Noticias

OPINION

It has been the honor of my life to serve as your Ward D Councilman. I began my service under tragic circumstances, shortly after the late-great Councilman Michael Yun passed away from coronavirus on April 6, 2020. In light of the gravity of the situation facing my residents with a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, I left my full-time job on Wall Street to serve my constituents full time. I never missed a Council vote or Council meeting, made myself available 24/7, passed many pieces of substantive legislation like Pay Transparency and Right to Counsel, rode in snow plows, cleared downed tree trunks, and had the opportunity to chair every budget hearing — raising the concerns of my constituents and fighting to secure services and capital projects for the residents of Ward D.

I ended up running a grueling race for State Assembly based on my lived experience as Councilman, and the real-life issues and disconnect I saw in Trenton — issues such as domestic violence, transportation, automated traffic enforcement, housing, and affordability. I am proud of the race Assemblywoman Ramirez and I ran, and that the residents came out to support us, as well as those whom simply voted, as democracy is only vibrant and viable as those who participate in it, and those who stand up to be counted.

For now, I am putting politics on pause to run a different race — to the wedding venue with my fiancé! **We will be getting married this October 2025. ** Getting married in the Islamic faith is the equivalent of completing “half your deen,” which means religion. She has been rock, with me through thick and thin, and I am excited to embark on this next journey in my life. I am excited to finally be able to go on vacation and travel.

I thank Mayor Steven Fulop for supporting me as a Palestinian American born and raised in the Heights, and all of my Council colleagues and friends who stood beside me through the incredible journey. I love helping people with every fiber of my being, and representing the only neighborhood I have ever called home has been the greatest privilege of my life.

While the work is not yet done, the ground is fertile for the next Councilperson to continue what we started — whether it was the revamp of Central Avenue, cleaner streets with the ultimate creation of a Palisade Avenue SID, the fight for more affordable housing, the expansion of recreation opportunities, or ensuring our seniors, youth, and multiethnic residents are not forgotten with the creation of the Michael Yun Municipal Services Center at 394 Central Avenue. The Heights is a remarkable community — resilient, diverse, and deeply proud — and I have no doubt that my successor will continue to build on the progress we’ve made together.

Public service is never about one individual. It is about collaboration, community, and the responsibility we share to leave our neighborhoods better than we found them. I will forever be grateful for the trust and confidence you placed in me during some of the most challenging years our city has faced.

As I turn the page to this next chapter, I do so with immense gratitude, humility, and optimism for the future of Ward D and Jersey City.

This is not farewell, but rather a continuation of my lifelong commitment to this city I proudly call home. I am excited to start my family, and I will no doubt help with the transition for my successor.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Councilman. It has truly been the honor of my life.

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In a letter written from prison, former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez sought to walk back his defense strategy at trial that blamed his wife, Nadine, for his role in a bribery conspiracy — and pleaded with a federal judge to show her mercy when she is sentenced next month.

“I regret that I didn’t fully preview what my defense attorney said about Nadine during my trial and in his summation,” Menendez wrote. “To suggest that Nadine was money-hungry or in financial need, and therefore would solicit others for help, is simply wrong. If justice tempered by mercy is to mean anything, Nadine should not be imprisoned. There are more compassionate and equitable sentences that would still serve the cause of justice.”

Nadine Menendez was convicted of conspiring with her husband to accept bribes, including cash, gold bars, and a luxury Mercedes-Benz. Bob Menendez resigned from the Senate in July 2024 and began serving an eleven-year prison sentence in June 2025. After several delays, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein is scheduled to sentence Nadine Menendez on September 11.

The government is seeking an eight-year prison term, while Nadine’s attorneys are arguing for just one year. A medical expert retained by the defense has warned that no U.S. prison facility is equipped to provide the specialized treatment Nadine needs for breast cancer.

“A sentence anywhere near the 96 months recommended by the Probation Department will ensure that Nadine Menendez dies in prison,” her attorneys wrote in a partially redacted letter to Judge Stein.

Defense lawyers — Sarah Krissoff, Catherine Yun, and Andrew Vazquez — also contend that the government’s recommendation is disproportionate compared to similar cases. They cite the one-year sentence given to Maureen McDonnell, the wife of former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, and argue that co-defendants Wael Hanna and Fred Daines received “disparate sentences not commensurate with their level of culpability.”

In court filings, Nadine’s attorneys and husband painted a portrait of a woman shaped by trauma and hardship.

“She is a deeply traumatized woman,” one lawyer wrote. “Her entire life has been marked by men who have taken advantage of her and harmed her in myriad ways.”

Bob Menendez described his wife as a successful businesswoman, devoted mother, and cancer patient fighting for her life. He recounted her family’s escape from Lebanon during the country’s civil war and her father’s abduction.

“She had nightmares about the children she saw dying, as they picked up explosive devices they thought were toys,” Menendez wrote.

He also blamed some of her struggles on an abusive former relationship, saying that a severe beating caused lasting brain injuries.

“Taken as a whole, my wife has already suffered more than most people in a lifetime,” Menendez said. “She has lost everything she cared about. I am incarcerated and can no longer help her or be her caregiver. She has lost her charitable work, her social standing, and has endured family strife as a result of the government’s actions — including the seizure of family possessions and closure of accounts.”

Menendez also complained that jewelry seized from their Englewood Cliffs home was largely inherited from Nadine’s late mother and other relatives, questioning why the government has not returned those items.

The post Menendez urges leniency for his wife appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

A week after two South Jersey Transportation Authority commissioners were indicted for allegedly using their positions to retaliate against Mercer County Commissioner John Cimino (D-Hamilton)’s engineering firm in 2023, SJTA officials are pushing back on the idea that the authority ever was party to any wrongdoing.

In response to questions from the New Jersey Globe, SJTA spokesperson David Zappariello declined to directly comment on the indictments against sitting Commissioner Christopher Milam and former Commissioner Bryan Bush. He did, however, defend the SJTA against accusations that the board has ever improperly denied payments to Cimino or any other vendor.

“It is important to emphasize that the Authority has never inappropriately delayed or refused payment to any vendor,” Zappariello said. “All vendor work is subject to a thorough review process prior to payment.”

According to the indictment, after Cimino declined to align with the South Jersey Democratic organization in the race for Mercer County Executive, Milam and Bush conspired to block payments to Cimino’s firm by voting no at three SJTA meetings in spring 2023. (Five yes votes are required for payment approval on the nine-member board.)

“They cut South Jersey in Mercer County so now we vote no,” Milam allegedly texted Bush prior to the votes.

Zappariello, however, said today that the delay in approval for Cimino’s payment stemmed from commissioner absences, and the payment was approved when enough commissioners were present at a later meeting.

“At the times when these payment votes were initially presented, there were not enough Commissioners present to meet the voting threshold of five affirmative votes for payment of the bills presented by the engineering firm,” he said. “Once additional Commissioners of the Board were present at a subsequent Board meeting, the bills were brought forward again and subsequently approved.”

“A separate matter arose involving an error identified in the engineering firm’s work on a specific project,” he added. “The Authority and the firm entered into a mutually agreed-upon settlement to resolve the issue.”

Zappariello’s statement, however, seems to leave one key point unclear: whether there there fewer than five commissioners present at the meetings, meaning that the payment couldn’t have been approved regardless of what Milam and Bush did, or whether the five-vote threshold wasn’t met because Milam and Bush voted no.

While the indictment refers to a Mercer County Executive campaign that’s been over for more than two years, it’s become part of a broader fight between Attorney General Matt Platkin and the South Jersey Democratic organization. Platkin said he intends to “hold to account” those who (allegedly) use their official positions for political retribution; Milam claimed that Platkin is simply using the indictments as a substitute for prosecuting South Jersey boss George Norcross.

“Matt Platkin is a political hack who threw his fishing line and bobber into the deep sea to catch a whale,” Milam said after the indictment was released. “Now he has resorted to netting two minnows.”

Milam is also an important figure in Gloucester County Democratic politics, serving as chairman of the Democratic committee in Washington Township (the county’s largest town) – until today. Milam announced this afternoon that he’s stepped down as chair in the wake of the indictment, and former Mayor Laurie Burns will take his place.

“The Democratic Party is bigger than any one person,” Milam said in a statement. “While I maintain my innocence and intend to fight these charges, I believe stepping aside as chair is the best decision for the party moving forward.”

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