Councilwoman Beth Mason smells blood in the water and she’s onto the scent of her victim.  Okay it’s a pick’em as in her sights are both the hospital and the mayor.  From this latest crafted release of distortions, the half-truth, and and the absolute fabrication, the most difficult decision is to decide which of the two she seeks to destroy more.

MSV doesn’t do polls but with the constant stream of misinformation being pumped out by Beth Mason, citywide mind you, we may need you the reader to help us decide!

Here the propaganda is steeped with soft language out of the gate in order to move you along to her list of demands.  In Beth Mason’s mind, this isn’t a deal being crafted to a finish with a hovering deadlines of depleting funds to save the hospital; this is a game where you up the ante and demand x, y and z after you’ve moved the goalposts a few times.

One interesting claim is that the mayor “will likely ask the taxpayers to finance” bills to the creditors.  Why is that “likely?”  Did you not have time in your whole day yesterday to make a direct inquiry between massages and the nail salon?

Okay, without further adieu, here is Episode IX, Beth Mason’s list of ransom demands on the Hoboken University Medical Center sale.  No, they don’t have to make sense or meet any legal standard.  Remember, these are hostage demands and not just any but Beth Mason hostage demands.

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MSV will be back with some of the required corrections other local media won’t do.  They have this non-journalistic rule or something beyond getting at the truth.  I think the golden rule is “he said, she said” and the truth doesn’t get probed.

We’ll make an exception for one intrepid reporter who is continuously moving the bar forward by going deeper but we don’t want to embarrass Ray with that inglorious (from us) attention.

UPDATE: 9:55 am – A reliable source (not connected to the City) with knowledge on the hospital’s pending sale efforts stated Beth Mason’s characterization of the court hearing is inaccurate.  The Federal hearing in bankruptcy court originally scheduled for Wednesday was only pushed back one day to THURSDAY in order to allow both sides to continue work on reaching a settlement.

That sounds like progress.

Spread the word!

UPDATE 11:30 – A story now appearing on NJ.com states the negotiations are in full throttle with the closure of the hospital very much at stake.  The creditors owed $34 million are seeking an additional $10-12 million to the $5 million currently offered.

While City Hall is apparently looking to bond for part of this money to save the hospital and settle objections by creditors, Beth Mason is saying she will consider voting for a bond only if her demands are met.

The story suggests she insists on a deed restriction even though the condition of bidders to keep the hospital open for seven years as an acute care facility has already been contractually met!  Councilman Ravi Bhalla earlier called that demand “a poison pill” that would scuttle the financing for the deal AND CAUSE THE HOSPITAL TO CLOSE.

This is getting ugly.  Holdco needs to kick in some money and probably will but once again, it’s the Hoboken taxpayers being asked to provide a bond for some of the costs to get the deal across the finish line.  The City earlier came to an agreement with the hospital surrendering millions owed as part of a direct settlement agreement in the hope to advance the sale.

A bond ordinance to provide any monies toward a final deal keeping the hospital open needs six votes.  The mayor’s allies on the City Council are probably going to be reasonable on a bonding figure toward saving the hospital, leaving one vote necessary for any bonding toward finalizing the hospital sale.

Tim Occhipinti will do as he’s told based on Mason’s marching orders since he’s been bought and paid long ago, but what will Council members Terry Castellano and Michael Russo do if a final figure is placed before them to save the hospital once and for all?

Will they go along with Beth Mason’s poison pill?

Related: The Hudson Reporter has its story up stating the City is being asked to kick in approximately $9 million to satisfy a settlement with the creditors.  The story also says three creditors have gone ahead and filed an objection to the existing settlement terms.

UPDATE 12: 45 MSV is not sure if there is no settlement agreement by Thursday, what the bankruptcy judge will determine and if he will make a conclusive ruling that day.  A determination on the bankruptcy’s creditors needs to be resolved before any sale of the hospital can be completed.

UPDATE 1:40 At least one reliable source (again not connected to City Hall) feels things are moving in the right direction on working toward a settlement.  There should be more news coming out today, not necessarily in regards to that issue.