Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s stance against cops smoking weed had led to a lawsuit arguing it is a political posturing and fines.
According to the NJ Monitor, Jersey City faces a daily fine every day that the cops are not reinstated. They said it would be a $100 daily fine for officers Norhan Mansour and Omar Polanco, with a total maximum of $20,000. Saturday will mark 31 days since the Civil Service Commission gave the city one month to rehire the officers.
The Fulop Administration seems committed to continue fighting the issue until the State Police hands out joints in front of City Hall.
It is exceedingly amusing that the Fulop Administration also allowed about 10 cannabis dispensaries to open, with at least 10 more set to open. The City Council has approved almost 50 adult-use cannabis dispensaries to open!
420 Friendly Cops Launch Lawsuit Against Jersey City
Plaintiff Mackenzie Reilly’s attorney, Michael Peter Rubas, filed a complaint against Jersey City, the Jersey City Police Department, Fulop, former Corporation Counsel Peter Baker, Public Safety Director James R. Shea, and the police department leadership.
They argue he should get his job back.
According to the lawsuit, “Demonstrating the malicious and dubious intent behind Defendants’ unlawful policy, only 6 days after Mayor Fulop announced Jersey City’s unlawful employment practice on Twitter, he received an email on his private email (steven.m.fulop@gmail.com) from his long-time political operative and consultant Bob Sommer with an online Politico media article entitled: South Jersey Democrats Request’ Clarification’ from Platkin.”
“Five minutes later, Mayor Fulop uses his private email to send an email to Public Safety Director Shea stating: “Little revolt we started.” Mayor Fulop’s flippant comment on his private email server confirms that Jersey City’s unlawful employment practice is just a ruse done solely to bring attention to him and to assist his gubernatorial campaign to the detriment of Jersey City employees as well as taxpayers who are now footing the bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay awards and attorney fees.”
Fulop’s spokesperson said they planned to appeal the decision. So, they will likely fight the fines too.
2025 NJ Governor’s Race and Cannabis Politics
Fulop has been running for more than a year run for Governor in the election next year to succeed the term-limited New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, a Democrat, in the June 2025 primary. In the Democratic primary, he is facing Newark Mayor Rasa Baraka and former Senate President Steve Sweeney, who have declared their candidacies.
In addition, Members of Congress Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) of North Jersey are both said it be announcing their candidacies after they win re-election to their seats this November. Plus the NJ Education Association teachers union president and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller is running.
None of the Democratic candidates thus far have sought to claim an anti-cannabis position.
Baraka is allowing dispensaries in Newark, though not as many as Jersey City.
Sweeney, as NJ Senate President, ultimately presided over the CREAMMA adult-use cannabis legalization market implementation act passage. But insiders told Heady NJ initially he was more reluctant to support it. He was also never for home cannabis gardening, which remains a felony.
Gottheimer seems to have mixed views on the subject during his time in Congress. He supported some bills while initially declaring himself against full federal cannabis legalization.
In 2018, while running for Congress, Sherrill endorsed removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, the position favored by most of the community and industry, known as descheduling.
Spiller previously endorsed legalization and supported more dispensaries in town as mayor.
