In a secret move unrevealed to the public, Mayor Ravi Bhalla, sitting on a time bomb of a budget deficit since early this year estimated in the ballpark of $20 million, has snuck in a 5% tax increase onto the City Council agenda for tonight’s meeting.


While Hoboken taxpayers won’t be surprised there is a tax increase coming, they will be taken aback there’s an immediate and secret tax increase of 5% being thrust upon them with no notification. So will the City Council which has yet to see any budget from Ravi Bhalla.



Ravi Bhalla has acted similarly in the past with one of the all-time largest developments downtown in NJ Transit. In a similar effort, the public was given no notification last year his administration would put up the massive redevelopment for council approval.


As Yogi Berra would say, “it’s deja vu all over again.”


The announcement of the pending tax increase legislation didn’t come from the mayor’s office but in from Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher. The Ravi Bhalla secret Santa surprise is sure to raise eyebrows.


This would be an interim tax increase allowed under NJ law with an obviously bigger one to follow with introduction of Ravi Bhalla’s budget.


Fisher made the revelation in an email release to the public earlier. In it she writes:

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There’s one principle prize Mayor Ravi Bhalla upholds on local government, “It’s all about me.”

If you want to see where his investment in time and energy is from the second floor of the mayor’s office, this when he’s in the office at all versus his second job chasing HudCo contracts for a Republican law firm fronting him much dough, tomorrow is the show.

Several positions are up for a second reading for budge deficit reduction. Two of the positions are for the “luxury” office of Constituent Services, another is an engineering role. The savings would be into the six figures as Hoboken shows no sign of a budget heading into June. Read More...

The complete program for Hoboken small business with The Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro.
The fund recently passed $100,000 in donations.

From the Facebook page of the Hoboken Fire Victims Memorial Project:

Yesterday, the City of Hoboken officially announced it will host a site in Hoboken for antibody testing.

If you wish to be tested for the CCP COVID-19 coronavirus antibody, Hoboken is hosting two dates later in May and is accepting applicants who are Hoboken residents and pre-register.

While some physicians will suggest it’s not conclusive for protection to future infection, many are positing this as another tool to aid people to return to work and some normalcy.

Hoboken residents can pre-register at the link. The City of Hoboken states additional dates will be announced for June. Read More...

It’s a dog eat dog park world.

While people are struggling to cope with the extended impact of the Chinese Communist Party coronavirus, some towns in Hudson County are moving forward, others at a standstill on park utility.

As the data in New Jersey and elsewhere continues to emphasis the impact of the virus to the elderly and those with underlying illnesses with most, fully 85% or so not severely impacted, how do local officials legitimize closures of simple pleasures for the four-footed friends? Read More...

Although anticipated by insiders with an original release date of June 1, Frank “Pupie” Raia was given an early release from his three month federal prison sentence for directing a fraudulent Vote-by-Mail pay operation in the 2013 Hoboken election today.

The release comes a full week earlier than some insiders expected due in part to the Chinese Communist Party virus.

The Hudson County View covered the story.

Convicted of vote-by-mail fraud in connection to the 2013 municipal elections back in June, Hoboken politico Frank Raia has been released from prison and will serve about three weeks of house arrest following a judge’s ruling earlier today. Read More...

The Hudson County View covered the latest full out blast by Hoboken people and City employees for the layoffs of 26 of its members.

“The mayor has never spoken to any of us … I’ve been coming into work, doing my job, to only turn around to have to be laid off,” said Jennifer Boehm, a former customer service representative in the construction department. Read More...

The City of Hoboken will reopen the following parks this Friday for passive recreation:


Church Square Park
Elysian Park
Southwest Park
Stevens Park
Columbus Park (Hudson County park)
7th and Jackson Park and Plaza
Harborside Park
Maxwell Park
Pier A Park
Shipyard Park
Shoprite Green Plaza
Sinatra Park amphitheater
14th Street Viaduct between Grand and Adams Streets (Hudson County Park).


In other news, the Monarch Towers challenge in the NJ Supreme Court failed and the negotiation to move the development to the site of the Municipal Garage, started prior to the decision continues. 



Tonight the City Council will meet and consider more budget cuts including to three of the mayor’s direct reports, two from the mayor’s newly recreated Constituent Office. A filibuster assault is said to be in the works tonight with call-ins to save those non-essential positions following dozens of layoffs of Hoboken municipal workers taking effect.


The difference between the three versus almost 30 Hoboken people terminated? They are Ravi Bhalla insiders and the municipal workers were not.


This as the Mayor Ravi Bhalla budget deficit, unofficially in the vicinity of $12 million prior to the pandemic is speculated to have hit $20 million.


Something doesn’t add up.


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