In Jersey City, another pol goes down

Today’s guilty plea by Jersey City Councilman Phil Kenny caught local politicos off guard, but the story was all too familiar.    

An almost identical one has been replayed several times in the corruption complaints that came out of the massive federal corruption bust in July, which ensnared Kenny’s colleague, Council President Mariano Vega, among many other Jersey City officials and political candidates.  

Vega today resigned his council presidency “temporarily” – a move he had hoped to avoid earlier by supporting Councilman Peter Brennan as president pro tem.  He did not resign his seat altogether.

“For the betterment of the City of Jersey City, the Municipal Council and under the current circumstances, I am temporarily stepping down, effective Friday, October 9, 2009 as of 4:00p.m., as City Council President until such time as I am completely exonerated,” wrote Vega, who is accused of taking $30,000 in bribes.  

Twice in March, Kenny, who was appointed to fill an unexpired term in the council in April and elected to his first full term in May, met at a Jersey City restaurant with Solomon Dwek, an FBI informant posing as a crooked developer.  They were introduced by an unnamed Jersey City official who from the complaint's description is identifiable as Maher Khalil, who pled guilty to taking $72,500 in bribes last month. 

Dwek wanted approvals expedited for a fictitious large residential development on Garfield Avenue – the same project he talked to several other arrested officials about.  Kenny agreed to help in exchange for $5,000 for his campaign account, broken up to look like it came from two campaign donors.

“I am just as stunned as everyone by this news. I had always known Phil Kenny to be an honest person who was dedicated to his city and his community,” said Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who ran with Kenny on his slate in May and has been visited by the FBI at his Bradley Beach home since the July busts.  

Healy said that since Kenny pleaded guilty, he automatically forfeits his council seat.  He also said that Vega’s decision to step down as council president was “the right one for our city and our people.”  

“We will work with the governing body to focus on the business of moving this city forward with honest, open and effective government,” said Healy.  

Peter Brennan, for his part, was taken aback by the revelation that Kenny went to court on his own volition plead guilty.  Nobody knew he was implicated in the corruption sting.

“Somebody said to me that Phil Kenny pleaded guilty. I said ‘What the hell did he plead guilty for?’” said Brennan.  “They said he had a couple conversations with the FBI, they were questioning him on it and he pleaded guilty to it.  It’s a shame.  Phil’s a good guy. He worked hard for his community. He did a lot out there in the West Side area.”
 
Between Kenny, Vega and Councilwoman Nidia Lopez – whose residency is being challenged based on tax breaks she took on her Florida home meant only for permanent resident – the future of three council seats is uncertain.  

“We still have a city to take care of and a government to run. I feel bad for the guys who are caught up in this,” said Brennan.  “A lot of them are my friends. We grew up in this city together, and as they know, it’s going to be very tough in the next four years as an elected official in Jersey City. You’ve got to be very careful who you talk to and what you do, and you just have to carry on.”