Second of two parts. "After much careful consideration and reflection, I shall not seek reelection. This is not an easy decision, but one with which I am comfortable. I've served on the council for eight years, representing Ward C, the Journal Square section. It's been a great honor and learning experience for which I shall be forever grateful. But it is time for me to take a step back. I need to step back because I did not manage my life well, and let alcohol at times become a fix for the stress I was experiencing…”

Jersey City Councilman Steve Lipski summed up his past and present with his announcement last week that he will not run for his council seat in the upcoming municipal election in May.

In the second of a two-part interview with the Jersey City Reporter, Lipski discussed his future. Lipski was arrested on Nov. 7 for simple assault for allegedly urinating from a balcony during a Grateful Dead tribute concert at Washington D.C.’s “Nightclub 9:30.” Lipski, a councilman and president and founder of the CREATE charter school is a known fan of the Grateful Dead and of the tribute band, Dark Star.

The day after the incident, Lipski went to court and entered a not guilty plea. A few days later, at a November city council caucus meeting, Lipski apologized to the public, and acknowledged that he is a recovering alcoholic who had been sober for 23 months before the incident.

He received his sentence of one year’s probation in a Washington D.C. courtroom on Jan. 13. His probation could be reduced to six months based on good behavior, performing community service, and seeking counseling for alcoholism. He also paid a $50 fine.

His sentence was based on entering what is known as an “Alford plea,” in which the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence, but admits that sufficient evidence exists that could convince a judge or jury to reach a guilty verdict. Lipski said he was facing six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if he did not agree to the plea.

Lipski had also been arrested for drunk driving in 2006 in Pennsylvania.

Staying sober and loving it

In the days after the Nov. 7 incident, Lipski returned to the condition that he’d had been in before the scandal resulting from the Tanqueray-and-tonics he drank that evening: sober.

For the past three months, he has gone several times every day for alcohol counseling, has pursued a healthier diet, and has engaged in daily prayer and reflection. He even has his Grateful Dead and Dark Star memorabilia packed away, reminders of the drinking and good times of yesterday, but has not ruled out going to future Dark Star shows.

“I feel healthier, with more peace of mind,” Lipski said. “As soon as I got back to Jersey City from D.C., I was worried about my marriage, my council seat and my school, and how I would be received.”

He has also taken the drastic step of having medical tests done at the Reston, Va. clinic of noted psychiatrist Daniel Amen to study his genetic predisposition to alcohol. For Lipski, that meant reaching into the deep recesses of his mind to gauge the odds of regressing back to “impulsive” behavior. It also meant thinking back to a childhood that in some ways brought about the problems of his adulthood.

When the drinking started

Lipski said his Polish-Irish background made him susceptible to alcohol. He recalled as a young boy being given drinks by relatives.
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“I drank to anesthetize myself from the pain.” – Steve Lipski
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Then his drinking habits accelerated at the age of 12 after his father died when he was hit by a truck.

“I drank to anesthetize myself from the pain,” Lipski said. “Between the ages of 12 and 18 is when I can remember drinking often.”

But Lipski didn’t let the imbibing interfere with being an overachiever. He was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout, played Little League baseball, ran track and played football at Dickinson High School, and served in the U.S. Army Reserves as a drill sergeant. He earned a scholarship to West Point Military Academy.

But instead, he studied at Seton Hall University, where he received two undergraduate degrees and two master's degrees. More recently, he earned a master's degree in education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

During his twenties, Lipski was a social drinker while he was a teacher in the New York City school system. It was also during this time when he met his wife-to-be, Yraida.

“Actually, my drinking increased as I started seeing my future wife, since I was socializing with her Dominican relatives more, and I was trying to fit in with them,” Lipski said.

The drinking increased when he entered politics, first running and losing as an independent candidate in 1997. Then in 2001, he won a seat on the City Council.

Now, with about five months left before his second four-year term expires, Lipski is looking forward to a busy life without the title of councilman.

“Maybe in the future I’ll run for council again, or even for Hudson County Freeholder,” Lipski said. “But [sooner], I want to work on opening a new school, spending my time with my wife and being a better person.”