The Hoboken Journal: 2nd Ward Candidate Franz Paetzold Collects Signatures at Hudson Tavern Last Night

khoboken · 735 weeks ago

Ply
Agreed. I have this impression that if someone digs enough that there is some missing piece of information that woudl explain his sudden appearance.

p1ywood 98p · 735 weeks ago

Well, K

I guess we're better off with this than the council majority's initial plan to confuse voters and split the vote by running a third 2nd Ward candidate stage named "Tim Greavey".

TonyH · 735 weeks ago

Has he ever attended a city Council meeting?

HobokenReformer · 735 weeks ago

Another candidate joining the 2nd ward race will improve Mason's position by splitting the vote with Greaney. I hope this guy reconsiders.

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deleted4079745 90p · 735 weeks ago

The unknown candidate with the difficult name doesn't stand a chance. Let's not forget that Mason didn't even make it into the runoffs for mayor - not even close - despite having spent the most of any person in the universe running for a mayoral seat in a little town.

Not only could she lose this race but she could suffer another humiliating setback to her non-existent political career. However, given her pathological delusional disorder, that won't stop her from attempting something else until they sell the Masonic temple and go back to Ol' Virginnny or Wachtel Lipton invokes an ethics policy with Ricky.

InfotainMe · 735 weeks ago

I tried to 'friend' him on FB just to see if I could read a little more info on the ideas behind this campaign. No go after a week.

4 replies · active 735 weeks ago

ReformDetective · 735 weeks ago

Paul Lichstein (Cammarano Supporter and Husband of Jamie Lichstein (Cammarano campaign EMPLOYEE) is listed as a friend

Paul is listed as working for Carpathian Industries, so it's doubtful they are co-workers...
and does not work with him at UBS... and Lichstein lives in the center of town so... it could be all a coincidence except it's most likely not.

One way to find out is to see if Franz visit 5 Marineview plaza every saturday morning where Novak, Occhipinti, Russo, Ramos, Raia and Bajardi meet to plot their destruction of reform.

khoboken · 735 weeks ago

Is this the "Unity Group" as Russo called his crew in the Augie Torres swill of a column at nj.com?

deleted8670214 100p · 735 weeks ago

Journalists like Augie who refuse to mention the rampant corruption that these people are involved in are half the reason they get away with it. Makes you almost wonder what is in it for him not to report on things like that.

InfotainMe · 735 weeks ago

Augie is part of the dying power structure. He makes his vig off schmoozing at political-donor-sponsored get-togethers. He has as much to lose from the passing of those old ways as the Russos do. Look at the pic he uses on his by-line. It screams "I know about the inside baseball, nothing gets past these skeptical eyes". Like Al Sullivan, who has crawled back under his rock (see HR this week), he is desperate for these schmucks to survive.

Guest · 735 weeks ago

Why do I get the feeling Mason has probably donated $13,400 to this guy already

15 replies · active 735 weeks ago

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Gardiner4Hoboken 90p · 735 weeks ago

Look at at this way, if Beth is so unpopular (as my non-statistically valid poll seems to indicate) she can't ever get 50% plus one in a runoff. All this will basically mean is it prolongs the agony for her and for those who oppose and have to listen to her crap for another month. Proficient Hunters are most satisfied with a clean kill. A runoff means that we have a runner and a bleeder in Beth Mason. Get the tissue box out for the Keims.

If my instincts are wrong and Beth is more popular than I think then it could be a close race. Again, a third candidate is not a guarantee of a run-off, it just makes the likelihood of one greater than zero.

I honestly don't know at this point what the "Franz Effect" will be on this election.It would have been nice if he surveyed the field first before declaring. Oh well. Looks like his de facto campaign HQ is the Hudson Tavern.

Remember folks, we live in a democracy and this chap has every right to run.

Sent from my iPhone

Politrickery · 735 weeks ago

I've said it before and I'll say it again - anyone has the right to run for council, but if that is their first act of civil engagement they should be given zero attention. People who sincerely want to get involved generally find much more contructive, productive ways of doing so that involve hard work and sweat-equity investment in our community as opposed to fame-seeking. None of us have ever heard of this guy and he has allegedly stated he didn't know Greaney was already running, which means he doesn't follow local politics and has no clue. Just because you have the right to do something doesnt mean you should. If he effs up our shot at ridding ourselves of the wicked witch of the east to indulge his own ego-trip, he should be run out of town on a rail.

Politrickery · 735 weeks ago

Civic engagement, is what I meant

guest1 · 735 weeks ago

Occhipinti, Brinkman Carbine and and ??? pulled this during the 09 elections.

BethTakeManhattan · 735 weeks ago

a quick look at Franz's Facebook page and what comes up?
Tim Occhipinti and Cammarano financial and Emotional supporter Pau Lichstein!

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deleted8670214 100p · 735 weeks ago

I revise my opinion of the guy. He is clearly a spoiler for Mason.

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deleted9879414 85p · 735 weeks ago

Agreed.

khoboken · 735 weeks ago

He is an attorney admitted in 2008 (when he was 34) and is an internal auditor for UBS. Residence is at 333 River. There is something fishy about his sudden appearance and am wondering what the real back story is. Is this another calculated attempt by the newly styled "Unity Group" to try and set up another young hand puppet to pose as a "reform" / "independent" candidate like was done with TIMMAY? The purpose would ostensibly be to drain votes from TG. I doubt that the voters of the 2nd ward are that dumb.

HobokenReformer · 735 weeks ago

Is 333 River even in the 2nd Ward? If he really resides there, how can he run in the 2nd Ward?

TonyH · 735 weeks ago

You Need to live in the ward you are running in for 1 year prior to election filing

I heard he lived at the shipyard, BOTH APPLIED buildings.
Applied was rock solid behind Beth last year. Raul Morales' father is a SVP at Applied Cos.

I don't want to suggest Applied moved him up from 333 to The Shipyard, but I can see where others might think it looks that way...

guest1 · 735 weeks ago

UBS runs a tight ship. This move, on Paetzold's part, would be considered pushing the envelope. They have mauals for dressing; down to the underwear. If Mason is involved, she would have to offer a lot of money and a future job.

khoboken · 735 weeks ago

Well, yes, she would, and, frankly, probably already has. Perhaps not directly, but through her "connections" (read Ricky).

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p1ywood 98p · 735 weeks ago

R-G, I would just like to point out that most of the data surrounding Ms Mason's popularity is town wide and not limited to the 2nd Ward. Town wide, she has made a fair share of political enemies through her alliances of late (with Mr Russo for example), but I suspect that Ms Mason may have some decent approval ratings among "people likely to vote" in the 2nd Ward. As a group the 2nd Ward is probably not as likely to weigh heavily her recent support of subsidy of Church Towers, for example which sticks in the craw of many town wide. So really, it remains to be seen how popular she remains in the 2nd Ward. Granted, she has her work cut out for her, as she really changed her agenda up in the past few years (granted, since last being elected in the 2nd Ward) in an effort to be more popular to the town in toto, and certainly lost some percentage points in the 2nd Ward as a result. The question is how many, and to my exposures the answer is a big question mark, but very possibly higher with low-information voters than most people suspect.

Personally, I think there is a perception out there that Ms Mason can't possibly win the 2nd Ward, and that assumption, if coupled with germane voter apathy, tertiary candidates as witnessed by this article (who in my mind are more likely to take votes from Mr Greaney than Ms Mason), and a strategic, well orchestrated and financed re-election campaign (the workings of which are too numerous to tick off here, but dis-information being a highlight), could be enough to carry Ms Mason first across the finish line to her re-election.

I also believe this tertiary candidate is just going to muddy the waters and throw a wrench in the works. Here's hoping he's on the level.

My opinion is that the winner of the 2nd Ward race is going to have to be someone who competes full-on, with everything they've got, and overconfidence in any camp may well be the deciding factor in their downfall. As well if one candidate plays it on the up-and-up, and the other one throws conscience and caution to the wind, it's going to be that much harder for the one on the up-and-up. In my mind there is no shoo-in in this upcoming contest, and I think those who would like a change of leadership in the 2nd Ward better get themselves mobilized for a long, hard campaign and be darn sure to get each and every one of their buns to the polls.

4Hoboken · 735 weeks ago

Salient points and much worthy of though and more importantly action. Note: Beth Mason could not hold serve though and double faulted in the 2nd ward in the mayor's race. She could not even win her own ward.

That's saying something. Since then, a year from November last, Beth Mason has gone on a jihad against the people of Hoboken, pandering to the police union, bellying up more to Mike and Mama Russo, and doing numerous dastardly things in hijacking the 4th ward election on behalf of Tim "the puppet vote fraudster" Occhipinti.

She's now announced in the Hudson Reporter, she is planning to do so again. Or worse.

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Gardiner4Hoboken 90p · 735 weeks ago

p1wood- I did say I could be wrong about Beth's unpopularity and I don't underestimate her at all. If the election were today Tom would likely lose as he is in the process of getting his name out there. I certainly am not advocating complacency.

Money can't buy you happiness but it can at times buy you an election, especially in a town as transient as Hoboken. If 2,000 people in the 4th Ward who pay taxes actually knew of Beth's behavior at the last City Council meeting in the full context of what transpired and committed to vote, Tom Greaney would get 1500 of those and this election would be over. But it doesn't work that way in this city and hence Tom will have to work very hard to win.

Just wanted to point out that I did this analysis late last year and it shows that the 2nd Ward is the least favorable Ward for Beth Mason to play her pandering games against the taxpayer. The 2nd Ward is the most conservative i.e. Republican Ward in all of Hoboken.

Here is the analysis:
http://thehobokenjournal.blogspot.com/2010/11/2nd...

deleted9879414 85p · 735 weeks ago

If Tom doesn't get his ass out there door to door meeting people he doesn't stand a chance. I want him to win, so hopefully he will.

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Hobbs · 735 weeks ago

People should never underestimate the power of Ricky Mason's money ! :@

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

Gardiner4Hoboken 90p · 735 weeks ago

You got that right Hobbs!:

OLDNEWCOMER2 · 735 weeks ago

You have to expect *every* trick from Mason to keep that seat. Whoever would take it from her has to figure he'll be up against one or more other candidates wittingly or unwittingly injected into the race at Mason's behest, a deluge of conventional paid media, however many 'paid (to vote) workers' as can be found in 2nd Ward, dumpster diving by paid PI firms to fuel smear attacks... anything anywhere near inside the law, and probably things that aren't.

I can't imagine why any Hoboken property tax payer or any other non-gravy-trainer with a real interest in this city and any knowledge of political events of recent years would even being to consider voting for Beth Mason now against virtually *anybody*. But there are a lot of *really* ignorant 'new newcomers', and some old guard gravy trainers in the 2nd Ward too, it's not all taxpayers. And it's only been shown Mason is weak in her ward as mayoral choice v. well known figures like Zimmer. Greaney has a long way to go in that department, and the more noise from other new candidates the better for Mason, which is the whole idea of this particular tactic, I cynically guess.