Twas the night before the Jersey City election, and none of the candidates got arrested
By Wally EdgeFollowing the criminal conviction of Jersey City Mayor Gerald McCann in 1992, nineteen candidates filed to run in a November non-partisan special election to fill the remaining nine months of his term. Among the candidates were: Bret Schundler, a Republican who had run a strong race against State Sen. Edward O'Connor (D-Jersey City) the year before; Hudson County Freeholder Louis Manzo; and former Jersey City Democratic Chairman Allen Manzo. Louis and Allen Manzo were brothers.
Allen Manzo was a McCann ally, and Louis Manzo was a political foe of the Mayor.
At first, the Manzo brothers argued about slogans. Louis Manzo went on the ballot as "An Honest Difference," while Allen Manzo filed with "An Honest Change." Louis Manzo lost a court challenge seeking to invalidate his brother's petitions, and then changed his slogan to "The Real Manzo." Allen Manzo got the top ballot slot; Louis Manzo was somewhere in the middle.
The real turning point in the campaign came when their mother, Mary Manzo, endorsed Louis Manzo and taped a TV ad urging Jersey City voters to vote for "The Real Manzo."
The night before the election, Allen Manzo was charged with aggravated assault and possession of an unlawful weapon after an altercation with his neighbor, Rudolph Contey, 66, who was hanging a Louis Manzo campaign sign on a telephone pole near their homes. Manzo beat Contey with a tire iron, causing a fairly serious head injury.
Schundler won that race by 1,443 votes over Louis Manzo. Allen Manzo was the spoiler: he received 3,642 votes.
Contributors
Wally Edge
Attorney General Anne Milgram had already decided she would leave her post when Gov. Jon Corzine lost his bid for re-election. She has been ... >
Bob Torricelli
The contest for Governor of New Jersey might be the most visible but in the long term it might not be the most important. Long after our youngest ... >
Michael Patrick Carroll
Political discourse in America contains much in the way of intellect or intellectual honesty. One considers the Federalist Papers with wistful awe: ... >
Jeff Michaels
Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie. How sweet it is for the thousands of volunteers who worked since February to support this great man for NJ ... >
Richard LaRossa
With a convincing win in defeating an encumbent Governor, why were there no coattails? >
Alan Steinberg
Within 24 hours after the election of Chris Christie as Governor, the battle was joined between the Governor-elect and the New Jersey Education ... >
Dr. Joseph Marbach
I am often asked by my students, friends and even reporters why campaigns in New Jersey are so nasty and why candidates rely so heavily on negative ... >
Carla Katz
It was a dark and stormy November night. An icy wind whistled through leafless moonlit trees. A loud thud is followed by a piercing scream. A ... >
Joey Novick
Patrick Murray is the founding director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. According to their website, “The Monmouth University ... >
Murray Sabrin
According to the latest SurveyUSA and Rutgers Eagleton polls, independent gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett has the support of 19% and 20% of ... >
Poll
Hot Topics
Most Active Stories
- Christie elected Governor, defeats Corzine by 106,000 votes; GOP picks up one Assembly seat
- Newark North Ward report
- Christie elected Governor, defeats Corzine by 106,000 votes; GOP picks up one Assembly seat
- Yudin basks in Bergen wins
- Corzine's Middlesex meltdown
- Christie says first executive order will freeze unfunded mandates and regulations
- Christie names Samson and Chiesa to head transition team
- GOP leaders rejoice in Christie's ability to unify, while Dems still skeptical
- Payne guardedly optimistic in South Ward
- Next GOP target: McNerney
- Yudin basks in Bergen wins
- Christie elected Governor, defeats Corzine by 106,000 votes; GOP picks up one Assembly seat
- Next GOP target: McNerney
- Amid rumors of departure to Christie cabinet, DeCroce re-elected minority leader
- Woodbyrne: Here's how we won
- Christie says first executive order will freeze unfunded mandates and regulations
- On a bad night, Democrats pull off huge win in 1st district
- Corzine concedes loss in bid for re-election
- GOP leaders rejoice in Christie's ability to unify, while Dems still skeptical
- Christie names Samson and Chiesa to head transition team
- Quinnipiac: Christie leads 50%-40%
- Quinnipiac poll has Christie ahead by 4 points as Corzine gets closer
- Christie, in West New York, takes questions
- Gore makes his case for Corzine
- Potential LG rivals Allen and Weinberg ally for county committee reform legislation
- Final debate schedule
- Torricelli on making perfection the enemy of good
- Autistic man seeks Assembly seat in 37th
- Jeb Bush attends Christie fundraiser
- Correction: Weiner departure was not his own idea
Quote of the Day
"Please. I wouldn't have enough paper. So let’s not even bother writing one. This is now about governing. I won. The one thing I could never understand about people in politics was winners who are sore winners." -- Gov.-elect Christopher Christie, on putting together an enemis list.
“He’s a nice man with good intentions, but in the end he’ll be remembered for timidity. Being a business titan and issuing orders from the corner office is a lot different than having to cajole and persuade people in politics and having the toughness and fortitude to see your vision become reality.”-- Ross K. Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University, on Gov. Jon Corzine.
Recent Press Releases
- Nov 6 2009
- Nov 2 2009
Syndicate
