki.  At-large Councilman Peter Brennan said that if Czaplicki had done anything wrong the feds would have arrested him.

“I’m not going to put any guilt on someone when there’s nothing there. Fulop will put guilt on someone to get his name in the paper,” he said.

Council President Mariano Vega was arrested in the same sweep that took down Cardwell and many other Jersey City employees and political figures.  

Czaplicki is one of seven agency heads who are up for reappointment tonight.  The others are Business Administrator Brian O’Reilly, Fire Director Armando Roman, Police Director Samuel Jefferson, Health and Human Services Director Harry Melendez, Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis and Recreation Director Joseph Macchi.  Public Works Acting Director John Yurchak is expected to continue in an acting capacity.