Hoboken 2009 Political Year in Review
I wish you a Happy New Year to my growing band of Hoboken Journal readers. Last year was one hell of a ride politically in Hoboken. As tumultuous as it was there were many positive developments amidst some sobering fiscal calamity, resignations and legal prosecutions that made Hoboken in 2009 a political year to remember.
The negatives (or positives depending on your perspective):
• Peter Cammarano won the June mayoral runoff by only 161 votes. He was implicated in the 44 person FBI corruption probe I like to call “Kidney-Gate” just 23 days later and stepped down after only 31 days on the job.
• John Corea, a Dave Roberts patronage plum was indicted on five counts relating to over $600,000 missing from the HPU.
• Beth Mason's two campaigns for Mayor. The most ill conceived, wasteful and least respected campaigns I have ever personally witnessed. Thankfully, the politics of personal destruction does not pull the same weight it used to. Between the Zimmer stalkers, co-optation with Hoboken 411, literature spam, the ill conceived TV ads and more triangulation than Hillary Clinton ever did in her recent presidential bid, these two campaigns were finally put out to pasture after over $1 million was spent. As the now defunct Enron slogan used to say, “Why”?
• The HUMC’s financial problems. The hospital is losing money faster the Perry Klaussen of Hoboken 411 is losing commenters on his site. Even with a $7 million stabilization award recently granted will this be enough to keep the hospital afloat by the end of 2010?
• Another large employer in Hoboken apparently also has financial difficulties, the Stevens Institute. The NJ Attorney General had filed charges in September against the Stevens Institute's President Harold Raveche.
• 2010 budget was introduced at around $98 million dollars. Many feel it does not account for potential expenses and does not make enough cuts. Point is it is a start and it is no up to the City Council to make the recommended cuts or adjustments. Of course while Hoboken is under State Supervision Judy Tripodi will ultimately have the final say.
(Of course, some of these indictments could be viewed as a positive in that Hoboken is finally starting to clean up its act.)
The positives:
• The Kids First ticket of Minutillo, McAllister and Sullivan won the April Hoboken BOE election and recaptured a majority of the board.
• Frank Raia provided perhaps the second best sound bite for Hoboken in 2009 in his BOE electoral defeat by pronouncing that “Hoboken was out of whack”. He was right, it was and the reason why he lost and the Kids First ticket was elected.
• Record turnout in the Hoboken BOE elections with over 5500 votes cast.
• Jack Raslowsky resigned from the BOE. Was this due to the Kid’s First Majority or just Jack looking to move on for a better opportunity at Xavier? Doesn’t matter. This opened the door for more change in the Hoboken Schools.
• Louis Picardo was denied his variance for construction on his premises thanks to the votes of two alternates Tony Soares and Mike Novak that prevented the Zoning Board getting the five votes needed to pass those variances. The way this whole building process was initiated was flawed in my opinion but this vote was significant since it could prevent other upsizing in other 3-4 four story residential parts of the city.
• A majority of reform minded City Council members was voted in on June 9, 2009 despite the loss by Zimmer in her bid for mayor in the second election. The three at large slates were veteran Carol Marsh, Ravi Bhalla, and Dave Mello who were all part of Dawn Zimmer’s slate.
• The FBI really started to focus on Hoboken in 2009. Peter Cammarano was implicated in the 44 person FBI probe just 23 days later and stepped down after only 31 days on the job. Justice will slowly take its course but regardless of the outcome his statements on page 8 of the FBI complaint should finish his career as a politician in Hoboken. In the complaint he had sated “he would grind his enemies into powder”. Anyone that arrogant and cynical is not suited to lead the City of Hoboken irrespective of their policy positions.
• Dawn Zimmer finally elected Mayor in the November 2009 special election after three attempts in 2009. Can Dawn ever do anything the easy way?
Of course there is so much more that happened in 2009 so do feel free to comment below anything I might have missed. This is just a brief recap and hopefully a conversational primer:
Going forward Hoboken has budget issues, pending union negotiations, infrastructure issues, revaluation, HUMC finances, and reshaping the culture at City Hall as some of the biggest ticket items that need to show progress in 2010. Hoboken is far from out of the woods yet. 2009 as tumultuous of a year as it was, perhaps opened the gates for progress. Time will tell. ◦
