1st WARD COUNCIL CANDIDATE ERIC KURTA DEMANDS COUNCIL INVESTIGATE RUSSO BRIBE, CALLS FOR SUSPENSION
The allegations that have come to light in the recently released book Jersey Sting are deeply troubling. Hoboken's 3rd Ward Councilman and current Council Vice President Michael Russo is on tape agreeing to accept a $5,000 bribe and ongoing payments from FBI informant Solomon Dwek. The facts are well documented by the Pulitzer Prize winning journalists who have written the book and are now widely distributed.
When I was president of People for Open Government (POG), I led the charge for campaign finance reform because open government and clean elections are the key to making Hoboken successful. If we do nothing in light of serious allegations that a sitting councilman and chair of the Revenue and Finance Committee agreed to accept a bribe, then we are condoning unethical behavior from those that are supposed to govern.
Corruption and incompetence have plagued our great city for too long, and I refuse to sit idly by and wait for Hoboken to plunge back into the same system that made us a doormat for developers and special interests. I demand that the Council Majority suspend Councilman Russo from the position of Council Vice President and Chair of the Revenue and Finance Committee until such time as a complete and thorough investigation of the facts can be completed.
Our elected officials are duty-bound to look out for the best interests of their constituents. When those same elected officials refuse to do or say anything about allegations that the Chair of the Revenue and Finance Committee is accepting bribes, they are failing to do their jobs. Who else might Councilman Russo be agreeing to accept bribes from? How has that money affected our city's finances? Why is Russo's cousin, 1st Ward Councilwoman Theresa Castellano been so quiet on the issue? What are the council members hiding who elected Russo to Vice President of the Council - Castellano, Mason, Occhipinti, and Giacchi?
When the behavior of our elected representatives makes us question the legitimacy of our government, when our councilmembers refuse to do their jobs, we must take action into our own hands by firing them on election day. Let's send a message that we will no longer tolerate criminal behavior from our elected officials. Lets vote for reform on May 10th.
Signed,
Eric Kurta
Candidate for Hoboken City Council, 1st Ward ◦
