Mims Hackett

Orange mayoralCouncilman Ed Marable, Jr. candidate Eldridge Hawkins, Jr today received the endorsement of South Ward Councilman Edward Marable, Jr.

"After considerable thought and prayer, I have concluded that you are Orange’s best hope to restore pride, progress and professionalism in our city," Marable wrote in a letter to Hawkins, a West Orange police officer and son of former Assemblyman Eldridge Hawkins.

Hakwins is one of several people expressing an interest in succeeding embattled Mayor Mims Hackett, who faces federal corruption charges. Others who have picked up the paperwork that needs to be completed by March 20 as a pre-requisite to run in the May 13 race include Councilman Donald Page, Councilwoman Tency A. Eason and Council President Lisa Perkins.

Orange Councilman Donald PageSenate President Richard Codey’s Obama endorsement on Thursday brought out the City of Orange’s two main rivals to succeed Mayor Mims Hackett: Councilman Donald Page and Eldridge Hawkins, Jr.

Son of former Assemblyman Eldridge Hawkins, who was Codey’s running mate in the 1970s, Hawkins said he had attended the event on invitations from Codey and Orange Councilman Hassan Abdul-Rasheed.

"The fact that you can have two mayoral opponents on the same stage is a testament to how Obama transcends local politics," said Hawkins. "I’m running for mayor on a theme of unification for a better Orange, in a similar spirit as Obama’s theme of uniting the country."

Former Assemblyman Eldridge Hawkins, Orange Mayoral candidate Eldridge Hawkins Jr., and Linda Cofer Hawkins on Saturday

Promising good government and economic progress to a city plagued by bloated municipal budgets, gangs, a ghost town economy and charges of political corruption, Eldridge Hawkins Jr., entered the race for mayor of Orange at the Elk’s Lodge on Saturday with the strength of his family name behind him.

Son of his namesake, the former state Assemblyman and respected civil rights attorney who was in attendance, Hawkins reminded a small crowd of supporters that Orange was once a thriving industrial city made up of 34 hat-making factories, including the F. Berg Hat Manufacturing Company Complex.

"Today, these same buildings are nothing more than rundown relics of what once was," said the 28-year old West Orange patrolman and realtor associate. "Such images can no longer exist in our town. For too long we have sat by and watched our city deteriorate and its progress be paralyzed by politicians and citizens that were unable to put their feelings, personal agendas and differences aside for the good of the city."

Orange Mayor Mims HackettOrange Mayor Mims Hackett appeared in council chambers, among the first public officials to arrive, smiling broadly at the young baseball players and haggard clutch of City Hall gadflies alike.

"Happy New Year," he said, and proceeded to wade into the small crowd with a polished politician’s outstretched hand. A month away from standing trial to answer to corruption charges and already deposed from his office as 27th district assemblyman, Hackett carried no aura of the disgraced Roman senator on Wednesday evening. He was all dapper southern sweetness and light.

More bundled bodies floated in from the cold and by now Hackett was at the front of the room.

There would be a special presentation of the recreation league baseball team and the mayor smiled with the news and straightened in his chair. "These talented youngsters are an inspiration to everyone," he beamed, and proceeded to slowly read a full roster of the team’s players.

Orange Mayor Mims Hackett was indicted today, five weeks after FBI agents arrested him on bribery charges.  He resigned his seat in the State Assembly following his arrest. He is charged with taking a $5,000 bribe to deliver an insurance contract.

A federal grand jury today indicted former state Assemblyman and Orange Mayor Mims Hackett, Jr. on charges of attempted extortion under color of official right and bribery for allegedly accepting $5,000 in cash in exchange for his influence on municipal contracts, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

Democrats in Atlantic City, clearly nervous about the impact of AWOL Mayor Robert Levy on the fall campaigns for State Senate, Assembly and County Executive, want Governor Jon "Zero Tolerance" Corzine to get involved -- perhaps, it has been suggested, find a way to remove Levy from office.  But if Corzine did that, wouldn't he need to be held accountable for removing a resume embellesher with an unspecified illness while being unwilling to call for the immediate ouster of other indicted officials, like State Senators Sharpe James and Wayne Bryant, and Mayors Mims Hackett and Sammy Rivera?

In case you missed it: New Jersey's three newest Assembly candidates were effectively annointed by individual party leaders, unencumbered by the need to present themselves to voters -- in this case, elected members of the County Committee.  Elease Evans, a Passaic County Freeholder who was elected to fill Alfred Steele's unexpired term, was picked by County Chairman John Currie; Bergen County Freeholder Connie Wagner, who will be the Democratic candidate for Assemblywoman in the 38th district (replacing Bob Gordon, who is running for Joseph Coniglio's Senate seat) was selected by County Chairman Joseph Ferriero; and Mila Jasey, a South Orange Board of Education member, was handpicked by Senate President Richard Codey to replace Mims Hackett in the Legislature. 

Mila Jasey wouldn't say much in her first comments as an Assemblywoman-elect; she wouldn't even commit to backing Joe Roberts for Speaker next year.
Mila M. Jasey won a Special Election Convention to replace Mims Hackett in the State Assembly tonight, and promptly took the fifth.

"No comment," she said, when asked if Hackett, who was arrested earlier this month on bribery charges, should resign his post as Mayor of Orange.

What about Gov. Jon Corzine? Should he release his email correspondence with his former girlfriend, CWA President Carla Katz?

"No comment," Jasey said. "That wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on."

And would she support Joe Roberts for another term as Assembly Speaker? Again, Jasey had no comment.

Mark Meyerowitz now faces Mila Jasey in the 27th district Assembly raceFor about two days, 27th district Republican Assembly candidate Mark Meyerowitz thought that he might just be able to pull it off – that he could become the first Republican legislator elected out of West Orange since 1969.

The odds were stacked against Meyerowitz, a 52-year-old financial advisor with barely any political experience, from the beginning. He was running against two entrenched Democratic Assembly opponents – Mims Hackett, Jr. and John McKeon -- in a district represented in the Senate by Richard J. Codey, the most popular politician in the state.