Hudson County View
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“This resolution supports two bills that are pending in the legislature which would make police disciplinary records public, police internal affairs records subject to the Open Records Act … These investigations have no oversight whatsoever,” said CJ Griffin, an attorney who said she was speaking as a Ward E resident during last night’s public portion.
She continued that between 2015 and 2019, the Jersey City Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit sustained one out of 30 excessive force complaints, zero out of eight discrimination complaints, with only 21 of 597 excessive force complaints sustained across Hudson County over the past decade.
Hudson County View
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Board Chair Anthony Vainieri (D-8) said the raises were an annual routine, with these pay hikes retroactive to July 1st, 2020.
“[They’ve] been working through the pandemic. A lot of these directors have been working seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” he said, noting he would likely take the increase so the next board chair can take home the $50,616 salary.
County Administrator Abe Antun indicated that the amount of salary increases totaled about $76,000 and that the board last approved one effective for July 1st, 2019.
Other notable increases include bumping the county executive’s salary from $166,826 to $170,997, while new commissioners will see a salary increase of $46,151 to $47,305 – along with annual pay of $49,513 for the board vice chair – currently Anthony Romano (D-5).
Hudson Reporter ×
With a 2-0-4 vote the Jersey City Council adopted a resolution in support of eliminating rows, lines and columns on primary ballots.
The Jersey City Council has passed a resolution endorsing the abolition of party lines on primary ballots in the interests of fair elections.
According to the resolution, sponsored by Ward E Councilman James Solomon, New Jersey primary election ballots are configured to “stack the deck” for certain candidates at the expense of others, “thereby undermining the integrity of elections and hindering our democracy.”
New Jersey is the only state in the nation that organizes its primary election ballots by bracketing groups of candidates in a column or row, rather than by listing the office sought followed immediately by the names of all candidates running for that office.
In rarely seen vote, Jersey City Council OKs resolution to abolish HCDO line with only 2 yeses
By Daniel Ulloa/ Hudson County View
Ward E Councilman James Solomon, the sponsor of the measure, was joined by Councilman-at-Large Rolando Lavarro in voting yes.
The remaining electeds in attendance, Councilman-at-Large Daniel Rivera, Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano, and Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh all abstained, with Council President Joyce Watterman, Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley, and Ward F Councilman Jermaine Robinson absent.
“It is a big conversation. It is an extraordinarily important conversation as a state we simply have not had until the last year,” Solomon said prior to the vote.
Jersey City Ward B council candidate Joel Brooks. Photo courtesy of the Brooks campaign.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The Jersey City Council has tremendous power to shape our city and impact our communities. From taxes, to housing and tenants rights, to public safety, public health and the city budget – the city council has a huge role,” Brooks told HCV.
“Right now, the majority of the city council accepts donations from real estate developers, police unions and corporate landlords who have the City government working for them, not tenants and working class residents of Jersey City. I will never take their money. I will never work for them. I will always stand with Ward B Jersey City residents.”