For the second time in two years, the Hoboken City Council fulfilled Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s request to eminent domain the former Union Dry Dock property now owned by NY Waterway.
In the second half of another unanimous vote, the Hoboken mayor now will be able to eject NY Waterway and seize the last remnant of land connected to Hoboken’s industrial past on the waterfront. Two-thousand Hoboken ferry riders among tens of thousands may begin asking themselves “now what” and also, “what is the price” to relocate an active business? Those are not questions Ravi Bhalla is presenting as his gun is out of bullets should NJ Transit grow weary of this political dance waged for narrow Mile Square City needs. Can the dance be kept alive before November elections without NJ Transit’s greater eminent domain powers stopping the music? (They may not be able to act timely, more on that later.) The only certainty is that the gaslighting out of the mayor’s office is continuing non-stop with an eye to using this for votes in November’s council races.| A pre-planned protest for seizing NY Waterway’s property at the former Union Dry Dock took place blocking the front of City Hall yesterday. The last such protest in 2011 against corruption and Councilman Michael Russo who appeared on FBI surveillance tape with Solomon Dwek had a bigger turnout but police kept it completely off to the side. With Ravi Bhalla on hand, blocking the entrance to City Hall is now perfectly fine in a less than dramatic vote. |
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The deadline for submitting yesterday’s petitions to get on the ballot in November’s nonpartisan City Council ward races is officially over. Depending on your point of view, there’s some good news and some bad news.
The good news if you support Councilman Michael Russo’s re-election bid. His predicted deal months earlier with Mayor Ravi Bhalla not to have a candidate oppose him on his mayoral ticket stuck.
Despite earlier meek protestations from the out-of-state Bhalla campaign spokesman, there wasn’t going to be any potential candidate sought and identified to go up against Russo. Months ago, Hobokenhorse.com exclusively reported Michael Russo was quite pleased about his deal with Ravi Bhalla and he wondered why other City Council incumbents didn’t cut a similar one.
Official release:
Dear friends,I grew up here in Hoboken and I’ve dedicated my life to public service and making our community better for every resident. I’m proud to announce that I have filed my petitions and will be running for re-election as your Fourth Ward Councilman this November to continue fulfilling that mission.
We are continuing to explore additional open space areas for 4th ward residents as well as expanding on current open space areas. The new Southwest park is a great place for families to spend time while also reducing the impact of flooding thanks to improved drainage and flood mitigation technology. We are committed to expanding this park in the near future. The Madison Street Park upgrades have been completed while the Jefferson Street Park upgrades are scheduled for approval at the September 4 council meeting. We are working hard to insure that Hoboken is safer for all residents. One way that we are doing this is the addition of traffic lights in the Southwest to help with the flow of traffic. The council has additionally authorized a traffic study beginning this week that encompasses Hoboken, Hudson County and Jersey City streets. We will work collaboratively with local governments to generate a plan to ease traffic in Southwest Hoboken to make streets safer for drivers and pedestrians.
It is important that we push forward in efforts to further beautify and improve the 4th ward.
The PSE&G site on Marshall Street is a space with great potential
With the unofficial end of summer, Hobokenhorse.com can exclusively report all City Council incumbents filed petitions to be on the ballot for the six council ward races this November except Councilman Michael Russo.
Russo is expected to file his required petitions along with with other council candidates today with the official deadline end of day at Hoboken City Hall.
The fifth ward appears to be the highest contested race this fall with Reform Movement stalwart Councilman Peter Cunningham announcing he would not seek a fourth term after 12 years of service.
Councilman DeFusco Calls on Opponent to Take Voluntary Leave From City Hall Job Until After Election
Official release:
Councilman Mike DeFusco is calling on First Ward Council candidate Migdalia Pagan-Milano to take an immediate unpaid leave of absence from her City Hall position to protect the integrity of the November 5 municipal election. As a political aide to Mayor Ravi Bhalla working in his Office of Constituent Affairs, this is an unprecedented situation where Pagan-Milano has direct access to government resources and sensitive voter information.Councilman DeFusco believes Pagan-Milano must voluntarily remove herself from her position for the duration of the election to eliminate all conflicts of interest and ensure taxpayer-funded resources will not be used for political purposes.
Official release:
Dear friends and neighbors, Hope you had a wonderful summer and are settling in for back-to-school, back-to-work, and/or back-to-home! It always amazes me how the weather often tells us it is time to return. Before I jump into the main topic – Pedestrian Safety Initiatives – I wanted to touch on what I refer to as “Campaign Season” which starts tomorrow – and it is a season – continuing 9 weeks exactly to Election Day which this year is Tuesday, November 5th. What this means for my newsletters is that they will often include campaign-related information along with the same community information I always provide. For me to continue engaging with, informing and advocating for you, I need to be re-elected! So thank you in advance for your support, your patience, and your input along this campaign journey. But for today, the unofficial last day of summer, let’s talk Pedestrian Safety, Intersection and Traffic Initiatives you are coming home to. This is mainly an update to my 5/20 email – 2nd Ward Pedestrian Safety Improvements Coming to You! and also includes some homework for you at the end. 2ND WARD HUDSON COUNTY ROADS AND INTERSECTIONS The map on the left shows you the various County roads across Hoboken. The one on the right drills down into the 2nd Ward. I met with County officials last week and discussed all of the intersections that are starred. Here is a summary of the outcome of those discussions:14th and Willow
Official release:
A comprehensive ethics reform proposal sponsored by Councilman Mike DeFusco was adopted by the City Council this week, ensuring that taxpayer money and resources will not be misused for personal or political gain. The ordinance, co-sponsored by Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, bars any public official from using the city’s Nixle alert system to promote a political agenda and creates additional oversight to prevent city employees from performing political campaigning activities during working hours.
Official release:
Following weeks of advocating by Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher for better contracts to improve the safety of Hoboken’s nascent e-Scooter pilot program, the City Council voted on amended contracts that will allow Hoboken to collect additional revenue to help address growing public safety concerns. While the terms of the new agreements are a step in the right direction, they fall short in addressing the immediate and tangible safety initiatives that Hoboken needs to properly ensure responsible ridership and safety for its residents.