Mayor Healy should worry

by: Thurman Hart

Thu Oct 02, 2008 at 11:40:03 AM EDT

There's an interesting column in the Jersey Journal today that makes it look to me like Jerramiah Healy may regret making such a huge issue of his legal problems. For those who haven't paid attention, Jersey City's Mayor was arrested in Bradley Beach some time ago and convicted of obstructing justice. In response to Healy's charges against the BB police, grand jury testimony was released that showed Healy tried to intimidate the arresting officers into releasing him. When that didn't work, he begged. Even as his appeals have run out at the state level, he has pursued charges in federal court, claiming that his right of free speech was infringed upon by the police.

Lou Manzo, preparing to run for the Mayor's job next year, has now opened a "public advocate" office - and apparently the only interest the public needs advocacy on is removing Jerramiah Healy from office, because I haven't heard of him working on anything else. But here's the part that is going to save Jerramiah Healy, no matter what:

Whether the county prosecutor's office screens the municipal court cases or the municipal prosecutor directly handles charges filed in the municipal court, the decision to waive forfeiture must be made before adjudication of the case .

I'm not a lawyer, but it appears to me that for a decision of forfeiture NOT to be put before a judge, a waiver has to be filed. If no waiver was filed - and it seems odd that the Mayor would not have pranced around with it if it were available - then the forfeiture hearing MUST procede. That doesn't mean that Healy will automatically lose his seat, but it does mean that he'll be called on - most likely - to explain why he told officers to call their boss and to sweep everything under the rug.

I just wonder when Lou Manzo is going to use his "public advocate" position to speak up on something else - like maybe bullets flying around residential areas. You wouldn't want any voters to get hurt, would you, Lou?

Thurman Hart :: Mayor Healy should worry