Here is an email from citizen activist Donna Antonucci urging residents to attend the Hoboken City Council meeting this Sunday at 6pm. At stake is the future of the Hoboken Hospital that so far to date is in jeopardy as the garage deal needed to complete the sale needs a total of 6 votes. So far the obstructionist minority City Council has said no and risks plunging the City into financial chaos for what is perceived by most honest taxpayers as merely political.
To date the minority members of Mason, Castellano (Terry), Russo and Occhipiniti (nicknamed MORTe which is Italian for death) have failed to do their fiduciary duty to the Hoboken taxpayer. Since their power comes from the mob (of paid for voters) the only thing they understand is the mob, a mob of angry Hoboken taxpayers that is. Thus Donna urges the citizens of Hoboken to sacre some sense into these maniacal, vindictive, irresponsible, childish, petty, lying City Council members to stop playing politics and do the right thing: save the Hoboken Hospital. Will you join? Read on...
Did you call the Council Minority yet? Call again. You can also send a text message.
The Council Minority (Mason, Russo, Castellano and Occhipinti) are set to bankrupt Hoboken.
Your taxes will [increase substaitally] because of their political grandstanding.
- Call Beth Mason at 646-339-2991 today to tell her to vote "Yes" on Sunday. If that box is full, call 201-656-7549
- Call Tim Occhipinti at 917-721-3926 today to tell him to vote "Yes" on Sunday
- Michael Russo is at 201-401-9687
- Theresa Castellano is at - (201) 656-9449
Please go to the mic and make a statement that they are destroying Hoboken and to stop. Make it clear you are ready to make them personally responsible for the damage.
This will trigger a $100MM tax liability that will be due immediately. It can trigger a bankruptcy and render your property worthless.
The Hoboken University Hospital is a failing asset that is losing millions of dollars a month. The
taxpayers are on the hook for a $52MM bond that the City backed a few years ago. The hospital board negotiated a deal to sell the hospital to Hold Co, a private company. They have a track record of turning hospitals around. A hospital needs parking for it to be successful. We want the hospital to succeed and Hold Co insisted on parking. The hospital board agreed to work with the city to give parking access at the mid-town garage as part of the deal - the garage adjacent to the hospital that was built for the hospital.
Since it is municipal property, the City Council needs to passed the Parking Agreement Ordinance that gives Hold Co. access.
The Parking Agreement Ordinance was passed with the 5 votes on the council that support the hospital sale: Bhalla, Cunningham, Marsh, Giattino and Mello. However, an Ordinance normally takes 20 days before it can be implemented. The hospital cannot make payroll next week and will close triggering payment of the bond and all the costs associated with closing the hospital.
It takes 6 votes to pass an emergency measure to implement the Ordinance immediately without having to wait the normal 20 day waiting period to implement an Ordinance. No one in the Council minority supported this measure at the last Council meeting. This bitter move by the Council minority could sink this deal and we, the people, will bear the results of their irresponsible action.
Taxpayers will be on the hook for $52 million plus, and all residents will lose because the hospital will shut down. In addition to the bond, taxpayers will be liable for payroll (which must be paid before the bond). We would also have to pay personnel costs to move existing patients. The estimate is $100MM that will be needed immediately.
The state is also watching and we want them to step in.
Showing up will encourage the state to act. Please come to City Hall on Sunday at 5:30 to sign up to address the Council. The meeting starts at 6:00.
- Donna Antonucci
