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Tomorrow’s City Council meeting should see the successful second reading and passage altering appointment powers to the Rent Leveling Board.

The City Council is expected to easily pass and finalize the ordinance dividing the appointment powers of the seven-member body: four for the mayor and three for the council. Two alternates would be also be appointed by the council under the ordinance.

The council may be looking to see the ordinance take effect immediately, waiving the 20-day waiting period. But there should be no rush to do so. Why? Read More...

Official release:

=&0=& Based on a legal analysis provided by Corporation Counsel which notes that the City Council’s proposed actions related to the Rent Leveling and Stabilization Board violate New Jersey State Statutes, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla is asking that the Council reconsider their intention to transfer appointment authority  of three full rent board members and two alternates from the Mayor to the City Council. Mayor Bhalla is also renewing his prior request for the Council’s advice and consent of Warren Hall and Heath Urban as full members of the Rent Control Board. “State law is very clear about how appointments should be made to boards.  Any decisions made by board members who are improperly appointed calls into question the validity of determinations made by the Rent Board,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “I hope that the Council will reconsider their actions and provide their advice and consent regarding the nominations of Mr. Hall and Mr. Urban, two highly qualified appointees who I know would serve our community well.”  Per Mayor Bhalla’s memo (see attached) to the City Council, “On March 5, 2018, the Law Department submitted a legal memorandum advising you that the City Council does not have the legal authority to unilaterally appoint members to the Rent Control Board…This appointment authority rests with the Mayor, upon the advice and consent of the City Council, as explained in the Law Department’s memorandum. Despite the March 5^th legal memorandum, this Ordinance is still on the March 15, 2018 City Council Agenda, along with a series of resolutions wherein the City Council appears to be illegally attempting to appoint Rent Control Board members. These items should be removed from the City Council agenda, as you have been advised that you do not have the legal authority to take such actions.”=&1=&: Mayor Ravi Bhalla has a problem. In attempting to inflict political retaliation jettisoning members of the Rent Leveling Board; he created an instant backlash of people who actually care about the work of the body not politics nor motives with political retaliation. =&2=&

MSV will release a feature later today. In the interim, for those who wish to understand how and why the shocking turn of events with North Korea have come about, see the link below.

In a historic announcement late yesterday, the foreign minister of South Korea announced North Korea wishes to have a meeting with President Trump “as soon as possible” on its denuclearization. In the interim, North Korea vows there will be no more missile or nuclear tests.

President Trump voiced his intention to meet on the North Korean denuclearization in May. The short primer on the how and why on North Korea: =&0=&

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A Millennial alcohol-fueled party on Washington St. ended Saturday afternoon when Hoboken police officers arrived and issued a disorderly house summons breaking up the gathering.

Online threats later by alleged tenants and their friends say the action may lead to legal action taken against the City.

Or will it?

The house party in full swing by the second-floor tenants of 508 Washington St. on Saturday afternoon saw four Hoboken Police officers make a visit eventually ending the booze-fest.

MSV in this exclusive report has pieced together many of the facts leading to the party’s being issued a summons for disorderly house.

Magee Hickey of WPIX 11 filed this report and spoke to two of the four tenants who saw their house party shut down. One woman tenant said she didn’t “understand” why there was any problem as each of the four roommates had invited “8 or 9 friends to their party.”

Another tenant admitted in the interview they “created some sort of nuisance I guess.” Read More...

Mayor Ravi Bhalla is seeing more questions on his new employment contract. Even though he’d rather talk about a pothole with the photo op cameras and video recorder going, he’s the “Talk on the Hudson.”

The “talk” is a radio show hosted by Fernando Uribe who wandered into the issue. He had some difficulty raising the question but finally, some discussion about the secret law firm employment contract spilled out.

The deal began a month after Ravi Bhalla took office as Hoboken mayor and broke a promise to end his legal work at Florio Perrucci and focus on Hoboken full time. Since the details came out about a week ago, more questions and attention are being raised by Hoboken residents, the City Council and wary legal beagles who see an inherent problem with Bhalla returning to a legal sales role while inhabiting the upstairs at Hoboken City Hall. Read More...

Official release:

=&0=& Disbelief.  My initial response when I learned that our new mayor had a 2nd job with a politically connected law firm – again.  Just five days before Election Day he said “if … elected Mayor, I will be working full-time….. severing my employment…” Was he really breaking his election promise this soon?  Especially given his prior employment with a similar firm was such a significant election issue – whether he would resign from his job and be a full-time, conflict-free mayor that ALL Hoboken voters expected and required?   More questions… Did he say why he took the role?  Did he formally announce or send a nixle alert?  Did he disclose the details of the job?  What type of “Of Counsel” was this?  What kind of commitment would he be making to this 2nd job? How would he be financially incentivized?  And rehashing the many potential conflicts that follow this kind of role and how they might be managed – remember Suez?  The stakes are higher as mayor. A quick social media search found he barely mentioned this new job and only on his personal Facebook page late Friday 2/16, just before the long weekend / holiday week and almost hidden amidst other newsworthy events.  He described the role as “mentoring young attorneys” although the law firm described it as providing “strategic advice” and “drawing on his broad range of legal expertise.”   Since then, any further disclosure has had to be pulled from him, a sound bite at a time.  Two weeks on, the public remains mainly unaware of what he will be doing or why he has chosen to do it.  His selective disclosure to date? 2/17 – in response to adverse media coverage, to select media only:  states salary “well south of $100k” 2/20 – more adverse media coverage and 5 councilmembers publicly expressing concern 2/21 – given no further disclosure, council passes resolution 7-1-1 formally inquiring. 2/23 – to council and select media only: “…Public Release of His Of Counsel Agreement…” disclosing $60k salary, his uncapped earnings potential (15-20% of gross revenues he generates) and states “no requirement that I release this contract”. 2/26 – email to unknown list debating what constitutes a “2nd job”, saying he promised to sever ties ONLY with his prior firm, and informing recipients that HE will be the one who determines if this new role will interfere with his being mayor or not. 2/27 – to council only: responses to inquiries which raise more questions. He says he is not “practicing law” but if true, he wouldn’t need malpractice insurance or bar dues paid by his firm and he couldn’t accept referral fees legally as only lawyers are permitted.  He is more likely “not engaging in the day-to-day practice of law” as the firm suggests, but that just means he won’t be in a court room.  It doesn’t preclude him from actively working to generate revenues for his new firm, and for himself.  Creating potential conflicts.  And taking his attention away from Hoboken.  Mayor Bhalla, this IS Hoboken’s business.  Tiffanie Fisher Hoboken Resident, Taxpayer and Councilwoman

Official release:

Dear neighbors and friends,  I wrote to some of you the other day expressing my serious concern over Mayor Bhalla’s strategic and poorly timed announcement that he has indeed taken on another job. It’s more than breaking a campaign promise, and it’s buried in his announcement below. We are certainly on the same page as it’s relates to Union Dry Dock, but in other issues I am concerned.  It is unfortunate for him to say, “put politics aside” while he kicks two of the City’s most talented members off the Rent Control Board because they supported another Mayoral candidate.  This is hypocritical to say the least. The new members that he just appointed are also dismayed by his action, because the two members have a great deal of expertise and knowledge that is difficult to replace in this very sensitive area.   I also share similar concerns with Mayor Bhalla on LepreCon day. However, the Mayor had committed to forming a task force with the hospitality association to solve the problem collaboratively.  He has instead taken a far different approach akin to swinging a sledge hammer, which in my opinion is disingenuous. At our next council meeting, I look forward to supporting Councilwoman Giattino’s amendment to our flood ordinance that helps to protect the character and scale of Hoboken’s neighborhoods severely under attack by the consequences of our current ordinance.   For example, under the current law, we are treating non-flood zones as flood zones.  This amendment removes the “X and shaded X zones from the enforcement area.”

Lastly Mayor Bhalla’s  job is to be a full time mayor.  However, his new law firm job draws a salary, and he has upside potential of making over a million dollars a year!  This has many potential conflicts of interest and appears more about leveraging his Mayoral seat for political and economic gain than doing what is right for the citizens of Hoboken.  My concerns are not political.  They are about doing what’s right and this is not.   Read More...