THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 

by Clement Clarke Moore
or Henry Livingston

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. Read More...

After an hour of private discussion last night in a special city council meeting, a vote to settle the Angel Alicea discrimination case failed 5-2.  Council members Michael Russo and Terry Castellano voted yes while the remaining present members voted no. *

Terms of the proposed settlement were not announced and the City released a short statement saying the litigation will continue in January next month.

Details are vague especially considering discussion on the controversial inconsistent verdict in closed session last night doesn’t allow public insight but this much is known; there will be no payout to Alicea and his attorney Louis Zayas leading into the Christmas holiday. Read More...

A pre-Christmas legal bombshell entered the fray with word another possible legal tendering centered on the Hatch Act and the arrival of Carmelo Garcia replacing his friend Ruben Ramos who is departing the Assembly seat.

Word of a possible second legal challenge when Garcia actually holds the office of Assemblyman has been broached over months but it was thought among many in legal circles to be an effort not worth filing. The news if true can’t be sweet for State Senator Brian Stack who picked Garcia on his machine slate for the position last spring and has reportedly called the selection “a mistake” to vocal Hobokenites who phoned him with their misgivings.

Carmelo Garcia who’s already facing bad news his “Ethnic Cleansing” lawsuit is likely to be thrown out of Hudson County Superior Court may see another legal challenge to his Assembly-elect seat. Merry Karmic Christmas?

The rumored legal challenge comes outside Hoboken based media on the new Hudson County political website –

Hangin’ on the Vine Read More...

Hoboken’s 2013 property revaluation has been completed and letters are going out to property owners. If you’ve received your letter with your new property valuation, you can use this worksheet from Appraisal Systems, Inc to calculate the tax implications of your new property assessment. Enter your current and new assessments in the orange boxes and see what your new tax amount will be in the yellow boxes, assuming there is no change in spending by the city, school, and county. On average, Hoboken property assessments have increased by about 3.5 times the old amount. If your new assessment is 3.5 times greater than your current assessment, your taxes will stay flat. If less than 3.5, your taxes will go down, and if greater than 3.5, your taxes will go up. This ratio is provided in one of the yellow boxes on the worksheet as well. To see how your neighbors and others have fared, find your block or building on this list: http://www.asinj.com/revaluation/docs/neighborhoodmap/283/NBHD%20Descriptions.pdf Use the NBHD number in the left column to find the corresponding assessment list here: http://www.asinj.com/revaluation.asp?p=current&id=283  The Wiley Coyote tending to varmints after the reval.

9:15 am
CBS reported on the scene of one of the arrests in Irvington. Four suspects are in custody and a press conference is minutes from beginning on most of the major TV networks.

Dustin Friedland lived in Hoboken with his wife and was murdered at the scene of a carjacking at the Short Hills Mall. The car was found in Newark the next day.
The names of the four suspects have not been released pending a press conference.
Ted Sherman of the Star Ledger filed this early morning news report:
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2013/12/arrests_made_in_connection_to_fatal_shooting_outside_short_hills_mall.html#incart_m-rpt-1 Read More...

MILE SQUARE VIEW EXCLUSIVE

Although a written opinion will be issued next week, Judge Lawrence Maron held a hearing in Hudson County Superior Court and issued a preliminary finding deeming Carmelo Garcia’s “ethnic cleansing” lawsuit insufficient. The court’s designation means it may be thrown out of court.

The bar for the joint motions to dismiss against Mayor Dawn Zimmer and the former HHA chairman is high based on NJ law but the judge indicated in his questions he was not impressed with Carmelo Garcia’s claim he was “a whistleblower,” stating there was nothing shown in the civil complaint and you have to blow the whistle on “something.” Read More...

City of Hoboken announces the mayor is calling for a Special Meeting of the Council this Monday:

Via Hand Delivery
City Clerk James Farina
94 Washington Street
Hoboken, New Jersey 07030

Dear City Clerk Farina:

Please be advised that as the Mayor of the City of Hoboken, I hereby call a Special Meeting of
the Governing Body for Monday, December 23, 2013 to begin promptly at 7:00 P.M. in the City
Council Chambers, 94 Washington Street, First Floor, Hoboken, New Jersey, for the following
purposes:

1. CALL TO ORDER  Read More...

In what may have been a masterstroke political play, Councilman Michael Russo stunned the City Council and the public when he pivoted on a decisive vote approving a design vendor for Sinatra Drive: Kimley Horn and Associates in a 5-3 vote.

The approval in the end for the 107K design contract pitted Russo on the other side of the Old Guard council where a 4-4 vote would have been sufficient to stop the Administration’s RFP selection.

The Fund for a Better Waterfront sent in five people to speak against the design firm including Executive Director Ron Hine, Jim Vance and Ines Garcia Keim.  Their complaints ranged from questioning the scoring in the RFP process to FBW not being permitted to attend a committee meeting the previous night on the firm selection.  Lots of criticism was made especially by Hine about a design plan that did not exist. Read More...

The final City Council meeting for 2013 ends the year long plus obstruction in the efforts by the Old Guard council underwritten by the Mason family to stop progress and block the ninth and open council seat.

With the elevation of councilman-elect Jim Doyle, more than a year of obstruction fails on January 4th when the will of the people will trump Beth Mason and her allies Michael Russo, Terry Castellano and Timmy Occhipinti.

On the agenda tonight, a year end resolution to transfer funds within accounts. Among more than 500 municipalities in New Jersey, this is done in ten minutes but in Hoboken it’s become a bruising battle in the attempt to force a tax increase. Read More...

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The verdict arrived in the Alicea discrimination lawsuit against the City and it’s a whopper.  The Hudson County jury of six women and two men awarded $440,000 to Alicea who was eventually replaced by the current Public Safety Director Jon Tooke.

The City’s record of winning or settling over 90% of its cases in recent years just took one on the chin.

The verdict was divided into two parts.  In the first part of the decision involving Mayor Dawn Zimmer, the jury said the mayor had not discriminated against Angel Alicea. Read More...