In Year Three of the Lepercons, it’s not your imagination Hoboken is no longer overrun with mardi gras type revelers the first Saturday in March.

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In more ways than one, the Leprecon bar crawl movement showed it lacked staying power with a third consecutive year of decline as the numbers dwindled from prior years.

The declining number of “Lepers” as many Hoboken residents call them mirror a continuing drop in crime and ticketing since the Mile Square version of St. Patrick’s Day Parade was cancelled by the parade committee three years ago. As MSV’s Horse Sense editorial correctly predicted Friday, the Lepercons tanked and are approaching the nuisance level of a Santacon. Those who fled Hoboken for fear of being hostage in their homes are learning it’s no longer necessary. Reports of stupid behavior, peeing in Walgrens or on the street with porta potties in sight made light of the reduced Lepercons but there was also reports of one drunk reveler walking in front of and being hit by a car and rumor of a similar incident at the Lightrail.

A forlorn Lepercon hat sits on the street a victim of the declining event. The bar crawl generated significant activity in downtown Hoboken bars but nowhere near the numbers in years past making the bar crawl far more manageable than in prior years.

More insight on the fizz out of the Lepercons to come. Lepercon hat photo courtesy Nj.com by arrangement.

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=&2=&: =&3=& =&4=&  The second time is not the charm. At least if you are lobbing baseless legal claims in Hudson County Superior Court and your name is Carmelo Garcia.

In a repackaged list of grievances claiming similar victimization as last, ethnic cleansing attorney Louis Zayas saw the same fate as occurred last.

The legal claims didn’t hold water.

Six counts with an added discrimination claim against Mayor Zimmer, her husband and former HHA Chair/commissioner Jake Stuiver saw each of the charges fall apart on preliminary legal analysis.

Saying there was “no change in his (Garcia’s) employment situation,” Judge Lawrence Maron methodically offered similar conclusions in his preliminary findings. Since almost all the claims were given a chance to be amended, it’s likely the final legal opinion rendered by the judge will see the entire case tossed out of court. Read More...

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In Hoboken it’s called Year 3, the third round where the interests of the common citizens numbering over 52,000 will see their rights and interests to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness hold over the economic desires of Hoboken bar owners – most of which don’t reside in the City.

There are people who sincerely miss the parade but anyone who attended at its demise knows, spectators uptown barely covered one side let alone both sides of the street. The parade had become a symbol or rather a dog whistle up and down the East Coast for mardi gras revelers to set upon the Mile Square and let fly with projectile vomit, urination and random home damage. Crime was a built in feature pushing public safety beyond its limits. Read More...

The following soon to be classic guest cartoon comes courtesy of Hoboken resident Yo Gregory! who penned the following guest piece below with the original cartoon creation.

By way of explanation, let’s add that Beth Mason has not sent out a press release for her latest lawsuit but attempted at the last council meeting to sway others on the legislative body speaking from the public’s microphone to feed her unquenchable litigious hunger as she seeks to re-engage the prey who got away in the form of Councilman Ravi Bhalla. To her colleagues inquiry where this latest Mason lawsuit is coming from, Beth Mason coyly responded, “It’s been out there.” Read More...