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Back to firefighters terminal leave pay and a host of other dilemmas. Will they get paid?  It’ll take an emergency appropriation, something the Hoboken Sopranos are against.

How can you force a tax increase if the mayor uses a State five year plan to pay extraordinary cost when a lot of retirements hit due to the Gov. Chris Christie pension reform plan taking hold?
Hoboken anticipates more firefighters submitting papers later this year.

The City land taken by the restaurant at 61 Jackson is on the agenda.  Again.  Will it stick?  Who knows.  It’s been on and off the agenda more than several times. Read More...

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In a story with strong implications in the FBI Hoboken investigation, Hoboken’s Grafix Avenger revealed a visit to its website Tuesday by the FBI Criminal Justice Division seeking details into Councilwoman Beth Mason’s spidery web of political contributions.

As seen in data tracking software, the FBI Information Systems group based in Arlington, Virginia is identified as the source of the effort. The search string the FBI applied was “Elizabeth Mason Elizabeth City Council” in a Google search.  The first result is “City of Hoboken, NJ >> Elizabeth Mason,” and the fifth result on the page is “Grafix Avenger: MORE Mason Political Contributions- UPDATE“

Screen capture of the FBI Criminal Justice IS division on Grafix Avenger shows an interest in Beth Mason.

The political arm of the Mason family, an ongoing political committee called “Friends of Beth Mason for City Council,” has contributed some excessive legal political contributions to Tim Occhipinti’s campaigns, Old Guard Hoboken candidates, Hudson County political action committees, along with Passaic and Bergen candidates in NJ.   One excessive donation was made to =&1=&.  To date, it’s not clear if the full excess of the 2011 contribution was returned. Another related political contribution was to a 2012 Bergen Freeholder candidate, Tracy Zur who worked in Hoboken at that time as the City’s Municipal Court prosecutor.  A 2013 contract for Hoboken prosecutorial services was not renewed.  Tracy Zur is currently a Bergen Freeholder, elected last November. Some in local media and Mason political operatives who have worked for her over years have complained about what they said is an injustice surrounding references made to themselves and the councilwoman in the FBI Hoboken investigation that began in the spring of 2011. At least one prominent Beth Mason political operative has claimed in filed court documents not to be an object of the FBI investigation stating they have not been remanded “in custody.” In March, MSV wrote of an unconfirmed report Beth Mason’s home computer contained illegal emails from the mayor’s office.  In the summer of 2012, Mason claimed communications she had with the FBI would be made public to former Councilwoman Carol Marsh.  Asked by Marsh if she could see the FBI communications in writing, Mason replied, “Sure, I’d be happy to give them to you.” Since that time however, =&2=& Patrick Ricciardi the former IT Manager at City Hall and the focal point of a massive data theft conspiracy in the mayor’s office is scheduled for sentencing to federal prison on July 1st.  No other conspirators have been arrested to date. Beth Mason has given a variety of contradictory answers to her involvement in the City Hall Data Theft Ring (DTR) since she herself sponsored a 2011 resolution seeking all the emails of two mayoral staffers covering the exact same time as Ricciardi’s looting of information from the mayor’s office back to early 2010.   The co-sponsor of Mason’s April 2011 resolution was Councilman Michael Russo who consistently avoided answering to any role he had with his alleged friend Patrick Ricciardi other than a fall story on the Jersey Journal where he, his cousin Terry Castellano and Tim Occhipinti all said they had not received any illicit emails from Ricciardi. The council minority members have not claimed they were unaware nor saw illicit information, some falling under attorney-client privilege from the mayor’s office via third parties.  That open issue is most concerning with the Mason political operatives and one senior City Hall employee MSV has dubbed “the Hub.” The US Attorney’s Office for NJ spokeswoman declined to comment on the FBI investigation in Hoboken with MSV last March.  Now there’s evidence the investigation is continuing and Beth Mason is a part.

Courtroom art?  Could this court rendering courtesy of Grafix Avenger be a case of art imitating coming reality? A story on the Grafix Avenger website reveals a visit by the FBI criminal justice division looking into Beth Mason.

=&4=&: MSV can confirm the authenticity of the software cited by Grafix Avenger.  How?  Da Horsey gave it to her. As a matter of policy, MSV will not publicly comment here whether the FBI has visited this website nor specify frequency or what information was visited.   The listing of NJ donations as originally cited by Grafix Avenger in January: =&5=&

In a brief phone interview, Carmelo Garcia confirmed he’s won his appeal to the NJ Appellate Court so he can run for Assembly in the 33rd legislative district.  The appeal overturns the Hudson County Superior Court decision he could not run in a partisan NJ race under state law.

The NJ Appellate Court reportedly referenced the updated federal Hatch Act as a reason in its decision in siding against existing NJ law.  The vote by the Appellate Court was 2-0.

MSV is awaiting further details on the legal decision and official statements from both sides. Read More...

The calendar is ticking with a June 4th primary in the distance for the 33rd Assembly seat.  The ticket is up in the air as Carmelo Garcia awaits the NJ Appellate Court verdict on his candidacy.

The Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) also awaits the decision.

Both received bad news in Hudson County Superior Court when Assignment Judge Peter Bariso ruled they were out of order with Garcia being disqualified based on existing NJ law and the HCDO being told it had made its pick in Garcia and the five remaining candidates wouldn’t miss them. Read More...

Hoboken resident Carly Ringer found herself under attack first in a recent Hoboken City Council meeting by the Hoboken Sopranos and then after by its scurillous website sponsored by Beth Mason in Hoboken411.

First, Councilman Michael Russo led the attack joined by the Hoboken Sopranos crew asking if an OEM employee couldn’t do the work she’s providing on a limited basis since Hurricane Sandy.  He complained the council was misled her temporary salary would be repaid by FEMA.

If you thought one additional individual aiding after a Superstorm was problematic on a temporary paid basis aiding residents seeking governmental assistance, then you certainly have a friend in Michael Russo who has a family bill of six figures owed to the City from his father Anthony Russo of over $300,000.  That amount doesn’t include the estimated $100,000 stolen in illicit health benefits over years by Ma Russo and her husband finally stopped in 2011.  Union City’s BoE helped out giving her a job. Read More...

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The National Football League kicked off a charitable $2 million dollar aid plan for the area hit by Superstorm Sandy visiting the Hoboken Boys & Girls of Hudson County to announce a $100,000 donation to the facility Friday afternoon.

The overall grant is part of an effort by the NY/NJ Super Bowl host committee’s Snowflake Foundation improving sports facilities for young people damaged after last year’s storm.

The Jets and Giants each donated $1 million each to the Snowflake Foundation with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch on hand for the NY Giants and Jet owner Woody Johnson of the NY Jets. Read More...

A number of NFL players from both the NY Jets and Giants appeared at the event Friday afternoon at the Boys & Girls Club event for the NFL’s support post Hurricane Sandy.  (More on that later.)  One large star though was former Jet and Hall of Fame NY Jet Curtis Martin.  It was a tossup who was the main attraction among the hundreds in attendance between Gov. Chris Christie and Curtis Martin.

Da Horsey had an opportunity to have a few words with Curtis Martin and it was based on his commitment to the community first and admiration for him as a player second.  His reputation is beyond stellar but let’s hear from him.  Here’s his induction speech from 2012 to the NFL Hall of Fame. Read More...

at the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club late Friday afternoon.

Gov. Christie with Assembly candidate and Hoboken Councilman Ravi Bhalla

At last week’s City Council meeting, odd comments from Councilwoman Terry Castellano said everyone should be able to have their voice heard no matter how long they live in Hoboken.  It’s a remarkable statement deflating the divide and conquer class warfare often propagated by some in the Old Guard to keep control over Old Hoboken voters.

Days later a controversy has broken out over an ice cream truck at Church Square Park.  The voices are however not what we’re being told.  Here’s the most recent comments from supporters of Terry Castellano and Tim Occhipinti’s petition claiming a threat to an ice cream truck: Read More...

Office of the Mayor announces:

“Tonight’s Council meeting was the second opportunity for the City Council to vote on two different alternatives for paying our firefighters the terminal leave they have earned and we have an obligation to pay. Terminal leave is not salary, nor is it pension cost, as it has been incorrectly described. It is a retirement benefit based upon number of years of service. It is not a current operating cost attributable to the year in which it is paid and therefore the State permits for this cost to be spread out over five years for budget purposes. Taking advantage of this option requires the City to finance the cost with the use of short term five year notes so that the firefighters can be paid immediately upon retirement. 


Spreading the cost out in this way protects taxpayers from the unfair burden that would otherwise result when, as this year, an exceptionally large number of retirements occur in one year.


The City Council was fully aware when they voted to introduce the budget that terminal leave would be financed using the legally available five year option.


Council Members Castellano, Mason, Occhipinti, and Russo have indicated that they believe that the decision not to burden taxpayers unnecessarily this year causes the budget to be “underfunded.” While this is not correct, the budget is now in the hands of the City Council, and it is within their power to include the amounts in full in this year’s budget. Doing so will require an otherwise unnecessary increase in the tax levy. 


Since the four Council Members have made clear that they would prefer to raise taxes than to take advantage of the more responsible and fairer alternative available under State law, we will once again for the third time be presenting an emergency appropriation that fully funds the terminal leave costs in this year’s budget.


The terminal leave ordinance passed at the last meeting makes no fiscal sense without the corresponding notes that the Council failed to pass. As a result, I will be vetoing the terminal leave ordinance tomorrow morning.


Once again, the budget is in the Council’s hands, and it is their responsibility to fully fund it. I assume, given the public statements of Council Members Castellano, Mason, Occhipinti, and Russo, that they will pass the emergency appropriation so that our firefighters can be paid immediately. It is unfortunate that their choice will also result in an entirely unnecessary burden on Hoboken’s taxpayers.”


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