Councilman Peter Cunningham as he stated on Sunday brought back the refinancing for the midtown garage with the expectation the hospital sale will close this Friday.
MORTe (Mason, Occhipinti, Russo and Terry Castellano) quickly returned to its obstructionist tactics since collapsing on blocking the last component of the hospital sale Sunday voting again in lockstep against the refinancing. The refinance of the midtown garage is a legal requirement with the new owners Holdco coming in as a =&0=& entity. Previously MORTe would not provide a sixth vote so the City of Hoboken could save $50,000 annually via lower interest rates in a refinance and meet IRS requirements for the taxable portion of the garage’s use. On the ordinance’s first reading MORTe once again voted unanimously no. The ordinance passes on first reading with five affirmative votes. It will require a sixth vote for passage. Previously MORTe did not address the savings to the City and made no financial argument why it was necessary to vote to blow a $4.5 million hole in the City’s budget on a straight forward refinance. The Administration has already gone on record saying they will respond to a hole being blown into the budget by MORTe with City layoffs. MSV in its exclusive premium content noted that a high level source said, =&1=&
Tonight’s City Council is a more low key affair. One question not clear is if the bond refinance for the midtown garage will be brought back tonight. Sunday City Councilman Peter Cunningham stated the ordinance would be brought back as its passage would stop the $4.5 million deficit blow out leading to City layoffs.
Let’s see if MORTe will actually stop putting the lives of residents at stake for its political agenda.
Leading into the meeting it’s unclear if it will be introduced tonight and it’s not on the agenda.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer in a twitter moments ago announced Hoboken University Medical Center’s sale to Holdco delayed a week ago due to the intransigence of MORTe – is set for Friday.
The mayor’s twitter stated:
“Just received word everything in place for sale of Hoboken University Medical Center on Friday.”
The finality of the sale comes with HUMC under pressure with dwindling cash reserves. The creditors committee has also had to sit by and watch their settlement of about a 30% on the dollar decrease with each passing day the sale is not completed.
After the introduction of the so-called hospital side deal the council minority claimed took place with Holdco as presented by Beth Mason Sunday night, Councilman Dave Mello was next to speak.
The Councilman had a few things to say about the behavior exhibited in the council minority’s claim. He added some background on the history of the midtown garage, its donation for all intents and purposes by St. Mary’s for one dollar and added his own little bedtime story to counter earlier veiled accusations by Councilman Mike Russo at a previous meeting.
The hospital’s planned sale anticipated for Tuesday did not complete as hoped today. The complexity of the transaction with so many moving parts makes it difficult to align all the elements to conclusion, this according to a source outside City Hall who is looking to later this week to see the sale concluded.
Last Tuesday night, Councilman Mike Russo found it difficult to believe as he put it, “a multi-million dollar deal” would be delayed due to the lack of an essential parking agreement being in effect. He went back and forth with Corporation Counsel Mark Tabakin who assured him, it would not.
If you think the question above is a loaded question, watch the less than five minute video at your leisure.
Hoboken has been subjected to Councilwoman Beth Mason’s politrickin for some years now and her campaigns are legendary for pumping out volumes of misinformation and misdirection into the community.
But that’s politics.
This however is different. Her year long pursuit to undermine the sale of Hoboken University Medical Center, engaging with any and all parties who would play along came within an eyelash of destroying hundreds and hundreds of lives, forcing the hospital’s closure, putting Hoboken on the brink of bankruptcy where massive layoffs including police and fire would be inevitable.
One prominent member of the Reform movement in a conversation earlier this evening remarked, “It feels like we won an election.”
“It certainly feels like an election except this time there’s no joy with a win or sadness in defeat. It’s more like relief,” Da Horsey replied. Which leads to some initial reflections on last night…| An overflowing packed Council Chambers saw a strong turnout of Hoboken and Reform with many new face and new voices. Mayor Dawn Zimmer did what many though impossible in leading Hoboken University Medical Center back from what looked like certain closure. The audience would burst into spontaneous sustained applause when her leadership was mentioned by HMHA Chairwoman Toni Tomarazzo. |
Before the City Council meeting, a hasty sidebar strategy session was shared by Council members Beth Mason and Mike Russo. Apparently, the collapse of the opposition did not permit them sufficient time to fully prepare a plausible narrative to feed the public.
| The political stunt of releasing a “council minority agreement” with new HUMC owners Holdco went out right before the City Council meeting. It was posted on two local news sites without any scrutiny. Got journalism? Let’s see it then. If your print such, you are required now to explain it. |
Here Beth Mason is embracing Mike Russo to share some tidbit of strategy for their political theater soon to follow. The audience was having none of it and was at times downright hostile pricking their narrative almost from the very start.
Here’s a segmented video showing comments by HMHA Chairwoman Toni Tomarazzo and Mayor Dawn Zimmer along with the council vote. A spontaneous moment is captured when the audience burst in applause to thank the mayor for her efforts.
The following video was made by Hoboken resident Greg Bond who attended the City Council meeting last night. The video begins outside City Hall when hospital employees are greeted with applause by the public, many of whom were part of Hoboken’s reform movement.
The startling collapse of the opposition to making immediate the parking agreement allowing the hospital to move its sale to completion will be remembered for what Council President Ravi Bhalla aptly called an “11th hour political stunt.”
Councilwoman Beth Mason attempted to hijack the meeting at the beginning to announce a non-binding “deal” with Holdco but was stopped by the Council President. The public’s response was overwhelmingly negative to its messengers Beth Mason and Mike Russo.| Face saving attempt: Councilwoman Beth Mason tried repeatedly to have read a “deal” she said was made with the new owners of the hospital but could not hijack the meeting and do so. She would make attempts to have it read by Assemblywoman Joan Quigley and Freeholder Anthony Romano. Those attempts also failed. |
The Hoboken City Council Minority, composed of Council Members Theresa Castellano, Beth Mason, Michael Russo, and Tim Occhipinti, and HUMC Holdco, the proposed buyer of the Hoboken hospital, have reached an agreement to enact HUMC Holdco’s parking access agreement immediately in exchange for a written agreement to keep the