A tale of two candidacies, one definite and one less clear mark the week after Ground Hog Day.

On one side, incumbent Councilman Ravi Bhalla is seeking to get the gears going for a third term on Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s at-large council ticket this November. She’ll be his special guest Tuesday night as they begin the long road to November.

On the same evening, Councilman Michael DeFusco celebrates a year as the First Ward Councilman with a fundraiser of his own to no small amount of speculation. Originally billed with special guest Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and a big announcement, the glue came apart when the neighboring mayor suddenly withdrew when the event became news raising more than a few eyebrows.

Was a fuse shorted or are developers and unions open to rallying behind a dark horse candidate for mayor this November?

Councilman Mike Defusco is the subject of speculation on a bid to take on Mayor Zimmer this November. In 2015, he was on the mayor’s council slate. That was then; this is now.