Joe Cardwell, a well-connected Jersey City political consultant who was arrested in July along with 43 others on corruption charges, was indicted today for allegedly taking bribes in order to influence a city official.

The indictment charges that Cardwell accepted a $10,000 payment from Solomon Dwek, an FBI informant posing as a crooked developer, to make introductions to officials who could speed through zoning approvals for a purported residential high rise development on Garfield Avenue.  At a later meeting, according to the indictment, Cardwell took another $20,000 from Dwek -- $10,000 for himself and $10,000 for someone identified in the indictment only as “JC Official.” 

The official, who Cardwell allegedly described as “my guy,” turned down Dwek when he tried to hand him $10,000.  According to the July criminal complaint against Cardwell, the official, who in that complaint was identified as “JC Official 3,” “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.”

Cardwell then allegedly accepted the money intended for the official, and later told Dwek that the official had requested that Cardwell use the money to purchase tickets for a political fundraiser. 

Although not identified in the indictment, PolitickerNJ.com named the Jersey City official in July as Carl Czaplicki, a former chief of staff to Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy who heads up the city’s Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce.  Czaplicki has not been charged with a crime.

After federal agents arrested dozens of New Jersey politicos last month, some readers of the criminal complaints against them took solace in knowing that there was at least one public official who “could not be owned.” 

That person was briefly mentioned in the complaint against Jersey City veteran political consultant Joseph Cardwell who, discussing corrupt officials to hook an FBI informant up with, mentioned there was a “particular state government official who could not be owned.”  

In today’s Politifax, editor Nick Acocella writes he has “excellent reason to believe” that the official is state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Jersey City).

State Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Jersey City) confirmed that long time Jersey City Democratic strategist Joe Cardwell, a key advisor to public officials there over the last 20 years, was among those arrested in today’s wide reaching corruption bust.

Cunningham, who is close to Cardwell,  said she watched his perp walk on television.  

“Obviously I’m troubled by these allegations, but I’m just trying to reserve judgment until we have all the facts,” she said.  “I’m shocked.”

Cardwell sits on the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority – an unpaid position that provides health benefits.

Standing in front of city hall to honor a World War II veteran, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Heavy laughed off a question about whether he appointed political consultant Joe Cardwell to a position on the board of the Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) in order to keep him from working too hard for Rob Andrews.

Cardwell is the closest advisor to state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham, who in April announced her support for Rep. Rob Andrews for Senate and is considered a potentially strong mayoral challenger to Healy next year.

“I appointed Joe to the MUA because we had a vacancy, and I know Joe will do a really good job down there,” said Healy, who is also the chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy has named a top advisor to his possible ’09 opponent to the Municipal Utilities Authority – a move that could affect the next mayoral race and tomorrow’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.  Cardwell was one of the architects of Sandra Cunningham’s 2007 State Senate race, and of the late Glenn Cunningham’s campaigns for Mayor in 2001 and State Senator in 2003.  Sandra Cunningham is reportedly interested in challenging Healy for mayor next year.  Cardwell is also the primary Jersey City/Hudson County operative overseeing Rob Andrews’ Senate campaign.  Will Cardwell, now a happy camper, not work terribly hard turning out Andrews votes in tomorrow’s primary – thus not embarrassing Healy, the Hudson County Democratic Chairman, who is backing Frank Lautenberg?

The PoliticsNJ.com Power List of the 100 Most Powerful People in New Jersey Politics will be released on Thursday.  This year, our readers get to pick the person who gets the final slot -- #100 --  from our last ten candidates.  Vote Tuesday and Wednesday to decide who gets on the Power List -- and who doesn't!

To an outsider it may seem extraordinary that a well-oiled political machine like the Hudson County Democratic Organization could mess up the petitions of a State Senate candidate in a hotly contested primaries, but there is some historical precedence to shabby petitions from Jersey City Democrats Bobby Jackson and Joe Cardwell that may explain it.