City Hoboken Provides Tax Cut and Open Space Can Move Forward

From the City of Hoboken.....

ADDITIONAL TAX CUT, $20 MILLION FOR NEW OPEN SPACE MOVES FORWARD

Introduced budget cuts personnel costs by $4 million, reduces taxes by 10% since 2010

The City Council voted to introduce the Administration’s municipal budget which includes a 10 percent tax cut compared to the fiscal year 2010 budget. The budget includes a reduction in payroll costs of approximately $4 million as a result of Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s efforts to address personnel costs.

The tax cut was achieved despite enormous fiscal challenges including $3 million in Police salaries for prior years, nearly $3 million in rising health care and pension costs, the establishment of a legally required $3.3 million reserve for uncollected taxes, and a $3.4 million reduction in state aid.

“Despite the challenge of rising costs beyond our control, I am proud that we have delivered a significant down payment on the tax relief that our citizens deserve," said Mayor Zimmer. “At a time when almost every municipality in the State of New Jersey is raising taxes, Hoboken is able to deliver an honest and fully-funded fiscally responsible budget that delivers tax relief to its citizens.”

The City Council unanimously approved the agreement reached between the Police unions and the Administration which saves $700,000 in retroactive salary payments and will save an additional $200,000 per year going forward.

Residents who care about open space are encouraged to speak at the next Council meeting on March 16 on the $20 million bond acquisition. This ordinance, crucial for bringing new open space to Hoboken’s underserved western neighborhoods, barely passed by a 5 to 4 vote, after an attempt to table it failed. The bond would be completely paid for by the Open Space Trust Fund.

“Hoboken needs more open space, and the Council needs to hear from the public to ensure that it follows through with final passage of this bond at the next Council meeting,” added Mayor Zimmer.

Mayor Zimmer is pleased with the final passage of the single stream recycling ordinance which authorizes her to proceed with her Administration’s initiative that will reduce costs and make recycling easier for residents. The City Council also unanimously approved an amendment to the rent control ordinance.

“I applaud the Council for taking this important first step, but I urge them to promptly consider the amendments that Councilman Bhalla discussed, which reflect important clarifications to ensure fairness for both tenants and landlords,” said Mayor Zimmer.

Documents and presentations regarding the 2011 budget are available on the City website at: http://www.hobokennj.org/government-finances/

Link: http://www.hobokennj.org/news/additional-tax-cut-20-million-for-new-open-space-moves-forward/

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City Hoboken Provides Tax Cut and Open Space Can Move Forward

Eric Kurta gets his Sinage up - The 1st Ward has a Contenda'

Eric Kurta is doing his best to get his name out there as 1st Ward Council challenger to Terry Castellano.
Here are photos from yesterday taken by his campaign:

At a bus stop

Prominent signage on Washington Street.

The candidate himself, Eric Kurta, this time without a shovel.

My comment: Man oh man, it is good that I am not running against Eric Kurta. I don't live in the first ward so it could not happen anyway. Could you imagine Kurt vs. Kurta? It would be like Godzilla vs. Mothra. :) ◦

Eric Kurta gets his Sinage up - The 1st Ward has a Contenda'

Hoboken City Council Meeting Recap of 3/2/2010 - Video and Live Blog Archive

The Hoboken City Council Meeting from 3/2/2010 once again concluded in the wee hours of the morning. Below is the materials from the meeting, the archived video links and the archive live chat.

Agenda: http://www.hobokennj.org/docs/council/agenda11/revised-ccm-03-02-11.pdf
Resolutions: http://www.hobokennj.org/docs/council/respack11/revised-respac-03-02-11.pdf

Proposed Introduced Budget, CY 2011: http://www.hobokennj.org/docs/businessadmin/CY11Budget.pdf
Proposed Introduced Budget, CY 2011 comparison to SFY 2010 Budget: http://www.hobokennj.org/docs/businessadmin/CY11-SFY10-Comparison.pdf
MOU PBA/PSOA - Feb, 2011: http://www.hobokennj.org/docs/businessadmin/MOU-Police-Feb-2011.pdf

Video Part 1 of  Hoboken City Council Meeting  3/2/2010:



Link to Part 2: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13053527
Link to Part 3: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13056396
Link to Part 4: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13056695

Writeup from Hoboken Patch: http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/council-adopts-proposed-budget
Live blog Hoboken Journal Archive:

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Hoboken City Council Meeting Recap of 3/2/2010 - Video and Live Blog Archive

Dawn Zimmer Remarks on City Council Meeting

Dawn Zimmer sent out a note on a fund raiser next week, more on that later but here are her remarks as they pertain to tonight's City Council meeting....

Here’s some quick highlights:


1. Budget introduction tonight includes 10 percent tax cut since FY 2010

(5% Transition year 2010 + 5% SFY 2011)

2.Responsible cash surplus level of approximately $5 million - 5 percent of total budget (Any lower would be fiscally irresponsible and damaging to our bond rating. Beware of politicians falsely claiming that we have $25 million of available surplus – We Don’t!).

3. Reached agreement with the Police unions that saves Hoboken $700,000 over previous agreement negotiated by Judy Tripodi.

The agreements also provide ongoing annual savings of an estimated $200,000. (In addition to multi-million dollar annual savings from restructuring of the Dept).
Finally, the agreement on the agenda tonight gives both our Police officers and our citizens the security of an agreement going into the future for the first time in many years.

4. Parks initiatives: Tonight, we are proposing a $20 million bond, funded entirely by the Open Space Trust Fund that Councilman Cunningham and I sponsored a few years ago. This funding is crucial to enabling us to stop talking about acquiring new open space and actually move ahead and get it done!

- Mayor Dawn Zimmer ◦

Dawn Zimmer Remarks on City Council Meeting

Real Democrats for Hoboken Blog Launched

In response to the "Real Democrats" cabal lead by Ruben Ramos, Maurice Fitzgibbons, Ines Garcia-Keim, Beth Mason and whoever else that claims to be a Hudson County Democrat and seeks to split the Hoboken Democratic party in two, there is a new website blog called Real Democrats for Hoboken.

Real Democrats For Hoboken: http://realdemocratsforhoboken.blogspot.com/

"What is really real, and hat is really a lie? Who is really real, and who is really fake? Are you for real? Is this for real?"

Here is an anonymous note I received from some one who is obviously looking to stir up a bit of trouble for the old guard in Hoboken. I suggest you link to it and spread the word if you are so inclined. That way when someone searches onthe term "Real Hoboken Democrats"  to find Ruben Ramos and his cabal's possibly illegal and second (rate) Hoboken Democratic Party, they might find this blog instead. Oh the power of social media! Try this experiment. I will be checking google in the search engines to see progress.
 
Here is the email I received this morning:

"Hey Big-Veggie Man,

Two negatives equal a positive, no? When the feeble and antiquated attempt to leverage the nimble and the modern in their favor, they expose ignorance and naivete, no? When things don't go your way, then create your own new world to play in, no? And if you don't like things, then pretend that your new world is the REAL world, no? But what if someone else then creates another new world that pretends to be YOUR new REAL world, no?

Oh, the games we play!
Visit: http://realdemocratsforhoboken.blogspot.com/

Link to it, encourage your friends and peers to link to it. The more they do, the more this blog gets associated on the web with Real Democrats For Hoboken! Attach it to news stories about Real Democrats For Hoboken. Smokescreen the smokescreeners.

Oh, the games we play!
Yours, Truly." ◦

Real Democrats for Hoboken Blog Launched

New Phone Poll Out - Beth Mason (likely) on the war path!

Update: A reader sent me this update from their recollection of the Beth Mason push poll being answered around Hoboken and it meshes with mine. Some of the questions are not exactly as they were said but this is a fairly accurate transcription.

A lot of the leading questions on what almost certainly appears to be a Beth Mason
push poll seem like they came right off of Hoboken 411's smear blog posts. Lane and
Perry "Crazy Shorts" Klaussen are writing polls now too? I say enough! Time to take or town
back from these manipulators sucking up to URSA and Rockefeller Group.

Are things going in right direction in the city?
Very Favorable, Favorable, OK, Poor or Not Enough Information

What's the most important problem facing the city?
Open question.

Rate the following politician's as very favorable, favorable, less favorable, least favorable:
Carol Marsh
Barack Obama
Anthony Romano
Ruben Ramos
Dawn Zimmer
Brian Stack
Mike Lenz
Beth Mason
Hoboken Fire Department
Peer Cunningham
Perry Belfiore
Scott Delea

Next group of questions:
Rate Dawn Zimmer's job performance as Mayor.
Rate Beth's job performance as city councilwoman.
Rate very favorable, favorable, less favorable least favorable: Cunningham, Belfiore, Delea in the 5th Ward.
What's your opinion of a race between Freeholder Anthony Romano vs. Carol Marsh?

What's your opinion on how the city (Administration) is doing: excellent, good, average, poor, not enough information?
• Repair waterfront
• Open and honest government
• Holding down taxes

Budget surplus is $27 Million (HJ Editorial: this is a lie, the number is $14.7 million. Beth Mason's inability to read a spreadsheet disqualifies her from City Council)

Some opinions are to keep it in a reserve account, to raise bond rating, some could be used for a 5 % tax cut. Other opinions are that the surplus is too high because the tax rate too high, and that the surplus should be returned . Otherwise if it is left in the hands of professional politicians and government bureaucrats they will spend it on special interest groups, friends and patronage jobs and will never trim the fat from the budget.

Note: I don't remember the specific question that came after this.

Public figures statements. Do you agree or disagree?

• Mason is for good government and stands for the rights of everyday people.
• If you leave a surplus in the hands of politicians, they will find ways of spend it.
• Beth Mason cares about people like myself. (HJ: Editorial comment: Hell no! )
• Zimmer proposing $20m for bonding for parks in master plan agreement, do you agree or not?
• Zimmer cares about people like myself.

Perry Belfiore is retired and has pledged to be a full time council man... are you more likely or less likely to support him?

Will these statements make you more or less likely to support Peter Cunningham?:

• Peter Cunningham gave a legal contract to attorney who gave to his campaign.
• His website administrator's own blog website portrays council people as Nazi's. Are you offended?
• Peter Cunningham was a registered Republican, changed to Democrat, voted for Christie and supports the governors agenda
• Peter Cunningham wants to keep slush fund and hold onto the surplus.
• In a recent election Cunningham sent an email that said that there was no place left in Hoboken for long term residents.
• Peter Cunningham eliminated seniors citizen shuttle service.
• Peter Cunningham made a back room deal with Russo in favor of giving it a campaign supporter a job with benefits.

The poll concluded asking for demographic data as well as what websites I read. Of course I answered Hoboken Journal! :)

For Discussion: What do you think of Beth Mason's (in all likelihood) latest scorched earth poll? I have a feeling that the queen of mean is just getting started.

Original Post: More on this later but here is a brief statement about a political poll I just finished.

The NJ Center for Research (800) 251-5850 called me and asked to answer a poll and I said yes. The poll included Dawn Zimmer and Beth Mason and questions about their performance and seemed to start off fairly balanced. It also seemed to be concerned with the 5th Ward election and asked which of the three possible candidates of Perry Belfiore, Scott Delea or Peter Cunningham would I vote for. It also asked what my opinion on the $27 million dollar surplus was. Actually, the surplus is $14.7 million.

It continued on with many questions that resembled the sensationalistic smear headlines of Hoboken 411. It even asked that would your support for Mayor Dawn Zimmer be less likely if one of her bloggers depicted Nazi imagery on her website. At that point I knew this was almost certainly a Beth Mason poll. This wasn't just a political poll folks, this was an attempt to smear anyone in sight who opposes her. Even Carol Marsh and Ravi Bhalla were thrown under the bus with more distortions of the truth disguised as a political poll.

If you get the call from this number try to record it. Email me at kurt.gardiner@gmail.com if you would like to share the recording with the public so that the they can see to what depths Beth Mason will go to be re-elected. I can take out your answers if you wish.

This poll bordered on slander and was full of a lot of lies and political machinations. Beth Mason has no shame. ◦

New Phone Poll Out - Beth Mason (likely) on the war path!

Recap of Bike Hoboken's last Meeting on 2/24/2011

Here is a recap of last week's Bike Hoboken meeting by Josh Meyers.....

Bike Hoboken's last meeting - Press Relase by Josh Meyers

Hey all,

We had a great meeting last week and we wanted to share the press release here.

Bike Hoboken held its first meeting last night (Wednesday February 24th) at Carpe Diem restaurant in Hoboken. In attendance were 5th Ward Councilman, Peter Cunningham, 3rd Ward Councilman, Mike Russo and his wife, candidate for 2nd Ward, Tom Greaney, Jay DiDomenico of the Hudson Transportation Management Association (TMA) and Ian Sacs, Hoboken’s Transportation Director. Founding members Chris Giannini and Josh Meyers led the meeting which was attended by over 20 residents.

The round table format addressed a multitude of important issues. Residents said often they felt unsafe when riding a bike in and around Hoboken, in particular when with their children. The need for better enforcement of existing vehicular traffic laws was discussed, especially with regard to cars parked too close to the corner, which diminishes visibility for everyone, double parking and speeding. Cyclists and pedestrians need to ride and walk in a responsible, safe fashion. It was agreed that texting while crossing the street and riding the wrong way down a one-way street were examples of unacceptable behavior. The discussion focused on the important need to balance competing interests of various modes of transportation. It was noted that a 4,000 pound car traveling at 25 miles an hour or more posed a much greater risk to pedestrians and cyclists than any pedestrian or cyclist ever could pose to a driver.

The need for additional, safe bike parking in many areas of Hoboken was mentioned, such as at the PATH, along Washington Street and at the sites of other business establishments and recreational areas. Residents expressed frustration at not having bike parking in their apartment buildings and in local parking lots. Proposals to possibly convert the existing, now unused parking meter poles into bike parking and to expand bike parking into the no-parking areas currently partitioned off by the orange ballasts on many Hoboken corners.

Jay DiDomenico, of Hudson TMA, explained resources his organization offers to promote safety and public education programs at no cost to the City; including seminars for children and community groups. In the past, these events have not been very well attended, but it was hoped that greater publicity would increase attendance. The desire to reduce traffic, increased gas prices, the need to reduce congestion, the recent increase in bike lanes and bike parking in Hoboken, have caused a shift to take place in our transportation mix. With the goal of reducing traffic congestion and the difficulty of finding street parking, more and more Hoboken residents are taking to the streets and bike path on bicycles. Addressed safely, this change can help alleviate many local problems and can become another of the many attributes Hoboken has to offer. For a geographically small city, Hoboken is an ideal place for bicycling for pleasure, sport and to commute.

The many recent improvements made in Hoboken’s transportation environment were highlighted by Ian Sacs. The mere existence of bike lanes have proven to significantly reduce vehicular traffic speeds along Grand and Madison Streets. Ian explained the possibility for a full-fledged bike sharing program in which residents would have use of bikes parked throughout the City at minimal cost. Bike sharing programs have been extremely successful in almost every European city and many places like Washington D.C. and Boston. Future initiatives Ian and the group discussed include encouraging local businesses to sponsor new bike racks; the possibility of indoor free or paid bike parking at the municipal and possibly private garages; having delivery people deliver food by bike rather than by car; and working within the recommendations of the Hoboken Master Plan and the extensive study the RBA Group completed. This study resulted in the Hoboken Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, created by RBA with extensive community input.

Another idea already underway is the creation of a directory for all residential buildings in Hoboken which offer bike parking to residents and a description of the type of parking offered (i.e, locked room, a rack, etc.). Many Hobokenites live in very small apartments and don’t wish to keep a bike in their living room or feel it is not safe to park overnight on the street. A condo like Garden Street Lofts, that has a state-of-the-art, double tier bike rack inside a locked room in the parking garage is an enviable amenity for home buyers.

For many of us a bicycle is the first step to adulthood and independence. It is a way to move around while still remaining connected to your surroundings. Riding a bike is convenient, inexpensive, and fun. The members of Bike Hoboken together with the cooperation of the local government and involvement of Hoboken’s residents can make riding a bike in Hoboken safe, freeing and fun again. This meeting was the beginning of a great journey toward a worthy goal of making Hoboken a bike friendly place to visit and live.

- Josh Meyers ◦

Recap of Bike Hoboken's last Meeting on 2/24/2011

Council Candidates Kurta and Pinchevsky Open Campaign Office

Here is the official pess relase from the Campaign HQ opening last night from Rami Pinchevsky and Eric Kurta:

COUNCIL CANDIDATES KURTA & PINCHEVSKY OPEN CAMPAIGN OFFICE

On Monday night, Eric Kurta and Rami Pinchevsky held a joint city council campaign office grand opening. The room filled up quickly and was attended by residents from all over Hoboken who came to support the future council members. The energetic crowd cheered loudly as both candidates laid out strong platforms and gave motivational speeches to encourage participation.

Eric Kurta, who was also officially kicking-off his campaign for Hoboken City Council in the 1st Ward and announcing his new website (kurtaforcouncil.com) at the event, spoke about his hands-on approach to problem solving. “I have been raking, sweeping, and shoveling my part of the neighborhood for nearly two decades. I do it because the work needs to get done, because I have the tools, and because I enjoy doing my part to make my community better. I am running for City Council for the same reason.”

Kurta is supportive of Mayor Zimmer and describes her ideas as refreshing and forward-thinking. He is adamantly against Hoboken's political tradition of corruption, saying “we deserve a council representative who will work for the public interest, not their own self interest.”

Rami Pinchevsky, candidate for Hoboken City Council in the 4th Ward, spoke briefly about the important issues facing the 4th Ward and the whole of Hoboken. “For too long, corruption and incompetence have held back our city. This May, we can do something about it.” He then went on to stress the importance of participation, saying “we have websites, facebook pages, signs, stickers, and now, an office. But, we were missing the most important part. Now that you are here, we have everything we need to win this election.”

Eric Kurta, a 20 year resident of Hoboken’s 1st Ward, has a long history of community activism. A former president of People for Open Government, Kurta led the successful fight to strengthen Hoboken’s pay-to-pay laws, reducing the influence of outside special interests groups in local elections. A board member of Hoboken Revolt, Kurta served as a central voice in ensuring fiscal responsibility in Hoboken government. Kurta is also a Commissioner on the Hoboken Municipal Hospital Authority.

For more information about Eric Kurta, or to get involved, please visit kurtaforcouncil.com and on facebook at www.facebook.com/KurtaForCouncil. For photos of the event, visit www.divshare.com/slideshow/14193287-2ed

Rami Pinchevsky is a long-time resident and community activist in the 4th Ward. As professional actuary, Rami has spent his professional career analyzing employee benefits, measuring value, and assessing risk to help companies become as efficient with their finances as possible. Now he wants to help Hoboken become as efficient with its tax dollars as possible, and he will be able to use his expertise to review bills, budgets, and paperwork to make informed, independent decisions.

For more information about Rami Pinchevsky, or to get involved, please visit ramiforcouncil.com and on facebook at www.facebook.com/ramiforcouncil. For photos of the event, visit www.ramiforcouncil.com/photos/

To view video of the event, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QeMK6ukuTw

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Council Candidates Kurta and Pinchevsky Open Campaign Office

Recap Kurta and Pinchevsky Joint HQ Kickoff Monday February 28, 2011

Here is a brief recap of Eric Kurta's and Rami Pinchevsky's campaign HQ kickoff last night in photos and videos:

The new joint campaign HQ for Rami Pinchevsky and Eric Kurta at 1st and Willow

Eric Kurta points to an effigy that was made of him. For years Eric Kurta has been
ambassador to his corner and this was made as a tribute to his service

A Good turnout for this official openeing.

Eric Kurta Campaign Kickoff at HQ 2-28-2011


Rami Pinchevsky City Council Campaign HQ Kickoff 2-28-2011 ◦

Recap Kurta and Pinchevsky Joint HQ Kickoff Monday February 28, 2011

Update: Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner Rallies the Troops against Doggy Day Care! Meeting Tonight Cancelled

Update 3/1/2011: There was supposed to be a special meeting tonight to hear the case for zoning variances for Doggy Day Care business Hoboken Unleashed. A large crowd from Weehawken was expected. This meeting has been cancelled and a future date will be announced at some point.
Original Post 1/26/2011:

WTF? Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner Shows up at Hoboken Zoning Board Meeting with Bus Loads of Constituents!

Last night at the special Hoboken Zoning Board Meeting to hear the case of the application of Hoboken Unleashed to apply for zoning variances at 1714 Willow Avenue Weehawken Mayor Turner showed up to oppose this application with busloads of Weehawken constituents and he even provided the bus presumably on the taxpayer dime. Question: What is a Weehawken Mayor doing at a zoning board meeting in Hoboken? Read below for the answer. At least Tina and Ike didn't show up. :)


Mayor Turner with about 50 Weehawken constituents at the special Hoboken Zoning Board Meeting last night.



Phil Cohen, a zoning board appointee for over a year remarked that this was the largest crowd he had seen at a zoning board member. The large crowd size was no doubt due to Mayor Turner's guerrilla marketing efforts as shown in this flyer below:



Here is the flyer Weehawken Mayor Turner used to get his constituents up in arms over the Hoboken Unleashed proposal.



Mayor Turner had previously partnered with Mayor Dawn Zimmer on a shared services plan for the municipal garage plan but that fell through when it was discovered that the owner of the property already had a prior lease with none other than Hoboken Unleashed. The City of Hoboken in addition to the dual lease landlord of 1714 Willow was sued and the City of Hoboken vacated the premises after using it as a temporary municipal garage site for less than two months.The question of the evening was for me whether Mayor Turner really objects to the use variance as a "doggy day care facility" or just really wants it to be used as a Municipal Garage for Weehawken or some sort of shared services agreement as proposed before.

According to the Hoboken Patch article covering last night: "Turner said that if the building is a municipal garage, Weehawken controls the traffic flow."

I think we pretty much have our answer to that question.

Mayor Turner sure knows how to get his residents to zoning board meeting. He even brought a priest!

The besieged Hoboken Unleashed owner Michael Stigliano who has been trying to get his
"doggy day care" business a new home. He is running out of options.

The meeting began with some legal issues of whether or not the meeting was sufficiently noticed for about one hour and a motion was made to continue stating that the meeting was sufficiently noticed.. That motion passed 6-0-1 with new zoning board member Michael DeFusco the lone abstention as he is a brand new voting member of the board.

The only testimony heard last night was that of architect Frank Minervini who is no stranger to being in front of the Hoboken Zoning Board. The next testimony that will be heard will be that of the owner Mike Stigliano on March 1st, 2011 when the board reconvenes. There will  be two other witnesses called as well on behalf of Hoboken Unleashed and that includes a traffic expert. This political battle will go on while the Zoning Board in its professionalism will decide the case on its merits. One observer commented that if Mayor Turner loses his battle at the Zoning Board to stop a Hoboken business owner he would have an uphill battle to successfully declare eminent domain. Even through the property is only accessible through Weehawken streets it is still in Hoboken City limits. What is next for Mayor Turner if he loses, Annexation? This is an unusual and complicated case from a zoning perspective since the use Mr. Stigliano does not exist but he clearly has a viable business model. Stay tuned.

My Analysis: Look in all fairness to Mayor Richard Turner of Weehawken, that site may be ideal for a shared services Municipal garage. I just find it disingenuous that he is using the concept of increased traffic and noise to instill fear in his constituents when a municipal garage site would probably produce more of that. This is a classic example of a politician playing his constituents while supposedly looking out for them. The landlord has rights to his property that can only be superseded by eminent domain.

Frank Minivervini a prominent Hoboken architect, presents his plans to the Board for Hoboken Unleashed. The plan as presented calls for up 88 kennels in the facility.

Here is a closeup of the site in relation to residential buildings in Weehawken which are highlighted in orange.

Another view of the site in relation to residential buildings.

Hoboken Patch Link: http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/doggy-day-care-owners-looking-to-go-ahead-with-business

More Diagrams and Pictures - click Read more below:
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Update: Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner Rallies the Troops against Doggy Day Care! Meeting Tonight Cancelled