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Horsey’s Timely News Posts

News

Grist for the Mill: $20 million surplus on a $100 million budget?

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading
MILE SQUARE VIEW EXCLUSIVE

Not a day after MSV’s expose on Hoboken411’s attempt to smear the City Council President Carol Marsh, tying her to a former sixth ward city council candidate’s arrest, questions are now circling around his questionable claim yesterday of a $20 million dollar City surplus.

Following the City Council’s unanimous 8-0 vote agreeing to a shared services agreement with the City of Weehawken, a new line of attack against the mayor’s administration emerged after the months long attempts to sabotage the City’s efforts relocating the Municipal Garage went down in flames. Read More...

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It’s Sinatra Idol tonight rain or shine

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading

City of Hoboken announces:

=&0=& Mayor Dawn Zimmer & the City of Hoboken present=&1=&performing Tonight, Aug. 12th at Frank Sinatra Park Sinatra Drive bet. 4th & 5th Streets (if it rains, the performance will take place inside the Crepe Grill Cafe which is in Sinatra Park)

Peter Cafasso(Winner from 2007) and
Eric DeLauro (Winner from 2008)
http://EricDeLauro.com
http://SinatraHomage.com

If you enjoy Sinatra’s music, you are in for a real treat.
They will take turns performing solo as well as a few duets.The event is co-sponsored by Muller Insurance
for more info call 201-420-2077
within walking distance of PATH, NY Waterway Ferries,
Hudson Bergen LightRail, NJ Transit trains & buses

Get the latest Hoboken news:
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City to Developer on Municipal Garage – See ya!

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading

City of Hoboken announces:

CITY COUNCIL TERMINATES AGREEMENT TO SELL GARAGE TO PROTECT FINANCIAL INTERESTS OF HOBOKEN

Last night, the City Council voted 5-3 to terminate an agreement with SHG Hoboken Urban Renewal Associates, LLC, (SHG), an affiliate of the S. Hekemian Group, to sell the municipal garage property after carefully deliberating the issue in closed session for nearly 4 hours. The decision was made necessary by a series of deliberate and threatened actions by Hekemian which began immediately after their demand to significantly reduce the effective purchase price was rejected by the City in June. Their actions clearly demonstrated that the developer had no intention of closing despite their public statements to the contrary. Read More...

News

Hoboken411 – another smear kaput

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading




=&0=&

If a Hoboken resident wanted to have a fun website pointing out the vapid stupidity of the uptown smear merchant at Hoboken411, they’d never be short of material. As it stands, Da Horsey will on occasion point out the most glaring examples of misinformation pouring forth from that site on a regular basis. (We’d say daily but we hardly go there but every month or so.)

Several readers contacted us on a former Hoboken City Council candidate getting into trouble with the law and one submitted this nugget, the latest saga in how the voices in your head combined with your not too smart minion can get you into trouble: Read More...

News

City tells Municipal Garage buyer – ‘Yer Out!’

by SmartyJones4 Min Reading
Last night’s emergency meeting was a drawn out affair with much of the work going on in closed session with legal parameters surrounding the Muncipal Garage’s closing that wasn’t going to happen Friday.  After close to three hours the doors opened with Corporation Counsel detailing little other than laying the groundwork for a brief discussion and vote by the Council on declaring the developer, SHG in breach of the agreement and terminating the relationship in a 5-3 vote. It was clear most Council members felt handcuffed in the discussion before voting on the legal maneuver.  If that wasn’t going to make it more difficult for the public to understand the question of declaring the developer in breach, much of the comments weren’t going to be of much help either.   A faction of the Council of No typically Council members Theresa Castellano, Beth Mason and Mike Russo didn’t take shape in its original form, but Nino Giachhi did a fine rendition replacing the absent Terry Castellano. Here’s how the kabuki theater shaped up.  On one side concerns about legal strategy but a clear position accepting that earlier actions by SHG constituted interference and an outright breach on the agreement leading into any August 13th sale.  On the other side, an opportunist political card to pretend the developer would actually show up with a $25 million dollar check on a deal they were begging out of earlier this year asking for all kinds of fundamental changes including tax breaks that was rejected out of hand by Mayor Zimmer and then separately by the City Council as the redevelopment agency.   So if you thought the loyal opposition was going to act more responsibly after the notorious grandstanding and misinformation earlier on the Muncipal Garage you’d be once again mistaken.  The worst of it however came from Councilman Nino Giachhi who threw in against not only his 6th ward constituents but Hoboken overall.   
Nino Giacchi buying what the developer isn’t paying – lock, stock and barrel

Councilman Giacchi bemoaned the loss of the developer’s $25 million offer, something no one believes would happen.  For this phony stagemanship he was taken to the woodshed and called on the carpet by his colleague Councilman Ravi Bhalla, albeit in a direct professional challenge.  As both are lawyers, maybe it was the shock of seeing a bright, intelligent counterpart take the absolute worst public position possible.  

The question we have for Nino Giacchi: is he representing SHG or just taking the low road after a long day and joining in with Councilman Michael Russo?  At least the latter is forgiveable but only until election time which for Nino will come next spring.
MSV’s exclusive story below the end of June shows the heart of the matter here and foreshadowed the City’s eventual position.  The relationship with SHG was deteriorating and the closing itself being sabotaged for a while and from a legal perspective, that letter forms the basis of what constittutes the City’s position in the inevitable battle – a battle that will most likely end up being about the developer’s initial $2.55 million deposit.  Expect lots of drama and wild claims in legal soundbites designed to scare the public.  
In the end, it’s probably more about the battle over the deposit than anything else.  SHG will probably attempt to say their actions leading into the closing date did not constitute bad faith but they’ll need to convince a judge.  It’s merely a legal position.  They weren’t coughing up $25 million on a property now worth about $10 million less.

The City in the end regains ownership over the Municipal Garage and is now in the driver’s seat.
Talking Ed Note: Councilman Giacchi isn’t just a lawyer.  He’s bright and insightful and has the intelligence to act on any side of an issue with any number of reasonable arguments.  His inability last night to do so and take the absolute worst one, feigning belief $25 million was available from the developer this Friday was tantamount to betraying Hoboken.   
It was beyond disappointing.

Read More...

News

City Council Meeting Live on the Hoboken Journal

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading

It’s round two of the full agenda and tonight’s meeting is being covered at the Hoboken Journal again.  Stop by say hello to the Jolly Green Giant and the rest of the gang and stick around for a few laughs.

They’ll be a few supplied.

Please tune in at 7:00 for the live coverage at: http://thehobokenjournal.blogspot.com/

Tonight’s special City Council meeting tonight announced by the mayor’s office yesterday will be covered live by the Hoboken Journal with all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Green Giant.
News

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley: NJ law changes on absentees

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley posted a comment on our feature piece earlier today regarding the abuse of absentee ballots in Hoboken elections. Her comments are highlighted here due to the importance of her position and the legal remedies passed and underway.

Because there were problems with “absentee ballots” all over New Jersey for many years, I sponsored and the Governor signed a law last year revising the rules for persons who vote by mail. Those new rules limit “authorized messengers” (i.e. campaign workers and others) from handling more than ten ballots per election. In Passaic County this year someone already found a loophole in the new law so it will be amended to more precisely say that no one at all can handle more than 10 ballots per election, no matter if they are campaign workers, social workers, family members, etc. Ten is the limit! 


Assemblywoman Joan Quigley

Read More...

News

MSV Exclusive: Cammarano’s gone but voter fraud in Hoboken isn’t

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading
Give me the $$$, and be treated as a friend

It’s over or actually he’s over and with it the year long saga of the rise and fall of one self-absorbed NJ HudCo politician, Peter Cammarano.  The sentencing this week was anti-climatic in most respects, the federal prosecutor having already submitted his recommendation of 24-30 months for Cammarano’s extortion plea within federal guidelines.  At the sentencing, Andrew Tavani reporting for the Hudson Reporter noted the government’s appreciation for Cammarano going above and beyond in his cooperation. Read More...

News

Board of Ed August Meeting – Tuesday @ 7:00

by SmartyJones1 Min Reading

Hoboken’s Board of Education is holding a meeting in the lower basement level of 1115 Clinton St.


PUBLIC NOTICE
HOBOKEN BOARD OF EDUCATION
STATED SESSION
August 10, 2010

DATE: Tuesday, August 10, 2010
TIME: 7:00 p.m. Stated Session
LOCATION: Board Meeting Room
1115 Clinton Street
Hoboken, New Jersey 07030

Agenda

1. Board President Report and Board Committee Reports.
2. Approval of minutes.
3. Report of Interim Superintendent.
a. Personnel: postings, resignations, re-appointments, appointments, program
staffing, transfers, full and part time staff, training, stipends, substitutes.
b. Curriculum and Instruction: Curriculum and instruction matters; field trips
4. Business Administrator: financial reports and actions; payment of bills and payroll; food service program; facility matters; grants; student placements and services; workshops.

Any matters relating to the above items that may come before the Board. Please be advised that the Board may be required to go into closed executive session during this meeting to discuss litigation, negotiations and personnel items. Action may be taken on all agenda items.

Published by order of the Board of Education of the School District of the City of Hoboken

Robert H. Davis
Board Secretary Read More...