The Hoboken Journal

Monday, May 9, 2011

On the Elections Tomorrow - The Uncertainty Makes it Interesting

Here is my brief take on the elections tomorrow, fueled mostly by an email I sent to a support of the Mason-Russo axis of Obstructionism and Corruption that I still enjoy chatting with despite our political differences.

For the elections tomorrow: If the turnout is low it will bode well for the Masonistas, the Russo Apologists and the Delean/Giacchian blow with the wind contingent. I ultimately predict that the Zimmerists pick up at least 2 seats if turnout is good. If not, well we get to watch Tim Occhipinti become the next Governor of New Jersey. He is following in Cammy's (Peter Cammarano's) footsteps right up up there with the vote buying and double voting.

Despite the fact that Beth Mason is probably the most despised figure in reform politics (lost to a spatula 85-15 in an online poll) Greaney is not a shoo-in by any means to beat her, quite the opposite. His campaign manager has not earned an A for execution and it could cost him. Still, with a presumably small base Beth Mason will have a tough time farming votes like Tim Occhocorrupto who has a goldmine of people willing to sell out their vote for $40. No such luxury in the 2nd Ward. Greaney definitely has a core of support and the question will be whether or not he can get enough of his vote out.

The people who live in the brownstones and who pay taxes know who to vote for. They won't be distracted by titles like "independent" with so much at stake. Those people know the score, Beth Mason's contempt for the taxpayer and all her machinations and will not be throwing their vote away tomorrow on such fringe candidates. First timers with no affiliations generally make a name for themselves and that is about it. Remember that Independent that ran against Christie and Corzine in the last NJ Governor's election? Me neither he was at one point polling 15%. As the election neared it lessened and he wound up with less the 5%. I will call this the "Franz Effect" and mark my words something similar should go down.

Greaney may have been bankrupt over 15 years ago but Beth Mason is morally bankrupt in her grab for power laying in bed with the Russos. What a despicable little crime family she is allied with. Only in Hoboken can a politician be caught red handed on tape selling out to an out-of-towner like Solomon Dwek do everything but take the money and be a lead pipe lock to get re-elected. Thats right, Mike Russo wins is the only thing certain in this election and you can take that bold prediction right to the Malibu Diner or Lewisburg PA, where the winner of the 2009 Mayoral Runoff debate now resides. His perceived competence over Zimmer got him really far in politics. Yeah right!

I potentially plan to be at Mason's HQ tomorrow night when Lane Bajardi either creams in his pants that his dear leader is not dead in Hoboken politics or to see him blow his brains out (figuratively) when his world comes crashing to an end with stunning her defeat. Either way it makes for great theater.

The good guys say: "Love your town, Vote". People don't show up and vote because some of them would rather be at a happy hour or they are out of town on business.

The bad guys do: Get people to vote twice for the old guard: once by mail with Frank Raia or Matt Callichio standing over your shoulder and running their results over in person to the clerk, and once on the machines under a different name on the machines. Besides, Frank Raia gets special treatment from our City Clerk.

Makes you feel real confident about our elections being fair right?

- The Editor ◦

Peter Cunningham Pounding the Pavement for 5th Ward City Council

I spotted Peter Cunningham at 8th and Washington Street this morning. He feels confident and relayed to me that he has been getting positive feedback on the campaign trail. I mentioned the possibility of a runoff and he responded by saying if he gets 775 votes that there might not even be a runoff. It would appear that Perry Belfiore and Scott Delea are dividing up the old guard vote and that Lenny Luizzi is not gaining the ground that he had hoped though the normally reserved guy is out there campaigning. All three of Peter's opponents were at Beth Mason's HQ kickoff. On Russo's corruption Perry Belfiore said "mea culpa", Lenny said "Russo was probably joking" and the ever evasive enigma Scott Delea has yet to comment publicly on Mike Russo's corruption tapes.

Still one of Lenny's supporters thinks he will win. All I can say to that is that elections are uncertain events but that that outcome is not probable. Depending on turnout Peter Cunningham might have an outside chance of not having a runoff but turnout will have to be very good in order for that to happen.

Is 775 votes the magic number for Peter to avoid a runoff? We will have to see. That's why we have elections folks. Make sure you vote tomorrow. Save the City of Hoboken money by avoiding a runoff election. ◦

Mayor Zimmer Email on City Council Elections Tomorrow May 10th

This is an email that went out from Mayor Dawn Zimmer this morning urging voters to turn out for the good governance candidates the Mayor has endorsed for City Council. The elections are tomorrow and the polls open at 6 am.

Dear Friends,

Please take the time to vote in tomorrow’s critically important City Council Election, and bring your friends and neighbors out to the polls with you.

I want to keep moving our City ahead, but I need a Council that will work with me.

Please vote for the future of our City by voting for:

Eric Kurta – 1st Ward
Tom Greaney – 2nd Ward
Greg Lincoln – 3rd Ward
Rami Pinchevsky – 4th Ward
Peter Cunningham – 5th Ward
Jen Giattino – 6th Ward

The future of our City is truly at stake.

Over the last two years we have made tremendous progress. Despite continuing to pay dearly for the costly mistakes of the past, we’ve introduced a budget with a 10% tax cut and a 5% cash reserve, so we can lower borrowing costs and taxes in years to come.

We’ve changed our City’s approach to development, ending years of overdevelopment in which developers profits were put ahead of the needs of our residents.

We’ve transformed our Parking Utility from an agency where almost $1 million of quarters disappeared to an agency that provides innovative transportation solutions like the HOP and Corner Cars, making Hoboken easier to get around both for people who own cars, and people who do not.

We are well on our way to saving our hospital and releasing the city from its $52 million bond obligation, but I am going to need a Council that will work with me, not against me. The current sales agreement is the ONLY way we can save our struggling hospital.

Our Progress is fragile. It has come against strong opposition from City Council members who would like to turn back the clock to a time when subsidizing things for the connected few was what government did.

We have close elections in every Ward, so please call and email your friends throughout the City and encourage them to vote.

With your help, we can win back the opportunity to keep the progress going.

Thanks very much for your support.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer

P.S. Stop by the headquarters at 1st and Willow to volunteer tomorrow and/or Tuesday!

P.S.S. Find your Polling Place below:

http://www.hobokennj.org/departments/city-clerk/voter-information/ ◦

Tom Greaney of 2nd Ward: TV Commercial

The Main opposition to Beth Mason in the 2nd Ward is Tom Greaney. He has a TV commercial that went out over the weekend in an effort to increase his visibility. Don't forget to vote out Beth Mason if you live in Hoboken's 2nd Ward on Tuesday May 10th!

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PATH Service Update Due to Weekend Accident in Hoboken

Update 5-8-2011 at 8 PM:

The Mayor sent this tweet last night that there will be a least some PATH Service today:

http://twitter.com/#!/dawnzimmernj/status/67367009758883840

This was sent out yesterday at 4:15 PM.

UPDATE ON PATH SERVICE & INFORMATION FOR COMMUTERS

Early Sunday morning a PATH train on Track 2 failed to stop and ran into the track terminus. There were 34 people injured who were taken to area hospitals, but thankfully, there were no life-threatening injuries. Mayor Zimmer thanks all of the agencies at the local, county, state and federal level for their very prompt response to this incident.

The Port Authority is working to restore service to at least one track on Sunday, however service cannot resume until the National Transportation Safety Board completes their initial review. The Port Authority will be working through the night and hopes to restore service to two tracks by Monday, however it is anticipated that at least one of the three tracks will remain out of service for repairs. The eastern entrances to the PATH platform, including the elevator, will also be inaccessible. Commuters requiring elevator service will not be able to access the PATH platform at Hoboken Terminal.

Due to the limited PATH service, commuters are strongly urged to consider alternate transportation options including bus, light rail, and ferry.

NJ Transit will be providing increased bus service for the morning commute starting at 5:30am on Monday on the 126 and 87 routes and will be cross-honoring PATH tickets. (http://www.njtransit.com/)
NJ Transit light rail service from Hoboken Terminal, 2nd Street or 9th Street is available to Newport where commuters can transfer to the PATH for service to New York City, Jersey City, Harrison, and Newark. NJ Transit will cross-honor tickets. (http://www.njtransit.com & http://www.panynj.gov/path/)
NY Waterway expects to have sufficient capacity on their ferries to meet increased demand. Boarding will be expedited by accepting cash in lieu of ticket purchase. From Hoboken Terminal, NY Waterway services World Financial Center and Pier 11/Wall Street. From 14th Street, NY Waterway services Midtown/W. 39th Street and the World Financial Center. (http://www.nywaterway.com/)

Additional updates will be posted to the City website.

Link: http://www.hobokennj.org/news/update-on-path-service-information-for-commuters/ ◦

Three Students Severely Injured in Accident in Teacher's Car

Actually, this is not a headline but rather a lead in to an editorial from Hoboken parent Greg Bond on the importance of following rules in Hoboken Schools reprinted here with the author's permission...

Three Students Severely Injured in Accident in Teacher's Car

Alarming headline, right? Or how about this one: "Student Injured at Sleepover at Teacher's Home"? Sound like headlines from a bygone era, when the boundary between teachers and students wasn't encumbered by insurance and legal liabilities. Before parents sued school boards because their children were injured during informal outings with their teachers.

Boundaries

Today, school systems throughout the country have strict boundaries in place between teachers and students to ensure student safety. A teacher should not hold sleep overs with students at their home. A teacher should not drive students around in their car. A teacher may disagree, but this is how teachers should conduct themselves today. A teacher may view this as interfering with their ability to establish supportive relationships with their students. But these guidelines ultimately exist to protect the students, and teachers, from uncontrolled situations. Any parent whose child was injured in an uncontrolled situation with a teacher would demand that all the parties involved take responsibility: the teacher, the School Board, the Superintendent of Schools, the School District and the State. When a parent's child is injured, it doesn't matter that a teacher was well intentioned. What matters is that the child was injured.

Yet a small number of parents, and one School Board Trustee, Carmelo Garcia, are irresponsibly rallying to support a Hoboken teacher who is knowingly drawing children into uncontrolled situations. A teacher who is driving kids around in her own car. A teacher who is holding sleep-overs in her own home for over 20 students at a time. A teacher who is hiring adult workers who have not been cleared by the School Board to work with students without supervision. And what do you think these parents would do if their child was injured as a result of one of these indiscretions? Of course, it's predictable. They wouldn't wait a second to sue everyone, the teacher included, best intentions of the teacher be damned. But, thank goodness, no one has been injured to date.

The Theater Teacher

The teacher in question is none other than Hoboken High School's acclaimed theater teacher, Paula Ohaus. Staging highly polished student productions, year after year, Ohaus and her talented students have brought national recognition to Hoboken High School's theater program. And all of these statements about Ohaus's conduct have been publicly discussed by the current Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mark Toback, with Ohaus's permission.

Based on her public statements to date, I expect Ohaus sees all of these rules as trivial annoyances that only serve to interfere with the more noble goal of inspiring kids to aspire to ever greater theatrical heights. And I would agree with this view. They are trivial annoyances. But where we diverge is that I recognize that these rules exist for a reason: for the safety and well-being of the very students Ohaus is trying to inspire, not to mention for Ohaus's own safety. Yes, they may interfere with, and perhaps inhibit, her ability to inspire, but this is the compromise one must agree to when working with high school students. Ohaus must know this and yet she continues to be defiant year after year. Why?

Butting Heads

Ohaus has a history of butting heads with Hoboken School Board Superintendents. It was Superintendent Jack Raslowsky who insisted that Ohaus finally get her teacher accreditation. Following Raslowsky's resignation in 2009, Superintendent Peter Carter insisted that Ohaus take on teacher's duties in accordance with her job description and New Jersey state rules. During Carter's term, the School Board Business Administrator also uncovered accounting irregularities with theater productions. Now, our newly hired Superintendent, Dr. Mark Toback, has identified a series of problems going beyond the student safety issues mentioned above. In Dr. Toback's report at the April 12, 2011 School Board meeting, Dr. Toback stated that students with poor grades were permitted to participate in theater productions - a contravention of district policy. Ohaus is not helping kids by encouraging them to participate in time-consuming theater productions when they should be spending time raising their grades to acceptable levels.

Defiance

Why doesn't Ohaus try to work within the guidelines set by the district and state, while inspiring kids and staging outstanding productions at the same time? Perhaps she would have to make some compromises, but life is full of compromises. Just like life in theater. Launching a theater production outside the Hoboken School system involves working with unions, budgets, producers, investors and artists. A theater director has to be able to work with all of these people to bring a production to fruition, all while crafting it to meet their own artistic vision. But students at Hoboken High School aren't getting a lesson in working within constraints to achieve greatness. Instead, they're seeing their beloved theater teacher ignoring the rules. Worse, they're being encouraged to attend School Board meetings to support her continued defiance of these rules, to their own potential detriment.

Responsibility

Ohaus has inspired many students over the years, and her productions have entertained many, including myself. However, Ohaus holds a position of great responsibility. Unlike Broadway theater directors, Ohaus is dealing with kids. Kids who are growing up and learning how to enter the adult world. Like any good teacher, she is responsible for their safety, she is responsible for their grades, she is responsible for inspiring them. She is a role model. But, unfortunately for her students and the community, she is not behaving like one.

- Greg Bond

Link: http://www.whatsupwithhoboken.com/2011/05/three-students-severely-injured-in.html ◦

Friday, May 6, 2011

Pier C Closed May 7th in Order to Complete Playground Construction

FINAL CONSTRUCTION WORK SCHEDULED FOR PIER C; TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO PUBLIC

Final preparation and construction work on the playground area of Pier C is scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 7 and is anticipated to last one week. The installation of the ground surface of the play area requires several days of dry weather. During the construction, the park will be closed to the public for safety reasons. Pier C, including the center playground area, will be fully open to the public at the completion of the work. ◦

Mile Square View to do new Hudson County Video Show

The latest from my counterpart Roman Brice aka "Da Horsey" over at the MSV blog:

Mile Square View presents a new online show featuring people of interest in Hudson County. The show will feature interviews with public officials and is named “The Hudson Mile Square View.” The show will be recorded at Harvest Cuisine in Hoboken and will focus on local, county and New Jersey issues.

First guests of the show include Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Romano and Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

Roman Brice, editor of Mile Square View, explained the motivation for the show saying, “There’s a greater need for accountability across Hudson County between its residents and elected officials. Online broadcasting is the next step in connecting the expectations of people with their government beyond the typical fare at election time.”

The new show will be available via webcasts at the Mile Square View website: http://hobokenhorse.com.

The recently introduced Harvest Cuisine restaurant features award winning chef Ricardo Cardona. Cardona is the executive chef of Lua, Sofrito and Hudson River Café. In addition, he’s the chef for the New York Yankees and the visiting team for all games at Yankee Stadium. For more information on Harvest Cuisine, please see their website: http://www.harvestcuisine.com/.

Interested sponsors of the show and website should email: smartyjones@me.com. ◦

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Jib Jab Video: What it could be like if People don't get out and Vote Tuesday May 10th

Here is a haunting parody of what the "Council of No" otherwise known as the "New Majority" could be doing if not enough tax payers get out and vote May 10th.

The Hoboken "Council of No" that consists of incumbents Beth Mason, Terry Castellano, Mike Russo, Nino Giacchi and Tim Occhipinti has fought Mayor Zimmer and her positive agenda at every turn just for the sake of politics. If not enough people turn out at the polls to vote them out, the keepers of the old guard way of patronage, graft, corruption and selling the city out to developers will still continue for at least 4 years. Does Hoboken really need another 4 years of that from this group of obstructionist scoundrels?

See this video of potential celebration and hopefully it will motivate you to get out and tell it to anyone that will listen, The Beth Mason and Mike Russo Axis of Corruption and Obstruction must be stopped. What honest taxpayer that wants good government wants to see this?

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6th Ward Candidate Jennifer Giattino to the Voters "Less than a week left!"

Jen Giattino is the refreshing 6th Ward candidate running against the incumbent Nino Giacchi. Nino who I know personally and think is a nice guy, has sold his political soul to the devil by cavorting with the Mason-Russo Axis of Governmental Obstruction, Corruption and Destruction. How a guy that is middle aged with that out of date 70's porn stache and generally being out of touch with his constituents, could bond with Stevens students for absentee ballots is beyond me but the side of patronage always knows how to farm votes any which way. That is what they do and they do it well. What we the taxpayer need to do is vote out Nino in the 6th and take back our town from the plutocrats of privilege and patronage that will sell out this town from anywhere from $5,000 (Russo) to $40 (for anyone in the HHA that gives away their vote for what could buy 10 Colt 45s).

It is time for the voter to pay attention and end the cycle of infrastructure decay and government waste by voting for the side the generally supports the Mayor's agenda and has her endorsement but will still vote their conscience. That choice is clear to me that we need to give Jen a chance for new leadership since Nino has just flapped like a flaccid sail with whatever political breeze is in season. The fact that he has now partnered up with Mike Russo who was caught on tape conspiring to sell out Hoboken to Solomon Dwek means he must go. The voting record of Nino Giacchi is his true Achilles heel. His partnership with Russo is like a 300 pound weight of corruption around his neck. Jen has been hitting the campaign trail hard by all accounts. What she needs on May 10th is your vote! Love your town and vote Hoboken! Vote for a better City Councilperson than the incumbent! Vote Jen Giattino May 10th for 6th Ward City Council!

Dear Friends:

As we move into the last week of the campaign, I want to thank all of you for your emails of support, donations and offers to volunteer.

Taking on an entrenched incumbent with ties to the Hudson County political machine has been no easy task. We saw their machine antics backfire when an operative stole our campaign signs from a local dry cleaner.

It's been said that our ward is considered "the quiet ward." But don't let Nino's quiet demeanor fool you. Over the past ten years, he's "quietly" voted for and against the same issues time and time again.

Flip flopping, Giacchi voted for corner cars, then he voted against it. He was against the 20 million dollar bond for parks, then he recently voted for it.

We need a councilperson to vote in step with their constituents not how the council majority is leading him.

After years of fiscal mismanagement, we finally have a mayor that has put us on solid fiscal ground.

But our opponents, led by Nino, want to raid our surplus and spend that money. If this happens, we'll go back to the days when we created ponzi scheme-like budgets that raided our funds for parks, children and seniors, while obscenely increasing our spending and masking our deficits.

When the bill came due our taxes were raised 47% - the biggest tax increase in Hoboken history. We literally can't afford policies that will rip off homeowners and increase our taxes.

As for me, I'll always remain consistent on the issues.

We need to cut spending first, lower our taxes, repair Sinatra Field, provide for more open space and rid ourselves of patronage once and for all.

How can you help? This election is important to us all, and I do need your help.

If you can make phone calls, hang up signs in your home, campaign with me or help out on election day, please email Elissa at volunteer@JenforCityCouncil.com.

This is truly a grass roots effort, and I couldn't do it without your help, support and dedication.

Jennifer Giattino
201.780.6779 ◦

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