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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.
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.
From the desk of Councilman Ravi Bhalla:
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Dear Friends,
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!
Sincerely,
Ravi S. Bhalla
Councilman-at-Large
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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:
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.
Before we get to the current holiday song, here’s some warm ups of two singing dogs, Sierra and Cody for your reference:
Happy Birthday:
O Christmas Tree:
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
And the song of the moment, Auld Lang Syne:
Another version of the New Year’s Eve favorite. This one Sierra decides is for a more relaxed practice:
See more at: http://singingdogs.net
The Hudson Reporter printed a year end county write up on elected officials and on Hoboken it got the essentials correct, at least in regard to Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s re-election bid next November, describing her as exceedingly tough to beat.
It however missed by a county mile claiming Councilwoman Beth Mason was her primary opponent as the Hoboken opposition is led by Michele Russo in the form of her son, third ward councilman Michael Russo. Mason is described as a candidate for a potential Brian Stack ticket for an Assembly seat, an idea pushed by Mason’s political operatives over many months. State Senator Stack however has not uttered a word over that time and Councilman Ravi Bhalla just completed a successful fundraiser headlined by Newark Mayor Cory Booker raising $40,000 with an eye on a potential Stack ticket himself. The Reporter did mention Beth Mason coveting the County Executive seat, reported here earlier and most recently ridiculed by Grafix Avenger’s Deep Throat source, the ever warbling Deep Uvula who found the idea utterly laughable. At the County level, others are finding more than a bit of holiday mirth in the idea Beth Mason can buy the executive chair fall off your chair funny. Selling the idea via paid political operatives to the Hudson Reporter is far easier than convincing County power brokers and current elected County Executive Tom DeGise to step aside in a premature resignation. Mason’s brief control as the chair of the City Council in 2011 showed her consistently inept, incompetent and unprepared. Thankfully, those talents combined in seeing her effort to =&0=&nullified at the State level. Mason’s budget amendment approved by her MORTe allies was rejected for numerous basic arithmetic errors. She bitterly had it passed in her final meeting as the lame duck chair anyway. This even when she and her MORTe pals were told by the Corporation Counsel such a vote was both illegal and moot. Now Mason covets the top executive seat of Hudson County with almost a half a billion dollar budget. Not saying she’s a gold digger…| The Hudson Reporter confirmed MSV’s earlier report saying Beth Mason covets the top executive county position. Can the Queen of Lawsuits Mean and incompetence buy the position? It’s already creating much laughter among county sources. |
Talking Ed Note: For the second week in a row, the page three ad placed by Mason in the Hudson Reporter shows it’s now sponsored in the name of the Mason Civic League, not the imaginary Mason Family Civic League as it has most of the year.
Both MSV and Grafix Avenger have repeatedly noted there was no such registered entity as the Mason Family Civic League.
