Governor James McGreevey and NJDEP Commissioner Brad Campbell terminated the 17 year old Development Corp. This is a major win for all the park users and the activists who made it happen! Congratulations! Now everyone's energies can be channeled into improving the park's passive uses and not battling developers and politicians! This would never have happened with Bret Schundler in any type of public office!
Schundler spent a record $2 million to get re-elected Mayor in 1997 against an unknown Jeremiah Healy, former Municipal Judge! Schundler did not get 50% plus 1 vote in the May election so faced Healy in a run-off....
1997 Top ten campaign contributors as detailed in a JJ article dated 11/21/97:
1. A.G. Mazzocchi Inc. and Nicholas Mazzocchi
leasing - under contract to do all
The JC Incinerator Authority demolition work, razed the Majestic Theatre downtown $450,000, razed the old State Theatre in Journal Square which had collapsed onto an adjacent building..
2. The Barry family
3. - They're the owners of Portside and the current developers of Port Liberte' as well as dozens of buildings elsewhere. Lum, Danzis, Drasco, Positan & Kleinberg
- the law firm who represented the City in the 5-year sexual harassment case against the police and the City lost…
$ 790,000 in legal fees which was greater than the settlement of $500,000! (see Police)
4. Waters, Mcpherson, McNeil
- law firm that represents Hartz Mountain Industries
who are building 70 and 90 Exchange Place and have gotten lucrative 20-year tax abatements.
5. Newport Development Corp and associates companies
6. - Sam Lefrak's company which built Newport and has received 20 and 30 year abatements on office and luxury apartment buildings Donohue, Gironda and Doria
7. - accounting firm that had the contract for the defunct JC Sewage Authority but now has the JC MUA (see AUTONOMOUS AGENCIES- MUA) and Schundler awarded them the City annual audit that used to be done for decades by Deloitte & Touche, a Big 5 firm. Hartz Mountain Industries Inc. -
8. Owner of 2093 Kennedy Blvd and Developer of tax abated 70 and 77 Hudson Street on the waterfront. Hudson Jersey Sanitation Inc.
9. - HJS had the $16 million-a-year garbage collection contract with the JC incinerator Authority until the Stamato family sold the business to a firm which later merged into the national firm Waste Management Inc. Waste Management's contract expired November 2000. The new kid in garbage collection, HC Container Service, which includes former principals from HJS- Stamato family, bid on the contract. HC Container's bid was higher than Waste Management's but HC sued saying the bid specified that only trucks newer than 5 years were allowed. Waste Management countered sued. The judge threw out the bids. Waste Management's new proposed rate is LOWER than the current rate ( $500,000 ) the JCIA/city is paying but the City must continue to pay the old, higher rate until the contract is re-bid, but now all the parties know the numbers! No new bid date has been set. Certainly sounds like a bid tailored to HC Container Service since they're the new firm with new equipment. It's hard to believe that any reasonable government official would require new trucks when the STREETS ARE LITTERED WITH POTHOLES... I'm sure Waste Management, which has contracts in every state, can pull enough newer trucks to meet the bid specifications and save the strapped taxpayers!!! What a new concept for Schundler but I guess Schundler wouldn't get his big campaign contributions? In JC, what's more important: Schundler's political contributions or saving the "Distressed City" and taxpayers tax dollars? Leanza & Agrapidis -
10. law firm that did the work for the $30,000 MUA proposal Square Parking Corp and Square Parking Systems Inc.
- In 1994 the parking authority renewed the lease for the 850 car garage in Journal Square then later sold it to them for peanuts. (See AUTONOMOUS AGENCIES- Parking Authority section)
Source: Jersey Journal 11/21/97 article by Brian Donohue "Bret's Bucks"