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Saturday, February 21, 2009
Photo of the Day - The New Clam Broth House Building
Photo of the Day for today is the newer building where the Clam Broth House used to be:
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Dilbert Strip on the Economy
Here is a Dilbert strip on the state of the economy:
My comment: I thought this would be a funny and relevant comic since the City Council refused to take a 10% paycut just this Wednesday at the last City Council Meeting. Do you feel that they are sharing in the sacrifices that we taxpayers are facing? Your thoughts are welcome. ◦
My comment: I thought this would be a funny and relevant comic since the City Council refused to take a 10% paycut just this Wednesday at the last City Council Meeting. Do you feel that they are sharing in the sacrifices that we taxpayers are facing? Your thoughts are welcome. ◦
Hoboken Isn't the Only City Nearby with a Big Tax Increase
West New York Mayor Sal Vega defends tax increase
A day after nearly a thousand people stormed a Board of Commissioners meeting to protest a proposed 27 percent municipal tax hike, Mayor Silverio "Sal" Vega defended the increase and the steps he's taking to lower taxes in the future, saying the hike was due to increased costs and years of deficit spending. "A lot of it has to do with putting things off until it gets to the point where the house of cards will not stand. And it's my responsibility as mayor to create a budget that we can stand on in the future," he said in a sit-down interview at Town Hall yesterday afternoon. (Clark, Jersey Journal)
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/02/west_new_york_mayor_sal_vega_d.html
My take:
This key quote from Sal Vega stands out:
"A lot of it has to do with putting things off until it gets to the point where the house of cards will not stand. "
This is exactly what happened in Hoboken. Our Municipal Government sold city assets to cover operating expenses, delayed payments and didn't gradually raise taxes or cut expenses to compensate until the "house of cards" collapsed. Enter Judy Tripodi. ◦
A day after nearly a thousand people stormed a Board of Commissioners meeting to protest a proposed 27 percent municipal tax hike, Mayor Silverio "Sal" Vega defended the increase and the steps he's taking to lower taxes in the future, saying the hike was due to increased costs and years of deficit spending. "A lot of it has to do with putting things off until it gets to the point where the house of cards will not stand. And it's my responsibility as mayor to create a budget that we can stand on in the future," he said in a sit-down interview at Town Hall yesterday afternoon. (Clark, Jersey Journal)
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/02/west_new_york_mayor_sal_vega_d.html
My take:
This key quote from Sal Vega stands out:
"A lot of it has to do with putting things off until it gets to the point where the house of cards will not stand. "
This is exactly what happened in Hoboken. Our Municipal Government sold city assets to cover operating expenses, delayed payments and didn't gradually raise taxes or cut expenses to compensate until the "house of cards" collapsed. Enter Judy Tripodi. ◦
Rumor Mill- Outsider Mayoral Candidate to Announce Within a Week
There will be another announcement for a Hoboken Mayor Candidate sometime next week. It will not be any of those already considered prominently in discussion or on my mayoral survey on this blog. This person will be an "outsider". The source is first hand and sincere and I am sworn to secrecy until the announcement is ready.This is shaping up to be a very interesting race indeed! ◦
Editorial Comment on Comments and Focus of Blog
Readers-I received a comment that has prompted my post as a reply:
"Is this the new blog for baseless rumors? I had hoped this place would be more like Hoboken411 and less like the NJ.com boards."
Editorial Policy: I am trying to let the comments stay up unless I can 100% prove that a statement is patently false. A lot on this particular thread is posturing and conjecture and that is too bad. As a part time blogger I don't have time to play the censor and will not engage in IP address blocking and other tactics that other sites do since I don't have my hosted servers and it is counter productive to producing content.
I will be starting to post a series of articles on issues coming soon. I implore my readers to focus more on the issues than the petty attacks which I admit sometimes I too am guilty of.
Beth Mason stated her reason for abstaining on the City Council salary reduction vote. You can agree or disagree on that decision and the resulting stalemate on the Council salary reduction vote but in my opinion it doesn't make a difference in the bottom line. I still would have liked to see it passed as a symbolic gesture to send to the unions with collective bargaining coming up but again it doesn't make a real difference.
What I really want is a plan of action for how to get us out of this mess. Who will provide such a plan? Focus on that and the discourse on this site will improve.
Just my humble opinion.
- Chief and Only Editor
Kurt Gardiner aka "Reformerus_Gianticus" ◦
Angry Mob Playset- Citizen Activism Toys
For those Hobokenites who are outraged at the current tax situation and overall mismanagement of government, here is an educational tool for your children (if you have them) on the importance of citizen activism.
Angry Mob Play Set by Archie McPhee
Add some dramatic tension to your playtime with the Angry Mob Play Set. Each set includes nine 2" to 3" tall, hard vinyl villagers wielding a variety of weapons for them to wave menacingly at the object of their disdain. Great for intimidating your action figures and teaching children the concept of mob rule.
Angry Mob Play Set item 11835 $15.95 ea.
Shoppers Note: You can check out and see if they have this item at Big Fun Toys at 602 Washington Street. Here is the link to the store online http://www.bigfuntoys.com/
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Angry Mob Play Set by Archie McPhee
Add some dramatic tension to your playtime with the Angry Mob Play Set. Each set includes nine 2" to 3" tall, hard vinyl villagers wielding a variety of weapons for them to wave menacingly at the object of their disdain. Great for intimidating your action figures and teaching children the concept of mob rule.
Angry Mob Play Set item 11835 $15.95 ea.
Shoppers Note: You can check out and see if they have this item at Big Fun Toys at 602 Washington Street. Here is the link to the store online http://www.bigfuntoys.com/
St. Patrick's Day Parade Fundraiser - Sunday February 22, 2009
Here is an event coming up this weekend as a fundraiser for the 2009 Hoboken St. Patrick's Day parade:
The Annual Irish Party
This event, to be held on Sunday, 22 February 2009, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Our Lady of Grace School Hall at the corner of 4th and Willow also includes an Ad JOURNAL. This is our only fundraising event held each year to benefit the Hoboken St. Patrick’s Parade. The party always features a hot corned beef & cabbage dinner, live entertainment and an Open Bar, all for the price of $50 per ticket. We encourage reservations, and tables of ten are still available.
FOR TICKETS
Please call Joan at 201 420 8127 or John at 201 420 7842
E-mail to helencunning@aol.com
Our Fundraiser: Sunday, February 22, 2009
Our Lady of Grace School Hall, Corner of 5th St. & Willow Ave.
Entertainment by: “Round The House”
Hot Buffet & Open Bar
5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
$50 per ticket
To see the Party details on the organization's site go to this link:
http://www.hobokensaintpatricksparade.org/html/irishparty.html ◦
Photo of the Day - Circle Line Ferry from Hoboken Waterfront
The photo of the day is the Circle Line Ferry from Hoboken Waterfront:
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
Richard Tremitiedi - Special Advisor Report March 17, 2008
I spoke briefly with Richard Tremitiedi at last night's City Council meeting. He has been a frequent speaker at City Council meetings and has been a Special Advisor to the Roberts Administration for $1 a year. He is another candidate for City Council at large since he is now in the process of collecting the required signatures to get on the May ballot. Over 390 signatures are required so it is not an easy task to get on the ballot since any candidate should collect more than that number in case some are rejected. He shared with me the fact he had sent a report to the administration last year, March 17, 2008 to be exact outlining his recommendation for improving the City of Hoboken.
Here is the report on SlideShare:
Discussion: It would appear quite obvious that these recommendations were ignored by the Robert's Administration. Do you think these points are valid for moving the City forward in a better direction? Feel free to post away. ◦
Here is the report on SlideShare:
Discussion: It would appear quite obvious that these recommendations were ignored by the Robert's Administration. Do you think these points are valid for moving the City forward in a better direction? Feel free to post away. ◦
Timothy Occhipinti - For City Council - His Website
As I reported recently, Timothy Occhipinti had filed his ELEC D-1 form for City Council at Large. I met him briefly last night and he gave me information on his website. As is my policy on this site, I give all candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves if they so choose on this site.His campaign website is:
http://www.hobokenforchange.com/
Here is the link to the issues page on his site:
http://www.hobokenforchange.com/issues/
Here is the introductory message on the main page of his site:
Jan 7, 2009
My name is Timothy Occhipinti and I am running for Hoboken City Council on May 12, 2009. Hoboken is faced with many difficult challenges that are affecting all residents. One of the biggest issues is the ongoing budget crisis which has led to a 47 percent increase in property taxes.
Due to the inability of the sitting city council to pass 2009 budget, Hoboken’s finances are now in the hands of the state of New Jersey. Over the past seven years, Hoboken’s budget has increased from $53 million to $120 million. Hoboken needs responsible City Council officials who will look to reduce the current budget without creating a loss in services to the community.
I believe we also need to find new and creative methods to increase revenue without placing the burden on the residents of Hoboken. Hoboken can achieve a sound financial budget with the cooperation, open-mindedness, and resilience of its elected officials. Now is the time for leaders to emerge who will remain steadfast in their pursuit of leading Hoboken to a brighter future.
I am running to bring about the kind of change that will improve the quality of life for all residents of Hoboken. I will not be influenced by special interest groups or backroom politics. I will be an elected official you can be proud of. I am determined to run a positive campaign that will inspire residents to vote and make their voices heard.
This will be my first campaign running for an elected city official. I felt it was time to stop standing on the sidelines and take an active role in enacting real, positive change in our community. To this end, I have several goals for this campaign.
- Raise awareness of the importance of voting in your local elections. The ordinances and resolutions passed by Hoboken’s government have a profound impact on your daily lives and you should have a say in the process.
- Run a highly visible grassroots campaign that energizes voters. I feel that a voter should be excited with whom they are voting for - whether it’s their first or fiftieth time voting.
- I want to understand the issues that are important to you. I encourage you to take my on-line survey (coming soon!), e-mail me and approach me at any time with questions or concerns that you may have.
- I believe in honesty, integrity, and dedication and together we CAN make a difference for Hoboken.
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