In Bergen, are Ferriero's inmates running the asylum?

In Bergen, are Ferriero's inmates running the asylum?

By Wally Edge | October 23rd, 2009 - 10:20am
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When you get this close to Election Day, there is no shortage of dumb comments that come from people who are either in public office or likely to win one.  But with Joseph Ferriero no longer in charge, what's coming out of Bergen county is sort of amazing.

The best line of the week came from Assemblyman Frederick Scalera (D-Nutley), who sought to lessen the effect of Ferriero's criminal conviction by noting that he also represents parts of Essex and Passaic counties: "We answer to three county chairs," Scalera said, not considering that some might think he actually answers to the voters.

The biggest stretch of the truth also came from two Democratic Assemblywomen, Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) and Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee).  Their campaign put out a mailer attacking Republican Judith Fisher of being an Internet pornographer.  Their evidence: Fisher and her husband own a firm that produces accounting software for intellectual property management.  One of their customers is Playboy.  Fisher's problem is that she's running in a Democratic district and doesn't have the money to respond - or talk about how Wagner and Voss were hand-picked for their seats by Ferriero, who liked candidates who didn't necessarily think entirely for themselves.

Democratic incumbents Julie O'Brien and Vernon Walton have seized on attacks against tobacco companies as a critical issue in a race for Bergen County Freeholder.  They are blaming GOP challenger John Driscoll, who is a field sales representative for Lorillard Tobacco, for his role in enabling children to smoke cigarettes.  "As a mother and a grandmother I know how hard it is to keep kids away from cigarettes. John Driscoll's efforts aren't helping.  It takes your breath way," O'Brien said.  Maybe it's smart politics that O'Brien has shifted the debate away from property taxes and Ferriero (by the way, he picked her too). 

A Republican Council candidate in North Arlington taped a one-hour conversation with four Democratic leaders, including Mayor Peter Massa, where the Democrats outline a plan to give him "money, appointments and power" in exchange for dropping out the race.  What remains to be seen is whether the bad guy is Republican Chris Johnson, who may have solicited a bribe, or the Democrats, who may have violated the same state law that sent the Mayor of Carney's Point to jail.

In Paramus, a Republican Council candidate has filed a lawsuit after the Democrats alleged that a fish food business he owns got in trouble for failing to pay about $4,000 in taxes in 1996.  The problem is that Michael Rohdieck didn't but the company until 2007; in 1996, he was serving as part of a U.S. Marine Corps peace keeping unit in Bosnia.

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Indeed it's an asylum

Submitted by BigRedShirt on October 23, 2009 - 9:50am.

Oh yes, I forgot, Big Tobacco is a huge issue in Bergen. It's what keeps us up at night figuring out how to pay our tax bills. Jules n Vern can't talk about the real issues at hand. Not Big Tobacco, it's Big Taxes!!! Want to see the political masterminds at work (if you can call it work)?

Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT2KRO6RcqY

Really?

Submitted by bergenblue on October 23, 2009 - 10:01am.

Great reporting, Wally. Really good stuff. Thanks for reminding everyone that the former Chairman had a role in picking the County's candidates. As a so-called "contributor" to this website why don't you try actually contributing something as opposed to littering the page with this mindless drivel. Pathetic.

Bergenblue

Submitted by bergenite on October 23, 2009 - 10:12am.

you have no clue, you are stuck in the marxist weeds with sticky glue. When Assm Gordon publicly comes out against this filth then there is something wrong. He seems to be the only voice of reason left in your party in Bergen. When your clueless candidates attack both legal and then constitutionally protected product they have lost all respect of the American voters. Ferriero, McNerney, Carroll, Wagner etc have turned Bergen County into a third world thrash dump. The voters are waking up.

Cost of Quality

Submitted by Serve2BenefitOthers on October 23, 2009 - 10:50am.

I wonder if anyone has bothered to put dollars to defects. How much does corruption cost the average NJ citizen? If we really understood how much it cost to correct failures, usually 70% of quality costs in a business, it would be alarming. Then, we should know how much appraisal costs associated with NJ corruption are. These usually represent approx. 25% of quality costs in the average business. Finally prevention costs, which are always the smallest in any business, should be calculated. What will is cost NJ citizens to prevent corruption? I believe that voters need to consider these matters when they cast their votes on Novemeber 3, 2009.

bergenlite

Submitted by bergenblue on October 23, 2009 - 12:26pm.

SENATOR Gordon is fighting for his political life as he gets caught up in the Sweeney/Codey crossfire. No surprise there. Get your facts straight and save the sophistry for a lesser audience.

Give Credit where Credit is DUE!

Submitted by Got Kids II on October 23, 2009 - 1:08pm.

I am glad to see the bi-partisan condemnation of Ferriero here. We should all be proud of our system.

But to give Chris Christie the sole credit misses the point. It was DEMOCRATS who referred this matter to the FBI/US Attorney, it was DEMOCRATS who took a risk and decided to leap frog the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office for fear of political meddling, and it is Democrats who protested in the cold rains of January; lobbied and were determined to root out the systemic corruption in Bergen County.

AND, it will be this Democrat (soon to be Independant again)who votes for the Republican candidates for Freeholder.

Best regards to all.

Bergenblue

Submitted by assisi on October 23, 2009 - 2:38pm.

you can stick your sophistry where the sun dont shine. The Republicans are going to wipe the floor with you this year and next.
Get over it you HUSSAIN wannabe

The only thing good about that video

Submitted by bergenguy on November 2, 2009 - 10:38am.

is that guy's beard! Man. Wow! It's a common Loneganish tactic to bum-rush elected folks with an intricate matter they are not prepared to discuss, then show a video of how 'clueless' they all are. I'm sure it could be easily replicated at one of Driscoll and Hammerscwhats town meetings on some matter.

And Got Kids has it right, Dems can handle the clean up there's no need for Republicans who merely want to switch places with Ferriero's machine. How about the Lodi R's cooperation with that machine? Don't hear too much about that.

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