Joe Ferriero

The Joe Ferriero indictment has spilled over into the 5th District Congressional race.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin today asked Democrat Dennis Shulman, who’s challenging U.S. Rep. E. Scott Garrett in the Bergen-dominated district, to call on Ferriero – who was indicted last week on eight corruption counts along with former BCDO general counsel Dennis Oury – to permanently resign from his chairmanship.

“If Mr. Shulman is to seriously demonstrate his commitment to the people of the Fifth District and to clean government, why then has he not called for the resignation of a corrupt party boss?” said Yudin. “At a time when Democratic leaders such as Gov. Jon Corzine and Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan have already asked for Ferriero to step aside, I question why Mr. Shulman has not followed suit?”

Bergen County Democratic Vice Chair Kay Nest, who’s filling in while indicted Chairman Joe Ferriero takes a leave of absence, said tonight that the party will not make any decision on its permanent leadership until after the November 4th election. 

That decision was the product of a  discordant meeting of the Bergen County Executive Committee members that took place this morning. 

“The Executive Committee of the Bergen County Democratic Organization met today regarding the future of the party.  Though there were clearly differing opinions on a variety of topics, all in attendance agreed to move forward as one united party.  A unanimous vote was taken, and all in attendance agreed to postpone any discussion regarding the change in leadership and focus on electing Democrats in the upcoming November election.  I am humbled by the confidence the Executive Committee has shown in me, and I will not let them down,” said Nest in a prepared statement. “I have no doubt, that a united Democratic Party will be successful in November, from the bottom to the top of the ticket.”

Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson challenged Gov. Corzine and Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan to drop all support for Bergen County Democratic candidates unless or until Bergen Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero resigns. 

Corzine and Cryan have both said that Ferriero, who was indicted last week on eight counts of corruption, should resign.  But at a meeting this morning, leaders of the Democratic organization, including U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, said they would not seek Ferriero’s resignation.

“The true test of their commitment to rooting out corruption within the Democratic Party is whether their actions reflect their words.  Corzine and Cryan should make it clear to the Democratic candidates in Bergen that there will be no financial support for a slate that supports corrupt party leadership,” said Wilson in a statement.

After a raucous meeting that insiders present said seemed more like a family gathering after a tragedy than a typical political meeting, the Bergen County Democratic Organization’s Executive Committee agreed not to ask Chairman Joe Ferriero to resign – at least not until after the November election.

Tensions and emotions were high as Ferriero loyalists and critics argued it out over the fate of their Chairman, who’s been indicted on eight corruption counts. Old scabs were reopened and expletives flew unhindered among the roughly 30 members present.

Ferriero is currently on a temporary leave of absence while Vice Chair Kay Nest has been elevated to become Acting Chairwoman for the time being.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin was so incensed by Freeholder David Ganz’s defense of indicted Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero that he called on the freeholder himself to resign this morning.

Yudin said that, while Ferriero remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, an indictment is cause enough to remove him from his chairmanship of the Democratic organization.

“This is a person running a political organization, and an indictment is damning enough that he should resign,’ he said. “If there is a prima facie case as there is here, it is outrageous that an elected official like Ganz says he should not resign. Not only is it outrageous, but if that’s his position, then he honestly doesn’t understand what being an elected official means. He’s betraying the voters’ trust.”

Dennis Oury stepped down yesterday as general counsel of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, according to party spokesman Bill Maer. 

Oury who was indicted Tuesday on an eight-count corruption charge along with BCDO Chairman Joe Ferriero. 

Party Vice Chair Kay Nest has appointed Paul Kaufman, a former mayor of Leonia, to take over the position.  Kaufman’s name was initially floated as a potential replacement for Ferriero, who has not resigned.

In October, 2007, Dennis Oury gave the Bergen County Democratic Organization a $25,000 interest-free loan. 

At the time, Oury was the BCDO’s general counsel.  Yesterday, he stepped down after Tuesday’s indictment charging him and Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero with eight corruption counts. But the loan remains on the books.

Kay Nest, the party’s vice-chair who’s acting as chairwoman while Ferriero takes a leave of absence, said that she didn’t know about the loan, but it’s something that the party will be sure to address in the coming weeks, when top officials will pour over its finances.

When asked whether the BCDO should return the loan, Nest said “you just gave me a good idea. I didn’t even know about that.  I’ll definitely look into it.” 

With potential candidates already angling for the job of Bergen County Democratic Chairman, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Englewood) said that there’s no need to elect a new chairman until after the November election.

“Many of us feel that there’s no need to rush to choose a new chairman. We are in the process of finding out the true condition of the party and its finances,” said Rothman, who emphasized that indicted Chairman Joe Ferriero hasn’t even resigned yet.  “And then examining what legal requirements exist with regard to new elections for chairman.” 

Indeed, Democratic Bergenites acknowledge that the party is facing significant debt – a feeling that in recent years has been much more familiar to their Republican counterparts. 

Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero and counsel Dennis Oury are set to appear in federal court today at 2:00PM. 

Ferriero and Oury were indicted yesterday on eight corruption counts of influence peddling with a grants consulting firm both held a financial stake in. 

They’ll appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo at the Martin Luther King Jr. Courthouse in Newark. 

Dennis Oury was indicted yesterday on federal fraud chargesDennis Oury, the powerful Democratic attorney who was indicted on eight corruption counts yesterday, has resigned from his post as chief counsel of the Bergen County Improvement Authority, according to the agency’s chairman, Ron O’Malley.

Oury’s employment with the agency had been a point of contention among some factions of the Bergen County Democratic Party. State Sen. Loretta Weinberg mentioned it as a reason why she would not support O’Malley for county chair if and when Joe Ferriero, who was indicted along with Oury yesterday, resigns. Others, however, said that there was no reason to push Oury out before there was even a formally recognized investigation.

But O’Malley today took his name out of the mix, saying that, even if there is a vacancy, he won’t run. If he became chairman, he would have to step down from his position at the BCIA. O’Malley doesn’t believe this is an opportune time to do that.