Although it is hard to think of anything which has not already been said in the media and blogs about the sudden fall from power of Bergen County boss Joe Ferriero, the Englewood Report cannot fail to take official note of this historic event. On September 9, 2008, a federal grand jury indicted Ferriero and his associate Dennis Oury for conspiracy to commit fraud and mail fraud. Previously Ferriero had taken leaves of absence from his positions as Chair of the Bergen County Democratic Party, as chief counsel for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commision, and as a member of the law firm Scarinci Hollenbeck. Since our rebirth early in 2007 we have repeatedly deplored his heinous influence on our county and on our city. Although an indictment is not a conviction, and much of his "pay-to-play" network remains in place, we must now imagine a new political landscape without Ferriero and his pervasive influence.

Within Englewood, the now-dominant anti-Ferriero faction of the Democratic Party should be encouraged by the recent events, and should be less fearful of losing its control. The Primary Election next June to select candidates for Mayor and Councilman-at-Large will still be significant, but it will likely no longer include the threat of candidates backed by Ferriero. Also the renomination of our two State Assembly candidates, Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Gordon Johnson, is less likely to be challenged within the Party.

Within the County Democratic Party, the sudden power vacuum at the top has produced a chaotic situation. The elaborate network of loyalties among officials and lobbyists created by Ferriero will not quickly vanish, but there must be many nervous players who are wondering where U. S. Attorney Christie’s investigation will lead him next.

Leo Durocher was wrong. Sometimes nice guys don’t finish last; bad guys do.