Running mates for Assembly in the 33rd Legislative District Carmelo Garcia and Raj Mukherji were interviewed at Scotland Yard last night in downtown Hoboken, courtesy of Hudson County TV.
Attending the event included Ruben Ramos council slate members Joe Mindak and Eduardo Gonzalez who also holds a seat on the Hoboken Housing Authority. Politico David Liebler, a long time Old Guard supporter is also seen in the video with bar owner Joe Bronco and Hoboken Housing Authority residents.
Token opposition made the outcome moot leading into the Democratic Primary with about 20% of the registered Democratic Hudson County voters taking part going to the polls.
Talking Ed Note: MSV received an invitation but was unable to attend due to family issues. Congratulations to yesterday’s primary winners.
Unrelated: Grafix Avenger has an exclusive story Beth Mason is attempting to limit the massive political damage with her 50K ingratiating investment into re-electing Jersey City Mayor Jerry Healy. With the Jersey City mayor-elect Steve Fulop be satisfied? Will it encourage the Mason family to again begin trying to curry, re: buy favor with the new HCDO powers that be to revive her foundering dead ender political “career?”
Da Horsey has no idea but the best thing to do with such a problem buried in the tundra of Siberia is a mercy killing to let them quietly die there, politically speaking of course. Read More...
In the din of the primary yesterday lurks the ghost of Hoboken present and another City Council meeting. Spared from the relentless grinding scheming of the Hoboken Sopranos one extra week, the follies return tonight with the lawsuit preventing Jim Doyle’s appointment (and swing vote) pushing Hoboken into a tipping point on its budget.
There isn’t a fifth vote in support of the reasonable Hoboken budget featuring a two percent tax cut. There’s no way Hoboken’s Old Guard will stand for that so the City is headed for trouble and chaos if the appeal before the NJ Appellate Court forestalls Doyle much longer.
Chaos is the political choice for the Old Guard, embraced as a tactic previously to bankrupt the City and close Hoboken University Medical Center. With that having failed, in large part to the intervention of Gov. Chris Christie, they need something to shake up the election in November with a popular and effective mayor sitting in City Hall.
How to do Mayor Zimmer maximum harm? Do the worst whenever possible against the City of Hoboken. That means killing the budget and then blaming the mayor for the murder is job number one.
On the agenda is a non-binding resolution protesting the Hudson County proposed 10% tax increase for Hoboken. The real public protest begins at 6:00 PM Thursday evening in Council Chambers.
Also, the same candidate who failed to obtain approval to the HHA as a commissioner is back on the agenda. For the purpose of sparing further embarrassment, MSV will not name the candidate. Can you say Hoboken Soprano pawn? Just another example of the cynical exploitation of the people in the HHA.
Councilman-at-large in waiting Jim Doyle can be expected to be seen in the council audience with the appeal to keep his appointment stayed continuing. Without his presence on the dais, the ugliness from the Hoboken Sopranos will continue. Recent meetings have revealed their true colors for everyone to see: midnight power grabs without a quorum, KKK charges and greed to score millions on a developer deal non-existent on paper.
=&0=&: What oversight should the City of Hoboken have over the Hoboken Housing Authority? A closed session resolution will explore this issues pointing to the oversight powers the HHA “is an instrumentality and agency of the City of Hoboken.”
Former Chair Jake Stuiver attempted a standard rotation of professionals re: an attorney and auditor. For that professional effort, he and his family have become targets of the ugliest personal attacks organized by the HHA’s contracted “leadership.”
Some whether in pay, naiveté, or ignorance call this being “good” to people. Let’s call it what it really is: gutter politics of the most cynical kind.
What the Old Guard wants is to discourage =&1=&, =&2=& and =&3=&. Then the Machine can do as it wishes: massive tax hikes, 10% courtesy of HudCo this year alone in the county portion of the tax bill, =&4=& and maintain complete control over all City institutions with an eager compliant media that can’t even tell the truth about the racial makeup of different subsidized housing units. (The Hudson Reporter in response to the racist KKK garbage strewn about mustered the understatement of the year calling the Church Towers buildings “not as well integrated” as the HHA.)
As for HHA commissioner appointments, at a minimum a selection needs the ability to fulfill fiduciary and oversight responsibility. It’s not a tenant group helping to change burned out lightbulbs or being part of a friends and family program to a contractor hired by the HHA Board – no matter who holds the title of Director.
Here are the figures on today’s primaries. Democratic turnout was less than 21% with most of the tallies in and the Republican vote was lower than that in Hudson County, just over 16%.
The winners are not in doubt (in red) with North Bergen State Senator Nick Sacco drawing almost 90% of the vote and more than 9,000 votes.
State Senator Brian Stack, unopposed in the 33rd District leads with over 13,00 votes.
In the Assembly race, Stack’s picks draw a far weaker 9,900 and 9,000 votes between Carmelo Garcia and Raj Mukherji respectively.Read More...
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Dear Residents:This is a big week for Hoboken. Here’s a snapshot on the issues.
=&1=&: The pre-application for a second flood pump has been submitted to the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust fund.
=&2=&: The City received a $200,000 grant from the US Soccer Foundation for the field to be turfed, which is fortunate because it will cost more than anticipated to install the lights due to the soft soil conditions revealed by recent boring tests.The process of installing the lights is extremely delicate because the drilling will take place within 2 feet of a water main and 4 feet of a gas line. We are also working with PSEG to have the electricity rerouted so a large crane can install the pipes.Even though we received the grant, the City Council must approved a change order and an emergency appropriation so we can access the grant. Since this ultimately will not cost Hoboken taxpayers any additional money, I am confident the Council will vote on Wednesday to get this important project done. Here’s a memo on all the change orders for this project: www.hobokennj.org/docs/mayor/Memo-Zimmer-Council-6-3-13.pdf.
=&3=&: This Wednesday, the Council will be asked to approve a higher offer for Block 12, the one-acre anchor property for a larger Southwest Park. As part of the ongoing litigation process, the City felt it was necessary to update the 2011 appraisal on which the previous offer was based. The increased offer reflects the fair market value based on the new up-to-date appraisal.
=&4=&: The proposed County budget includes a significant increase to Hoboken’s county tax. The increase is due both to the State-mandated formula used to allocate each municipality’s share of the total tax burden and also to a five percent increase in the overall County tax levy.While Hoboken’s municipal tax levy has been reduced by 10 percent over the past 4 years, the County levy has increased by almost 20 percent during the same period. This year’s budget includes a 5 percent increase.Hoboken residents should take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the County budget and respectfully express their opinions on this issue. This meeting is happening thanks to a joint request by Weehawken Mayor Turner, Secaucus Mayor Gonnelli and me. Thank you to Councilman Mello for suggesting the idea, and thank you to the County and the Freeholders for giving Hoboken residents this opportunity. The hearings start at 6:00pm on Thursday, June 6 in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Afterwards, members of the public will each have 5 minutes to speak.
=&7=&: The County plans to complete its installation of the traffic light at Jackson Street and Newark Street by the end of June. This is expected to improve circulation into Hoboken by providing a green left turn phase for cars turning onto Jackson Street. The previous changes made to lower Jackson Street have reduced accidents by nearly half compared to before on-street parking was added. Active evaluation of this intersection and area will continue after the light is installed to determine if additional changes need to be made.
=&8=&: Local businesses are eligible for grants up to $50,000. The State Economic Development Authority will be in Hoboken to explain the process and answer all questions. All businesses impacted by Sandy are encouraged to attend the workshop on June 11 at 5:00pm in the basement floor conference room in City Hall. For questions, call 1-855-SANDY-BZ.
=&9=& Online FAQ’s are available to answer questions for grant programs (up to $150,000) available to homeowners:
Chris Halleron is a Hoboken resident and this story originally appeared on his website chrishalleron.com before finding its way here as Guest of the Stable.
Snotty Brooklynite Hipster: “Y’know, Hoboken is nothing but a homogenized, flavorless suburban enclave full of yuppies and strollers.”
Self-Loathing Yuppie Hobokenite: “Oh yeah? Well we still have Maxwell’s.”
Checkmate. That argument has now been taken off the table.
With the breaking news of its impending demise, I’ll sit here and eulogize Maxwell’s—along with a number of post-post-post collegiate current and former Hoboken residents—because it’s a pretty big blow to the community. In my 15-year Hoboken tenure I’ve seen a lot places come and go—a fair amount of sh!tholes, but a few gems. Maxwell’s is more than a gem, it’s a cornerstone… and now it’s being removed.
It’s not the first major change to hit Hoboken. I imagine the Lenape Indians were equally, if not more pissed off when the Dutch moved in and tore down the first Wigwam. “Ah man—that was Ockanickon’s old joint. We used to have some pretty sweet drum circles down there.” Fact is times change, and places change along with them—sometimes for the better, and sometimes they turn into a Buffalo Wild Wings with a bouncy castle nursery back where the stage used to be.
Over the next few weeks you’ll hear a lot about Maxwell’s being “an institution,” and none of it is hyperbole. With an amazing bar and restaurant, coupled with one of the more intimate venues in the New York Metro Area, Maxwell’s is Hoboken’s mullet—business in front, party in the back. The guestbook includes Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Springsteen, The Pogues, The Feelies, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M, and so on. But while these names are all impressive, they arguably play second fiddle to the dining room’s legendary chicken potpie.
Yet like many in Hoboken, Maxwell’s has simply grown weary. The town has become noisy, competitive, pushy or even downright obnoxious—and that’s just the parking situation. As noted by manager and co-owner Todd Abramson in his interview with The Star-Ledger’s Tris McCall, “The culture in Hoboken is driven by TV now. A lot of the bars downtown are fighting with each other for who has the most giant TVs. That’s what Hoboken nightlife has become.”
If you don’t have chicken wings, Bud Light Platinum and wall-to-wall plasma, then you’re simply not going to cut it. Business decisions are made based on market conditions. If the market dictates that cookie-cutter sells, then that’s what you end up with.
And that’s the shame of it all. I can sit here and gripe about it, but it is what it is. Beyond some absurd Schindler’s List notion that, “I could have [drank] more,” there’s not much anyone can do about it. I’m looking down the barrel at 40 and spent last weekend drinking beer in my backyard while my kid chased my dog around. If I’m the Maxwell’s demographic—too old to actually get out and enjoy it, so I sit home and wax nostalgic on the internet, then go to bed—I guess a change may do them good.
Whether Hoboken has outgrown Maxwell’s or Maxwell’s has outgrown Hoboken will be the subject of some debate around here.
Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, as they say. Or perhaps more befitting a New Jersey institution, “It’s a town full of losers and I’m pulling out of here to win…”
KIDS FIRST 2013 HOBOKEN BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATES
Like over 500 other school districts in New Jersey, the Hoboken Board of Education elections have been moved to November, however, the deadline for submitting petitions for the race is Tuesday, June 4th.
Leon Gold and Irene Sobolov, both incumbents, will once again run on a “Kids First” ticket along with Jennifer Evans.
Leon Gold has served since 2010 and currently holds the position of Board President. Dr. Gold has a Ph.D. in Human Factors from Stevens Institute of Technology and currently teaches at Columbia University.
Irene Sobolov was unanimously appointed to the Board in December 2009 before successfully running for the position in 2010. Mrs. Sobolov, who holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning, has been involved in community service in Hoboken since she was a young teenager. As a district parent, she continues to sit on both the Wallace School and the Hoboken High School PTO.
Ms. Evans is a parent of two young children, a kindergartner in Brandt School and one entering public preschool in September. She is a parent representative and Secretary of the Hoboken Early Childhood Advisory Council, an active member of the Brandt and District-wide PTOs and a frequent attendee at the monthly Hoboken BOE meetings. Ms. Evans holds a Master of Classical Studies and has worked in the field of Market Research.
All three candidates are dedicated to the children of Hoboken and look forward to continuing the progress seen in the Hoboken Public Schools over the last three years.
Talking Ed Note: Today is the primary for the November elections. For many, it will be the only true opportunity to send any message at the polls. Just do it!Read More...
MSV hasn’t verified the details but it’s not a rumor either. It’s a day before the partisan primaries and there is a “rally” scheduled for later tonight at Mama Johnson Field.
One HHA resident wrote in a public online message, “Hey Hoboken Housing Residents – DON’T FORGET TO COME TO OUR RALLY AT 6 PM ON MAMA JOHNSON’S FIELD TOMORROW EVENING.”
The resident is virulently anti-Reform and a strong supporter of the Old Guard and HHA Executive Director Carmelo Garcia.
Are you allowed to hold campaign rallies on federal property in a partisan race as you are being paid with federal money as the Hoboken Housing Director?
Is that some kind of triple dipping Hatch violation record or what?
Does the Hatch Act have any relevance to the shameless Hoboken Housing Authority politics?
If you think it does, you can contact HUD in Newark and ask them.
In the interim, people should stop by and shoot some pictures and send them to MSV.
Sounds like a lot of fun will be hatched tonight!
=&0=&: Hey, will Union City Mayor Brian Stack be coming down the hill and making an unannounced appearance at the “rally” tonight?
Looks like the disgraceful trampling of the Hatch Act will be on full display this evening.
Here’s background on another shameless display from Carmelo Garcia in 2010:
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These facts of course will be attacked as “hate” from the usual suspects.
Update: A source close to Carmelo Garcia called to say the HHA residents were indeed holding a rally but it was their rally not Carmelo Garcia’s. In addition, the unnamed rally to be held on federal property may actually feature a visit by the one and only HHA Executive Director Carmelo Garcia who happens to be a candidate for partisan office tomorrow.Read More...
Hoboken’s election is in November but the shifting alliances are everywhere and it’s the Old Guard corner where the heavy action is. The summer weather is here so how about some lighter fare? How’s the tomato and mutz compare between Fiore’s and Biancamano’s?
WASHINGTON, D.C.—United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, the last remaining World War II veteran serving in the Senate, passed away due to complications from viral pneumonia at 4:02 a.m. today at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell. He was 89 years old.
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