I have some great news to share – Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings reaffirmed Hoboken’s excellent AA+ bond credit rating. The AA+ rating is the second highest rating it can issue for a municipality. S&P’s report confirmed Hoboken’s strong financial footing, including our very strong budgetary flexibility, prudent financial management practices, and very strong economy.
Two term Councilman Dave Mello responds to rumor of a ticket switch lambasting it as “100% false”
Councilman Dave Mello in a wide-ranging phone interview last night responded to a rumor published on Grafix Avenger he was switching to a Councilman Mike DeFusco council ticket deeming it “100% false.”
There’s rampant speculation DeFusco is preparing a run for mayor this November and could announce as soon as next week or early spring. Three at-large council seats are up this fall and any mayoral candidate would likely have three running mates.
A press conference officially announcing the entry of Councilman Mike DeFusco into the mayoral sweepstakes come November may be only days away.
That’s the word emanating among limited Old Guard and Reform circles pointing to a downtown press conference as soon as next Friday or Saturday. The councilman declined to comment on an inquiry calling it speculative.
The first ward councilman who ran with the mayor’s endorsement and won a decisive hard fought victory against the entrenched Russo clan’s Terry Castellano is returning to the fold. DeFusco rose through local Democratic Party circles as a protege of the late Maurice Fitzgibbons who masterminded the political rise of former mayor and convicted felon Peter Cammarano.
“This investment will move Hoboken towards a more resilient and reliable water main system,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “Beyond the initial $12 million investment in our water system that we are making, we are planning to make at least a $5 million investment every year in order to ensure Hoboken has a reliable system. Unfortunately, Hoboken is facing the result of financial mismanagement from the past together with a complete lack of investment in infrastructure going back decades. Now that we have resolved the city’s serious financial problems, we are in a strong position to continue making long-overdue and critically-needed annual investments while also keeping our taxes stable.”
There’s been obfuscation, misinformation and outright fabrication about the status of 901 Bloomfield.
The pedigree of misrepresentations are continuing after the toothless resolution put forward by Councilman Mike DeFusco failed last Wednesday. In a Facebook video, DeFusco insists the resolution would encourage putting tools on the table including eminent domain but the City and other council members negated such an option.
There’s only one problem. There’s no such viable option.
Back in December, the 901 Bloomfield owner categorically rejected any additional overtures electing to move ahead with construction now underway while retaining the character of the exterior of the existing structure.
Sometimes the best laid intentions presented to the public are unmasked in the transparent light of a live meeting. All intentions are not necessarily paved with gold; sometimes it’s politics in search of a prize. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder or as here, a would be mayoral candidate.
The saga of the 901 Bloomfield resolution presented by Councilman Mike DeFusco sought some salvation for the church structure offering to explore a swap with the uptown owner who is part of an owners group at a Newark and Willow property. There’s only one problem; the owner had his lawyer send a letter declining any tradeoffs last December and expressed no interest in any larger project offset at Willow St. where 40 feet in additional height would be needed to make up for the loss of economic opportunity uptown.
Horsey has an audiophile ear and these are very highly rated speakers considered the best in their class for $1,000 or less as originally reviewed in Stereophile.
| The all time classic Paradigm Reference Studio 20 Monitor without grill for viewing. |
There’s more on their availability here:
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-paradigm-reference-studio-20-v1-plus-stands-2017-03-02-speakers-07030-hoboken-nj
Selling the speakers with the 37″ stands.
Feel free to contact smartyjones@me.com with questions/inquiries.
When is a property available for sale to the City of Hoboken?
That central question arose with a resolution proposed by Councilman Mike DeFusco who remains unofficially a candidate-in-waiting to take on Mayor Zimmer this fall. As we wait, what do you do when a property owner declines to sell you a lovely piece of land up at 9th and Bloomfield, the site of a once active church? Well you put up a resolution saying the City should nevertheless go ahead and purchase it because it’s the “right thing to do.” The comical antics led to the biggest blow-up since before the decisive council elections in November 2015. The fur was flying. On one side Team DeFusco or what may be a team versus the reality based members of the reform oriented team. The barbs were flying, the hysteria was high, the use of eminent domain threatened (sorta, kinda by Councilman Mike Russo) with the motivation to give the kid a W. It failed 5-4 but it’s the thought that counts. We’ll be back with the entertainment as Hoboken election season is unofficially, officially underway.| Team DeFusco has a moment at the conclusion of the council meeting last night as council members Mike DeFusco and Ruben Ramos share a handshake. |
On the heels of a grenade tossed back and forth on the potential threat seeing Councilman Ruben Ramos take on Freeholder Anthony “Stick” Romano for his seat, a mix of smoke emerges from an initial skirmish.
InsiderNJ, the new statewide political website followed MSV in identifying the expanding rifts circling a pending Councilman Mike DeFusco entry to run for Hoboken mayor saying it’s tied to HudCo political operatives who want to regain a financial foothold in Hoboken.
Former Assemblyman Ruben Ramos (D-33) – now a Hoboken councilman – may enter the Democratic Primary for freeholder this year if the allies of Hoboken Councilman Mike DeFusco can’t secure an absolute, in-cement agreement from Romano that he won’t run for mayor this year against incumbent Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer. Get Romano out of the way and clear a path for Councilman Mike DeFusco is the theme of the story.Romano, a county legislator of standing in Hoboken and previously a Hoboken Police Captain may not be feeling harried to officially respond or do much of anything. This may be especially true of the experienced political veteran agreeing to do anything to benefit a young councilman.