Tomas Padilla

Bergen County Democratic Organization spokesman Bill Maer called the lawsuit filed against Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa that includes Freeholder Tomas Padilla as a co-defendant a “political hatchet job.”  

“This is politically motivated. There’s no basis of fact. It’s being done for political reasons,” he said.  "Anyone can file a lawsuit... and it's important for people to withold judgment until it's been adjudicated."

Maer said that he can’t speak to the accusations against Zisa, a former assemblyman who has played a prominent role in the local Democratic Party, but that the linkage to Padilla in the complaint is a stretch.

Although the lawsuit against Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa names a sitting Democratic freeholder as a co-defendant and charges that another Democratic freeholder who’s up for reelection this year benefited from Zisa’s alleged shakedowns of subordinate police officers, Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin is not going to make an issue out of it just yet.

“It’s really too early to tell. These are allegations and in a civil suit a person can make any kind of allegations they want,” he said.

The suit, filed by six current Hackensack police officers and one former member of the force, names Tomas Padilla – a Hackensack policeman who has been a freeholder since 2005 and is a hopeful to be appointed U.S. Marshall – as a defendent along with Zisa, who it accuses of pressuring officers to donate to his and Padilla's political campaigns.  It also alleges that a co-defendant, Local 9 union President Phillip Carroll, donated union dues to fund campaigns for Zisa and Padilla without the plaintiffs’ consent. 

A lawsuit filed against Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa alleging that he extorted campaign contributions from police officers for his campaigns for State Assembly and for other candidates is likely to end Bergen County Freeholder Tomas Padilla's campaign for U.S. Marshal.  Padilla, a Hackensack police captain, is Zisa's co-defendant.  While the allegations against Zisa and Padilla remain unproven, it is unlikely that the White House would nominate a candidate for a federal law enforcement post while a lawsuit that alleges political shakedowns and retaliations against police officers hangs over his head.

Look for Padilla to drop his bid to succeed U.S. Marshal James Plousis soon.  This could put Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire, who dropped out and endorsed Padilla, back in the game.  Padilla reportedly had the backing of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), while U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) is reportedly supporting Lourdes Timberman Correa, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Marshal's office. 

Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa has been accused of extorting money from police officers under his charge to finance his political campaigns, The Record reports.    

A group of current and former Hackensack police officers filed a federal lawsuit against Zisa, a former assemblyman who ran an intra-party campaign against state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) in 2005 and has continued to hold out hope of returning to the legislature.  In 2007, he ran but aborted an assembly primary campaign against Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Englewood) and Gordon Johnson (D-Englewood).  Early last year, he said he planned to run again, but the candidacy never came to fruition.  

Also named as a defendant in the suit is Freeholder Tomas Padilla, who is an officer in the department and a hopeful for U.S. Marshall, along with the city of Hackensack, City Attorney Joseph Zisa (Ken Zisa’s cousin), and several other officials.  

According to the paper, the six officers and one former officer who filed the suit alleged that Zisa used his position as head of the department – which he has held since 1995 -- to influence his own races for assembly, state senate and sheriff. It also charges that he wielded his power to influence races for freeholder and union positions.  Those that did not go along with Zisa’s “shakedowns,” they allege, were retaliated against through official channels like demotions, undesirable assignments, denial of promotions and even being brought up on disciplinary charges.

Click here to read the 55-page complaint (pdf).

New Jersey's two Democratic U.S. Senators have not yet come to an agreement on the next U.S. Marsha.  Sources say that Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) prefers Lourdes Timberman Correa, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Marshal's office.  Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) is said to prefer Bergen County Freeholder Tomas Padilla, a Hackensack police captain.  Either would become the first Hispanic federal marshal.

Lautenberg and Menendez are also recommending different people for U.S. Trustee, who supervises the administration of all bankruptcy cases in Region 3 (New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania) - a post of extraordinary importance for law firms with bankruptcy practice groups.  Sources also say that Lautenberg backs Livingston-based bankruptcy law expert Stacey Meisel, who has served as a Bankruptcy Panel Trustee and was an early Obama supporter, Menendez is supporting Patricia Staiano, who held the post during the Clinton administration.  She is a partner at Hellring Lindeman Goldstein & Siegal.

Samuel Plumeri is expected to resign his post as Police Superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and will be moving into a state government post, possibly as the Board of Parole.  The move takes him out of contention for appointment as the next U.S. Marshal.  Plumeri, a former Mercer County Sheriff and Democratic County Chairman, has been actively seeking the Marshal post, but it appears he was not a serious contender.

Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire formally withdrew from the race for U.S. Marshal today and endorsed fellow Democrat Tomas Padilla, a Hackensack police captain and Bergen County Freeholder. McGuire, who touted endorsements from U.S. Reps. Steven Rothman (D-Fair Lawn), Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) and Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), says he wants to continue his work as Sheriff.

“Upon consulting with my family and friends and after careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that the best interests of the people will be best served by remaining Sheriff of Bergen County,” said McGuire.  “In a very short time as Sheriff, my team has been able to enhance the Office, professionalize the staff, and help make Bergen County a safer place for all. I am proud to be Sheriff and feel my work is far from finished.”

Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire has withdrawn his name for consideration for U.S. Marshal, and is instead recommending Bergen County Freeholder Tomas Padilla for the post.  Former Mercer County Sheriff Samuel Plumeri, the Director of Security for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has been actively seeking the post.

In February, U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman had backed McGuire over Padilla and sent a letter to Democratic U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez asking that the Sheriff replace Republican James Plousis in the U.S. Marshal post.

The massive number of new appointments being processed by the White House has the vetting process a little backed up.  That has caused a delay in President Barack Obama's formal nomination of Paul Fishman as New Jersey's new U.S. Attorney.  Because he has won endorsements from U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, Fishman has the job.  But Obama won't nominate him until the vetting is done, and he must still compete with other nominees waiting to be confirmed on a busy Senate calendar.  In the meantime, Ralph Marra, Jr. will continue to serve as Acting U.S. Attorney.

Also delayed is the appointment of a new U.S. Marshal to replace Republican James Plousis.  Lautenberg and Menendez have not yet made a recommendation to the White House, and that is where the process begins.  The candidates in that race are the same: Samuel Plumeri, the Director of the Port Authority Police and a former Mercer County Sheriff, and Gov. Jon Corzine's choice; Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire, who has the backing of U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman (D-Fair Lawn); and Bergen County Freeholder Director Tomas Padilla, who is also a Hackensack policeman.

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, left, is backing Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire for U.S. Marshal over another Bergen candidate, Freeholder Director Tomas Padilla, right.

In a letter to New Jersey's two United States Senators, U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman today endorsed Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire for U.S. Marshal.  This is significant because Rothman has chosen McGuire over another candidate for the post, Bergen County Freeholder Director Tomas Padilla.  It will be hard for Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez to ignore the Rothman endorsement since he is the Democratic Congressman from Bergen County.