Nathan Brinkman: Transparency for Hoboken
Laying out a detailed plan of transparency for government not seen before in Hoboken, Nathan Brinkman, a candidate for mayor in the November 3rd special election spoke before family and assembled media on his vision for the city at the Wild Ginger restaurant on Washington Street this afternoon.
Focusing on what transparency in Hoboken should mean, Brinkman pointed at out of control government spending as the chief culprit along with a four point plan:
- Full transparency for all city government financial transactions, via online databases allowing access to a line-by-line version of the city budget;
- A comprehensive database of all city contracts, listing the vendor, the services provided, the terms of the contract, the length of the contract, and the cost of the contract;
- A list of all city employees, by name, job title/description, and compensation package, including health and pension benefits;
- And posting of all proposed legislation for at least 72 hours before the city council votes on it.
Additionally, in the Q&A portion, when asked about what he wished to convey on the current standoff on Hoboken’s overdue budget under the control of Judy Tripodi, the state fiscal monitor and the current negotiations with the police and fire unions, Brinkman stated, “Put the needs, rights and interests of Hoboken taxpayers first,” adding “We have strayed from that path… and we need to reverse that mentality.”
Brinkman also included a challenge to all other candidates for mayor to put forward their income taxes since 2005. At the end of the press conference, his campaign provided his federal returns for each year going back to 2005.
Nathan Brinkman lives in Hoboken with his wife Ting and has a baby son Vincent of two weeks.
The video of the speech is posted at the top right of the page. If you wish to read the press release and the remarks, the Hoboken Journal has posted it.