City of Hoboken announces:
=&0=&TH=&2=& A Superior Court Judge ruled this morning that the City of Hoboken has prevailed in part of a class action lawsuit regarding rent control. The Judge ruled that the plaintiff class action was unable to prove that it was the catalyst for a series of rent control ordinance changes passed as Z-88. This is the fourth litigation in the last three weeks in which the City has prevailed. “These four decisions validate the fine work of the City’s professionals in defending the City’s interests,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “It is unfortunate that so many lawsuits are filed against the City regardless of their lack of merit, but the positive results in these litigations are an important demonstration of the necessity of ensuring that the City receives the best possible legal representation.” The lawsuit involved an attempt by the plaintiff to have all of their legal fees paid by the City, which would have totaled more than $1 million. The City was represented by Victor A. Afanador and Marissa L. Quigley of Lite DePalma Greenberg, LLC. =&3=& Email | Text |Website | Facebook | Twitter | RSSJim Doyle is the new at-large councilman in Hoboken!
The Old Guard council abandoned Scott Delea in favor of contesting the appointment claiming it did not hold to the NJ statute. Corporation Counsel Melissa Longo stated the appointment fits the law to the letter and was promptly ignored throughout the evening by MORTe.
Voting to approve the appointment Council members Ravi Bhalla, Dave Mello, Jen Giattino and Council President Peter Cunningham. Later, the mayor would cast a vote in favor of Jim Doyle but it was not required under the law. The NJ statute requires a simple majority and with seven members present, four votes was sufficient.
Tonight’s City Council meeting will be hosting an important resolution to begin and that’s selecting a Hoboken resident to fill the open council at-large seat.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer is likely to be on hand in case a deciding vote is required among the council’s eight voting members. With four votes coming together with the mayor, the choice will almost certainly be a very strong representative for Hoboken.
The only true drama is if the candidate will get any of the other four council votes or will another name be put forward sure to go down in flames anyway. Knowing the Old Guard council, they will put forward a name anyway just for show. It could even be someone’s name without their consent in an attempt to create division in reform. Councilman Michael Russo has done that before.
MSV can report that the Old Guard appears to be putting up Scott Delea as its candidate to backfill the City Council at-large seat. Last April, Scott Delea appeared at a fundraiser for Assemblyman Ruben Ramos or rather, he was pictured running away out of camera range (or so he believed).
Delea was seen at the City Clerk’s office filling out the paperwork at deadline applying for the open City Council position just before noon today. While there’s not a chance he will be handed the City Council appointment in a vote, Delea has tried and failed to obtain an elected seat in Hoboken for years.
Several years ago, a Russo for Hoboken campaign account sat inert having no inkling of its controversial past sitting and waiting for a final campaign filing. It had come up against some unsavory characters in its past, a score of Hudson County’s less than savory fellows seeing monies come and go among them.
Enter FBI informant Solomon Dwek.
When this website broke the story locally of a meeting between the FBI informant and Councilman Michael Russo, the truth became a twisted commodity. The lies began immediately with his calling the report old news, then characterizing the meeting as him rebuking Dwek, denials about an agreed bribe, calling those who reported same liars and on and on. Then the FBI surveillance video came out.
Councilman Michael Russo declines to make public bank statements exonerating him in FBI-Dwek bribe controversy
After filing four-year late campaign records from the Russo for Hoboken campaign, Councilman Michael Russo complained “enough was enough” on the FBI-Solomon Dwek controversy and suspicions he had flipped in the largest government sting in NJ history back in 2009.
Russo refuses to release to the public bank statements that would exonerate suspicion he turned government witness when he met with Solomon Dwek at a NJ restaurant in the spring of 2009. Instead, he reviewed limited information with the Hudson Reporter.
Hoboken’s November BoE election is shaping up as an all out battle for the Old Guard to get its hands on the wheel and tasty treats in the form of taxpayer money. In the case of the BoE, it’s a budget over $60 million.
The Move Forward BoE slate backed by the Old Guard is already taking steps to use social media to get out the word, by hook or by crook. Last week Grafix Avenger, a mom of a gifted district student wrote a story of Facebook patrons in town seeing their accounts hijacked and listed as “liking” (or befriending) the Move Forward BoE slate.
Yesterday Da Horsey trotting on Washington St. noted the door to the Mason Civic League “art gallery” door was ajar with full time picture hanger and Beth Mason political operative Matt Calicchio manning the door.
Seconds later, Da Horsey was spotted standing across the street and the door promptly closed. Not minutes after, out came BoE Move Forward co-campaign manager Joe Branco. Some chatter about picture taking ensued from across the entirety of Washington Street with a request for photos from Thursday night’s Room 84’s MF kickoff.
Well since you asked, there’s a City Council meeting on Wednesday and the first item on the agenda is resolution #1 – appointing a replacement to fill the open at-large Council seat!
There’s been much whispering, questioning and jockeying on who will be standing up for the Hoboken community, but no one in the know is saying.
Da Horsey has a good idea but we’re not going to tell you and we’re staying below the radar. If someone wants a horse’s opinion they’d ask and no one did. No issue here, we’re open to organic carrots and dark chestnut fillies.