thecanessacorner

Here's a story I wrote a few weeks ago about nepotism and about overspending in the Hudson County Sheriff's Office. The new sheriff, Juan Perez, hired a communications director — and the man he hired has three other publicly-funded jobs. Perez also plans on hiring his brother-in-law to be his chief of staff.

There hasn't been much feedback on the issue — but there has to be opinions out there. Fire away — and don't worry: If you want to slam me in the process, I'm fair game here.

Some in Hudson County government should just adopt the motto “The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.”

Just a month after it was revealed Hudson County Register Willie Flood hired her own son to be an aide and to a data-processing post that paid more than $45,000 a year combined, The Observer has learned one political operative holds four publicly funded jobs in Hudson County, and the latest comes courtesy of Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez, who has been in office a grand total of 30 days.

Perez recently hired Robert Knapp — who serves as the Deputy Director for the Hudson County Welfare Department, Borough Clerk in East Newark and an instructor at New Jersey City University — to be his Director of Communications.

Knapp’s job with the welfare department is full-time. His other three positions are all part-time.

Knapp had served as Perez’s volunteer spokesman as the sheriff campaigned. According to records, Knapp is the only non-elected person in all of Hudson County to hold four publicly funded positions.

It should be noted, however, that Knapp is employed by the Borough of East Newark, and the state in his teaching job, not the county.

However, East Newark Mayor Joseph R. Smith, one of Knapp’s four bosses, is closely aligned to the Hudson County Democratic Organization and its chairman, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Healy supported Perez’s candidacy for the sheriff’s position in June, and recruited Perez to run against the incumbent.

Knapp is a holdover from the administration of disgraced convicted felon, former County Executive Robert C. Janiszewski. In fact, on an Internet message board, Knapp was quoted recently for remarks he made as a character witness who urged a judge to be lenient with Janiszewski when he was sentenced on corruption charges several years ago.

“In the matter of Robert Janiszewski, it is my opinion that his wrong choices in behavior are strongly overshadowed by his many years of completing beneficial acts for his fellow humans,” Knapp said of Janiszewski.

Perez’s predecessor, former Sheriff Joseph Cassidy, who served for 12 years, never had a spokesman.

In fact, the table of organization for the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office does not include a communications director position. Knapp’s position in the Sheriff’s Office was personally created for him by Perez, since he was an ardent supporter and campaign worker for the newly elected sheriff.

Records also indicate the Director of Communications position was never advertised for in any local newspapers.

While some positions must be approved by the county’s administration, this one didn’t have to get the seal of approval from Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise.

Instead, the call and authority to hire Knapp remains solely in the hands of Perez, who was elected to his position in November and who beat the former sheriff in a hotly contested race last June.

Nepotism hire coming from Perez, too?

In addition to hiring Knapp, The Observer has also learned Perez plans on going through with yet another nepotism hire — despite the negative press garnered by Flood’s hiring of her son to two political positions.

Perez is expected to hire his brother-in-law, Jersey City police Lt. Robert Lamboy, to be his chief of staff in the coming weeks.

The sheriff could hire anyone already in the department to be his chief of staff, but he instead decided to go outside the department to fill the slot. It is not immediately clear whether Lamboy, who is still employed with the Jersey City Police Department at a salary of more than $100,000 a year, would retire from his Jersey City position, or whether he would continue to work in both.

An official in the DeGise’s office confirmed both hires, but the official asked his name not be used for this story since the county executive did not have anything to do with either of Perez’s decisions.

In addition to hiring Knapp, we've also learned Perez plans on going through with yet another nepotism hire — despite the negative press garnered by Flood’s hiring of her son to two political positions.

Perez is expected to hire his brother-in-law, Jersey City police Lt. Robert Lamboy, to be his chief of staff in the coming weeks.

The sheriff could hire anyone already in the department to be his chief of staff, but he instead decided to go outside the department to fill the slot. It is not immediately clear whether Lamboy, who is still employed with the Jersey City Police Department at a salary of more than $100,000 a year, would retire from his Jersey City position, or whether he would continue to work in both.

An official in the DeGise’s office confirmed both hires, but the official asked his name not be used for this story since the county executive did not have anything to do with either of Perez’s decisions.