Mims Hackett

Four legislators have been indicted this year on federal corruption charges, and a fifth has been told he is the target of a federal probe.

CHARGED: State Sen. Wayne Bryant (D-Camden); State Sen. Sharpe James (D-Essex); Assemblyman Alfred Steele (D-Passaic); Assemblyman Mims Hackett (D-Essex).

TARGETED: State Sen. Joseph Coniglio (D-Bergen)

SUBPOENAED: State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union); Assemblyman Robert Gordon (D-Bergen); Assemblywoman Joan Voss (D-Bergen); Assemblyman and Union City Mayor Brian Stack (D-Hudson)

UNCLEAR: U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez

The Star-Ledger's Jeff Whelan lists the amounts each of the eleven public officials arrested are accused of taking in bribes:

"The officials are accused of accepting the following amounts, according to sources, who requested anonymity:

James Pressley - $32,000
Jayson Adams - $25,000
Marcellus Jackson - $16,500
Rafael Velez - $14,000
Rev. Alfred E. Steele - $14,000
Maurice "Pete" Callaway - $13,000
Jonathon Soto - $12,500
Keith Reid - $10,000
Mims Hackett, Jr. - $5,000
Samuel Rivera - $5,000
James McCormick- $3,500

The arrest today of three-term Assemblyman and three-term Orange Mayor Mims Hackett, Jr., caught at least one member of the Orange City Council unawares.

"I just saw him at a city council meeting on Tuesday night," said West Ward Councilman Hassan Abdul-Rasheen. "Are you kidding, or something?"

Rev. Alfred Steele is the Assembly Deputy Speaker and the Passaic County UndersheriffThe list of eleven public officials arrested today by FBI agents: Assemblymen Alfred Steele and Mims Hackett, Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera, Passaic City Councilman Marcellus Jackson, former Passaic City Councilman Jonathan Soto, Keith Reid, the Chief of Staff to the Newark City Council President, Louis Mister of Pleasantville, and five current and former members of the Pleasantville Board of Education -- Jayson Adams, City Councilman Maurice "Pete" Callaway, James McCormick, James Pressley and Rafael Velez.

Callaway is the brother of former Atlantic City Councilman Craig Callaway, who was sentenced today to 40 months in a federal prison for taking bribes from an undercover FBI agent.

Soto, viewed as a rising star in North Jersey GOP politics when he was elected to the City Council in his early 20's, is the Passaic Republican Municipal Chairman.  He has endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President.

Could newcomer Mark Meyerowitz be headed to the State Assemby?Assembyman Kevin O'Toole, the Essex County Republican Chairman, says that Mims Hackett's arrest "certainly changes the dynamics of the election."

And a spokesman for Democratic Senate candidate James Whelan said the arrests of five current and former Pleasantville school board members will only help their campaign.

Hackett's GOP opponent is Mark Meyerowitz, a 52-year-old financial advisor from West Orange and son of a Holocaust survivor, whose only political experience was volunteering for Ross Perot in 1992.

"While it was once viewed as an uphill battle it becomes a new ground," said O'Toole. "While you hate to see this played as a dynamic in the election, it’s unmistakable that the public will take it into consideration in the voting booth.”

The arrests of two Democratic Assemblymen could impact the mid-term elections just two months away. Mims Hackett represents the 27th district, where there are enough suburban Essex voters to potentially create an opportunity for Republicans, despite the popularity of Senate President Richard Codey at the top of the ticket -- if Hackett remains a candidate for a fourth term.

The Republican candidate is Mark Meyerowitz, a 52-year-old financial advisor from West Orange and son of a Holocaust survivor, whose only political experience was volunteering for Ross Perot in 1992. The GOP did not nominate a second Assembly candidate, and incumbent John McKeon, the Mayor of West Orange, is considered a shoo-in for re-election anyway.

Double-dipper Mims Hackett was arrested today. He is the Chairman of the Assembly State Government Committee, where ethics reform legislation is often referredAssemblymen Mims Hackett and Alfred Steele, and Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera were among eleven public officials arrested today on what the Star-Ledger called "bribery charges related to roofing and insurance contracts for schools." U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie will hold a news conference in Trenton this afternoon.

Hackett, the Chairman of the Assembly State Government Committee, also serves as the Mayor of Orange. He is Senate President Richard Codey's running mate in the 27th district. Steele, a Minister who also works for the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, is the Assembly Deputy Speaker.

CONNERS/HACKETT SEEK OFFICIAL RECOGNITION FOR COLD WAR VETERANS

(TRENTON) - Assemblymen Jack Conners and Mims Hackett, Jr., recently introduced legislation to recognize the service and enduring sacrifices of the men and women who served in the U.S. military during the Cold War era.

Mark Meyerowitz, a lifelong resident of New Jersey, officially announced today his candidacy for Assemblyman in New Jersey's 27th district. Meyerowitz grew up in Fair Lawn and has been a resident of West Orange for the past 20 years. Meyerowitz is married, has two college age children, and is an Investment Advisor.

BILL GIVING NJ VOTERS EARLY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

(PRINCETON) – Legislation sponsored by Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Assemblymen Mims Hackett and Bob Gordon that would move New Jersey’s presidential primary election date to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in February was signed into law today by Governor Jon S. Corzine.