Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Occhipinti Announces Candidacy for City Council-at-Large


Occhipinti Announces Candidacy for City Council-at-Large


The following is an official statement from Timothy Occhipinti:

“I am pleased to officially announce my campaign to represent you as your Hoboken Council-at-Large representative. I’d like to thank those of you who signed my petition over the last few months. This being my first campaign, it was a rewarding experience speaking to all the residents I had the good fortune of meeting. Your kindness to stand and listen to me on those cold days and nights was greatly appreciated.”

“I’d also like to thank those of you who invited me into your homes for a discussion on the current state of Hoboken and where you want its future to be. I am looking forward to meeting as many residents as possible over the coming weeks and listening to your issues and concerns. As residents I strongly encourage you to make sure your voice is heard on May 12th.”

“Please visit http://www.hobokenforchange.com/ for more information about my campaign to bring positive effective change to Hoboken. I am honored and privileged to represent you as a candidate for public office in our beloved city.”

Timothy Occhipinti will host his first campaign fundraiser on Saturday April 18th at Mulligan’s located at 159 1st Street in Hoboken. A $40 premium open bar will be held from 9 PM until 12 AM. Timothy encourages you to attend with your friends and neighbors and is greatly looking forward to meeting you.

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Response to Readers- Purple Plan Ad Sheet

Update 4/1/2009 2:23PM: Today other ads are showing below on Hoboken 411 including Kid's First and Ravi Bhalla. It looks like the top left ad placement is fixed. I'm sure there is a different rate for that permanent placement than the rotational spots above various articles.

Original Story: Several readers expressed concern over bias at another website regarding the placement of one Mayoral candidate's announcement endorsing a particular BOE slate. I just thought I would take a look myself to see what was going on at another website which by the way still does some very good things. However, it is very clear from the ad placement that one candidate seems to have a lock on the political ads on that site. Truth be told Ravi Bhalla has had ads up as well but it looks like for this time slot for political ads it is all Mason. Stay tuned and stay informed! For now I will let the picture speak for itself:

As of 6:45 PM March 31st, 2009

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BOE Budget Meeting Tonight at Wallace School


At the Wallace School (11th and Willow), tonight at 7:00 pm is the school budget hearing for the fiscal year 2009.

Click here for a previous article which contains the full Hoboken 2009 BOE budget:

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Dawn Zimmer Officially Endorses Kids First


ZIMMER ENDORSES KIDS FIRST SLATE

Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer today endorsed the Kids First Slate of Theresa Minutillo, Maureen Sullivan and Ruth McAllister in the upcoming April 21st School Board election. Zimmer said, "Theresa, Maureen and Ruth are committed to the changes we need in our schools. They strongly support focusing more resources on the classroom to help our kids learn and cutting back administrative overhead in order to accomplish this important goal."

Dawn Zimmer noted that this will be an especially important School Board election. "The next School Board will face new challenges due to the continuing fiscal crisis, which could be made worse by a potential reduction of Abbott Funding", said Zimmer. "We need dedicated School Board members who will work hard to do more with less", Zimmer added.

Councilwoman Zimmer encouraged all Hoboken voters, no matter who they plan to support to vote in the school board election. According to Zimmer, less than 4,000 people voted in the last school board election as opposed to 22,000 who voted in the 2008 Presidential election."Thirty percent of our property tax dollars go to the schools and it is critical that we ensure every dollar is well spent", said Zimmer.

My Comment: Dawn is the first Mayoral Candidate to officially endorse a BOE slate. We will have to wait and see if other Mayoral or City Council candidates endorse either BOE slate.

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Word on the Street - Update on Ballot Drawing

The ballot drawing is this Wednesday April1st at 12pm-1pm for the Mayoral and City Council at large seats. NJ.com Hoboken Now had reported that the ballot drawing was delayed and that is true as it was originally scheduled for Monday March 30th but I confirmed this morning from one of the candidates that it is in fact tomorrow at high noon. So unless there is a last minute change announced this afternoon, the ballot drawing time should be set. ◦
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Monday, March 30, 2009

Word on the Street- Campaign Happenings


Ballot Drawing this Wednesday:
The drawing of the ballot position for Mayor and City Council Elections is coming up this Wednesday April 1st from 12PM -1PM at City Hall. I would imagine all of the Major slate candidates are in since many of them submitted well over the required amount of petitions. I also received confirmation that Mayoral Independents Ryn Melberg and Tom Vincent also had enough signatures. Frank Orsini had told me that he submitted over 600 so I think he should be safe as well. As far as the Council Independent candidates, it is reported that the City Clerk's Office only had time to validate voting registration and validity but not check for duplicates. Therefore, as long as they submitted enough valid petitions they should all be fine to make it on the ballot as well.
Beth Mason's Campaign: Until I checked this afternoon, there had not been any updates on Beth Mason's website about fundraisers or public events for about a week. An invitation only event was held this weekend at her campaign headquarters to what could best be described as people on the fence but receptive to her campaign. The goal was for these people to meet her slate of council candidates and hopefully get a better comfort level with what some perceive to be a handpicked Russo slate.
My source, who was invited to that meeting did not come away with a favorable view of the slate as it pertained to such concerns. As they say, opinions vary. It is not that unusual to have non-public events for a campaign but I would have expected more publicly announced activity by this point. Each campaign has a right to have its own style but so far I am finding the Beth Mason campaign to be less transparent (or at least publicly open via the web) than the Zimmer and Cammarano campaigns to date. That could change as time goes by.
There is an event at Maxwell's for April 16th on her site (http://bethmasonformayor.com/) with a recommended donation of $250 dollars. I have posted numerous emails and press releases from both the Cammarano and Zimmer camps as well as document by video events for Frank Orsini and Tom Vincent but the Mason Campaign has not sent me any releases to date. If the Mason campaign decides to do so, I will be sure to publish.
Phone Poll Follow up: The phone poll I had on Sunday March 22nd has been confirmed by the Zimmer Campaign as not being theirs. This poll asked many questions about how support for Beth Mason would be perceived if Mike Russo, Theresa Castellano, Ruben Ramos, Frank Raia, etc. were to support her in terms of likeliness to make you vote for or against her. One of Mason's core bloggers Wakeup_07030 on NJ.com insists that it was not Beth's poll. Question: Who else would waste their money on those questions that pertain specifically to matters only her campaign? Using the principal of Occam's Razor the simplest explanation is usually the correct one but who says Hoboken politics is scientifically rational?
Celebrity Tactics: White Horse Strategies has put up a nice looking website for Peter Cammarano but I have to call to question the strategy of using celebrities unrelated to Hoboken politics to win an election. Sure, it makes for a good buzz but I think the voters who are savvy will look beyond the glam and vote for who they think will do the best job. A 23 year old statement by a wanna-be filmmaker whose last name just happens to be Kennedy isn't going to swing my vote as much as an old time B&R Hoboken resident.
"Mayor Quimby": I don't take credit for the nickname, I first heard that one on www.Hoboken411.com. Dave Roberts was sighted at the new W Hotel this Friday with a selection of Hudson County's finest. Geez, I thought he was spending most of his time in Mantaloking because I hadn't seen him on the street in for some time. Maybe he was keeping his promise to buy anyone a steak dinner at Zylos if they could find a city run better his beloved Hoboken. Given the current budget mess and his predominant role in it I would imagine that would be pretty easy now.
Dave Roberts also had a very public temper tantrum about signage last week that yes was offensive but truthful. I only ask for him to take a good look in the mirror and ask himself, was there any thing he could have done better in years 2001-2007 to improve the financial position of the Hoboken taxpayer? As Michael Jackson once sang "I'm asking the man in the mirror". Maybe had he done a better job at controlling costs that sign would not have been created in the first place.

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W Hotel Photos

The W Hotel had its opening this Friday March 27th, 2009. Here are some photos of the exterior taken from my iPhone on my way home from work that Friday.


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Peter Cammarano Calls on No Fire and Police Layoffs

Here is a segment of a press release from last Friday. I had published the piece on the first TV ad but wanted to follow up with the letter to Judy Tripodi and the general statement from Peter Cammarano that there should be no layoffs of the fire and police to cut the budget. This was released Friday March 27th:
Cammarano Urges State Monitor Not to Lay-Off Police and Firefighters
‘Calls on Mason and Zimmer to Join Him’

HOBOKEN, NJ – Yesterday, Peter Cammarno sent a letter to State Monitor Judy Tripodi urging her to withdraw the proposed cuts against Hoboken police and firefighters she filed with the State, and to find other ways trim the city budget.

Cammarano is also calling on fellow Council members Beth Mason and Dawn Zimmer –
his two opponents in the mayoral race whose failure to pass a budget last year triggered the state takeover resulting in a 47% tax increase – to join him in asking the StateMonitor to rescind the layoff plan as it pertains to public safety.

“No task is more important in government than the protection of public safety. Nothing is more important than the security of Hoboken’s families,” said Cammarano. “I amentirely in favor of cutting waste, nepotism and cronyism to bring about a leaner, moreefficient government. And that is exactly what I will do as Mayor. However, this is notabout cutting fat from a budget. It’s about keeping our families safe.”


Unfortunately, the City of Hoboken is powerless to stop the State monitor from laying offpublic safety workers, because last year the City Council abdicated its financialresponsibility to the State when a majority – including Beth Mason and Dawn Zimmer –failed to pass a budget and instead voted for a state takeover.


Here is Peter Cammarano's letter to Judy Tripodi in SlideShare:


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Internet Find - Gangs in NJ

With the economy getting worse and the possibility of crime getting worse in Hoboken and the surrounding area, I thought it would be a good idea to look for public reports on gangs and any related activities that might be out there. Given the recent attacks near the 2nd and 9th Street Light Rail Stations and the possibility they could be related to gangs, this law enforcement report, although 5 years old could help inquisitive citizens understand the nature of gangs in our state and how they relate to crimes.

Here is the 2004 report from New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety:

"Gangs in New Jersey Municipal Law Enforcement Response to 2004 and 2001 Gang Surveys"

Gangs In New Jersey
Gangs In New Jersey The Truth About Roselle Park Gangs In New Jersey: Municipal Law Enforcement Responses to the 2004 & 2001 NJSP Gang Surveys


Note: It is important to know the Hoboken Police Department was able to make several arrests after the Community Meetting regarding the Light Rail station attacks. ◦
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Dawn Zimmer Events Tommorow March 31st

Two events upcoming tomorrow for the Dawn Zimmer Campaign from Ravi Bhalla's email distribution:

Morning Coffee with Dawn and Ravi

Tomorrow morning Tuesday March 31st, Dawn Zimmer and I will be having coffee at The Little Grocery on Jeffereson for 7:30am-9:00am. We would be thrilled if you could join us. Please bring any questions or concerns you have about Hoboken with you. This is an event for all Hoboken residents that want to know more about Dawn Zimmer and The Change That Works Slate. We know you are all very busy and we are doing our best to make ourselves available, at different times of the day, to accommodate all schedules. If you would like to know more about this event please check out http://www.zimmerforchange.com/. I hope to see you there and look forward to hearing your concerns and answering your questions about Hoboken.

Evening Meet and Greet with Jon and Penny Metsch

Tomorrow Evening: Please join The Change That Works Slate Come and meet Dawn, Carol, David, and myself while enjoying the company of other concerned Hoboken residents for an event hosted by Jon and Penny Metsch and Bill Tobias. Jon and Penny Metsch have opened their home at 2 Constitution Court, Unit 603 tomorrow evening, March 31st from 6:30 till 8:30 PM in an effort to help the Change That Works Slate to further our message. Along with Bill Tobias, Jon and Penny Metsch are offering light refreshments and a welcoming environment for all concerned Hoboken residents to learn more about The Change That Works Slate and our efforts to bring change to Hoboken.To learn more about this event please go to
http://www.zimmerforchange.com/.

Thanks and I hope to see you either tomorrow morning or evening. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!Thanks again, Ravi S. Bhalla Candidate, Hoboken City Council.

Editor's note: For any other candidates please email me at kurt.gardiner@gmail.com for notification of upcoming events. I will be sure to publish as a full post and not as a comment in an existing thread. ◦
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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Tom Vincent - Petition Signing Event Photos and Video

Here are some photos from the Tom Vincent petition drive that was held on Monday March 16th at the Goldhawk. Tom was notified on Friday by Jimmy Farina to attend the ballot drawing on April 1st so this event was successful in that it helped him get enough signatures to get on the ballot. Tom to date is the only Mayoral candidate to feature live musical performances during one of his events. If great guitar playing is what you like, check out Boo Reiner's video below. He is quite the talented fellow:

Here is a photo of Mayoral candidate Tom Vincent and his girlfriend Jen

Boo Rieners (left) and Gene (D. Plumber) Turonis (right)

Boo Reiners (left) and Ed Fogarty (right)


Here is a YouTube video of Boo Reiners and a bassist playing an instrumental at the party:


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Kids First BOE Candidate Rally Sunday March 29


You are invited to a Rally to Support the Kids First candidates for School Board:

Theresa Minutillo, Maureen Sullivan and Ruth McAllister!


This Sunday, March 29, from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Creative Groove Studio, 1200 Park Ave.
Refreshments and Snacks will be Served
Polka Dot the Clown to Perform at 3:30!

Please come out and meet the candidates and join in the fun!

Electing the entire Kids First ticket of Theresa Minutillo, Maureen Sullivan and Ruth McAllister in the April 21 Board of Education election guarantees a majority that will bring real leadership to our school board.

The Kids First Team will:

- Require that all programs boost test scores, raise standards and maximize student achievement

- Demand that the schools spend taxpayer money as carefully as we spend our own

- Eliminate bureaucratic waste and give classrooms what they need

- Attract and retain students by reaching out -- and responding to community needs

- Hold people accountable from the top down


We can't make these important changes without your help. We need your vote on Election Day and we need your financial help so we can get the word out. Many of you have supported us and our ideas in the past and we urge you to make a donation now, in any amount, to help us achieve the goal of a fiscally responsible school board that fights for excellence in education.

If you cannot attend the Rally, please visit http://www.kidsfirst2009.com/ and find out more about how you can help our grassroots campaign.

Kids First, Great Schools for a Great City ◦
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Citizen Email on School Budget and Contacts

Here is an email I recieved regarding contacts to call or write regarding the BOE proposed budget for 2009 should any of this blogfs readers wish to voice their concerns above the level of Jack Raslowksy:

Below please find the contact information for the Executive CountySuperintendent of Schools and the NJ Commissioner of Education in case that any of you feel the urge to write to them with your concerns regarding the BoE budget proposal.

Timothy Brennan, Executive County Superintendent of Schools

email: Tim.Brennan@doe.state.nj.us
phone: (201) 319-3850,
fax: (201) 319-3650,
website: http://www.nj.gov/education/counties/hudson.htm

Lucille E. Davy, NJ Commissioner of Education

phone: (609) 292-4450
fax: (609) 777-4099
website: http://www.state.nj.us/education/parents/contact.htm,
address: NJ Department of Education, PO Box 500, Trenton, NJ 08625

I am in the process of writing to both of them...

Best regards
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Reader Submission - Letter to Editor on BOE Candidates

This editorial comes from Kai Rabane of Hoboken on the upcoming Board of Education election on April 21st 2-9PM and the importance of voting for new leadership.


High costs, low performance, poor vision in Hoboken Schools
It’s time for new leadership on board


A school board plays a crucial role in the community--it sets the “tone at the top” for every aspect of the educational system. So, if the board is not doing its job, it is both our right and our responsibility to elect a new board that can and will.

The current state of the Hoboken school district is shameful. Question: How can a district that spends so much per student--$25,000 this year--rank so low in performance? Question: Why are we spending more money administering than educating? Question: Why is outreach to the community minimal to non-existent, missing a great opportunity to leverage our parents and others in the educational process? Question: Why has almost every new/supplemental/innovative district program claimed by the administration as its own actually been created, improved, researched and/or promoted at the instigation of parents and regular citizens? Question: Why does the proposed 2009-10 budget trumpet a drop in per student cost and taxes when simple math shows that most of the spending decrease represents a drop in per student state aid and a hypothetical 100 more students that the administration is counting on, and slightly lower taxes represent increased rateables not savings? The answer to each question is simple: The board majority holds hearings without listening and votes without self-sacrifice, and the administration lacks vision and acts without blueprints.

The upcoming school board election presents an incredible opportunity to begin the process of change in our district. Voting for the Kids First slate of Theresa Minutillo, Maureen Sullivan and Ruth McAllister on April 21 means that you will help create a board willing to engage all stakeholders, not just those it likes, in developing a comprehensive plan for our schools. The guardians of our children’s education should not spend their time making excuses, looking for silver bullets and posturing without producing. Board positions should not be sought for the visibility they provide, the connections they can produce, and the boost they can give to political careers. Budgets should not go up while educational quality goes down. But until we elect a board that understands its priorities, get an administration that accepts its responsibility for the state of our educational system, and advocate for a district that listens to the community, we will not own our future, nor will we deserve anything but what we have now.

Kai Rebane

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Friday, March 27, 2009

Friday Funny Video Clip - South Park on the Bailout

Here is a Friday funny video from the creators of South Park on the Treasury bailout. As usual with South Park nothing is PC with these guys. Enjoy:



To see the full video go to the link below:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/220760
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Commenting has been Opened up on this Site

Commenting has been opened up again in an effort to atempt to get more commentary. Hate posts and non factual items will be automatcially pulled. Petty attacks on weight and physical features are discouraged and are subject to my discretion.

This policy is subject to change based on results. ◦
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Press Release from Dawn Zimmer on Furloughs

A lot of press releases have come out in the last few days. Here is another one from the Dawn Zimmer campaign on Furloughs to help cut spending now:

ZIMMER CALLS ON FISCAL MONITOR TO IMPLEMENT FURLOUGHS NOW TO CUT BUDGET SPENDING AND PROVIDE TAX RELIEF


Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer today called on Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi to implement a furlough program to cut spending now so that we can reduce the tax burden on Hoboken residents. Zimmer seized on an emergency rule just adopted by the State's Civil Service Commission that gives state and local governments the power to furlough workers as a tool that can be used in these difficult budget times.

Zimmer said, "Personnel Costs account for 4-out-of 5 dollars spent by City government. Any effort to make significant budget cuts must address this hard fact. While furloughs do require sacrifice from city workers, that sacrifice is needed." Zimmer added, "Cost savings today will mean lower taxes in the future."

Zimmer said that the Fiscal Monitor should consider adopting Governor Corzine's plan of one furlough day a month effective immediately for all employees except when public safety would be put at risk.

The Civil Service Commission granted this emergency authority for the next 60 days and is now beginning to work on a rule that would extend the authority until June 30, 2010.

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Donna Antonucci on the School Board Budget for 2009


Here is an email that went to the various Hoboken media outlets from citizen activist Donna Antonucci. She speaks up on the Hoboken School Budget for 2009 that she was able to get a copy of. I helped her put it up in sections on SlideShare:

I picked up the final School Budget and scanned it in for easy distribution. You can find it at http://www.slideshare.net/kgardiner67 .

Tuesday is the School Budget hearing. I encourage the public to come. The public can approve or vote down the budget by voting on April 21st.
Jack Raslowsky owes the public answers to their budget questions at this meeting. If he doesn't answer, the only thing to do is to vote the budget down in April.

I have looked at the budget itself and not so surprisingly, the budget is top heavy. Yet again, we seem to have too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. Jack projected an increase in enrollment as he has done year over year. This not so reliable increase in enrollment artificially reduces the per pupil cost to $21K. The school not only does not have a program to ferret out students from other districts who are in our schools illegally, the school has turned a blind eye to students who don't even try to hide that they don't live here. The administration has even chastised some parents for bringing to the attention of the administration specific students who blatantly were not living in Hoboken. Is this all to substantiate fat, administrative, 6 figure jobs?

I think the cost per pupil could be around $15K per student if we cut non added value management roles such as the principal for the Brandt school by consolidating and reducing the number of buildings we have to operate. (With a building, you have to have a principal). We also have an army of custodial staff. According the latest records we could get our hands on, the district employs 29 FT custodians, 19 PT custodians, and 19 maintenance workers. Plus the director of facilities, Tim Calligy, who is little more than head janitor and made $110K last year. All this for 6 buildings. We have teachers that were so bad, they were pulled out of the classroom into administrative role in lieu of documenting their poor performance and firing them, i.e., we promoted someone to do nothing. We have transportation budget that costs over a $1MM when Hoboken is only 1.5 miles at its widest point. Obesity is rampant in this country. We could cut that budget tremendously if we cut transportation for all except our disabled kids.

There are many more examples of wasteful spending that doesn't go into the classroom.

Additionally, a recent proposal from Corzine could pull our Abbott funding which can shoot up the tax payer burden. I urge the public to show up, vote and stay involved.

- Donna

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Cammarano Goes to the TV Ads to Get His Message Out

Here is the press release from the Peter Cammarano team on his first TV ad and the first TV ad of the campaign. I will have further commentary on Peter's core message over the weekend in an editorial in response to a few of his assertions.

Cammarano Team Takes to the Airwaves

“Lost Control” is 1st TV Commercial of Any Hoboken Candidate


HOBOKEN, NJ – Today, Hoboken mayoral candidate Peter Cammarano released the campaign season’s very first television commercial. The 30-second advertisement - entitled “Lost Control” – will begin airing immediately on the local Cablevision system.

Utilizing newspaper headlines, clippings and images of Council Members Beth Mason and Dawn Zimmer, the tv commercial documents and drives home the Cammarano campaign’s position on the defining issue of the race. Namely, how last year’s failure by certain members of the Hoboken City Council to adopt a budget resulted in a state takeover, loss of control of the city and an unnecessarily high 47% tax increase on Hoboken’s families.

“Lost Control” also highlights the State Monitor’s plan to lay-off police and firefighters and pledges that Cammarano will “lower taxes without sacrificing public safety.” Believing nothing is more important than the security of Hoboken’s residents and their families, Cammarano has already spoken out publicly against the plan to fire cops and firefighters. Moreover, earlier today, he sent a letter to the State Monitor asking her to rescind the lay-off proposal she filed with the state last week as it pertains to public safety positions.

Peter Cammarano is the only candidate running for Mayor who did his job last year by voting to pass a City budget – which would have stopped the State takeover and prevented the 47% tax increase. Last week, Cammarano again was the only candidate who did his job by approving this year’s budget, in order to get Hoboken back on the path of regaining control of the City and working to decrease taxes.

The new television ad can be viewed on the Cammarano campaign’s website at: http://www.cammarano09.com/multimedia/video/lostcontrol_20090326

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Coffee Talk with Dawn Zimmer and Team Tommorow 9 AM

Here is an announcement from the Dawn Zimmer Camapagin for an event tommorow:



Coffee with the Candidates Kick-Off this Saturday 9 am



The Change that Works team understands that Hoboken is a city of busy and
hard working people who may not have the time or energy to attend
an official "campaign event," so we are bringing the event to you!

Dawn and members of her slate are going to be visiting local coffee shops
and cafes across the city to hear your concerns and share
their vision of a brighter future for all Hoboken.

Grab a cup of coffee, support local business, and get to know the
candidates in one quick stop.

Kick-Off Event!
Saturday March 28,2009
9 am - 11 am
Change that Works HQ
618 Washington St.

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Photo of the Day - St. Patrick's Day Reprise

Here is a photo from St. Patrick's Day parade that I haven't published yet:


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Email from Tom Vincent on Transparency

Here is the latest email from Mayoral Candidate Tom Vincent:

Proposals For Hoboken. A series of concrete ideas for saving our city.
Transparency


It seems everyone is promising "transparency in government" but no one is explaining how they expect to accomplish it.

If elected, I would immediately begin a program to post online all of the city's commitments -- PILOT agreements, union contracts, budgets, any agreement or commitment we have -- in an organized and easy to navigate format. Each would be accompanied by a plain language explanation or summary. Especially important would be an annotated budget with explanations for each line item. I would also initiate a line-by-line comparison to previous years in order to track increases. Our budget has doubled in seven years and we need to identify and address the increases where ever they occurred.

Once this is underway we can begin having informed conversations about how to cut costs, reorganize, or find new solutions for our out of control spending.

Transparency also involves updates on ongoing proposals, negotiations, and new business. We shouldn't have issues suddenly appear without warning.

Another form of transparency would involve organizational charts of the entire municipal government. Who's the head of Environmental Services? What are they responsible for? Don't bother going to hobokennj.org, it's not there. They do have some application forms available if you know where to look, and helpful "Tips for tree pit care" but there's no real organization of useful information. The internet is a powerful tool to give citizens access to their government and we're not taking advantage of it.

Posting documents online isn't enough of course; I'd look into other lines of communication. Maybe a regular column in a local paper, maybe an email list, or something I haven't thought of yet. The point is to get the information to you so you can understand what is being done with your tax dollars.

This is a beginning. Once in office I'm sure lots of other opportunities for sharing information would become apparent. After a while you might get sick of hearing from me. Wouldn't that be nice?

Tom Vincent

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Ryn Melberg Launches Website for Hoboken Mayoral Run

Ryn Melberg has launched her campaign site for her run as Hoboken Mayor. In her website she lays out specific ideas of what she feels Hoboken needs to do to address the current situation.

Here is the link below:


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New Ravi Bhalla Videos

Here are two recent videos on Councilman at-large candidate Ravi Bhalla's website:

Transparency in Government: This video focuses on another one of the major issues of Ravi's campaign. Transparency in government allows taxpayers to see how their money is being spent and to assess accountability.



Modernization: This video focuses on the dire need to modernize the delivery of city services in Hoboken. As this video discusses, many offices at City Hall do not have voicemail. This is unacceptable. Many of these problems can be corrected at very low cost and will help city employees perform their jobs effectively.



To see more information on Ravi, go to his revamped website by clicking on the link below:


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Press release form Dawn Zimmer

I received this press release from Dawn Zimmer today:

ZIMMER PLEDGES TO SET UP HOBOKEN ONE-STOP
ECONOMIC DOWNTURN RESOURCE CENTER


Dawn Zimmer today pledged to set up a Hoboken One Stop Economic Downturn Resource Center as one of her first actions as Mayor. Zimmer said, “I will draw from all the talented professionals we have in Hoboken to assemble a team of volunteers to provide free advice to families going through difficult times and dealing with unforeseen economic circumstances.” Among the volunteers that Zimmer plans to put together will be financial advisors, lawyers and real estate experts as well as medical and mental health professionals.

She noted that every day she hears from Hoboken families that are having serious financial difficulties including people who have suddenly lost their job and are now facing the prospect of foreclosure. Zimmer said, “Hoboken families in all different economic circumstances are facing challenges that would have been hard to envision even a few short months ago. We need to come together as a community and do what we can to assist people going through hard transitions.”

The Councilwoman pointed to one story in Sunday’s New York Times about a Hoboken family who lost a sizable deposit they put down on an apartment they were planning to purchase when due to the current credit squeeze the bank demanded a larger down payment that was out of their reach. The developer declared them in default and kept their deposit. According to the “Times”, this kind of situation is becoming more common.

As Mayor, Zimmer said that she will meet with Hoboken developers to strongly urge them to do “work out plans” for families who put down deposits in good faith and now are facing new unaffordable down payment requirements.

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Full Hoboken Board of Education Budget is Available

Thanks to citizen activist Donna Antonucci, the full Hoboken BOE Budget for 2009 is now available online. The document is over 200 pages so it is in four parts. Nothing like a little transparency to brighten an otherwise cloudy day. Let me know if anyone finds a $6,000 toilet seat like they have in the Pentagon's budget. Just kidding. :)

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:


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Photo of the Day - Statue in Elysian Park

Here is a photo of a statue in Elysian park shot earlier this winter:



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Hoboken HS Senior IB Art Exhibition on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Here is an event upcoming at Hoboken High School:


Senior IB Art Exhibition

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St.

From 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.


Hoboken High School is holding its third annual Senior IB Art Exhibition on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009. The show, housed at Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., will open at 7:00 p.m. and close at 9:00 p.m., with a reception at the conclusion of the show. The pictures above show some of the exhibit pieces. The students' work is being exhibited as part of their final grading process. An external examiner from IB will be traveling to Hoboken to view and assess the students' work in terms of the art component of the IB Diploma.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Kids First Event Today - Meet and Greet from 7 PM till 9 PM

Note: Correction on time is 7-9 PM tonight.



The Kids First Team of Thersea Minutillo, Maureen Sullivan, and Ruth McCallister has an event that has already started today:

What: Meet the Kids First Candidates
When: Wed Mar 25 7 pm – 9 pm
Where: 806 Park Ave, Hoboken
Description: Come and meet the Kids First candidates ◦
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Peter Cammarano Denounces State Monitor's Layoff Plan

This was released last Friday and due to my hiatus with the blog over the weekend I am just getting to it now. Here is the press release from White Horse Strategies which is involved in his campaign:

Cammarano Condemns State Monitor’s
Plan to Lay-off Police & Firefighters

‘This is Not About Cutting Fat From a Budget…
It’s About Keeping Our Families Safe’


HOBOKEN, NJ – In light of the State monitor’s recently announced plan to lay-off public safety officers, Peter Cammarano last week strongly came out against firing Hoboken’s police officers and firefighters. “No task is more important in government than the protection of public safety. Nothing is more important than the safety and security of Hoboken’s families,” said Cammarano. “I am entirely in favor of cutting waste, nepotism and cronyism to bring about a leaner, more efficient government. And that is exactly what I will do as Mayor. However, this is not about cutting fat from a budget. It’s about keeping our families safe.”

Unfortunately, the City of Hoboken is powerless to stop the State monitor from laying off public safety workers, because last year the City Council abdicated its financial responsibility to the State when a majority failed to pass a budget and instead voted for a state takeover.

Peter Cammarano is the only candidate running for Mayor who did his job last year by voting to pass a City budget – which would have stopped the State takeover and prevented the 47% tax increase. This past week, Cammarano again was the only candidate who did his job by approving this year’s budget, in order to get Hoboken back on the path of regaining control of the City and working to decrease taxes.

Council-at-large candidate Angel Alicea joined Cammarano in condemning the State monitor’s plan. Alicea currently serves as an Internal Affairs Officer in Union City and is a decorated police officer with over 25 years of experience in law enforcement. He is also a former Chair of the Hoboken Housing Authority.

“While we need to be fiscally responsible, we cannot and must not sacrifice public safety,” said Alicea. “From my experience both in law enforcement and on the Housing Authority, I know firsthand how we need police and firefighters to keep our City safe for all the families who live here. Our public safety officers need to know they have the support of the City’s leaders, and just as importantly Hoboken’s families need to know they will be safe.” ◦
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Earth Hour March 28 at 8:30PM

On Saturday January 28th at 8:30PM EST there is a scheduled event called "Earth Hour" where various organizations and individuals are encouraged to turn off their power for one hour . The website is http://earthhour.org/.

One of my more conservative friends had this to say about this event.....

Slacktivism goes global with a voluntary hour without power:

http://earthhour.org/

Perhaps if the lights were on, masses of people could devote an hour to learning how to permanently reduce their energy consumption. Actually, let give some credit where credit is due: since most guys engaging in acts of tokenism are doing it to impress women, an event that requires that one spend an hour in the dark, with little to do, can only be described as a "clever hack."

My Comment: Does my friend have a point on this event not doing much good or is there benefit to raising awareness with an event such as this? ◦
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Found Treasures at BAMA This Friday and Saturday


FOUND TREASURES!!
When the going gets tough, four creative girlfriends get going!


We’re hosting FOUND TREASURES, the inaugural event of the Women’s Works Projects Administration. Yes, we’re riffing on the New Deal in the New Depression and we want you to join us!

This weekend at BAMA Gallery, 10th & Bloomfield.

Reception with libations & nibbles, Friday night from 6-9.

All day sale on Saturday, 10-6.


As the sign says, please come and discover the unusual & unexpected!

Colorful & inventive collage paintings by Stefanie Ashby-Kaitz.And she’s loaded her iPod with some great tunes for the event!

Elegant prints by NYC photographer, Donna Rocco.

Comforting corn pillows, created by Kristen Hullinger.

(A microwave will be on-site, to experience the wonderful warmth & aroma, to heal your tense neck or cold feet!) And some are swathed in fun & funky vintage fabric. Great gift idea!

Eclectic mix of antique/vintage decorative arts, jewelry & accessories from Kate Mallow.

Including: WWI “Trench Art,” Lustreware, Bakelite jewelry & more!

We hope you’ll come celebrate with us! ◦
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The Aptera Pays Downtown NYC a Visit




Update: I have more photos of the car from yesterday.

Original Post 3/24/2009:

During my lunch hour I got a glimpse of the future today. An all electric vehicle called the Aptera was parked along Water Street this afternoon. It will be available soon at about $25k and get 100 miles per trip. Maybe a new patrol car for Hoboken in the near future? We'll see. ◦
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Beth Mason Poll Last Weekend?

I received a call from a pollster this Sunday on my cell phone regarding the upcoming Hoboken elections and it started out with some basic questions:

- If the election were held today who would you support for Mayor?
Beth Mason, Peter Cammarano, Dawn Zimmer, Frank Orsini, Ryn Melberg or Tom Vincent were the choices.


- If you knew the HCDO was backing Dawn Zimmer would that that make you more likely, less likely to vote for her or have no effect?

There were other basic questions but the ones were telling were the ones focused on Beth Mason. The question that was asked over and over again was:

If the following people supported Beth Mason for Mayor would that make you more likely, less likely to vote for her or have no effect?

These were the people I remember:

Frank Raia
Mike Russo
Ruben Ramos
Theresa Castelano


Is the Beth Mason campaign concerned that certain endorsements could do more harm than good in the upcoming election? I think that is a fair question given the content of the poll. Or is it from some other organization?

Reader Question: Did anyone else get this poll over the weekend and participate? Comment below if you have anything to add.


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Revolt Posts Questions for BOE Candidates

The taxpayer advocacy group Revolt has created a questionaire for the BOE candidates to answer if they should so choose.

Here is the list of questions in Slideshare:


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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Editorial Retraction - On Budget Comments

I always try to present the facts to back up my opinions when I do editorial statements but here is an example of where I got it wrong. Last year when Beth Mason presented the option of a outside firm coming in I had mistakenly stated that this emergency bid waiver went to vote. It did not and I had attributed Peter Cammarano as voting no when in fact the proposal was tabled due to perceived lack of support by the council. There was no vote. I attribute this to my faulty recollection as opposed to an attempt to misrepresent the truth.

My Original Comment on the Budget passing: Listening to the comments from Beth Mason , Peter Cunningham and Dawn Zimmer for their reasons for not voting yes on the 2009 amended budget is that basically not enough information has been provided to the council to make an informed decision. On this point I completely agree with all three of these council members.

I do trust that Judy Tripodi has and her staff has represented the current cost of running Hoboken's government is the most honest way possible. However, the audits of fire and police as well as the City employees needs to be done and reported out so that the Council members and the public can begin the debate about what level of services we need as well as what we are willing to pay to get those services. Additionally, the audits would be very helpful in upcoming union negotiations since some audit findings could find areas where staff could either be reduced or redeployed elsewhere. I am no fan of layoffs but where Hoboken is today, it is clear to me the City is spending too much on salaries and benefits for the level of service we are getting. I defer to the experts as to where.

Despite my agreement with Dawn Zimmer, Beth Mason and Peter Cunningham on the reasons why they did not vote yes on the budget I am glad it passed since the 2009 year is already almost over. Not too much could have been to curtail the burden on the tax payer since most of the money again has already been spent. Let us demand that we get these audits completed soon and start work immediately to figure out where we are with 2010. Judy Tripodi and her staff through hard work have brought us to stage 1 which is what it costs to run Hoboken the way it is in terms of costs and proper revenue projections. I take that on faith. Stage 2 is to figure out what Hoboken should be spending on to run its city operations and capital projects. The audits being completed and released are the key to the next phase.

It is important to note that while I aggree with Peter Cammarano on this yes vote, I still disagree with his vote against bringing in an outside firm last year like the one Beth Mason had suggested. A whole year has gone by and we still don't have an objective outside independent audit of our city's operations. Truly a wasted opportunity.

Additional Explanation of Editorial Retraction:

Please note that the italicized statement is not correct. There was no vote on this proposal as it was pulled from meeting by Beth Mason as there was very likely not enough support for it. Peter Cammarano did speak out against it due to the lack of an RFP process and bid waiver.

Here is Peter Cammarano's email response: "I was against even calling a vote on the resolution appointing Alvarez & Marshal because (1) it wasn’t on the agenda, (2) Beth was dropping it on the Council with no advance notice whatsoever, (3) it was explicitly a no-bid contract, and (4) it represents an effort by the Council to outsource its job (i.e.- scrutinizing the budget, making DECISIONS on where & what to cut) to a private firm".

One last comment from me: I for one would like to see either the State complete their audit findings or if they can't, get an outside firm to come in and do the evaluation. Just because a firm comes in and makes recommendations does not force the City Council or the Mayor to act on them. I for one would like to see an objective opinion come in and help give the City Council and Mayor's office some idea if cuts are possible without jeopardizing public safety. No one on the current slate of Mayoral candidates quite frankly has the skill set to assess whether we are staffed to the right levels so why not bring an objective opinion in to answer that. Now that is transparency!


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Peter Cammarano Email and Fundraiser Information

Here was an email that went out last Friday from the Peter Cammarano campaign. It points out that over 3,200 petetions were handed in for the slate of four and that there is an upcomming findraiser tommorow at MAxwell's from 7PM-10PM. There is a special guest Robert Clemente JR. so does this mean the gloves are on or off?:

Frank Sinatra sang, “you make me feel like Spring has sprung.” Even though it seems to be snowing outside … today is the first day of Spring. And our campaign definitely has a spring in our step after scores of Hoboken residents sprang into action by signing our nominating petitions. Yesterday, we delivered over 3,200 petitions to get our team on the ballot for May 12th.

For the past few weeks, Mike, Fran, Angel and I have been spreading our vision of lowering taxes and delivering real reform. Our message really resonates when voters are given the facts behind Hoboken’s 47% tax increase –and how our opponents’ failure to pass a budget last summer directly caused that spike and the state takeover. The Hoboken Reporter says our “big poll boost may be based on the fact that of the three candidates running, (Cammarano) voted against allowing the state to take over the municipal budget, and the inevitable tax increase associated with it.”

But, we need your help to spread this message to the voters. Our grassroots campaign for change is relying on the support of neighbors just like you. Next week, I hope you’ll join us at a fundraiser – with special guest Robert Clemente Jr.

Wednesday, March 25th
7-10 p.m.
Maxwell’s
1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ
$100 Donation
To RSVP – simply reply to this message or email AZayas@Cammarano09.com


Unlike my opponents, I don’t have the ability to self-fund my campaign. However, I don’t consider this a disadvantage. By raising money in small dollar amounts we are building grassroots support and bringing more people into the political process. Please consider making a secure online donation today.

Even if you can’t make the event, I hope you’ll join us at our Campaign Headquarters at 119 Washington Street. Please swing by to pitch in if you share our vision of lower taxes and reforming local government.

I promise to work hard from Day One to create a more accountable, transparent & efficient city government. Hoboken deserves better. And we’ll make sure to work for all our families once in office. But, we can only do this with your continued help and support.

Thanks,

Peter Cammarano
Candidate for Mayor ◦
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Monday, March 23, 2009

Apologies to my readers

As a part time blogger I have a limited time to get content on this site and this weekend I had some things to catch up on as well as today. Starting tommorow, I will begin publishing again. I thought it would be a good idea give my readers a reason for no posts over the last 3 days.

- The Editor ◦
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Friday, March 20, 2009

First Mayor Poll on this Site is Now Closed


Given the announcement of the official Mayoral and Council Slates yesterday I have closed the first Mayoral Poll and have started another one. I will also start one well for the City Council open positions. Please keep in mind that these polls are not scientific and will not necessarily be close to the way voters will vote at the polls.

The final results were:

Tom Foley (not running) 126 votes
Dawn Zimmer 91 votes
Peter Cammarano 72 votes
Others 22 votes
out of 371 total votes ◦
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Municipal Slates Have Now Been Finalized

According to Hoboken Now on NJ.com and my own sources, The Hoboken Mayoral and City Council have been finalized. Assuming that these candidates signatures past muster to the required total here is the filed of candidates.....

The Main Slates:

Beth Mason (Mayor)
Vincent Addeo
Raul Morales Jr
Anthony Pasquale

Peter Cammarano (Mayor)
Angel L. Alicea
Frances Rhodes-Kearns
Michael J. Novak

Dawn Zimmer (Mayor)
Ravinder Bhalla
Carol Marsh
David Mello

Independents for Mayor:
Frank Orsini
Ryn Melberg (on my site as "Candidate X")
Thomas Vincent (on my site as "Candidate Y")

Independents for City Council:
Christopher Carbine
Dave Carty
Timothy Occhipinti
Richard Tremitiedi
Patricia Waiters

Notable Absences:
Dave Roberts (current Mayor)
Mike Russo
Frank Raia
Tom Foley (city Employee)
Steve Capiello (former Mayor and Octogenarian)

The Hoboken Clerk's Office headed by Jimmy Farina will now review the signatures.

The drawing for placement on the ballots is tentatively scheduled for Monday, March 30 at 12 PM in the council chambers. The municipal election will be May 12. ◦
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BOE Election Update - Barbara Claveria Withdraws

I received this email from a good source yesterday regarding Barbara Claveria withdrawing her
name from contention for one of the three open Hoboken Board of Education seats coming up in the April 21st election.

On March 18, 2009, Barbara Claveria has removed her name as a candidate for the April 21, 2009 School Board Election.

This removal was approved by the Hudson County Board of Elections.

The final candidates and ballot positions are:
1) Theresa Minutillo
2) Hector Irizarry
3) Frank Raia
4) Maureen Sullivan
5) Ruth McAllister
6) Anthony Oland


Sincerely,
David Anthony
Board Secretary
Hoboken Board of Education


My comment:
One easy way to remember the slates come election time is a simple little math formula....

1 + 4 = 5 for Kids First ticket of Minutillo, Sullivan, and McAllister

2 + 3 < 6 for Raia, Irizarry, Oland

OR

"The Battle of the Sexes"

Team Estrogen vs. Team Testosterone

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

City Council Meeting - 2009 Budget Passes

Last night the Hoboken City Council passed the $123.8 million amended 2009 budget by a vote of 6 for 2 against and 1 abstention. Beth Mason and Peter Cunningham voted no and Dawn Zimmer abstained. So far, I have received one written statement from Dawn Zimmer as to why she voted the way she did. If any others would like to have their stances published for the records please send me an email at kurt.gardiner@gmail.com. That would also include prospective council candidates.

STATEMENT FROM DAWN ZIMMER ON THE BUDGET VOTE

"Last night the City Council passed the 2009 budget. I abstained because the Council was not provided with the operational audits necessary to make significant cuts to the budget, there is no commitment from the Administration to seriously reduce personnel costs as we begin labor union negotiations, and the certified audit that the budget was based on was not provided to the Council.

While I appreciate that the budget was honest, and not filled with budget gimmicks such as borrowing against the sale of the municipal garage to cover operating expenses, or abusive PILOT payments, it failed to make the cuts necessary to reduce the tax burden for Hoboken residents.

Eighty percent of the operating budget includes personnel costs, including salary levels, staffing levels, and health care benefits. If we don’t address these costs, then we are simply not making the cuts necessary to lower taxes. For the last five months Ms. Tripodi has had officials from the State come and conduct an operational analysis of each Department, including the Police and Fire departments.

These operational audits, which I was long ago told revealed significant issues, were supposed to provide the Council with the information that it needed to propose significant and responsible cuts. Even after I submitted an OPRA request, the information was not provided to the Council.

Going forward, we absolutely need this information so that we can makes cuts that reduce Hoboken's crushing tax burden and ensure that essential services are maintained."

My Comment: Listening to the comments from Beth Mason , Peter Cunningham and Dawn Zimmer for their reasons for not voting yes on the 2009 amended budget is that basically not enough information has been provided to the council to make an informed decision. On this point I completely agree with all three of these council members.

I do trust that Judy Tripodi has and her staff has represented the current cost of running Hoboken's government is the most honest way possible. However, the audits of fire and police as well as the City employees needs to be done and reported out so that the Council members and the public can begin the debate about what level of services we need as well as what we are willing to pay to get those services. Additionally, the audits would be very helpful in upcoming union negotiations since some audit findings could find areas where staff could either be reduced or redeployed elsewhere. I am no fan of layoffs but where Hoboken is today, it is clear to me the City is spending too much on salaries and benefits for the level of service we are getting. I defer to the experts as to where.

Despite my agreement with Dawn Zimmer, Beth Mason and Peter Cunningham on the reasons why they did not vote yes on the budget I am glad it passed since the 2009 year is already almost over. Not too much could have been to curtail the burden on the tax payer since most of the money again has already been spent. Let us demand that we get these audits completed soon and start work immediately to figure out where we are with 2010. Judy Tripodi and her staff through hard work have brought us to stage 1 which is what it costs to run Hoboken the way it is in terms of costs and proper revenue projections. I take that on faith. Stage 2 is to figure out what Hoboken should be spending on to run its city operations and capital projects. The audits being completed and released are the key to the next phase.

It is important to note that while I aggree with Peter Cammarano on this yes vote, I still disagree with his vote against bringing in an outside firm last year like the one Beth Mason had suggested. A whole year has gone by and we still don't have an objective outside independent audit of our city's operations. Truly a wasted opportunity. ◦
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Updates from Dawn Zimmer

Here are two notifications from Dawn Zimmer about meetings coming up regarding community development and open space:

Tonight: Join the Effort for Balanced Development on Hoboken's Western Edge

7:00 pm, Thursday, March 19
1200 Grand Street, Community Room
Meeting hosted by Councilman Cunningham
Discussion led by Leah Healey and Keith Furman


The City Council is close to approving a Redevelopment Plan near Shop Rite from 9th to 14th street along Monroe Street and Madison. The proposal includes 1000+ residential units and 3 buildings with heights of 12, 14 and 16 stories.

A new website from members of the community is up at www.HobokenWesternEdge.com
with details on the plan.

The meeting will involve a discussion of the issues with the Redevelopment Plan, talk about the remaining steps in the process, discuss how to get involved and most importantly solicit feedback on how to improve the plan.


Hoboken Boathouse Public Meeting Tuesday March 24

Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 6-8 PM
Maxwell Place Park Boathouse
Frank Sinatra Drive & Maxwell Place


Last night the Council also passed a resolution for a grant application for the development of Hoboken Cove. Learn more about the development of this park at zimmerforchange.com.

Help develop kayaking opportunities in Hoboken at next week's meeting with the Hoboken Cove Boathouse Organization. Presentations will include an overview of Hudson River boating and how other NY Harbor boathouses -- like the Long Island City Community Boathouse, Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, and the Downtown Boathouse -- operate. The organization is also looking for community input on the types of boating programs and activities Hoboken residents would like to have offered, and seeking volunteers to help to make these goals a reality.

Meeting is open to all interested participants -- beginner, expert, and non-paddlers alike.

Please RSVP (or for more information), by email at info@hobokencoveboathouse.org.

As always, thanks for listening, ◦
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

City Council Meeting Tonight - 7 PM

Tonight there is light agenda at City Hall with only 2 Ordinances and 6 Resolutions supposedly to make room for discussion around the 2009 budget and its amendments.

Tonight's City Council Agenda on Slideshare:



http://www.hobokennj.org/pdf/amr/cc/agenda/ccm-3-18-09.pdf

Here is the Ammended 2009 Budget at a high level:


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