Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio has asked the office of the state attorney general to step in on the case of alleged fourth ward election fraud, but his reasons for doing so have as much to do with politics as usual in Hoboken as they do the ballots themselves.

"These cases are very difficult because people have their own political motivations," DeFazio said in a phone interview earlier this afternoon.

Last week, the county Board of Elections moved 190 mail-in ballots and four criminal referrals to DeFazio's desk in response to challenges made by the campaign of Mike Lenz, the incumbent who was defeated by Tim Occhipinti in the Nov. 2 election.

Mayor Zimmer’s last-minute rescinding of layoffs in the police department is little more than a cynical political ploy at election time. Hoboken 4th Ward Councilman Tim Occhipinti called on the mayor to reveal her plans for future layoffs, after Election Day.

“The plan to rescind the layoffs, which the mayor admits she had nothing to do with creating, was accomplished with the sacrifice of veteran police officers and the critical cooperation of the Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA). Both should be commended for their efforts,” said Occhipinti. “Now the mayor should tell Hoboken residents what her layoff plans are for after the November election.”

Occhipinti says the mayor is playing politics with public safety. “First they berated our police force, suggesting the department was bloated and that their layoffs would not affect public safety. Now, after a major public outcry, the mayor has changed her story and is saving the very cops she said we didn’t need. That’s classic political double-speak.”