Petitions to consolidate elections, Church Square Park fixes, and Pier A/9-11 memorial funding are on tap for the first council meeting after the summer.  There’s also much more on some sanguine issues across the board including the big downtown NJ Transit area redevelopment.

The petitions to move the elections to November and eliminate runoffs is before the council.  It’s counter intuitive but a no vote by the council puts the public’s referendums on the November ballot.  Should be interesting listen to some people who were for the people deciding until they were against it.  The Old Guard is none too pleased with higher turnout November elections as they cling to Old Hoboken voters who see for themselves improvements for the many and not the few.  This should be entertaining and comes early in the meeting. Read More...

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Nick Calicchio at a City Council meeting

Last month former mayor and felon Peter Cammarano attended Hobokenite Nick Calicchio’s wedding according to eyewitnesses at the event.  One described Cammarano, not the groom as the man of the hour while another called the short-lived mayor a popular attendee who was one of the select groomsmen. Peter Cammarano came out to get behind an Old Guard soldier and shared a table at the nuptials performed by Freeholder Anthony “Stick” Romano with Frank “Pupie” Raia, a rumored leading contender to run for mayor against incumbent Mayor Dawn Zimmer. One source who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being SLAPPed wrote, “Peter Camarano the convicted felon, was in the wedding party and was the de facto best man.  Camarano… was treated like visiting royalty and mingled with Freeholder Romano all night. Romano and Camarano were seen talking in a huddle by themselves off to the side all evening.” But Freeholder Romano in a phone interview yesterday denied he had any significant conversation with Cammarano only admitting to sharing some genial conversation as they were seated at the same table.  “Cammarano and Pupie spoke at length,” Romano said, adding he also spoke to Cammarano’s girlfriend who he described as a nice lady. Cammarano who’s early release from a two year stint in the federal pen for taking $25,000 from FBI informant Solomon Dwek raised eyebrows but has kept a relatively low profile.  His ex-wife departed with their daughter but his rumored goomar stuck around tending to his brownstone on upper Bloomfiled while he served out most of his sentence in Lewisburg, PA. Nick Calicchio is a resident of the Hoboken Housing Authority where he pays reduced rent as part of a sponsored officer program.  His rent is believed to be $450 a month and while not a police officer, Calicchio is a corrections officer for a prison facility in NJ. Calicchio like his brother has a long history of political activism in Hoboken politics.  He’s previously served as an aide to Assemblyman Ruben Ramos and was a helpful hand like his brother Matt for the Tim Occhipinti special election campaign in November 2010.  That campaign is notable for a record production of vote-by-mail ballots in Hoboken’s fourth ward – fully 500 were submitted and criminal complaints were later sent by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office to the NJ Attorney General.  There’s been no official word on any investigation since. Last month MSV broadcast a video clip of a clash between Hoboken resident Patricia Waiters and Beth Mason political operative and Mason Civic League employee Matt Calicchio.  The video shows Waiters responding to what she described as attempted intimidation as she reveals Calicchio has been captured on video manipulating a senior to submit a vote-by-mail ballot.  Standing nearby right outside the City Council meeting repeatedly attempting to convince Waiters to be quiet is Democratic Committeewoman Michele Russo, mother of councilman Mike Russo.

Nick Calicchio (l) at Occhipinti headquarters election night in 2010. Partially visible (l) is Frank “Pupie” Raia, Assemblyman Ruben Ramos and Beth Mason .

=&1=&: For the record, Da Horsey has had more than one interference incident with Nick Calicchio.  At a recent council meeting he approached from behind interrupting a discussion saying, “If you don’t want to be thrown out, stop taking pictures.” Told to stay away, MSV wonders after three years why it’s an issue taking photos related to government mostly at City Council meetings?  You never hear a word of complaint for all the smut with the photos taken for the fascist website Hoboken411 over the years. Now a Hoboken mom who serves on the zoning board and parodies people in the political games in Hoboken with no small amount of hilarity merits police complaints and a SLAPP suit, along with the double digits of other voices in the Hoboken blogosphere.   The hypocrisy in this town is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. The Old Guard just wants to be left alone to do as they please with your money.  You can cooperate with quiet acquiescence or you can stand up for speech and the voices who confront corruption head on. For all those who continue to support the Hoboken Free Speech Legal Defense Fund, thank you.  

MILE SQUARE VIEW EXCLUSIVE =&1=&

Just when you think you’re out… they pull you back in.  It’s the same for vacation Horsey and in this case the mayor as a new push poll is out and it’s laying blame for all the sins of the Old Guard at her desk on the second floor at City Hall.

The push poll attacks are loaded with dozens of questions and attacks on the mayor claiming everything from the budget being overspent by $20 million to buying votes to get elected.  

The Old Guard-Beth Mason push poll is out selling heaping helpings of their toxic elixir

That’s right the Old Guard has found religion and is against buying votes.  Well sorta.  They are against it as long as you point the finger at Mayor Zimmer and say she’s responsible for doing so and not the hundreds of votes purchased for Tim Occhipinti. The push poll asks all kinds of personal information from first name, marital status, family to the choice for mayor.  Among your selections are Terry Castellano, Frank “Pupie” Raia, Timmy Occhipinti, Ruben Ramos, Mayor Dawn Zimmer and yes believe it or not Beth Mason.  Doesn’t seem that the Old Guard compromise candidate Anthony “Stick” Romano made this round.  Maybe Beth Mason doesn’t want to see even worse numbers for herself. Numerous questions on the poll focus on the BoE asking about the popularity of Kids First, support for school board candidates for the coming November election and choosing the most important overall issue for Hoboken.   One can only wonder how the data will be collected, distributed and used but based on the infighting MSV has already heard getting out, more yelling can be expected among the Old Guard desperate to retain Old Hoboken and disperse effective misinformation to low information Hoboken voters with the objective knocking out a popular and effective mayor. Some active backers of the Old Guard are beginning to voice doubt there’s any successful formula to cobble a victory against the incumbent mayor no matter who sits atop the ticket.   Well there’s always Hoboken411’s eager willingness to disburse lies for a Mason price and if you can’t beat them, well just sue them. Scorched earth mode has been in play for a while.  Anyone buying that snake oil?

Old Guard poll courtesy of Beth Mason and her Old Guard friends. Money to burn and lies to churn, this one even seeks to depict Beth Mason political operatives as victims accusing the mayor of paying bloggers to attack them.  As if.

=&2=& =&3=&: For some time MSV has said of the Old Guard, “These are people without an argument.” The only agenda is hiring more municipal workers with still more subsidized housing at the expense of the taxpayers who will pay the increased freight every step of the way. That agenda isn’t exactly a winning formula so the Old Guard is left with “the mayor is just like us.”  That and using the courts in an attempt to level a playing field as municipal elections are headed to join the BoE in November. No hail mary is going to help the Old Guard.  The karma coming is well earned and deserved.

Hoboken Mitzvah Day organizers announce:

The United Synagogue of Hoboken is running its annual Mitzvah Day community-service project on Sunday, Sept. 9. The event offers an opportunity to give back to the community and participate in service projects that people could be inclined to continue to work on throughout the year.

Members of the synagogue community and the

general public are strongly encouraged to sign up for an activity for a day of fun, camaraderie and fulfilling work that will have a lasting impact. Activities this year include work for the Hoboken Shelter and for the Emergency Food Pantry, a visit to senior citizens, a story-time and art project for children, “Coupons for Troops,” a nutrition and health activity fair at the Hoboken Housing Authority, a “Bigger and Better” social-action project for teens, a bone-marrow drive, a cemetery clean-up and several other options. People interested in participating should sign up as soon as possible. A list of projects is at the link here: http://hobokensynagogue.org/MitzvahDayProjects2012.php The online sign-up form is here: http://hobokensynagogue.org/MitzvahDayForm2012.php For more information, please see the following link or contact the synagogue: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFhkV0Z2eGkwb1pNRngyY3F4VkwzRlE6MQ The day will culminate in the synagogue’s annual “Welcome Back Barbecue.”

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The Vote Yes November citizens’ committee announces:

=&0=& On Friday, the Hoboken City Clerk certified over 1,800 petition signatures from Hoboken residents for two ballot questions designed to consolidate Hoboken’s Municipal elections.  The ballot questions were proposed by the citizens’ committee Vote Yes for November, a group of residents looking to reform the electoral system in Hoboken.  Now, the people of Hoboken will officially be able to decide when future municipal elections will be held.  If both initiatives are passed by the voters this November, Hoboken’s next municipal elections will be held in November of 2013 instead of in May, with the candidates receiving the most votes being elected to office.  “Thanks to the outpouring of support from 1,800 residents who signed our petitions, Hoboken residents will get an opportunity to be heard on whether they seek to bring election reform to our city.  We are confident that Hoboken’s voters will support these initiatives that will consolidate multiple elections, increase voter turnout, save taxpayers money, and reduce voter fatigue,” said Vijay Chaudhuri, one of the members of the Vote Yes November citizens’ committee. “I am extremely pleased that Hoboken voters will get the opportunity to vote on these common sense steps for reform.  If the two ballot initiatives are passed by voters in November, no longer will Hoboken voters have to suffer through an election year like 2009, when Hoboken voters had to vote in 5 separate elections in a single year.  Municipal elections would now be held on a single date in November – the date when voters turn out for the general election,” said Sasha Conroy, another member of the Vote Yes November citizens’ committee. If voters choose to move the Hoboken Municipal elections to November, all future local elections will be held during November general election dates.  Hoboken’s School Board elections have already been consolidated with the upcoming November general election instead of in April as in years past. Members of the public who support this proposal are encouraged to voice their opinions at the Hoboken City Council meeting on Wednesday, September 5 at 7 pm in City Hall.

We’re going to Let the People Decide

City of Hoboken announces:

On or about August 30, 2012 and lasting for approximately 10 weeks, traffic on the 14th Street Viaduct will be closed in the west-bound direction from 9am to 3pm. East-bound traffic will remain open.  The contract for construction of the viaduct called for the complete closure of the viaduct at night to install 50 beams that average 120 feet long. This work is not noise-free, but was expected to be done at night in August and September to reduce daytime traffic delays.  After further consideration, the contractor indicated that they can leave one lane open on the viaduct if they were permitted to work during the day. The hours of lane closure would be from 9am to 3pm to avoid peak period traffic. Traffic congestion is still expected, but the benefit of the daytime detour is to not disturb area residents at night from the noise. Mayor Zimmer is thankful to Hudson County for working to find an alternative to nighttime construction.  There is no additional cost or time involved with the detour change. Sheriffs will be stationed at each end of the viaduct and would, as necessary, allow emergency vehicles through. The century-old Viaduct will be completely replaced as part of a $45 million dollar infrastructure upgrade of this section of Northwest Hoboken overseen by the County.  14th Street Viaduct Traffic Detour– Daytime (9AM to 3PM) – Eastbound open/Westbound closed  Westbound Traffic Detour Description:  Southern Detour:  From Viaduct to Willow Avenue (South)  Right to Newark Street  Right to Observer Highway  Right to Paterson Avenue  Straight to Paterson Plank Road  Straight to Viaduct approach  Northern Detour:  From Viaduct to Willow Avenue (North)  Left to 19th Street  Right to Hackensack Plank Road  Left to Palisade Avenue  Left to Paterson Plank Road  Left to Viaduct approach</b>

The new walkway between Hoboken and Weehawken is a lovely addition with kayaking an option courtesy of some young entrepreneurs.  Called Paddle Out Kayak, they are out on the mini beach of the connection closer to the Hoboken side every day.  On weekdays, people come out after 6:30 pm and they are available all day during the weekend.

Check out their lively, entertaining website with the full host of services.

PADDLE OUT KAYAK  Speaking of sun and surf, it’s Da Horsey’s turn and we’ve accepted an invitation from a lovely filly to spend time in East Hampton enjoying same.  We’ll likely release a story here but for those among the thousands of readers who choose to comment, be nice.  Here’s a saying to mull over:

There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil.

Walter Lippmann, American journalist, 1889-1974 Read More...