Menendez, Corzine won’t back Passaic Dem Freeholder candidate
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
By BILL ALBERS
PoliticsNJ.com
MARCH 20 - The selection of a controversial Arab-American businessman to run for
Passaic County Freeholder has sharply divided Democrats, with Sen. Robert
Menendez and Gov. Jon Corzine indicating that they were not prepared to support
the candidacy of Sami Merhi, even in a general election.
Merhi is under fire for comments made at a 2002 fundraiser for Rep. Bill
Pascrell, when he likened former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Adolf
Hitler, and said he "can't see the comparison" between Palestinian suicide
bombers and the "cold blooded murderers" he says are responsible for the attacks
of September 11th
In a letter to Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie, Menendez called
Merhi’s statements “extremely disturbing.”
“Terrorism is unacceptable in any form, and should be condemned by every
candidate for office in this country,” Menendez wrote. “The Democratic Party has
been at the forefront of opposing the murder of innocent civilians throughout
the world, whether they be in Israel, Darfur, or anywhere else."
Menendez urged Currie to reconsider giving Merhi the Democratic organization
line. “I must inform you that should Mr. Merhi ultimately be the Democratic
candidate for Passaic County Freeholder, I will not be able to support him."
Corzine didn’t mince words when discussing the Merhi candidacy. “The Governor
does not support Mr. Merhi,” said his spokesman, Anthony Coley.
Paul Aronsohn, who is expected to be the Democratic candidate for Congress in
the fifth district, which includes parts of Passaic County, said that he was
“very disturbed” by press reports of Merhi’s comments. “If true, there is
absolutely no way that I could support him,” Aronsohn told PoliticsNJ.com.
The reaction to Merhi’s campaign seemingly isolates Pascrell, a key Passaic
County Democrat who backed Merhi in his narrow victory in a vote by party
leaders on Saturday. The 57-year-old Merhi, whose 2004 candidacy was derailed by
criticism of his earlier statements, edged out Joanne Graziano, a Hawthorne
school board member, by a 13-10 vote.
Merhi won a two-day campaign that officially began on Thursday, when incumbent
Lois Cuccinello announced that she would not seek re-election to join the
Corzine administration as Assistant Commissioner of Labor.
Early today, Menendez’s likely Republican rival, State Sen. Thomas H. Kean,
called on Menendez to denounce Merhi’s nomination.
"Mr. Merhi's attempts to justify or rationalize suicide bombings are shocking
and deplorable," said Kean spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker. "His nomination is an
affront to the Jewish community and to New Jerseyans as a whole."
But Pascrell refused to abandon Merhi, a personal friend who has raised money
for his campaigns
"He's a well vetted candidate," says Pascrell. "I believe he's a good man, and
he'll represent all the people of Passaic County."
Pascrell, admits that Merhi "made a mistake" when he made his controversial
comments. The five-term Congressman publicly distanced himself from Merhi’s
remarks after the New York Times reported them in 2002.
"He needs to speak for himself," says Pascrell. "He has an obligation to
explain.” Pascrell asked Democrats to at least give the Lebanon-borned Merhi a
chance to defend himself.”
In an interview today, Merhi says that he was misquoted in the article, and that
he wants to repudiate the comments associated with him.
"I abhor terrorism in all its forms," said the Totowa businessman, who lost his
godson in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
He insists that political opponents are taking his comments out of context and
ignoring statements where he applauded the Middle East peace process.
"I said 9/11 could not compare because it touched my family and my country
personally," Merhi explains. "If anyone understands what terrorism is, it's my
family.
Merhi said he is disheartened by the news that Corzine and Menendez have already
abandoned his campaign based on a newspaper article from four years ago.
"I have been a loyal Democrat for twenty-six years," says Merhi. "Anyone who
wants to issue a statement not based on the truth is not doing me justice. Is
this not America where justice comes first?"
Merhi alleged that some Democrats may be discriminating against him because he
is Arab American. "Where is my guilt here? I don't understand what the crime
was. Is it because I'm an Arab-American? That's not fair, I'm not running under
my ethnicity.
Gary Schaer, a freshman State Assemblyman and the Passaic City Council
President, took a stronger stance, saying that he believes Merhi's comments are
"unacceptable" and his candidacy is "extremely problematic."
Schaer says he knows Merhi and that he's done good work as president of
Preakness Hospital's Board of Directors, but that his past comments remain a
"fundamental problem" in his candidacy. "I think there was an interest to show
our inclusiveness and we need to show our inclusiveness," says Schaer, who is an
Orthodox Jew. But in light of his statements, "we cannot be embracing someone
like Merhi," he said.
Schaer was adamant that the problems with Merhi's candidacy are not related to
his ethnicity or to the conflict between Arabs and Israelis in general. "This is
about people who stand up and talk about our problems," said Schaer, rather than
about those who settle things through violence.
Assembly Deputy Speaker Alfred Steele questioned whether his party's leaders had
full knowledge of Merhi's past statements, and left the door open for
potentially revisiting the situation.
"Was that information given to the leaders when they voted to award the line?"
asked Steele, a Paterson Democrat, who says he was not present when the
endorsement was voted upon.
When asked whether he would personally support Merhi, Assemblyman Alfred Steele
said only that he "opposes racial division."
The furor over Merhi has led the Passaic County Democrats leadership to reopen a
discussion regarding their choice of candidates. That could potentially put
Merhi's endorsement in jeopardy.
"It has come to my attention that the nomination of Sam Merhi for Freeholder has
met with some controversy from various elected officials and organizations
throughout the county and the state of New Jersey," Currie said in a written
statement released late Monday.
Currie has called a special meeting of Passaic County Democratic municipal
leaders and elected officials for next Saturday to “discuss” Merhi’s candidacy.
Bill Albers can be reached at billalbers@gmail.com | AIM: AlbersNJ
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