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The1993 Jersey City mayoral election was held on May 11, 1993. Incumbent mayorBret Schundler, who won a special election in November 1992 to complete the unexpired term ofGerald McCann, was elected to a full term in office overLouis Manzo.
MayorGerald McCann was convicted on fifteen counts of extortion, mail fraud, bank fraud, tax evasion, making false statements to the IRS, and failure to file taxes in connection with asavings and loan association scheme and removed from office on February 7, 1993 and barred from seeking re-election.[1] A special election to complete his term was scheduled for November 1992. Because Jersey City special elections do not require a majority of the vote,Bret Schundler, a conservative Republican, won with under 18 percent of the vote.[1]
At the time, Jersey City was notorious for political corruption, and the city government faced a $40 million budget deficit, rising crime, and a failing school system. Young middle-class residents fled the city for the suburbs, leaving the city with an aging population and shrinking property tax base from which to fund services.[1]
Under Jersey City election law at the time, candidates for a special election were required only to collect 100 signatures, and there were no runoff provisions.[1] As a result, a large number of candidates declared for the open seat.
The Democratic Party sought to unseat Schundler by spending enormous resources into the city.[2] Their campaign was led byRobert Janiszewski, the Hudson County Executive and the state chair of theBill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign, and Manzo made party loyalty the keystone of his campaign message, urging voters to "vote Democratic".[2]
| Candidate | Votes[3] | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Bret Schundler | 28,989 | 68.44% |
| Louis Manzo | 12,309 | 29.06% |
| Daniel Waddleton | 1,059 | 2.50% |
| Write-in | 10 | 0.02% |
| Votes | 42,357 | 100.00% |
Leaving City Hall following his victory, Schundler said that he won because his administration "[had] presented the vision that people have been asking for for a long time, and all the opposition did was try to frighten them and pit people against one another."[2]
Schundler's victory in an overwhelmingly Democratic city elevated him to the status of a national political celebrity by 1994.[4]
Schundler later ran unsuccessfully for governor of New Jerseyin 2001 and2005 before briefly serving as Commissioner of Education in the cabinet of GovernorChris Christie in 2010.
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