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Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the City of Hoboken Unveil a life-sized Bronze Statue of Frank Sinatra

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photos courtesy of Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hoboken NJ, Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the City of Hoboken unveiled a life-sized bronze statue of Frank Sinatra on Sunday December 12th . The Mayor was joined by Tina Sinatra , Joe Piscopo  and the sculptor Carolyn Palmer . The statue was paid for through private donations from people like  Joe Piscopo and blog readers  from Upper Saddle River Derek Michalski and his wife Margaret .

Continue reading Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the City of Hoboken Unveil a life-sized Bronze Statue of Frank Sinatra

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Piscopo fakeout ends with Guadagno endorsement

Joe Piscopo

By MATT FRIEDMAN

05/03/17 11:28 AM EDT

PARAMUS — After stringing the media along for more than six months, comedian Joe Piscopo on Wednesday finally put an end to the self-driven speculation that he would run for governor as an independent.

Instead, the former Saturday Night Live cast member will settle for the role of “cheerleader” for Republican candidate Kim Guadgano — the lieutenant governor of New Jersey — whom he endorsed.

https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2017/05/03/piscopos-big-fakeout-wont-run-for-governor-endorses-guadagno-111743

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‘SNL’ Alum Joe Piscopo Believes He Can Replace Chris Christie in New Jersey

Joe Piscopo

7:30 AM PDT 4/18/2017 by Seth Abramovitch

Known for his impressions of Frank Sinatra and David Letterman, the conservative radio host plans to enter the gubernatorial race in November.

First came Al Franken. Will Joe Piscopo be the nextSNL alum to join the political fray?

The witty wiseguy — famed for impressions of Frank Sinatra and David Letterman from 1980 to 1984 — may heed the call of his AM radio listeners, mostly blue collar conservatives, to enter the New Jersey gubernatorial race in November. “They say, ‘You should run. You’ll rip it up!’ ” says Passaic-born Piscopo, 65. “And I’m like, ‘Who would want this job, really?'”

A lifelong Democrat, Piscopo switched teams in 2016 when he backed Donald Trump for president. (“I wanted somebody out of the box,” he says.) Ask him how he feels about POTUS’ performance so far, however, and he not-so-deftly deflects: “I’m more concerned with — and this is the answer to that question — what’s going to lower property tax in New Jersey.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/snl-alum-joe-piscopo-believes-he-can-replace-chris-christie-new-jersey-994989

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Joe Piscopo laughs off reports of Russian hacking

BORIS

BY JUDY KURTZ – 03/23/17 05:32 PM EDT

Joe Piscopo, currently mulling a New Jersey gubernatorial bid, is laughing off reports of Russian-backed hacking during the 2016 elections, calling them “comical.”

“It’s a ruse. It’s a joke. They got nothing. The Russia thing is comical because it won’t go away,” the “Saturday Night Live” alum told Mediaite on Thursday when asked what he makes “of all this Russia business.”

“I ask this with respect, with respect to the Russian theorists — you talk about conspiracy theories, I mean, this is what this is — did the Russians come to my county in Jersey in the middle of nowhere and did they hack into my mechanical voting both so when I switched — I voted for somebody, they switched my vote?” Piscopo told the site.

Piscopo has repeatedly floated running for governor of New Jersey as a Republican. With a filing deadline looming, he now says he’s “more serious” about running as an independent.

The 65-year-old comedian and radio show host said, “I mean, get to the — there’s no way they could hack it! If they hacked into the Democratic Party, if indeed they did, who cares? They think, like, the voters are dumb.”

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Joe Piscopo — ‘It’s time for the people’s politician’

Joe Piscopo

By Bill Spadea March 21, 2017 9:40 AM

Entertainer, radio host and maybe our next governor? Could Joe Piscopo be the next governor? If so, he has laid out his gameplan for his road to the statehouse.

Piscopo — ‘More serious than ever’ about run for governor

Joe called into the show this morning to discuss his announcement that IF he decides to run for governor, he will run as an Independent. While he respects both sides of the aisle with friends in the NJ Republican and Democratic parties, “I think it’s time for the people’s politician, Bill,” Piscopo stated.

Piscopo also said that if he were to announce that he is going to make a run for the governor, now that he won’t be affiliated with any specific party, “I’m pro union member and you have to fight for the working men and women of the state and I support the union members.”

Would you be more inclined to vote for an Independent candidate?

Read More: Joe Piscopo — ‘It’s time for the people’s politician’ | https://nj1015.com/joe-piscopo-its-time-for-the-peoples-politician/?trackback=tsmclip

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Joe Piscopo decides he won’t run as a Republican in N.J. governor’s race

Joe Piscopo

By Claude Brodesser-Akner | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 18, 2017 at 9:15 AM, updated March 18, 2017 at 9:16 AM

TRENTON — “Saturday Night Live” alum Joe Piscopo has decided he will not run for governor as a Republican and instead is planning to declare he will jump into the race to succeed Gov. Chris Christie as an independent candidate, NJ Advance Media has learned.

Piscopo made his decision because he did not begin the process of running early enough to run as a Republican, according to two sources close to the performer who requested anonymity because they did not want to publicly discuss an official announcement that could trigger state election laws on fundraising.

Republican county chairs started the process of making endorsements awarding their ballot lines starting in late January in anticipation of the April 3 deadline to file as primary candidates. Thus far, the lion’s share of endorsements have gone to Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.

“You have to be out early,” explained one Piscopo insider. “And he didn’t start early enough.”

The sources say Piscopo was also unwilling to give up hosting his morning radio show on New York City’s 970 AM, owned by the conservative leaning Salem Broadcasting, during the primary season.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/03/its_official_piscopo_wont_run_as_a_republican_as_a.html#incart_river_index

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Breaking: Piscopo Makes His Move in NJ Gov’s Race

Joe Piscopo

Actor-Comedian invites Kyrillos COS Tony Perry to his home in Western NJ

By Ken Kurson • 03/08/17 6:40pm

PolitickerNJ has learned that Comedian-Actor-Radio Host Joe Piscopo summoned Tony Perry to his residence in Hunterdon County last weekend. Perry is the Chief of Staff to State Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-Middletown). Piscopo, the morning drive time host on AM970, became highly associated with the Garden State via his Paulie Herman character (“I’m from Jersey”) and Frank Sinatra impressions on Saturday Night Live. He has been frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for governor this year, either as a Republican or Independent.

https://observer.com/2017/03/joe-piscopo-makes-his-move-invites-kyrillos-cos-to-his-home-in-western-nj/

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Joe Piscopo Could Be New Jersey GOP’s Best Hope to Succeed Chris Christie

Paul DiGaetano and Joe Piscopo

The incumbent could not be much less popular, and so New Jersey Republicans could go way outside the lines for an “outsider.”

It would be an understatement, and not at all a comment on the New Jersey governor’s girth, to say that Chris Christie casts a large shadow over this year’s election to select his successor. For eight years he has dominated his state’s politics, first as a successful bipartisan “problem-solver” with a knack for making his opponents look bad, and then a scandal-plagued punching bag and early lame duck. Until just over a year ago, his ambitions for higher office obscured his steadily declining status back home, aside from the “Bridgegate” scandal that dogged his presidential campaign. But then his close association with Donald Trump defined his national profile, and when Trump surprisingly won, it was widely assumed Christie was headed to Washington in some capacity.

Now, after being passed over for the attorney general gig he supposedly craved, leading him to turn down less exalted posts, Christie looks likely to stick out the last year of his governorship. But he may have thoroughly worn out his welcome in New Jersey. His job approval ratio fell to an abysmal 17/78 in a Quinnipiac survey at the end of January. His own lieutenant governor and the most likely Republican to succeed him, Kim Guadagno, has been trying desperately to distance herself from her former mentor and political sponsor. Another competitive GOP candidate for governor, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, hasn’t had to do that because he’s long fought Christie, and even called for his resignation for spending too much time outside the state.

https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/comic-could-be-gops-best-hope-to-succeed-chris-christie.html

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Joe Piscopo Considers Running for Governor of New Jersey. No Joke

Paul DiGaetano and Joe Piscopo

By NICK CORASANITIFEB. 20, 2017

He found fame in the 1980s impersonating Frank Sinatra, President Ronald Reagan and countless others on “Saturday Night Live,’’ followed by numerous Hollywood gigs, stand-up routines and a drive-time radio show.

So for Joe Piscopo, the weeknight scene at a high-dollar fund-raising gala in the tuxedo-packed Starlight Roof room at the Waldorf Astoria hotel seemed perfect for a little Ol’ Blue Eyes.

But Mr. Piscopo pocketed his “New York, New York” for the night — literally, as he travels with an instrumental version of the song on his iPhone for just such occasions — opting instead to trade a Jersey-centric joke or two with Stephen Baldwin, encourage guests to donate, offer praise to the hosts and scoot offstage.

“I could have rocked that room, I really could have rocked it,” he said. “But then all of the sudden I’m the court jester and the credibility of someone who is representing the people of a state goes away.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/nyregion/joe-piscopo-new-jersey-governor.html

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Joe Piscopo a surprising 2nd among GOP hopefuls for N.J. governor in latest poll

Paul DiGaetano and Joe Piscopo

By Claude Brodesser-Akner | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 09, 2017 at 9:28 AM, updated February 09, 2017 at 1:56 PM

TRENTON — A new poll that has the potential to shake up this year’s race for New Jersey governor shows still-undeclared Joe Piscopo is just six points behind Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno among Republican primary voters.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind poll released on Thursday found at least half of Republican and Democratic primary voters in the state haven’t made up their minds about who to support in this very early going.

But it gives Guadagno, the Republican frontrunner, just an 18 percent to 12 percent edge over comedian Piscopo. State Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerset) and Nutley township commissioner Steve Rogers each got support from 2 percent of GOP voters.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/shock_poll_joe_piscopo_in_2nd_place_for_gop_gov_no.html

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Is Comedian Piscopo Making the Rounds for a 2017 NJ Gubernatorial Bid ?

Paul DiGaetano and Joe Piscopo

photo of BCRO Chair Paul DiGaetano and Joe Piscopo by Margaret Cenci Frontera

Is Comedian Piscopo Making the Rounds for a 2017 NJ Gubernatorial Bid ?
October 24,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey native and former Saturday Night Live star Joe Piscopo came to the statehouse today for an afternoon sit-down with Governor Chris Christie.

 The purpose it seems is that the radio show host, Piscopo is feeling out a run for governor next year.Piscopo has also been seen making the rounds most notably for Italian American Heritage Month .

Piscopo formerly a Democrat,now an independent and would run as a Republican.While ex-Goldman Sachs Phill Murphy has been out and about for the Democrats ,Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican from Somerset County, has already announced his candidacy; and LG Kim Guadagno is expected to kick off her campaign after the presidential election.

 Since many insiders say the state’s finances are a joke , a comedian might just be what we need.