Last week, Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, called for Ferriero's resignation. So did Governor Corzine and state Democratic Chairman Joseph Cryan. But after Monday's meeting, Bergen County Democrats decided to focus on upcoming elections and not on Ferriero.
County Sheriff Leo McGuire, Surrogate Michael Dressler and Freeholder David Ganz have all voiced support publicly for Ferriero. Monday's meeting was contentious. There are many Democrats loyal to Ferriero. We acknowledge he is innocent until proven guilty. But he is under criminal indictment and should not be in control of the county political organization that controls almost every aspect of official county business.
The willingness of Bergen Democrats to roll over and play dead for Ferriero is sickening. Is Bergen County represented by a Board of Chosen Freeholders or a Ferriero-Chosen Board of Beholders?
Freeholder? Beholder? It's an important question. And it is a question to be asked not just of freeholders, but of every candidate running for office in every municipality in this county.
Many men and women owe their employment directly or indirectly to Ferriero. They feel loyal to the guy who found them jobs or helped them get elected to office. But if they work in government, their loyalty is misplaced. They should be loyal to voters and taxpayers, not beholden to a party chairman.
County Democrats may feel it's in the best interest of their party to leave the Ferriero question alone until after Nov. 4. After all, they might ask, why rock the boat when you are still out at sea? Perhaps it's because their boat is riddled with holes and its timber has rotted.
County Democrats should clean their house quickly. But they don't. Like pigs in a sty, they are all too willing to roll around in their own muck.
Voters need to a take a hard look at whom they elect on Nov. 4. The choice is simple: Either elect men and women who have free will or men and women who are bound to Ferriero. The county chairman has a right to fight his case in court. But he has a responsibility to Democrats to step aside and let a new day dawn.
We are disappointed that Monday's meeting resulted in a decision to make no decision. Clearly, county Democrats have neither the power nor the will to force Ferriero to resign. Party unity is admirable when it results in uniting the organization behind a great cause or issue. But Ferriero is neither.
He is a party official under indictment. If this is the standard bearer for Bergen County Democrats, then the party's standards are pretty low."
Bergen Record Editorial (Sept. 16, 2008)
