Voter information:
Polls in NJ are open from 6am -8pm in Hoboken on Tuesday November 5th. Both the School Board, The Mayor and The City Council elections are now in November to reduce the number of elections we have per year.
Below is a sample ballot for this coming election next Tuesday:
Here are the sections......
- The top left and middle portion is for the Governor/Lt. Governor, State Senate, Two Assembly Seats, and County Sheriff.
- The bottom left section is for the School Board and voters can choose up to three votes for the three open seats.
- The bottom middle section is for both the Hoboken Mayor position and the three City Council seats at large.
- The right section is for two State referendums and the vote on Vacancy Decontrol. A yes vote effectively enables vacancy decontrol for 1-4 unit buildings and a no vote keeps rent control the same for now. Below is the rent control question:
For the easier to read and zoom-able version go here:
Hoboken Election Sample Ballot November 5 2013
For any other questions go to the Hudson County Elections website below:
http://www.hudsoncountyclerk.org/elections/
Editor's Note:
Whether you agree with me or not I feel it is important to get out and vote. I have been following the local political scene for years and just want to see Hoboken under the proper leadership and stewardship that looks at the community as whole and not just a narrow constituent that rewards its insiders. It is important to me that we support honest and earnest candidates who will move away from the patronage and poor development practices of the past. Here is my take on this year's candidate pool.....
BOE - School Board Race:
For the BOE race, I am supporting the Kids First slate of Leon Gold 3I, Irene Sobolov 5I and Jennifer Evans 8I for the three open Hoboken School Board seats. I watched the BOE debate and even though I don't have children I want good stewardship of the Hoboken District Schools and these were the only three candidates out of the 8 that displayed the judgement and professionalism needed to support the District Superintendent in improving Hoboken's district schools.
The other slates displayed lack of basic knowledge or in the case of Brian Murray opportunism in marketing a Real Estate campaign to encourage parents to leave Hoboken while he gets commission because Hoboken Schools stink. This is hardly the leadership our children need on a Public School Board. The worse part is Brian Murray actually seemed to get off on how obnoxious he could be during the debate.
Mayor and City Council Races:
I fully support the Dawn Zimmer Team as they have accomplished a lot in 4 years by restoring balanced budgets to Hoboken, getting out from under the State Fiscal Monitor, saving Hoboken from $52 million dollars in bonds that could have defaulted by the HUMC by saving and privatizing the Hospital, reduced taxes 12.5%, finished Pier C Park, built 1600 Park, renovated Church Square Park and many others, initiated Corner Cars, re-organized the top heavy Police and Fire Departments, ousted a corrupt Parking Director from a prior Administration that stole $600,000 in parking revenue, boosted Hoboken's Shuttle Bus system, installed a flood pump in the most needed location first, and restored honesty and accountability to government just to name a few accomplishments.
The other slates challenging her in my humble opinion have failed to make the case to replace her and in some instances have misrepresented the facts about their prior records. Don't forget Ruben Ramos under his service as City Councilman with the Mayor Dave Roberts Team created the 2008 fiscal crisis by approving underfunded budgets for many years and selling or Municipal Garage to pay salaries. There is one instance where a faction of the Tim Occhipinti campaign purportedly have committed libel and slander and as a result will be getting sued for defamation. This is the same campaign that in a juvenile fashion sent a letter to Giants QB Eli Manning's Brother Peyton admonishing him for endorsing Mayor Dawn Zimmer for her support in fighting the Monarch Project where he lives. It was a low class move by low class candidate and proven obructionist. Hoboken needs serious leaders and clearly that is not Tim Occhipinti and they need fiscally responsible ones and that is clearly not Ruben Ramos.
Most importantly the opposing slates don't have the right plan going forward that represents the community as a whole or the skill sets and integrity to pull it off. The initial Vision 20-20 plan initial brochure called for more than doubling the size of the Projects in Hoboken. How could that possibly benefit anyone but developers? Both the Occhipinti and Ramos campaigns support this plan yet no final plan has been presented and vetted out by the public. Zimmer has stated that until a real plan is in place that this should not move forward. This is the sort of reckless development would could expect to see if Dawn Zimmer and her team were to lose.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer has a lot to run on her record with for re-election and Hurricane Sandy showed that she really cares about the community of Hoboken and its residents. Her plan to protect Hoboken from future storms is the most comprehensive plan but will take time to complete. Mayor Dawn Zimmer has persevered through the obstructionist tactics of her political adversaries and although she may not be perfect (who is after all?) she has the best character, integrity and proven track record of results to get the job done. She will need her slate to maintain a 5-4 majority so I advise you vote across the board to continue the progress we have seen in Hoboken.
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