During the long closed session at City Council’s meeting last week, Michele Russo mother of 3rd ward Councilman Mike Russo remarked outside City Hall on her recent attempts to gain a taxpayer paid job saying,  “I didn’t get that job,” referring to a BoE position in Union City.

With a long closed session, a group of people sat at the top of the stairs and Michele Russo held court.  Directing her remarks to the group of around a dozen people, Russo noted “blogs” saying she was getting a Hudson County job but neither the Union City BoE position nor an earlier managerial housekeeping position had come through.

Of that search, Michele Russo said aloud to Claire Moses of Hoboken Patch, “When I get a job, you’ll be the first to know.”

Michele Russo was reported in a 2006 Hudson Reporter story for shaking down Pino’s Towing when she held another public position in Hoboken running the local parking utility. The owner of Pino’s was reportedly wired for sound on behalf of the FBI and the arrangement Michele Russo sought was a kickback: $5 per tow.  According to the report, she reportedly obtained $25,000 per year for the city towing contract.

The Russo clan has made a big fight of the local towing contract. The City has made an effort to expand the town towing capability since a record setting blizzard last December.

The Feds never filed charges against Michele Russo and it’s believed a deal was struck where Russo’s husband, the ex-felon and ex-mayor Anthony Russo would go to prison for extortion and mail fraud in exchange for no charges being filed against his wife.

Michele Russo looks at the agenda during the City Council meeting last week.  No taxpayer paid job there either.  The family grifting faces a door locked shut at City Hall but that didn’t stop Councilman Michael Russo from projection charging the mayor for impeding on the family business.  Ironically, he called the mayor a grifter during the discussion of a bond ordinance for the hospital.

The Hudson Reporter published the letter below from a concerned Union City resident on the matter this past weekend.

Dear Editor:

Recently your newspaper published a column whereby there was speculation that a resident of Hoboken might be offered a position with the Union City Board of Education.

The allegation was that this individual is related to a public official in her community and that this could result in a partisan gain for the current mayor of Union City.

What many of us residents in Union City don’t understand is that with a high unemployment rate in Union City couldn’t a position be offered to a resident of our community?

You would think that the current members of the Union City Board of Education would try an improve the sleazy reputation that they possess.

They claim for example that they never determined which employee downloaded pornographic movies at taxpayer expense in their central offices.

Unlike other Board of Educations throughout our great nation they refused to set aside a spot on our local Board to be reserved for a member of our disabled community.

Many of us long term residents remember the outstanding services of Jose Fuentes despite a childhood affliction of Polio, was always an excellent advocate for the youth of our community without picking the pockets of us Union City taxpayers. I believe today Mr. Fuentes is now serving as a superior court judge in Jersey City.

Not bad at all! What a great positive role model for all our residents in Union City and elsewhere!

Tom Regan