There’s a lot of problems with garbage and Hoboken has one big headache on its hands looking to identify at a minimum a temporary solution to relocate the existing municipal garage. Another in a line of inherited failures of the Mayor Roberts administration, the cost to the city is about $100,000 a month to lease the existing property it once owned. An opportunity to rebuild on that space and add a floor or two was also missed when those serving on a local board to evaluate options nixed that idea previously as well.
Next sanitation stop: an outpouring of mostly third ward residents concerned about the Pino towing yard being selected creating a rush of speakers to the City Council podium as an RFP is still out on multiple locations. Is the Pino space at the top of the list? Councilman Russo seems to think so and marshaled a mighty effort as he “met with residents” according to Patch.com’s report to stave off any potential naming of that location. Ironically the owner of that tow firm at the current location also testified against Mike Russo’s father Anthony who served as mayor of Hoboken before Dave Roberts. As a partial result of that testimony, Mayor Russo later served jail time for his corrupt activities. (The last thing Councilman Russo wants is to see that same owner get a nickel or a hefty lease from the city.)
In the scheme of things, pardon the pun, Councilman Russo has a real winner on his hands. If the city chooses a site among its candidates other than this location on Jackson, the owner of Pino’s doesn’t get an inflated payday leasing the property to the city and he can pound his chest and declare how he saved the 3rd ward from the fate of sanitation trucks regularly driving by. If the city does circle back and make the case there is no better location, he surrounds himself with all the real estate people, the new three week residents among others and declares himself the self-anointed Savior of the 3rd Ward.
