Joe Ferriero

The Star-Ledger reports that Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero is the target of a federal investigation regarding consulting contracts to municipalities.

Federal authorities served a subpoena to Government Grants Consulting LLC, a company in which Ferriero has a stake along with Bergen County Utilities Authority Executive Director Leonard Kaiser and former BCDO counsel Dennis Oury.

Last week, several Bergen County municipalities where Oury has contracts were subpoenaed.

The investigation, which first seemed to only target Oury, is apparently targeting Ferriero as well.

TEANECK -- Both sides in the hotly contested council election in this town play down their part in the long-standing feud between Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joe Ferriero and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg.

But here on Weinberg’s home town, that rift is impossible to avoid.

Sitting down for a roast beef and chopped liver sandwich at a kosher eatery called Noah’s Ark on Cedar Avenue, councilman Elnatan Rudolph said that, while he doesn’t hide his ties to Ferriero, his opponents are the ones making the rift an issue. He noted a campaign piece that depicted him as a wind up toy, with Ferriero doing the winding.

While Honis and the two other candidates who act as her semi-official running mates dismiss partisan politics, Rudolph doesn’t buy it.

“They can tell you that. But it’s the same people who worked for (Weinberg), the same county committee men and women, who are supporting them in the race,” he said.

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Both the Democratic and Republican organizations in Bergen County have intra-party fights to deal with before they can take each other on.                                                                                                   

One of four orthodox Jews who sits on the Teaneck Township Council -- including Mayor Elie Katz -- Councilman Elnatan "Rudy" Rudolph smothered any potential criticism that one religious group would dominate local government by announcing plans to run on a ticket with a Muslim, Mohammed Hameeduddin, and African American Minister, Rev. Robert Robinson.

"We're running on a message of diversity," said Rudolph.

But there remains another rift in this town of 40,000, inevitably a flashpoint in Bergen County politics as long as State Sen. Loretta Weinberg continues her rivalry with Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero. Now its hard for any local official to make a move without his or her actions being ascribed to either one or the other. Thus, while municipal elections in May are nonpartisan, they still carry tacit designations of "F" or "W" in place of the more traditional "D" and "R" tags.

Bergen County Democrats knew this day would come sooner or later, and today they responded to the indictment of former state Sen. Joe Coniglio not with an outright defense, but with pleas withhold judgment.

Republicans, on the other hand, pointed to the indictment as another sign of what they see as endemic corruption in the Democratic Party.

“Senator Coniglio accomplished a great deal for the working families of the 38th District during his career,” said Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joe Ferriero. “Our legal system is founded upon the presumption of innocence and it is my sincere hope that Joe's upcoming trial is an opportunity for him to reclaim the good reputation that he built through his years of public service.”

State Sen. Bob Gordon spent two terms in the Assembly beneath Coniglio, ascending to the Senate after Coniglio decided not to run again after being pressured by Democratic Party leaders. During the investigation, Gordon saw his own office’s records subpoenaed, although he was not a target of the investigation.

• Conservative activist Steve Lonegan was arrested for protesting at Jon Corzine’s town hall meeting on Saturday.  Lonegan says the Attorney General retaliated by investigating him.
• During her campaign swing through North Jersey, Joe Ferriero endorsed Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s National Finance Co-Chair wants Bob Menendez as Vice President.
• A Quinnipiac New Jersey primary poll shows John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in a dead heat.        And McCain picked Bill Baroni as his N.J. campaign chairman.
• Leonard Lance says he’ll run for Congress, and Kate Whitman says she’s more conservative than her mother.
• The House Majority Leader supports congressional hearings on federal monitors and deferred prosecution agreements.
• Camille Fernicola is won’t seek a fifth term as Middlesex Freeholder, and Burlington Republicans pick Stacy Jordan as their new Freeholder.

Rev. Vernon Walton could become Bergen's first African American FreeholderBergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero endorsed Rev. Vernon Walton, a former Englewood councilman, for freeholder today, lining him up to be Bergen County’s first African-American freeholder.

The endorsement, given today at the Bergen County Democratic headquarters in Hackensack, was also attended by Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, a Ferriero foe and former Walton rival who pledged his support to the freeholder-in-waiting.

Ferriero’s endorsement all but ensures that the county committee will confirm Walton to serve the remainder of the unexpired term for the seat left vacant by Connie Wagner, who just entered the Assembly.

Insiders have said that Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero was prepared to endorse Hillary Clinton for president – but not without her coming to  accept the endorsement in person.

If that’s true, Ferriero got his wish with what he says is Clinton’s upcoming visit to Bergen County on January 23rd, although the Clinton campaign said that no date has yet been confirmed. But Ferriero said that his late timing has nothing to do with him appearing at a podium with Clinton, and everything to do with getting voters excited.

“I think it’s important to certainly focus the voters’ attention in New Jersey. I think by timing it only a few weeks before the primary gives her a certain amount of momentum going into the election,” he said. “She’ll be going to various different states and this will probably be the only major event she’ll be in the state for before the primary.”

Joe Ferriero vs. Loretta Weinberg; Brian Stack vs. Sal Vega; Glenn Paulsen vs. Diane Allen; Glenn Paulsen vs. Mike Warner; Vivian Stringer vs. Don Imus; James E. McGreevey vs. Dina Matos McGreevey; Anthony Coley vs. Ivette Mendez; Dick Codey vs. Ken Zimmerman; Dick Codey vs. George Zoffinger; Kevin O’Toole vs. Kevin Collins; Upendra Chivukula vs. Seema Singh; Karen Kominsky vs. Christie Davis Jackson; Bill Gormley vs. Sonny McCollough; Bill Pascoe vs. Maryannie Harper; Skip Hidlay vs.Ellen Karcher; Izod vs. Prudential; Guy Talarico vs. everybody.

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