Month: September 2017

News

Valente for Hoboken: Valente Outlines Tax Relief Plan in New Campaign Video

Official release:

=&0=& Angelo Valente, Independent Candidate for the Hoboken Council at Large, released this week, the second of a series of campaign videos outlining the Valente For Hoboken common sense campaign platform. The video released at ValenteForHoboken.Com outlines Valente’s plan for tax relief in the city. 

 “As I am knocking on the doors of residents in every section of Hoboken, many residents are wondering where all of the new tax dollars are going from the massive developments all over the city,” explained Valente.  Read More...

News

Fur flies in sudden eminent domain bid announced by Mayor Zimmer on Union Dry Dock

There’s been two official releases on Union Dry Dock today. First, Mayor Dawn Zimmer who ends her eight plus years this December and sees her replacement elected in November, announced a stunning effort to eminent domain the uptown waterfront business at next week’s City Council meeting.

Councilman Mike DeFusco in response makes an official release as part of his mayoral campaign and is included here as part of MSV’s official policy available to all local elected officials.

Talking Ed Note: MSV understands the City Council subcommittee for the North End has attempted to meet and BEGIN discussions on this issue but to no avail. Each meeting set was cancelled by the mayor’s office. While MSV has supported most of the mayor’s major initiatives, this one is the latest example of the hyper partisan political environment in Hoboken. Most unfortunate. Read More...

News

Carmelo Garcia accused of taking bribes in HHA named Deputy Mayor in Newark

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The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s an unfortunate truism when it comes to corruption, urban landscapes and the Soprano State.

The city of Newark named a new Director of its Department of Economic and Housing Development (DEHD) who happens to have been its Chief Real Estate Officer and Executive Vice President of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC).

All those acronyms have a less familiar name in Hoboken than another: Carmelo Garcia.

From a report yesterday on Jersey Digs: Read More...

News

Councilman Peter Cunningham: Northwest community development meeting tonight

Official release:

Dear neighbors,  I chair the northern community development subcommittee of the City Council and have been working with the administration to progress a plan for the north west corner of Hoboken.  Please join me TONIGHT September 28th, for the FIRST PUBLIC MEETING to get your input on what we need for Hoboken’s Northern End.  This is the area north of the 14th Street viaduct, west of Park Ave. =&0=&: North End Redevelopment Plan Community Meeting =&1=&: Wallace School, 11th and Willow=&2=&: Thursday 9/28 from 7:30 – 9:30  I believe that the focus of the development plan for the area needs to primarily be Commercial – office with ground floor retail and services.   Commercial development would:

  • Result in less congestion for our already crowded transportation systems
  • Bring a complementary daytime population to support our local businesses – many restaurants are empty during the day
  • Provide more opportunities for people to live and work in Hoboken
  • Be less demanding on our aging infrastructure
  • Allow us more tax revenues with less need for additional municipal services (like schools, police, etc.) 
  • Invite the opportunity to have a new transportation stop in the area such as 15th Street and 16th Street
  • Read More...

    News

    Jen Giattino: Our campaign is ‘on the road to victory’

    The following report comes courtesy of the Hudson County View:

    Hoboken Council President/mayoral hopeful Jen Giattino certainly wasn’t lacking confidence at a private fundraiser last night, exclaiming that “I know that we are on our way to the road to victory.”

    For the complete story: please see the Hudson County View.


    Talking Ed Note: Before a crowd at 10th and Willow, City Council President Jen Giattino voiced her confidence Team Giattino is on the road to victory. She urged voters to vote for her and her council slate of Jim Aibel, Sal Starace and Jason Ellis to “get things done” on the City Council with her as mayor.

    Kurt Gardiner, a commissioner on the North Hudson Sewerage Authority and an officer on the Hoboken Democratic Committee in attendance said, “For a private event, I was impressed with the turnout and the new faces to get out the word about Jen. It’ s indicative of real grassroots momentum in the Jen Giattino campaign.” Read More...

    News

    Grist for the Mill: The Jen Giattino Surge

    Hoboken’s mayoral and council at-large election is creating a schism and fracture along fault lines new and old. Establishment power and money being what they are, the belief in power exceeds all rationality and the obvious signs, pardon the pun.

    As the Hoboken election season heats up, Jen Giattino signs continue to spring up across town. Unlike most of her competitors, they find themselves not mostly in the windows of local businesses but nestled in the windows of residents. The epicenter is where the fever is highest in central Hoboken and it spreads out further more points north from the heartland of midtown. Based on the reaction of Giattino’s opposition, you’d think it’s the Hoboken dog population putting up those window signs not voters. They’re of course deluding themselves into thinking those Hoboken residents don’t represent actual voter sentiment. There’s one exceptional residence sporting Jen Giattino for mayor signs that is creating quite the buzz across town.  Take a gander at this.
    Above the lobby of Church Towers, the stronghold of the Russo base
    are two very prominent Jen Giattino for mayor signs.
    Although mentioned previously, many did not take note of the earlier report and in that peculiar human capability for rationalization, avoided the topic entirely.  MSV has previously written about the candidate with the strongest crossover appeal being Jen Giattino. As a ward councilwoman, she’s known for rolling up her sleeves and helping others. She doesn’t care what their views are on local issues, state or national. She accepts the responsibility to represent everyone. After six years, people notice. Hoboken people notice and people in need don’t forget. One story recounted tells of a Hispanic municipal worker overheard on the job discussing the mayoral race. The person was not expressing their view to influence anyone else but having a casual conversation. They mentioned they would be voting for Jen Giattino for mayor. They also said all their friends in the fourth ward and HHA would be voting for Giattino. Reasons point to some quiet humanitarian efforts there on behalf of a resident by Jen Giattino spread word of mouth. Independent sources say the grassroots Reform resistance is taking shape with significant numbers of volunteers getting involved for Team Giattino and making an impact reaching out to friends, neighbors and engaging voters across the Mile Square.
    Mayoral candidate and City Council President Jen Giattino
    speaking at the home of former BoE trustee Ruthy Tyroler.
    Rear right is former councilman Tim Occhipinti.
    Who has crossover appeal and respect of friend and foe alike?
    Who among the candidates is winning hearts and minds?
    Where does the Jen Giattino surge end? No one knows at this point as many Hoboken voters are not decided and others not engaged. The other campaigns are making significant efforts and gaining headway too. With just over 40 days and campaigns escalating their efforts, political divisions in the Mile Square are being overturned and tossed on their head. Hoboken has not seen any election quite like this. For some, there’s never been a mayoral candidate with crossover appeal quite like Jen Giattino.

    Catch the wave!

    photo courtesy Jhnny “to the butter” Newman
    News

    Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher:

    Official release:

    ​​Dear friends and neighbors –  I am on the northern community development subcommittee of the City Council and have been working with the administration to progress a plan for the north west corner of Hoboken.  Please join me this THURSDAY EVENING for the FIRST PUBLIC MEETING to get your input on what we need for Hoboken’s Northern End.  This is the area north of the viaduct, west of Park Ave.

    What: North End Redevelopment Plan Community Meeting
    Where: Wallace School, 11th and Willow
    When: Thursday 9/28 from 7:30 – 9:30

    I believe that the focus of the development plan for the area needs to primarily be commercial – office with ground floor retail and services.  Commercial development would:

    • Allow us more tax revenues with less need for additional municipal services (like schools, police, etc.) 
    • Result in less competition for our already crowded transportation systems – public and roads
    • Bring a complementary daytime population to support our local businesses – many restaurants are empty during the day
    • Provide more opportunities for people to live and work in Hoboken
    • Be less demanding on our aging infrastructure
    • Invite the opportunity to have a new transportation stop in the area 

    This meeting will be moderated by a professional planning firm, but it is critical that we make sure that we are thinking not only about the neighborhood aesthetics, but also the macroeconomic factors that work best for Hoboken.  Additionally, our development community – many whom own the land in the North End – will typically prefer to build large-scale, high rise residential buildings.  This type of development is low risk with the highest returns.  Unfortunately, I believe our City cannot take much more of this. Read More...

    News

    Team Bhalla Unveils Storm and Flood Protection Plan

    Official release:

    =&0=& Councilman Ravi Bhalla, candidate for Hoboken Mayor, together with his at large slate of Councilman Jim Doyle, Emily Jabbour and John Allen, unveiled their Storm and Flood Protection Plan today. The comprehensive plan attacks our flooding problem on all fronts.  Among its components are completing Rebuild by Design, constructing Resiliency Parks, upgrading the sewer system, adding additional flood pumps, boosting localized green solutions, strengthening our electrical grid and joining the Climate Mayors Coalition. Ravi Bhalla said, “In the 5 years since Superstorm Sandy devastated us we have made great strides, but there is much more to do..  We must make Hoboken more resilient and  better prepared for the storms of the future.  I bring the experience, and skills to finish this tough job.”  As a Councilman who also serves as Chair of the Rebuild by Design Community Advisory Group, Bhalla has been instrumental in advancing Rebuild by Design, a $230 million federally- funded flood protection project. He has actively backed other critical flood protection measures, including the construction of Resiliency Parks to detain rain water and flood pumps that have already significantly reduced flooding in Hoboken. The Plan is provided below: =&1=& As a coastal city that is particularly vulnerable to flooding, it is critical that we continue to work on all fronts to become better prepared to withstand the more intense storms that scientists predict will result from climate change. In the 5 years since Superstorm Sandy devastated us, we have made great strides. Both as a Councilman and as Chair of the Rebuild by Design Community Advisory Group, I have worked in partnership with Mayor Zimmer in successfully securing $230 million of federal funds for a comprehensive flood protection project.   I have actively supported other flood prevention measures, including the construction of resiliency parks, additional flood pumps, and more localized green solutions, such as rain gardens and green roofs. But while we are off to a great start, there is much more to do.  This plan provides a blueprint for making Hoboken more resilient and prepared for the storms of the future.  I bring the experience, and skills to finish this tough job.  =&2=&:  This project will provide state-of-the art flood protections,, designed to be integrated into our urban landscape, all while preserving waterfront views and access to the waterfront. It is funded by a $230 million federal grant. Bhalla has helped shape the project, assisting in winning the federal and state permits required for it, and ensuring that community input was factored in. His knowledge and experience are essential to ensuring its completion.

    =&3=&New parks will be constructed with a resiliency component to significantly reduce surface water run-off and the flooding that it generates.  This will be accomplished through a combination of underground detention systems that can store thousands of gallons of rainwater during storms and designing the parks themselves to absorb rainwater and reduce run-off.  The new Southwest Park, actively backed by Councilman Bhalla, is New Jersey’s first resiliency park, and he will ensure that the City implements the plan for constructing a large,  underground detention system retaining up to one million gallons of storm water as part of the Northwest Resiliency Park. Additionally, as part of Rebuild by Design, Ravi  will move forward with a park to be constructed at 16th and Garden Street to  protect against  future storm surges from the Hudson River .  As Mayor, Ravi will ensure our parks and open space not only enrich our lives through providing opportunities for recreation and quiet enjoyment of nature, he will  turn them into major flood protection assets. ·=&4=& Upgrading portions of the century old sewer system in strategic areas is critical to providing additional capacity for rainwater, alleviating street flooding.  Bhalla will work with North Hudson Sewerage Authority to complete the sewer upgrades identified as priorities in the Rebuild by Design process.  · =&5=&As Councilman, Ravi Bhalla worked with Mayor Zimmer and the North Hudson Sewerage Authority to secure the construction of two flood pumps, which have contributed to a significant reduction in Hoboken’s flooding problem.  For example, the new H-5 flood pump, installed to limit flooding in the Northwest, has =&6=& during =&7=& of the last =&8=& serious rain strorms.  As Mayor, he will seek two additional flood pumps as recommended in the Rebuild by Design study, working with North Hudson Sewerage Authority to ensure the lowest possible cost and only proceeding if it can be done so cost-effectively. One flood pump will be located in Northwest Hoboken to pump out water from the Northwest Park storm detention system, helping alleviate flooding in Northwest Hoboken, as well as an additional pump to reduce flooding in Southwest Hoboken near the Hoboken Housing Authority and light rail station. =&9=&Ravi will work with the Green Team, Shade Tree Commission and others to advance green solutions that reduce flooding.   Green infrastructure, including bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs and cisterns, will be prioritized in strategic locations. He will also lead an ambitious tree-planting effort, setting a goal of 4,000 new or replanted street trees by 2020.    =&10=& Bhalla will insist that any new development limits storm water runoff.   This can be accomplished through the use of green infrastructure, such as permeable pavements, green roofs, rainwater harvesting and sub-surface detention systems. · =&11=&Limiting power outages is essential to reducing injuries and deaths during intense storms.  Bhalla supported the installation of back-up generators at critical city facilities. Together, with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the Department of Energy, he will continue to promote the municipal microgrid project, providing an alternative source of power for police, fire and other emergency services if the main power-grid fails  And he will work with PSE&G to upgrade the existing transmission lines =&12=&With the United States pulling out of the Paris Agreement, cities from across the United States have stepped up to honor and adapt the agreement.  I pledge to join this coalition, made up of over 375 Cities, and further collaborate with Mayors to reduce our own local greenhouse gas emissions and make Hoboken even more environmentally friendly.
    News

    HCV Poll, 42 days out and the politics of division

    With 42 days out Hoboken’s barn burner of a mayoral race plus 14 council at large candidates, pressure mounts and candidacies are being exposed in ways planned, unplanned and and for those in the observer cockpit, telling.

    Hudson County View published a poll and has four of its mayoral interviews published asking who gave the best interview? The results are interesting if not scientific. Perhaps in the zombie apocalypse cave they’ll defend the data and say it’s valued but more likely there will be zombie retrenchment. Read More...