HUDSON COUNTY GOP: TURNER WHO?

We might have to revise Hal Turner’s Rogue’s Gallery entry soon. We wish it could be so we can add “DECEASED” or “INCARCERATED” next to his name, but this will be just as fun. You know how all this time we were under the impression that Turner ran the Hudson County Republican Party for some time? Well, someone from that Republican Party is squashing that one. He is also not too keen on Turner tying himself to former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler. It doesn’t help matters much that the pissed off person is friends with former Councilman Jamie Vazquez, the guy Turner got into a little scuffle with April 11. Turner is definitely not going to like this story all that much. Eh, so what? We don’t like him all that much, but we digress. What we should say here is this is the first time hearing this, and after ten-plus years of dealing with Turner, this is something we think needs exploring. For now, however, we thought we needed to put this out for the benefit of those who follow Turner on this site and want to know every detail about one of the reasons why the white power scene is not a threat to anyone.

By One People’s Project

JERSEY CITY, NJ–A worker within the Hudson County (NJ) Republican Party, that was the website editor for former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler’s campaign for governor, says that white supremacist radio show host Hal Turner has, contrary to Turner’s assertions, never been the head of the local Republican, nor was he as close to Mayor Schundler as he has claimed.

On the website www.GETNJ.com, edited by Anthony Olszewski, who first worked with Schundler in the 1997 campaign for governor, Turner has never had anything to do with the recognized Republican Party of Hudson County. “Hal Turner claims to be the ‘Chairman of the Republican Party of Hudson County, NJ Corp,'” the website reads. “This group is in no way involved with the Hudson County Republican Party that is recognized by the state and national GOP. Local Republicans have never heard of Turner’s ‘NJ, Corp.’ Hudson GOP figures believe that Turner’s ‘Party’ is no more than a paper corporation with little or no membership.”

According to his biography found on his website, Turner was elected to the Hudson County Republican Committee in 1991 and served for two years and in 1992 became North Jersey Campaign Coordinator for the Presidential campaign of Patrick J. Buchanan. In a phone conversation with Olszewski, he confirmed that Turner was indeed a committeeman at one time and is a registered Republican, but any association with the GOP ends there.

His associations with Schundler were few and less than cordial. “Some years back, Hal Turner sought the support of then Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler for a proposal to end rent control immediately and abruptly,” Olszewski writes on his website. “Knowing that this would mean economic dislocation for the city’s most vulnerable residents, Schundler refused to support the measure.”

In the phone conversation, Olszewski termed what Turner was trying to do reeked of ethnic cleansing. Although Turner is reputed to have had at least one tie to a hate group, and was considered a racist, he was still denying any associations with racist groups and beliefs around this time. Still, he managed to make himself a pariah among the local GOP, so much so that in 1997, his organization attempted to raise money on behalf of Bret Schundler’s reelection bid that year. “Hal Turner was circulating some fund raising literature that gave the appearance of being for Schundler,” Olszewski wrote in an email, noting later in the phone conversation that the Schundler campaign sent letters out at that time telling supporters not to send Turner money on Schundler’s behalf. “Schundler threatened to sue. Turner stopped.

The curious thing about this is the fact that also in 1997 Turner was the campaign manager for Murray Sabrin’s bid for Governor – on the Libertarian Party ticket, not the Republican Party. This campaign had a sigificance at the time because it marked the first time a third party candidate received federal matching funds for their campaign. It is unknown if any money meant for Schundler ended up in Sabrin’s campaign war chest.

“Hal Turner at first kept — for the most part — his racist views hidden,” Olszewski continued. “He was acquainted and involved with local Republicans — many years ago. When the local Party decided to run a Latina as a Congressional candidate, Hal Turner ceased all involvement with the Hudson County GOP.”
Turner ran in that particular congressional primary, which was in 2000. The GOP nominated Teresa deLeon to run against incumbent Bob Melendez, who is now a US Senator. A few months later, Turner began to openly court neo-Nazis, and by 2001, he was a member of the National Alliance.

In his second full term, Mayor Schundler appointed City Councilman Jamie Vazquez to be his deputy mayor. On Thursday, Vazquez and Turner are due in court on charges that they assaulted each other as Vazquez staged a one-man demonstration outside Turner’s North Bergen home responding to vitriolic comments and stunts on Turner’s part about Hispanics and immigration. Olszewski became friends with Vazquez from his days as the Jersey City web editor, and expects to support him while he is in court.

Also, stirring up controversy is the 2005 endorsement of Bret Schundler as he made a bid for the GOP nomination for New Jersey Governor. “I know Bret personally,” Turner wrote on his website. “While he was Mayor of Jersey City, I was received warmly in the Office of Mayor and worked with his Administration on commercial real estate activities. In the past, Bret invited me to his home for political activity. Given his family is rich in German (Aryan) heritage, and based upon conversations we’ve had on issues important to our way of thinking, I think Bret is truly “our kind of guy.'”

Olszewski, who briefly worked on the 2005 primary campaign, was not aware of Turner’s endorsement of Schundler until this week, and dismissed it as a “dirty trick” on the part of Turner. “Why would Turner support Schundler?” he asked in an email. “(Bogota, NJ Mayor Steve) Lonegan yipped and yapped up and down the state about immigrants and affirmative action. Why wouldn’t Turner jump on that wagon?”

Lonegan is currently working with Ron Bass’ anti-immigrant United Patriots of America, which has had ties to white supremacist organizations, and has even invited members of hate groups to speak at their meetings.

Turner’s altercation with Vazquez gave him a higher profile than usual in Hudson County, but no other organization or individual has stepped forward to distance themselves from him. Turner has claimed friendships with Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, and radio talk-show host Sean Hannity, a relationship that was reported on by the Nation Magazine.