JERSEY CITY – Skirmishing with Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, whom he wants to help toss out of office next year, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told InsiderNJ that he doesn’t need a placeholder in the countywide position.

He wants a vote-getter.

He could live with a strong personality.

He just doesn’t need a warm body in the chair who’s overly dependent on other party functionaries for power, the mayor said.

“Tom asked us for support,” the Mayor told InsiderNJ. “He said ‘If I don’t have support from the mayors, I’m not going to run.’ And so, he asked us a question and we told him an answer. This conversation led to… ‘I’m going to run anyway.’ There’s not much more to it than that.

“Tom DeGise is a nice guy,” the Mayor added. “It doesn’t mean he’s a good county executive.”

The full interview appears below: