This video changed my mind: Jersey City councilwoman has to go (Opinion)
It’s been one hell of a summer for newly elected Jersey City councilwoman Amy DeGise.
In July she took heat with calls for her resignation after she hit a bicyclist who ran a red light then fled the scene. She didn’t turn herself in for the hit-and-run until six hours later.
I didn’t blame her for the hit. The Uber Eats bicyclist clearly ran a red light and she had the green. It’s the running. She didn’t even slow down or stop to see if he was okay. (Ultimately his injuries were minor)
At the time I figured it’s up to DeGise if she wanted to heed the calls for her resignation. If she wanted to let the legal process play out first that could be left to her without me joining the chorus for her to vacate the seat she just took over in January.
Heck, remember Bob Menendez who continued to serve in the U. S. Senate as his criminal corruption charges worked their way through the courts? And isn’t this the sad land of corruption where politicians have done far worse?
I figured once she serves a full year, come January of 2023, if the voters were bothered enough by her hit-and-run they could recall her from office.
Then more came out.
Like the nine outstanding unpaid tickets with eight of those from the very city she’s serving. Then there were dozens more unpaid tickets going back to 2005.
She had so many unpaid tickets the state system was unable to display them in their entirety. How was she not arrested on warrants from this long ago?
Then there’s this gem. She tried playing the I’m-an-important-person card, the classic Do-you-know-who-I-am? card last year to a Hoboken cop.
She had parked illegally, partially blocking the path for turning trucks (and got her illegally parked car hit for it) and an officer discovered her car had not been registered since 2019. She pleads with the officer to not tow her vehicle and pulls out everything from she’s a teacher who needs to get to work, to she’s a Jersey City councilwoman who has supported police (yeah? Then let him do his job), to trying to get someone from the Hoboken mayor’s office to intervene.
Here’s the video.
The cop stood firm. Good for him. And shame on her.
Between the hit-and-run, all the unpaid tickets, the lack of registration, the whole attitude of "I can do whatever I want" and the playing of the power card, I’m now joining the chorus calling for her resignation. Step down now Amy DeGise. Then next time you can play the Do-you-know-who-I-almost-was? card.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.
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