The BoE swearing-in ceremony last night saw three members from Kids First take their places:
Tom Kluepfel takes the oath
Jean Marie Mitchell had her son join in the moment
Ruthy McAllister shared the limelight beginning a second term with her son
Kids First now holds six of the nine member trustee seats. Their stewardship has held the line on taxes for three years running while putting more money into the classroom.
BoE trustee Leon Gold took the reins elected as the new Board President with the gavel handed over by two year chair Rose Markel.
All photos courtesy of Greg Bond
Assemblyman Ruben Ramos once believed to be seriously contemplating a major run for Hoboken mayor back in April last year, forged ahead in the face of a strong Mayor Zimmer headwind since and took out petitions last week.
The election climate has changed since from bad to worse for the Old Guard and Ramos holds one strong trump card with ties to the Spanish speaking populations, especially in the Applied Buildings and the fourth ward housing authority – if he can meet their “campaign work” price for voting expectations.
The Applied vote in the second ward directed salvaged a win for Councilwoman Beth Mason in 2011 where she narrowly avoided a runoff against Tom Greaney by less than 10 votes. Having lost the base of professional ward residents earlier, Mason put over $50,000 on the street in questionable street money but it got the job done. Ruben Ramos does not have a similar splash the money around ability making his candidacy less appealing to the paid for voter crowd.
Longtime Hudson County political columnist and Jersey Journal editor Augie Torres called Mayor Zimmer unbeatable saying the “anti-administration types have no chance of unseating” her. Since Augie is not exactly listening to reform voices in Hoboken, it means the whispers are coming from the Old Guard side of the tracks. Political reality has sent the miserable and litigious Councilwoman Beth Mason looking to purchase a position outside the Mile Square and there’s little doubt Ruben Ramos is unaware of which way the winds are blowing.
So why is Ramos taking out petitions so early? One source close to the administration sees it as a gambit to obtain a favor with him dropping out in short order. The only problem is there’s little likelihood of any horse trading, pardon the pun. Mayor Zimmer is no longer seen as a quiet acolyte who will agree to even listen to such propositions. She’s holding a hand of aces with a very strong record: reducing taxes, significantly cutting and controlling spending, saving the hospital in a sale no one thought possible and likely keeping Hoboken solvent.
It’s a record no one thought possible when the low key fourth ward councilwoman announced her candidacy for mayor in 2009. Along the road, the mayor has moved from almost crisis to crisis and in the face of continuous Old Guard opposition, she’s come out pulling Hoboken ahead.
None of this is of course escaping notice by Ruben Ramos who has taken his shots at the mayor along the way. From publicly backing a sordid Tim Occhipinti campaign in the fourth ward special election to thanking everyone in a recent letter but the mayor for their efforts in the face of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, Ramos has been posturing to take the second floor mayor’s chair for some time.
If you want to bluff to get something, the other side needs to believe it’s in their best interest to do so. Mayor Dawn Zimmer is not likely to fear a Ramos candidacy or anyone else for that matter. She’s more likely to greet them all with a smile and say, “Bring it on.”
Ruben Ramos (c) is pondering a run for Hoboken mayor. But no one gives him much chance if he’s serious.
The opposition has thrown their worst at her and she’s standing well above the fray. One Old Guard leader likely contemplating a run of their own said of the Assemblyman with no small amount of disparagement recently, “What has he ever done for Hoboken?”
For Ramos that’s as much a problem as the current occupant of the big chair on the second floor at City Hall.
Update: Based on some additional information, it’s completely unclear if petitions were picked up. With the mayoral election moved to November, it appears beginning the process has to be run through the County Clerk’s office. Which means the source for this rumor may in fact not have it quite right. That could be a grist first.Read More...
A storm related net loss of $5000 (loss after Insurance, Fema and other relief)
Application must be received by January 20th, 2013 Online:Click Here By mail: Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund, 518 Park Avenue, Suite1R, Hoboken, NJ 07030
The maximum grant to be distributed will be $5,000 and may well be less depending on the amount of money donated to the Fund and the number of eligible applicants.
A Resource Center will be opening on the corner of First and Park (101 Park). The center will be staffed with volunteers and operated by Hoboken’s Relief Coordinator, Carly Ringer.
This is not a FEMA office but rather a location for residents to go
and find out what resources are available to help them recover
from the storm.
Please forward this email. It is important that we get an accurate
count of damaged units in order to ensure Hoboken gets it fair
MSV has obtained an original copy of Councilman Michael Russo’s Christmas Eve robocall. Members can expect to see it via email.
If you don’t receive “Michael Russo hunts Hoboken,” please contact smartyjones@me.com
There’s also the first official move for the 2013 mayoral race. Or is it?
Political greetings on Christmas Eve outside the third ward from Councilman Michael Russo? We have the tape!
Below are the complete remarks as prepared for delivery by Phil Cohen at last night’s council meeting.
Council members and members of the public, my name is Phil Cohen.
Here we are at another 4-4 deadlocked, gridlocked, city council meeting.
Two weeks ago, I was here addressing the ridiculous lawsuit against the City four council people insist on pursuing. Instead of addressing the huge problems we face in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, our elected officials play political games, tie the City up in legal knots, and waste our money.Read More...
As luck of the draw would have it, the first council meeting comes a day after New Year’s Day. A closed session should start and end before the meeting time at 7:00.
On the agenda is resolution no. 2 regarding temporary appropriations re: a temporary budget. This is guided by a State formula but has been a contentious issue when the minority held control in 2011. As it is a normal part of passage in most municipalities by rote, in Hoboken when leverage is available in recent years, it’s used as a nuclear weapon. Read More...
I wanted to take a moment to wish you and your family happy holidays and a happy new year, and express my sincere appreciation for your support in 2012.
The year 2012 was a memorable year in Hoboken. On a personal note, five days into the year, on January 5, 2012, I celebrated the birth of my son, Shabegh Singh, at Hoboken University Medical Center. This week we will celebrate his 1st birthday!
Perhaps the single event that stands out in my mind this past year (other than the birth of my son) was the challenge our community faced enduring Hurricane Sandy. There is no single storm or weather event Hoboken had to confront that was similar to Sandy. I saw how courageous our Mayor, Dawn Zimmer, was in action on a day-to-day basis, fighting for our residents literally around the clock, and doing everything in her power to help those in need. Her grit and determination set the bar for all of us during those trying weeks. Fortunately, Mayor Zimmer’s efforts were joined by equal time and effort from city officials and municipal employees, the Police Department, Fire Department, OEM, the CERT Team, and hundreds of volunteers. Hoboken truly came together in its greatest time of need. We helped our neighbors and will continue to do so in the coming months. Now there is a lot of rebuilding to do, and I would request that you consider contributing to our efforts to help Hoboken residents and businesses in need by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund at www.rebuildhoboken.org Thank you.
In 2012, we made much progress in Hoboken at the municipal level. The municipal property tax level remained stable, with a slight decrease in the municipal portion of your tax levy. We are continuing the process of a property revaluation to bring greater tax equity among residents, and I expect this process to be completed in 2014. This year truly was the Year of the Parks in Hoboken, as new parks went online, Mama Johnson’s field underwent a restoration, further progress was made on Hoboken Cove and 1600 Park, the process of bringing a park to the Southwest began, and renovations began to Church Square Park.
Hoboken voters also made their voices heard at the ballot box, continuing the progress in our district’s schools by electing the Kids First team. I look forward to continued improvements in our school under the leadership of the School Board and Superintendent Mark Toback. Additionally, Hoboken voters overwhelmingly enacted a reform to consolidate Hoboken local elections to a single day in November, on the same date as state and federal elections.
In 2013, I look forward to continuing the progress under Mayor Zimmer’s leadership and playing an active role in serving our community. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have any suggestions or feedback, you can always reach me at rbhalla@hobokennj.org or on my cell phone, 201-647-6090.
Best wishes for a safe, healthy and prosperous 2013!
The bell tolls for 2012 as we enter 2013 and there’s the good news and then the bad news. First the good news. Hoboken has no election anywhere in sight, meaning all the hatred, posturing greed, grandstanding and MORTe obstruction you are guaranteed to see delivered to you this year is about one of two things:
a major Hoboken election year.
the swing vote vacancy on the council re: Jim Doyle
In November, Hoboken will vote for mayor and three at-large council seats. MORTe is well aware its continuous attempt to destroy the Zimmer Administration has failed to date but hey they did give it the good ole college try. From refusing to approve basic vehicle upgrades for Environmental Services and the desperately needed infrastructure at the Hoboken Police Department for months to almost smothering the hospital sale, there was no damage the Old Guard council was not willing to inflict on Hoboken if it could lay into Mayor Zimmer.Read More...
