Robert Bowser

East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser and Essex County Executive Joe Divincenzo with Gov. Jon Corzine in August.

Running for reelection this year in pursuit of a fourth term in what amounts to a walk-over Nov. 3rd election for him in his heavily Democratic city, East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser didn't rule out running again next year, for a different office, though - against Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo.

News today that DiVincenzo's county employee underlings - state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark) and state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair) - plan to back South Jersey product, Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford), in his challenge of Codey, thereby swinging the balance of senate power to South Jersey, rankled Bowser.

"I think Joe DiVincenzo has his priorities twisted," said Bowser. "He should be supporting Dick Codey.

"Nothing against Sheila Oliver," Bowser added of the Assemblywoman who ran against him in a 1997 mayoral primary and lost by 51 votes, who now stands to be Speaker of the Assembly as an Essex County counterweight to Sweeney's upper house ascension. 

Gov. Jon Corzine flanked by Attorney General Anne Milgram, East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser, Jose Cordero of the AG's Office, and Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo

EAST ORANGE - As New Jersey's media and political classes focus on corruption and former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie stands astride the backwash of arrests from nearly two weeks ago selling a message of change as the Republican candidate for governor, Gov. Jon Corzine redirected the public spotlight to violent crime and murders with numbers from the state Attorney General's Office that show a reduction in both.

“We are winning important battles in the war against violent criminals and gangs,” said Corzine, standing in Memorial Park with Mayor Robert Bowser; Attorney General Anne Milgram; Jose Cordero, New Jersey's first statewide director of gangs, guns and violent crime and the former police director of East Orange; Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo; Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow and a buttressing platoon of law enforcement officials.

“Thanks to the efforts of Attorney General (Anne) Milgram and the New Jersey law enforcement community, county task forces, police departments, and partner agencies, more than  4,200 offenders have been arrested for crimes including murder, assault with a firearm, armed robbery, and gun and drug trafficking," added the Democratic Party incumbent. "We know more work remains.  Even one act of violence against a New Jersey citizen is one too many.”

MAYORS JOIN GUN CONTROL ADVOCATES IN PRAISING LEGISLATURE FOR PASSING “ONE HANDGUN A MONTH” BILL

 
TRENTON- Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, Mayor Jerramiah Healy of Jersey City, Mayor Douglas H. Palmer of Trenton, and Mayor Robert Bowser of East Orange today joined the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence President Paul Helmke in praising the New Jersey State Legislature for passing the “One Handgun A Month” bill through both the Senate and the Assembly. 

East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser

Credited with presiding over a renaissance in his home town, veteran Mayor Robert Bowser is trying to stare down self-styled Obama upstart Kevin Taylor in East Orange.

Running with some money behind him, Taylor has organized for months in his challenge of the three-term incumbent. Over the course of the last two weeks, the well-funded Bowser kicked his field operation into overdrive.

A local business developer, the 50-year old Taylor has run for mayor twice before. 

This week, his campaign submitted 1,400 absentee ballots, 600 of which were rendered useless after Bowser’s team issued a challenge.

East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser

Essex County political junkies bewailing the lack of action in this year’s campaign cycle may take some solace in the wizened warrior versus young Turk implications of East Orange politics, where veteran Mayor Robert Bowser faces a challenge from businessman Kevin Taylor. 

A local legend whose administration ushered in East Orange’s relative boom time in recent years, Bowser is seeking his fourth term as mayor. The low drama pal of party leaders both county and statewide, he figures to be a heavy favorite against Taylor, the self-identified owner of KETCO Construction.

Gov. Jon Corzine on Monday evening in Essex with freeholders Blonnie Watson, left, and Carol Clark.: Politicker photo 

The paneled surroundings of Pal’s Cabin have turned rancor to languor in the case of many an Essex County political rivalry, enabling the likes of North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato, for example, to occupy the same friendly booth as his old political foe, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex).

So it’s unsurprising that neither Democratic Party fundraiser John Graham, a former Hillary Clinton supporter, nor Obama Campaign policy director Mark Alexander decided to convene in Pal’s for their continuing discussions about statewide campaign fundraising.

On Tuesday, they intend to meet in the West Orange watering hole with Gov. Jon Corzine between them. Alexander’s hoping the history Corzine has with Obama (they go back to Obama’s Senate primary campaign) will help him focus Graham and Graham’s allies.

Mayor Robert Bowser: Politicker photo 

Having already spread the word unofficially that he plans to pursue a fourth term in 2009, East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser tonight told PolitickerNJ.com that he's certain.

"100% sure," said Bowser, who emceed tonight's Essex County Democratic Committe party in Short Hills. "Make that 105% sure."

At the beginning of the summer, the three-term mayor and engineer by profession who has spear-headed East Orange's redevelopment, said he was about 70% certain he's running for re-election.

Word had started leaking out last spring that Bowser intended to go for a fourth term, but a potential opening as Essex County Democratic Committee chairman kept Bowser hedging for several weeks.

East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser says he’s 70% certain he will East Orange Mayor Robert L. Bowserpursue a fourth term in next year’s election.

“It’s early, but there are still a lot of things we need to do here,” said Bowser, who has led the redevelopment of his Essex County city over the past 11 years.

Former Assemblyman Willis Edwards - an ally of East Orange Democratic Party leader Leroy Jones - has expressed an interest in taking on the 74-year old incumbent.

“I saw that,” said Bowser, referring to news of the potential challenge. The mayor doesn’t seem concerned.

EAST ORANGE - Former Assemblyman Willis Edwards intends to run for mayor of East Orange next year, he told PolitickerNJ.com.

"I would bet my house on it, although I have made no formal announcement at this time," said Edwards, an executive with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and adjunct professor at William Paterson University.

For 12 years, Mayor Robert Bowser, 74, has served as chief executive of this Essex County city, population 74,000.

Edwards, who is in his late 30's, said he appreciates Bowser's leadership and notes with pride the resurgence of the 3.9-square mile city under the leadership of the long-serving mayor.