InsiderNJ reported a response to the latest veto by Mayor Ravi Bhalla on a referendum to allow the public to decide on bringing back runoffs.

DeFusco Blasts Mayor Bhalla’s Veto of Runoff Referendum Ordinance

DeFusco Blasts Mayor Bhalla’s Veto of Runoff Referendum Ordinance  Hoboken, NJ – For the second time in recent months, Hoboken’s Mayor has vetoed an ordinance passed in a 7-2 vote by the City Council to allow residents to decide whether or not to re-institute runoff elections. Councilman Mike DeFusco is issuing the following statement reacting to Mayor Bhalla’s veto:

“It is disappointing to see Mayor Bhalla not just deny Hoboken residents the opportunity to have their voices heard in a public referendum on our voting rights, but to also see him spread misinformation and half-truths while doing so. The ordinance he vetoed was passed overwhelmingly by the City Council and it would simply allow our community to collectively decide whether or not to re-institute runoff elections. This issue should be decided by the people, not by entrenched, establishment politicians like Mayor Bhalla who benefit from a flawed current system. The Mayor cites reduced voter turnout in a recent Jersey City runoff, but he fails to mention that the last time Hoboken held a runoff election for Mayor in 2009 turnout actually increased from the initial election. Meanwhile, he suggests that he supports an instant runoff system that, while certainly worth exploring, is currently not allowable by state law. All of this is meant to distract from the fact that Mayor Bhalla is concerned that re-instituting runoff elections would hurt his chances of re-election as he has not demonstrated the ability to secure majority support or to work collaboratively with his fellow elected officials. This is a deeply cynical ploy that puts politics over our city’s values of transparency and openness, and I will be working with my Council colleagues to determine what steps can be taken to ensure that Hoboken residents’ voices are ultimately heard on this important issue.” Read More...

In an official release, Mayor Ravi Bhalla vetoed the City Council legislation for a public referendum this November to consider bringing back runoff elections.

Last November, then a councilman and candidate for mayor, Ravi Bhalla was elected mayor with less than 33% of the vote.

A City Council rebuke to the veto can be expected as an earlier veto by the lame duck former mayor Dawn Zimmer. This would mean the Hoboken electorate will decide for themselves if they wish to bring back runoff elections by going to the polls this November. Read More...

Official release:

Dear friends and neighbors –  If you have not yet done so, please fill out the survey posted and circulated by Mayor Bhalla concerning the former Union Dry Dock site.  You can find it HERE.  Survey closes tomorrow (Friday) at 5pm. There are three questions, but really there are just two.  Do you want to see industrial uses on the waterfront at that location?  Or not.  

I have spoken with Mayor Bhalla who continues to work hard to defend completing our waterfront park, an effort that started with many of you decades ago with the Waterfront Referendum.  He has met with many of the major stakeholders (and here I mean in addition to and those other than Hoboken residents) and he wants to hear from you so he knows he is representing the best interests of our community.  For those unaware what the Hoboken Waterfront Referendum was, click on this link for a NY times article about it or google it – you will be amazed, and hopefully inspired by the efforts of so many of our neighbors.  And understand that this is not the first battle, but one of what will hopefully be the last. Read More...

Hoboken’s former Mayor Dawn Zimmer has exited stage left. She announced her shocking plan last June to opt out of seeking a third term to tackle global warming climate change, a central prog religious tenet of hers.

However, no plans announced to take up residence in China and India and face down the biggest producers of energy by-products have followed. She’s merely “gone away” not much unlike her once formidable rival in the fourth ward Chris Campos.

Rumors for months among people privy to the small insider network around her say she’s leaving Hoboken. So far, no one is committing to say where. Her college age boys are more independent and the family business was sold after the passing of her mother-in-law leaving no significant ties to remain in the Mile Square City. Read More...

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Chris Campos, a former Hoboken City Councilman who was sentenced last month to 30 months in federal prison for a livery car loan scheme running into the millions of dollars is now a resident of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

It’s a federal prison, the same facility where Hoboken’s former mayor and convicted felon Peter Cammarano spent time for his role in taking $25,000 in bribes agreeing to zoning considerations for a federal informant.

Chris Campos in better days at the Hoboken Elks in 2013 for a Hoboken mayoral forum.

=&1=&: The December announcement from the Southern District of New York US Attorneys Office: https://hobokenhorse.com/2017/12/former-councilman-chris-campos.html

photo courtesy Jhnny “to the butter” Newman Read More...

The United States government is officially shut down and unfunded after the Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer refused to allow a funding bill from the House to pass late last night. Under Senate rules, 60 votes are required to close debate before a final vote. Have you noticed how this simple fact is being miscast by so many? This is fascinating on so many levels as American citizens are literally turned into second class citizens in their own country by their own government “representatives” who put 800,000 illegal immigrants above more than 300 million citizens, their families, US military members and of course all American children. Why do I not think that’s going to sell well with the American people?  =&0=&: So how is it going? Well here’s one online Democrat poll tabulating almost 44,000 votes:

Who are you angrier with for this government shutdown? #TrumpShutdown

— Aleem (@MisterAleem) January 20, 2018

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From a midnight story released by the Washington Examiner:

Republican lawmakers are calling for the public release of a memo they say contains revelations about U.S. government surveillance abuses after the report was made available to all members of the House. The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday approved, by a party-line vote, to make the four-page memo available to all members of the lower chamber. Reports have suggested the memo could contain answers to the question of whether the FBI and Justice Department used the infamous “Trump dossier” to abuse the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. As of late last night and early this morning calls to see the classified House intel memo made public are trending on twitter with the hashtag: =&11=&. Other sources suggest the memo is a revelation on massive Constitutional violations threatening the very integrity and underlying principles of the United States. Last March, President Trump issued a tweet widely mocked by the MSM where he made reference to being ‘wiretapped.’ He was roundly attacked for lacking “evidence” by the MSM who’ve spent over a year promoting the #RussiaCollusionHoax with no evidence whatsoever of President Trump or his campaign’s collusion.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Yesterday, dozens of Republican Congressman have along with their Democrat colleagues reviewed the classified four page memo in a secure facility. Many are publicly aghast at the contents and while not speaking to the details deem it shocking and call for its release.

Read the CLASSIFIED @HouseIntelComm memo on repeated FISA warrant abuses. The truth may not set the guilty free but it needs to come out. Release the #FISAMemo: https://t.co/7fkXI1pl0y

— Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) January 19, 2018

Related: MSV predicted #TheStorm, a wave of American justice arriving in what will be seen as the most scandalous efforts to undermine the US Constitution only last Saturday. This is only the beginning; this is only the beginning folks. Read More...

The following story comes courtesy of the Hudson County View:

One day after Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla introduced a Public Safety Task Force to hinder unruly bar crawls such as SantaCon and LepreCon, multiple bar owners showed up at last night’s council meeting to express their frustrations over the pending changes. 

 For the complete story, please see the Hudson County View:
http://hudsoncountyview.com/some-hoboken-bar-owners-angry-over-new-task-force-likely-regulation-changes/

When word of the stunning appointment of the notorious Beth Mason to one of seven seats on the Hoboken Housing Authority board came, most reports focused only on the end of term outgoing governor.

Later MSV learned, State Senator Steve Sweeney was the impetus but he’s not the representative of Hoboken, Brian Stack is.

The appointment reportedly had to be cleared through the sitting senator and mayor of Union City. The typical approval for a gubernatorial appointment then rests with the mayor of the operating municipality. Read More...

Official release:

=&0=& Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla is announcing the formation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Public Safety to address violence and quality of life issues resulting from intoxicated bar patrons. The task force includes Police Chief Ferrante, Provisional Fire Chief Crimmins, Police Capt. Pasculli, Police Sgt. Kucz, Police Sgt. Montanez, Health Officer Frank Sasso, Battalion Fire Chief Buoncuore, Fire Captain DiVincent, Business Administrator Marks, Corporation Counsel Aloia, and Environmental Services Director Pellegrini.  “We can no longer ignore the fact that a small number of establishments are creating a big problem for everyone else in the form of violence, property damage, and financial cost,” said Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla. “When a person comes from out of town and spits in the face of our officers, as has happened numerous times, that is unacceptable. When an officer is assaulted by an inebriated patron and receives a concussion, as happened to Officer Lombardi on Christmas Eve, I will not allow the status quo to continue.” ·         In 2017, there were 277 ABC violations by liquor license holders. ·         Of 133 liquor license holders, more than half received zero Tavern sheets in 2017 and more than ¾ received two or fewer Tavern sheets. ·         Half of all violations in 2017 were issued to just 11 establishments (8% of license holders). ·         Since August 2017, 15 police officers have been attacked, the majority occurring late at night by intoxicated patrons. ·         On SantaCon, 17 bars received Tavern sheets, while the remaining 87% of establishments were not issued violations. “The Mayor’s creation of this task force is not about hurting the bar and restaurant industry in town,” said Police Chief Ken Ferrante. “This task force is going to take a deep look into incidents, events, and problem bars that are contributing to a decay of our city’s quality of life, causing injuries to our residents, visitors, and police officers, and hurting most of the businesses in town, including a majority of our bars and restaurants. The disruption that SantaCon brought to this great city, its residents, and business owners the week before Christmas and during Hanukkah, just so 10 to 15 percent of our bars can profit, is unacceptable!” “I fully support this task force as a means to develop policies that protect public safety,” said Provisional Fire Chief Brian Crimmins. “I look forward to working with Mayor Bhalla, Chief Ferrante, and community leaders to achieve this goal.” Police Officer and past president of the Hoboken PBA Vincent Lombardi, who suffered a concussion from an assault by an inebriated patron on Christmas Eve, supported the Task Force’s efforts, stating, “The escalation of disorderly and violent behavior by inebriated bar patrons against police officers, of which I am a recent victim, has spawned into a quality of life crisis. I welcome and fully support Mayor Bhalla’s decision in addressing this ugly trend for the sake of officer safety and serenity within our city.” The first step in the Task Force’s efforts, based on the recommendation of the Hoboken Fire Department, is to increase the fines levied for overcrowding and other imminent hazards during all high-volume events to the maximum amount permitted by the Uniform Fire Code Statutes and Regulations. Fines for non-compliance will increase to $2,500 for a first offense and $5,000 for subsequent offenses. Additional steps will be taken by the Task Force in the coming weeks. “At Little City Books we are grateful to Mayor Bhalla for addressing this issue,” said co-owner Kate Jacobs. “On the corner of 1^st and Bloomfield, we are surrounded by bars that are generally very good neighbors, keeping our surrounding blocks lively. The ‘Cons,’ however, are severely damaging to the success of our business —  especially SantaCon which occurs on a Saturday before Christmas, a critical day for a low-profit margin business like a bookstore, which should be our most profitable day of the year. On the ‘Con’ days, our staff is harassed and intimidated by drunk people and we have always had to close early, with business down by about 40 percent. Our store is a destination for families with children, and no one brings children into that neighborhood when it is so out of control and vile from morning until night. Curbing the excesses of the ‘Cons’ would be a great thing for our business, for the residents of Hoboken, and for the reputation of the town.”