The Twenty Five Plagues of Hoboken: an Editorial by Scott Siegel
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| No. Swarms of locusts have not yet besieged Hoboken but termites certainly have. |
1) Mayor Anthony Russo convicted of bribery and sent to jail.
2) Mayor Peter Camaranno convicted of bribery and currently in jail.
3) Sewage Commissioner Michael Schaefer convicted of being Peter Camaranno’s bag man. Currently serving time in jail.
4) Parking Director John Corea indicted for stealing $600,000 from the Authority. His mob partner pled guilty.
5) Failure of Michael Russo to follow up on the above theft while on the Finance Subcommittee.
6) Mayor Russo lining his campaign pockets with developer cash, leading to shoddy work on Hoboken’s jewel- our waterfront, which is collapsing before our eyes.
7) Mayor Russo still owing taxpayers over $300,000.
8) Mayor Russo selling our water utility. Every week we have a water main break with residents losing their water supply because of his failure to ensure a capital improvement plan.
9) Hoboken’s decrepit and leaky sewer system.
10) Mayor Roberts lining his campaign pockets with developer cash leading to over development. His sweetheart PILOT’s screwed the taxpayer by leading to a higher than necessary tax rise. Where’s our pool and community center?
11) The failure to codify zoning laws from the Master Plan, contributing to over development.
12) Mayor Roberts infamous underfunded budget, leading to the state takeover.
13) Over development, creating exacerbated flooding.
14) Mayor Russo, Roberts and a compliant City Council not making needed capital improvements. Our police and fire HQ’s and many other structures have severe problems. They could have been addressed earlier at a much lower cost.
15) The Mason/Russo Chicken Hawk’s council majority being fiscally and legally irresponsible.
16) Tim Occhipinti’s campaign being investigated by NJ Attorney General Dow for potential voter fraud.
17) Beth and Ricky Mason spending $13,400, buying Tim Occhipinti the 4thWard seat.
18) Our Parking and Transportation office being overridden with termites.
19) The city council people still seated: Mason, Russo, Giacchi and Castellano grandfathering people in Church Towers making over $100,000 a year in “affordable units”, instead of opening those units to qualified, needy citizens.
20) Hoboken’s history of patronage jobs for friends and relatives, many of who were unqualified.
21) 44 major accounting violations from a previous Administration. The auditors couldn’t even tell if anyone was stealing from the city because accounts were so commingled.
22) Hoboken’s history of mismatching our assets and liabilities. We are currently financing long term assets, dangerously, one year at a time.
23) Beth Mason and Tim Occhipinti lying about our true cash surplus.
24) The council majority constantly turning meetings into marathons, depriving the public of good governance.
25) Council President Mason acting in a dictatorial manner, threatening our and even her own colleagues 1st Amendment rights.
I’m sure that your readers can come up with a few of their own. ◦
