Two weeks ago, Campos filed a 33-page complaint with the Superior Court of New Jersey charging the victorious campaign of Dawn Zimmer with more than 200 counts of voter fraud.
The allegations range from the technical - mishandling absentee ballots - to the more nefarious, paying for votes.
The case is scheduled to go before Judge Maurice Gallipoli in September.
Campos has been assisted in his investigation by former Jersey City Mayor Gerald McCann, a convicted felon who said he got involved in the matter in order to seek "revenge" on the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) that supported Zimmer.
"I don't think Dawn Zimmer instructed her people to go out and do these things," McCann said last week, "but she got involved with the wrong people, and they're going to lead to her demise."
The complaint also alleges that Zimmer's campaign actually distributed instant scratch-off lottery games with absentee ballot applications.
Zimmer last week planned to file her own complaint against Campos' campaign by 4 p.m. Friday, charging that "scores of votes" were "illegally cast for various reasons. Many did not reside in the 4th Ward," according to Zimmer's statement Friday.
Zimmer said her lawyers advised her not to release specific information until after the complaint was filed at 4 p.m., which was after press time.
Why the ward is hot
Campos' investigation focuses primarily on Zimmer's 146 absentee ballots, which helped boost her over the top. Voters fill out absentee ballots when they cannot get to the polls. In past years, use of the ballots required a reason, like illness or travel. This year, for the first time, voters could file them without a reason - a fact that the Zimmer campaign capitalized on by encouraging people to vote by mail in advance.
The 4th Ward is a polarized area of town where residents of relatively new developments live side by side with born-and-raised Hobokenites as well as tenants in the city's federally subsidized housing projects.
A candidate who can appeal to the various groups can win an election. In the past, it was usually a born-and-raised resident who claimed the seat. This year, some of those residents, including past 4th Ward Councilman Andrew Amato, helped push Zimmer's campaign over the top.
Campos, who grew up in the projects, had to live down one troubling incident in February: His arrest on the West Side Highway in Manhattan for allegedly driving while intoxicated. While Campos' number on the Breathalyzer just barely qualified him for the charge, it was something his opponents didn't let him forget. The case has not yet been heard.
Meanwhile, Zimmer, who has allies in "reform" circles, also had to live down the fact that she relied on some supporters who had been tarred with allegations of their own, including Amato, who was indicted for voter fraud in the 1990s. (The case against Amato was dropped.) Nevertheless, Zimmer won support by focusing issues such as flooding in the ward, and reducing the size of a potentially traffic-increasing redevelopment plan that Campos supports.
Reformer, or not?
Campos charged last week that Dawn's campaign displayed some non-reformer tactics.
"[The Zimmer campaign] is no better than all the people they criticized in the past," Campos said last week. "Here are so-called reformers using machine politics and an absentee ballot scheme to steal the election from the voters of the 4th Ward."
Former Jersey City Mayor Gerry McCann, an experienced political hand, has brought more controversy to the matter by volunteering to help Campos with the investigation. McCann, who was recently elected to Jersey City's school board, served two terms as mayor of that city and went to jail for bank fraud in 1992 related to his private business dealings.
McCann said he is helping Campos because the forces against Campos were the same forces that assisted McCann's recent opponent in the school board election in trying to overturn his victory in the courts, he said. (See sidebar.)
Zimmer received donations from two prominent members of the powerful HCDO, which opposed Campos. Campos was a part of that organization until he decided to endorse Union City Mayor and 33rd District Assemblyman Brain Stack in a June 5 legislative primary against the HCDO candidate. Stack formed his own anti-HCDO slate for the legislative elections.
McCann also said that he is amazed to have found so many perceived errors on behalf of the Zimmer campaign. "The errors were so blatant, it called out to be exposed," said McCann. "And this is just the tip of the iceberg; we really haven't begun digging."
Over 20 subpoenas have already been issued to individuals involved in the election, with more on the way, added McCann.
Zimmer disputed Campos' allegations last week, attributing them to desperation on the part of Campos.
Zimmer said, "At the end of the day, I'm going to win the case."
Campos said that he is fighting so hard for the seat because, "I have an obligation to the residents of the 4th Ward who voted for me and supported me to come back and continue moving our community forward."
Campos said the case thusfar has cost him between $30,000 and $40,000, which he plans to pay in the future though a fundraiser he will hold soon. The council seat pays an annual salary of approximately $22,000 plus benefits.
The charges
As a result of the investigation, last week's complaint listed the following allegations:
* Six cases in which residents allegedly received hand-delivered envelopes with scratch-off lottery tickets in an envelope with absentee ballot applications and Zimmer literature that read "Don't gamble with your future. Vote Dawn Zimmer for council." (Zimmer has acknowledged using the lottery tickets, but said it is not illegal.)
* Nine votes were cast by individuals who allegedly did not live in the 4th Ward
* 20 voters allegedly received a monetary payment in the form of checks to cast absentee ballots for Zimmer.
* 92 absentee ballots were allegedly routed to and collected at Zimmer's headquarters before going to the County Clerk, which is against regulations.
There were 40 separate alleged instances in which an individual who was not designated to bring the absentee ballot to the county delivered it.
* Seven registered voters were allegedly wrongfully denied their chance to cast their vote * Ten residents who allegedly voted absentee for Zimmer then allegedly went to the polls to vote a second time, and
* 31 absentee and two provisional ballots for Zimmer that did not include information on who assisted the voter, which is required by law.
Zimmer's response
Zimmer was confident the election results would stand up in court, downplaying Campos' allegations by referring to them as "unfounded" and saying the decision would be "made by the court and not Mr. Campos." Zimmer defended some of her campaign tactics, such as putting $1 scratch-off lottery tickets in envelopes.
She said it was "legal" and "proper." She also pointed to Campos' $900 expenditure on a trip for potential voters to Atlantic City during the campaign. Campos has acknowledged that his campaign paid for such a trip.
Zimmer also denied allegations that she paid for her votes, noting that it was her opponent who spent over $28,000 on 380 workers on the day of the election. She said she believes at least 280 of the workers were registered 4th Ward voters.
In addition, Zimmer pointed out that Campos has yet to file his final state ELEC Report, showing where his money came from and what it was being used for. Past reports had shown Campos accepting thousands of dollars from local development companies.
Campos said that there were Zimmer supporters who were also included in the Atlantic City trip, and added he sponsors similar events year round and not just during the political season. He said he has also paid for trips for 4th Ward children to travel to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, and to baseball games.
In addition, Campos noted that it is customary for most politicians to employ residents in their ward for an election.
Campos said that he has not yet filed his last ELEC report because he is awaiting a correction to be made in one of his bank accounts.
In response to the claim that the Hudson County Democratic Organization played a large role in her campaign, Zimmer said, "I did not hire HCDO people to work for me. I hired four workers from a private company that specializes in elections."
Zimmer did acknowledge receiving $2,000 from Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy and $2,000 from Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise for her campaign. Healy was recently named chair of the HCDO, and DeGise is a member of that organization.
Zimmer described the HCDO's role in her campaign as supportive and not advisory.
She added, "Gerry McCann is clearly trying to turn this into a story about the HCDO's involvement with my campaign, when it is really a story about his reprehensible tactics in the Housing Authority."
Zimmer proceeded to travel with her cell phone to the Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA), where she presented The Reporter, via phone, with several accounts from residents who had felt intimidated by McCann's questioning over the past few weeks.
One individual was 47-year-old Kevin Groomes. Groomes claimed that McCann came to his door on Monday, July 30 at 9:30 p.m. and refused to leave after he was asked repeatedly to do so.
"McCann rang my doorbell and banged on my door for 20 minutes," said Groomes. "I had to tell him I was going to call the police before he left me alone."
Groomes also alleged that McCann threatened him with five years in prison if he did not sign an affidavit. McCann disputed Groomes' claim, saying that he never threatened anyone. He said that when he encounters a voter in the 4th Ward whose ballot he is investigating, he gives them the choice to explain what happened in an affidavit, or go before a judge and explain it in court.
McCann also denied knocking on Groomes' door for 20 minutes and said the only reason he came to the door so late was because Groomes' wife supposedly told him to come back at that time.
Zimmer's allies were working on a complaint against Campos' campaign last week and did not have the results by press time.
How Jersey City's ex-mayor got involved
According to former Jersey City Mayor Gerry McCann, his involvement in Campos's investigation stemmed from a chance meeting at the County Board of Elections in late June, where he was defending his victory in the recent Jersey City Board of Education elections. McCann was fighting a lawsuit brought by his former opponent, Jenny Garcia, a mother of five children who came in fourth place in the school board election behind McCann. There were only three seats available.
Garcia's suit alleged that McCann had coerced nearly 300 elderly residents at four area nursing homes to vote for him via absentee ballot.
According to Garcia's attorney, Christopher Welgos, she dropped the case on June 22 after an illness in the family prevented her from dedicating the amount of time necessary to the case.
As a result, McCann was able to refocus his attention on assisting Campos, while going after the same political organization that had gone after him in his own lawsuit, he said.
"[The HCDO] screwed [Campos] just like they tried to screw me," said McCann. "Chris Campos is the beneficiary of my revenge."
McCann has gone as far as to write about his findings in the case on various local internet messageboards under the name "Jerry1950." Some of the comments under that name have been simply personal attacks, but McCann said he has given his name and password to several associates. One poster using McCann's handle recently posted a comment lambasting a former Hoboken Board of Education president, who is an ally of Zimmer, for being "fat."
"My intention is not to defeat Zimmer or to elect Chris Campos," the former Jersey City mayor said last week. "My intention is to bury the HCDO."
McCann said he is not being paid for his contribution to Campos' fight, which also includes assistance from three other individuals assisting McCann in the investigation, who have spent the past month walking through the 4th Ward knocking on doors and speaking with residents on the street.
"[McCann's] expertise has given us greater insight on what to look for," Campos said. "I'm a novice at this. Where I would see one problem, Gerry would see several." - MM
Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.
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