Healy says Jersey City is slighted

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy has made his grievances with the new school funding formula public, going down to Trenton two days ago express his concerns to the governor himself.

But while he acknowledged that he’s always been well-received by Gov. Corzine, he said the school funding formula is just the latest example of this administration giving his city the cold shoulder.

“I’m received very well but I don’t get a god damn thing for our city…. So far this administration has not done a whole hell of a lot for the citizens of Jersey City,” Healy said last night while watching presidential primary returns at a Barack Obama caucus watch party in Jersey City.

Other grievances: cuts in a state program for solid waste that Healy said will ultimately wind up costing Hudson County – and Jersey City in particular—more tax dollars. And the Urban Enterprise Zone funding has been made so complicated that many local businesses choose not to participate, he said.

“If you had told me you were going to ask this, I would have written out a list,” said Healy. “A lot of things that have been detrimental to our city have come forth in the last couple of years…. So far, the business of state government has been rather hurtful to Jersey City.”

That’s not to say, Healy said, that he would support another Democrat for governor. He and his counterparts in Newark, the state’s other large city, have played a large role in turning out the votes for Corzine.

“They didn’t turn out for other Democratic candidates the same way they did for Gov. Corzine, so I’m hoping there’s a way to resolve this without any craziness going on.”

Healy said he didn’t feel slighted, however, by Rep. Donald Payne’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President. Healy and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, both of whose cities Payne represents in Congress, endorsed Obama in the spring.

When asked whether he thought the endorsement was a shot at Booker, who has not yet committed to Payne’s reelection and whose brother ran against Booker-backed Teresa Ruiz for state Senate, Healy said “that’s a possibility, but I don’t know. Most of the party leadership is with the presumed winner. Certainly that inevitability has crumbled.”

When it’s time for redistricting in 2011, Healy has some hopes. Most of all, he said, he doesn’t want Jersey City carved into three different congressional districts, as it is right now between Payne and fellow Democratic Reps. Albio Sires and Steve Rothman. Rather, the second largest city in New Jersey – and possibly the largest by the next census – should be incorporated into one congressional district.

“I think Jersey City has been maltreated and mistreated, and I’d like to see better reputation for this city, which is the county seat, which is by far the largest city in Hudson County. I’d like to see some federal representation here,” he said, adding that the same goes for the state legislative districts. “We have a lot of issues to work on. I don’t know if I want to put all that into black and white right now, but those are my feelings.”