Washington Street Brawl: DeFusco Tells Romano He Needs to Pick Freeholder or Mayor - Not Both
No sooner had Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Romano and his broadly smiling team dropped off their petitions today to run for mayor of Hoboken when arch rival Mike DeFusco blandly pressed send on an email that might as well have been a stream of scalding poison.
Himself running for mayor in a big field and attempting to bust out of the pack by extinguishing Romano, DeFusco continues to harp on the freeholder/mayoral candidate's dual presence on the November ballot, and demands that Romano choose one office or the other. In an interview last month, Romano noted the inconvenient timing of Mayor Dawn Zimmer's announcement, which came after the primary, which Romano had already won as a freeholder incumbent.
DeFusco doesn't sympathize.
“Although I welcome all candidates to the race, the simple fact is that Freeholder Romano can't simultaneously serve as Freeholder and Mayor, and thus is prohibited from running for both at the same time according to state statute” said DeFusco. “Compelling legal questions aside, this decision sends a terrible message to voters by reinforcing old stereotypes about politicians cutting back room deals and thinking the rules don’t apply to them. I’m running for Mayor with no conflicts and nothing to personally gain, because I believe our city needs new ideas and new energy. The same can’t be said of my opponents, including Anthony Romano.”
DeFusco also broached possible legal issues related directly to his potential candidacy, noting that Romano is using the same headquarters for both campaigns and much of the same campaign staff.
“Hoboken voters deserve to know who is funding all of the campaigns seeking their support, and candidates who hide behind loopholes or just ignore the law to shield their donors from public scrutiny are not promoting open government and transparency,” said DeFusco. “Anthony Romano has habitually failed to file mandatory campaign finance reports, leaving Hoboken completely in the dark about who is financing his campaign. This is unacceptable and yet another reason why his dual candidacy is problematic.”
An attorney's letter refuting DeFusco on behalf of Romano can be obtained by clicking the link below:
Also, no paid for line on those signs... is it tramp stamped on Mello? Is it Pablo's PAC? That will look real sweet for Dave and Pablo, they can be the prima ballerinas of county lockup.
Pablo bit off more than he can chew this time. It will be fun to watch Mello stranded on his own when Stick gets booted and the other two drop out next week. I think Kurt Gardiner will probably get more votes than him. Dave did endorse him, after all.