4th Ward incumbent and Candidate Tim Occhipinti’s HQ still remains unoccupied. Some are wondering if this is due to lack of funds or that he is very confident that his challenger Rami Pinchevsky is not much of a threat since 600 campaign workers/vote by mail residents can be easily swayed at $40 a pop. The question is then where will the influx of money come from for Tim’s campaign? Can Tim count on the $13,400 influx from the Mason’s this go around? What About Rockefeller Group or Mike Novak’s favorite URSA Tarragon who as an organization still owes the City a community pool? The old adage is follow the money and you will find out who Tim’s core support really is. One thing is for sure it generally isn’t the Hoboken taxpayer.
Another aspect of the fundraising for Tim is it is too bad Peter Cammarano ally Michael Shaeffer is incarcerated. Where is a good bagman when you need one? Is support for newly coronated 4th Councilman Tim still strong or is perhaps his support “Petering” out. After all, the cabal that got around him for the November election has already shown signs of fracturing as they grab what scraps they can from the table of power for their own self-preserving interest. This time around there are six elections so for Tim it will be harder to get the manpower to fund his vote harvesting operations since those resources will be spread thin.
However, Tim is still the incumbent with a lock on the Housing Authority vote and while it is likely Rami Pinchevsky unencumbered by the perceived baggage that former 4th Ward Michael Lenz had will get more votes, it still may not be enough to stop the pro-development machine that has Tim’s back once the money comes rolling in. If local resources can’t raise the funds then out of area money will once again flow through more PACs. You can bet your last dollar that these interests want to see a lot more development in Hoboken. Will the money come in for Tim? Will Rami get enough votes to mount a closer challenge and possibly pull off an upset? Stay tuned. That is why we have elections folks!
