Edison mayor may face
a recall
Effort to oust Choi
in formative stage
BY SULEMAN DIN,
Star-Ledger (nj.com) from the Web, December 4, 2006
Barely through his first year as
mayor of Edison, Jun Choi has found himself at odds with the police department,
stymied in efforts to cut spending and handling tensions between a burgeoning
Asian-Indian community and the township's longtime residents. Now, Choi
may face a recall.
Prominent Edison attorney and developer Michael F. Lombardi yesterday said he is
considering mounting an effort to recall Choi from office.
It is the latest punch thrown in a nasty political fight in Edison, the state's
fifth-largest municipality, that began when the 35-year-old Choi upset
three-term incumbent Mayor George Spadoro in last June's primary.
During the primary, Choi's Korean heritage was ridiculed during a drive-time
radio program, and race was the issue narrowly splitting the township between
Choi and his opponent, former Councilman William Stephens.
After his defeat of Stephens was confirmed in a recount, rumors of a Choi recall
began circulating when he said Edison faced a fiscal crisis, possibly resulting
in a massive tax increase, to layoffs and deep cuts in services.
Yesterday, Lombardi confirmed he is behind a recall effort "still in the
beginning, formative stages," that is meant to be a check, he said, on Choi's
political aspirations.
"It is obvious to me that he is taking steps to take control of the Democratic
Party in Edison," Lombardi said. "He is having a major fundraiser and
hiring political consultants, despite the fact he is not running for office."
Tomorrow, the mayor is hosting a $1,000-per-person VIP reception and banquet in
Edison with Gov. Jon Corzine, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex), U.S.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and former Gov. James Florio. Choi also has
assembled a high-profile political team to advise him on strategy and media
image and conduct polls.
"He's either running for another office, or throw out people who do not see
eye-to-eye with him," Lombardi said, referring to four township council seats up
for grabs next year.
"I believe in checks and balances," he said. "Choi's going to have more at
stake than his political ego."
Responding to the recall threat was Choi's campaign consultant, Evan Stavisky,
who said Lombardi's initiative was motivated by financial gain.
"It is a cynical attempt to put the private business interests ahead of the
people of Edison," Stavisky said. "He should be honest, that Jun Choi has
stood up to greedy developers like Lombardi."
Lombardi's law firm, development company and relatives contributed $13,000 to
Stephens mayoral campaign, according to reports filed with the state's Election
Law Enforcement Commission. Since 2000, Lombardi and his companies have
donated nearly $32,000 to state and county Democrats.
Lombardi also is chairman of Edison First Corp., a new political action
committee that so far has collected nearly $22,000, according to state election
reports.
The recall is not connected to the PAC, he said, and none of its funds would go
toward the initiative.
Lombardi's reasoning for a recall seemed "blatantly self-serving" to David
Rebovich, director of Rider University's Institute for New Jersey Politics.
"Usually you have a recall if the mayor goes back on major campaign promises or
there are serious ethics questions," Rebovich said. "This seems like
bitter opposition trying to undercut the mayor before he has gotten into
full-swing."
Two first-term mayors were recalled this year in Mount Olive and Victory
Gardens, both in Morris County. A recall effort failed in East Hanover,
also in Morris County. An Edison mayor has never faced a recall challenge,
though. Petitions to recall Choi would need about 12,500 signatures of
registered voters for the effort to succeed.
Lombardi insisted he did not have a grudge against Choi, pointing out he has
been over for dinner, and was appointed by the mayor to an economic development
commission.
"It's not that I don't like Mayor Choi, I don't like his politics," Lombardi
said. He added he was not coordinating the recall effort with anyone else.
Despite receiving support from Lombardi, Choi's opponents shied away from the
attorney's recall proposal.
"I don't know why they are even doing it," Stephens said. "The mayor has
certainly made mistakes, but I don't know if anything is recallable."
Spadoro also said Lombardi did not speak to him about a proposed recall.
"The recall process is a challenging process, used sparingly, in cases of
significant dissatisfaction," Spadoro said. "It's not an everyday tool,
and rightly so."
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