Alex Karras Dead at 77 - Long Live Mongo!

Alex Karras, former Detroit Lions lineman in the NFL has died at 77 from kidney failure and other complications at home with friends and family. Famous as a menacing NFL defensive lineman, a Monday Night Football commentator, but perhaps received most of his fame for his outstanding role of Mongo in Mel Brook's comedy Blazing Saddles.

Link to Story: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/alex-karras-former-nfl-defensive-143833176--nfl.html

The character Mongo has always been one of my favorites, especially  with the classic line "Don't know, Mongo only pawn in game of life". As goons go Mongo was certainly loveable and eventually turned to be out on the side of good and aligning with Sherrif Bart. Can the same be said for Hoboken's political goons under the wing of the Old Guard and the employ of Beth Mason? Highly doubtful but the FBI has a funny way of turning people when the right leverage is applied. 

To the Karras family my deep sympathy but part of the legacy of Alex Karras will go long on in the form of Mongo, American Cinema's most loveable goon turned good. If Hoboken could only be so lucky.

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Alex Karras Dead at 77 - Long Live Mongo!

HFHA Says Vote No to Public Question on Rent Control

There is an important Public Question on the Ballot this November concerning rent control.Here is an email circulating from one side the Hoboken Fair Housing Association who are advocates for rent control staying the way it is. I will be studying this issue and presenting both viewpoints in favor of the Public Question and in this case saying no the changes to rent control proposed.

Dear Fellow Hoboken Voters:

We are forwarding the informational letter below to you to warn you that a PUBLIC QUESTION will be on the Nov. 6, 2012 ballot proposing amendments to Hoboken's Rent Control Ordinance, which, if approved by the voters, will eliminate Rent Control tenant protections in Hoboken and will force many renters to lose their homes.

If you want to protect Hoboken's renters, you MUST VOTE AGAINST the Rent Control amendments and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same!

VOTE NO on HOBOKEN PUBLIC QUESTION #2 !

It is absolutely vital that you forward this email to as many Hoboken renters and other concerned Hoboken voters as you can.

This note above the letter is designed so you can simply forward it without having to write your own note.

It is best to insert your list of email addresses into a Bcc: address field so that you don't violate your friend's privacy by distributing their email addresses!

An email tree is an effective way to distribute information widely and quickly, but only if you forward the information to as many recipients as possible.

Could you also send confirmation to hobokenfairhousing@gmail.com that you received this email (and have forwarded it) so that HFHA can get an idea of how effectively the email tree is expanding? One simple way to send the confirmation is to put hobokenfairhousing@gmail.com into the To: address field when you put the list of email addresses to which you are forwarding this email into the Bcc: address field.

As you may know, Hoboken currently has a Rent Control (“RC”) Ordinance which limits yearly rent increases and keeps Hoboken rental housing affordable for many of its less wealthy renters.

If you are a Hoboken renter (i.e. tenant), or if you have any friends or neighbors who rent their apartment in Hoboken, then this email is intended to warn you that Rent Control is in danger of being eliminated and that Hoboken renters could consequently lose their homes.

This threat to tenants is described below, along with actions you can take to defend yourselves and your friends and neighbors who rent in Hoboken.

The Threat of the RC Initiative to Renters

Mile Square Taxpayers Association (“MSTA”), a landlord/developer/realtor group, recently circulated an initiative petition which will put proposed amendments to the Hoboken RC Ordinance on the November 6, 2012 ballot.

If the voters approve these RC amendments, it will mark the beginning of the end of RC protections in Hoboken, putting many Renters at immediate risk of losing their homes.

The RC amendments that will be on the November ballot state that “Upon the voluntary, un-coerced vacation or court ordered eviction” of any tenant protected by the existing RC ordinance, his/her unit will either be permanently exempted from RC (if the unit is in a building with 4 or fewer units) or, for all other units, be subject to a complete vacancy decontrol (i.e. an unlimited rental increase) each time the unit becomes vacant.

Even though this language clearly eliminates RC protections in all units once the current tenant vacates, it seems to suggest that current tenants are protected.  Be warned: this is not true.

NJ State law gives the landlord the right to obtain a “court ordered eviction” from (1) a condo or a unit in a 1-3 unit building (where the landlord either already occupies a unit or wants to occupy the tenant’s unit) at the end of the current lease with nothing more than a 60-day eviction notice, and (2) from a pre-condo conversion building with any number of units by converting the building to condos and giving the tenant a 3-year condo eviction notice.
Thus, NJ law allows a landlord to obtain a “court ordered eviction” of a current tenant from ANY rental unit. Of course, owners of larger buildings who don't want to convert their rental units to condos might instead resort to harassment in order to convince their tenants to leave “voluntarily”.

Under the current RC law, there is no incentive for a landlord to evict a tenant in these ways because the rent that the next tenant can be charged is limited by the RC law.

Under the proposed RC amendments that will be on the ballot in November, all rental units will be either permanently exempted from RC or completely decontrolled on each vacancy, so the landlord can charge a new tenant any rent he wants to.This will obviously provide a huge incentive to evict current tenants.

Thus, landlords will have both the legal means and the motivation to evict current tenants once Hoboken’s RC laws are gutted.

Bottom line:  if the MSTA-initiated RC amendments are approved by Hoboken voters in November, then RC protections will be eliminated for new tenants and the landlords will have a strong motivation to evict current tenants in order to jack up the rent for new tenants.  If the voters approve these RC amendments, many renters will lose their homes.

What Can Renters Do to Defend Themselves?

Renters and their concerned friends and neighbors must unite and work together to insure that the MSTA Initiative is rejected by the voters in the November election. Hoboken’s voters must be made aware of the danger and must go to the polls and vote against these MSTA RC amendments.Thus, every citizen who wants to stop this attack on RC must (1) vote against the RC amendments in November, and (2) spread the word to fellow renters, friends, and neighbors.

The Hoboken Fair Housing Association (“HFHA”) is a group of Hoboken citizens who are united to defend Hoboken renters. HFHA is working to get the word out to stop the MSTA Initiative by having members go door-to-door to circulate information and to donate time and funds to spread the word. You can join HFHA, contribute to the cause, or gain more information on this issue by going to the HFHA website: http://hobokenfairhousing.com/

Please Pass This Information On!

You can help to spread this warning by forwarding this informational email to everyone you feel should know. Please let them know that the November ballot will include a PUBLIC QUESTION asking whether the MSTA initiated RC amendments should be approved.Please warn them that if the RC amendments are approved by the voters, there will be serious consequences,including many renters losing their homes.Please emphasize that they MUST VOTE AGAINST the RC amendments and tell their friends and neighbors to do the same!

Finally, please ask the recipients of the forwarded email to forward it to their fellow renters, friends, and neighbors.An expanding email tree has the potential for spreading important information to a large population very quickly, but only if the recipients forward the message to as many concerned citizens as they can!

Together we can DEFEND Hoboken renters by getting out the vote to DEFEAT the MSTA initiative in November. If we want our friends and neighbors to be able to remain in Hoboken, then we have no other option.

-Hoboken Fair Housing Association

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HFHA Says Vote No to Public Question on Rent Control

Voter Registration Drive This Sunday September 30th

City Councilman Ravi Bhalla is having a voter registration drive this Sunday.  The deadline to register in the upcoming election is October 16th, 2012 ...

We Need Your Help to Make Sure Hoboken Votes!

Dear Friends,

As we approach the November 6th Presidential election and the voter registration deadline of October 16th to vote in this election, we need as many volunteers as possible to help register new residents at this Sunday's Hoboken Fall Arts & Music Festival. Here are the details:

When: This Sunday, September 30, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
What: Voter Registration, Outreach and Education
Where: Washington Street - look out for the Hoboken Votes! table
Why: To make our voice heard as a community!

Can you volunteer 2 hours of your time this Sunday to help us register new Hoboken residents? If so, email me at councilmanbhalla@gmail.com or call at 201-647-6090 and let me know when you can join us!

If you cannot volunteer this Sunday, but want to register voters at your condominium/apartment building, neighborhood, or an event, please contact me and we'll be there to give you everything you need to make sure everyone in your building and neighborhood is registered to vote!

Thank you and see you this Sunday!

Ravi S. Bhalla
Councilman-at-Large ◦

Voter Registration Drive This Sunday September 30th

City of Hoboken Prevails on Arezzo and Andriani Removal Federal Cases

Two more ongoing legal cases settled by the City of Hoboken with respect to Al Arezzo and Angelo Andriani. Thats a lot of A's if you know what I mean. Kudos to the Administration for standing their ground and sending a message to everyone else who might in the future wrongfully sue the Administration for wrongful termination when the cause for termination is anything but wrong. No more easy paydays for ethically challenged former employees looking to cash in on prior weak kneed Administrations that would prefer to keep legal fees low only to pay out settlements instead. No, this Administration prefers to stand its ground when it is right and therefore protect the taxpayer from future malfeasance. Read on and celebrate both justice and the protection of the Hoboken taxpayer....

CITY OF HOBOKEN PREVAILS ON AREZZO 

REMOVAL AND ANDRIANI FEDERAL CASES

The New Jersey Civil Service Commission issued a Final Administrative Action upholding the City of Hoboken’s decision to terminate Alfred Arezzo as Construction Code Official.

“We are continuing with our search for a permanent construction code official and invite applications from all qualified individuals,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “While the process can be lengthy and costly, the City will continue to vigorously defend itself to protect the interests of our community.”

Arezzo, who had served as City Construction Official, had been suspended following his refusal to attend mandatory sexual harassment training, interference with his subordinates’ attendance at the training and insubordinate behavior towards the City’s Business Administrator. Arezzo was terminated shortly after his suspension following his retaliatory destruction of City owned property, including the destruction of a laptop hard drive which contained information regarding public matters. Charged with insubordination, conduct unbecoming a public employee, misuse of public property and other sufficient cause, Arezzo’s termination was a result of the City’s continued efforts to ensure that all employees act in accordance with the high standards and expectations of both the City’s administration and its residents.

In upholding Arezzo’s termination, the Civil Service Commission noted his highly insubordinate behavior towards the City’s Business Administrator as well as the seriousness of destroying City-owned property. Echoing the City’s own concerns, the Commission concluded that “such an egregious act by a long term employee in a position of public trust cannot be tolerated and is worthy of removal.”

The Final Administrative Action is available on the City website: www.hobokennj.org/docs/corpcounsel/Civil-Service-Commission-Final-Administrative-Action-Arezzo-v-Hoboken.pdf

In addition, the Honorable William J. Martini, United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey, yesterday dismissed the federal case filed by former Police Lieutenant Angelo Andriani against the City of Hoboken, the Hoboken Police Department, Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Police Chief Anthony Falco, and Police Captain Edimiro Garcia. The Judge dismissed all claims of discrimination and retaliation asserted by Andriani.

The court order is available on the City website: www.hobokennj.org/docs/corpcounsel/Andriani-v-Hoboken-Order.pdf

Mr. Arezzo and Mr. Andriani are each involved in additional ongoing litigation with the City.



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City of Hoboken Prevails on Arezzo and Andriani Removal Federal Cases

Carol Marsh Resigns - Mayor Zimmer Thanks her for her Service

Last night Carol Marsh, City Councilwoman resigned from her position effective next City Council meeting October 5th, 2012. She cited personal reasons as the reason for her resignation last night at the end of the City Council meeting.

Carol Marsh reads resignation letter at Hoboken City Council meeting last night

 And here are the Mayor's comments on the resignaiton....

MAYOR ZIMMER THANKS COUNCILWOMAN MARSH

Mayor Zimmer issued the following statement after At-Large Councilwoman Carol Marsh announced yesterday that she would be resigning from the City Council:

“I want to thank Councilwoman Marsh for the enormous contributions that she has made to our City in her many years of public service. She has been a powerful voice for good government and an inspiration for many, including myself. It has been an honor to have worked with her and served with her.

Few people understand how challenging elected office is and the commitment and sacrifice it requires not just by the elected official but by their entire family. Councilwoman Marsh’s leadership on the Council will be sorely missed.

I wish her and her family the very best.”

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Carol Marsh Resigns - Mayor Zimmer Thanks her for her Service

Kids First Kickoff Sunday September 23 2-4pm at Turtle Club

This Sunday The Kids First Slate of Ruth McAllister, Jean Marie Mitchell and Hoboken Charter School Founder Tom Kluepfel are having their BOE Campaign Kickoff this Sunday from 2-4pm at the Turtle Club. The Turtle Club is located at 936 Park Avenue in Hoboken, NJ.

The Kids First Slate will not be with one of the key members Theresa Minutillo who decided to step down after 2 terms of service. Note that all three members of Kids First will need to win in order to maintain their majority. During the 3 year majority of Kids First many positive developments have occurred including cleaning up the administrative processes and waste including the elimination of low show jobs, lowering the tax levy as much as possible, putting more instruction and money back into the classrooms and the hiring of an experienced Administrator in Dr. Toback. For Dr. Toback to continue his fine work to date, these three candidates who have all long supported the Hoboken District Schools will need to be re-elected or the progress that Dr. Toback has made will come to a halt and a new era of uncertainty and possible proliferation of patronage which will promulgate profusely and profoundly, pounding on the pupils possibilities for proper pedagogy. ◦

Kids First Kickoff Sunday September 23 2-4pm at Turtle Club

NJ Transit to Present Their Railyards Plans Tonight at 6:30pm

NJ Transit is holding the second of their two public sessions regarding their plans to redevelop the area of Hoboken Rail yards. They held their first session this morning. They are planning on presenting their more denser version of the redevelopment plan as compared to the City of Hoboken's plan to the Public. The second meeting is tonight at the Hoboken Train Station Waiting Room starting at 6:30pm. Here are some slides that serve as a preview of their plans.

 

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NJ Transit to Present Their Railyards Plans Tonight at 6:30pm

Hoboken Fall Arts and Music Festival September 30, 2012 on Washington Street

Back again, this twice a year Festival has a lot of variety to offer Hoboken residents and visitors....

Mayor Dawn Zimmer and The City of Hoboken
proudly present the

Hoboken Fall Arts and Music Festival
Sunday Sept. 30, 2012 - 11am to 6pm

Admission is Free - Rain or shine
Washington Street between Observer Highway and 7th Street

Featuring over 300 artists, sculptors, photographers and local crafters, as well as rides, games, face painting, local businesses, restaurants, food vendors, and much more.

Plus 3 stages of live music and a special section for children with rides, games, creative activities, face painting, sand art and more.

Featuring performances by:

The Sensational Soul Cruisers: The SSC embody the sounds of Classic Philly Soul, Motown, Disco and Stax. Horn player J.T. Bowen was a member of Clarence Clemon’s solo project (Clemon’s was Bruce Springsteen’s longtime tenor sax player in The E Street Band) and was joined onstage by Springsteen himself when he performed at Clarence's memorial concert at The Stone Pony. The rhythm section was the band behind the extremely popular Eddie and The Cruisers. The group performs over 200 shows a year and has performed at such prestigious venues as Radio City Music Hall, The Copacabana, The Whitney Museum, The South Street Seaport & more. www.soulcruisers.com

The Push Stars: After relentless touring, radio play and numerous awards, the happy-to-believe pop rocker band The Push Stars gained a passionately loyal national fan base. They've toured with Matchbox Twenty and their latest album "Paint The Town" was produced by Greg Collins (No Doubt, Jewel, Matchbox Twenty). Their music has been featured in the films "Something About Mary" and "Me Myself and Irene," and on TV in the shows "ER" and "Malcolm In The Middle." www.thepushstars.com

Megan Riley: Megan Riley, working closely with virtuoso guitarist James Mastro (Patti Smith, Ian Hunter) has released her third album “The Well” to critical acclaim after taking six years off from the music business to marry and raise a child. A dark and moving mixture of Irish fatalism and Southern Gothic Macabre, the album also features Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame member Lenny Kaye of The Patti Smith Group. A native of Memphis, she now lives in Montclair, New Jersey with her husband and young daughter. www.meganreilly.com

Hello Radio: Local favorites Hello Radio formed in 2002 by members Mike Shanley, Ray Melisko and “Radar.” They refer to their sound as “Life Music,” combining elements of rock, electronica and hip hop. They released their first full length album in 2005 on Hometown Records and have toured extensively through Eastern and Central US and Canada. Their new EP “Letters To Texas” was released in Aug 2012. www.helloradio.net

The New Loretta Revue: Nashville comes to Hoboken! Alt-honky-tonkers, The Lonesome Prairie Dogs, team up with country chanteuse Tammy Faye Starlite to pay musical tribute to the brilliant, ever- feisty, rocking-and-rolling reigning Queen of Country Music, the incomparable Miss Loretta Lynn. Sing along and square-dance (or mile-square dance!) if you're so inclined!
www.reverbnation.com/thelonesomeprairiedogs

Goodbye Friday: an energetic four-piece, Pop/Rock boy band from Hopatcong, N.J. They have performed all over the tri-state area at Bamboozle, Webster Hall, Stony Pony and many other clubs & festivals in the NJ area; 2nd place Winners of the Bamboozle Break Contest, finalists in Z100 Hometown Heroes Contest, video won at the 2012 Garden State Film Festival, and more. www.goodbyefriday.com

Gene D. Plumber: a long-time favorite Hoboken musician. He plays guitar and sings with an eclectic brand of music he calls “tex-mex-abilly.”

Silver Plane Crucifix: Jersey City electronic indie rock band born of long hot neighborhood summer nights. Featuring Rory Bauers, Johnny Bauers, Evan Dibbs, Timothy Erbach.

and much more…

Volunteers Needed
Once again we are reaching out for support. Volunteers are greatly needed to help with vendor setup the morning of the event from 7:30am to 11:00am. Anyone interested in helping should contact Geri Fallo in the Cultural Affairs Office at 201-420-2207 or gfallo@hobokennj.org.

Special features include:

• Fine artists are primarily located between 2nd & 3rd Streets, 5th to 6th Streets on the west side, and artists from the Monroe Center will be located between Newark and 1st Streets, so if you are an art collector, these are the places to check out first. Oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, sculpture, mixed media, etc.

• Crafters will be displaying and selling throughout: handmade: pottery, metalwork, wood items, furniture, blown and fused glass, quilts, household items made from recycled materials, batik clothing, hand painted furniture, candles, jewelry, dried florals, soaps and bath salts and much more.

• Children’s activities on 3rd street with rides, games, creative activities, face painting, sand art, balloons, live performances and more.

• Food: Lots of great food throughout offering an eclectic variety of international foods including Thai, Indian, Greek, French, Mexican, Cajun and Italian.
• Car dealers will be displaying new models on 1st Street between Washington Street & Bloomfield Street.

How to Get to the Festival:

Located just 3 blocks from all public transportation: PATH, NJ Transit Trains & buses, NY Waterway Ferries & the Hudson Bergen Light Rail. For details, visit: www.hobokennj.org/visit/how-to-get-here

Sponsors:

Supported in part by a grant from New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism. www.visitnj.org
Optimum, United Water, Walgreens, WKTU, Dyson, NJ.com, The Hoboken Reporter, Capital One Bank, KTU, PATH and Port Authority of NY and NJ

For more info call 201-420-2207 or email gfallo@hobokennj.org.
For updates, visit: www.hobokennj.org/departments/human-services/cultural-affairs/arts-music-festival

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Hoboken Fall Arts and Music Festival September 30, 2012 on Washington Street

Vote Yes for November Fundraiser at Arthur's in Hoboken September 20th 6-8pm

 These notes were sent out earlier today and last week from the Vote Yes in November Committee.

 Vote Yes For November's Fundraiser Reminder: 

Just a friendly reminder that this Thursday from 6 to 8 pm at Arthur's Tavern is Vote Yes For November's important fundraiser for the Vote Yes for November initiatives to consolidate Hoboken municipal elections!  We are hoping that all of you will come out for this important cause - this critical step of fundraising will most likely determine whether or not we will be successful at the ballot voting for these initiatives in November. 

If you haven't already done so, please A) RSVP at http://www.voteyesfornovember.org (preferable),, B) DONATE at http://www.voteyesfornovember.org, and C) invite your friends to the event.  Even if you are unable to attend, a donation is much appreciated.

Vote Yes For November's Initial Note Last Week:

Thank you all for your efforts in the initial petition process to consolidate the local Hoboken municipal elections.  In case you missed, it, we were successful at putting the two initiative questions on the ballot this upcoming Election Day in November with over 1,800 signatures from Hoboken residents!  All your hard work in obtaining petition signatures paid off.

As many of you know, we have an important fundraiser on behalf of our efforts coming up [this] Thursday, September 20 at 6 pm at Arthur's Tavern (237 Washington Street).  The cost is $100 per person.  This is an important fundraising event - in order for Hoboken voters to be educated about our initiative questions, we need to raise funds to pay for our communication efforts.  The more we can pay for our communication efforts (ie mailers, website, email), the more likely Hoboken voters will vote in favor of our initiatives.  Without the necessary funds, the less likely our initiatives to consolidate Hoboken municipal elections will pass at the ballot this November.  We know opponents of our efforts will already be coming out to vote against our initiatives in mass - we need to spend ever dollar we can to educate voters about the benefits of consolidating elections.

Here's how you can help - in addition to contributing at our fundraiser (you can also give online at http://www.voteyesfornovember.org and click donate at the top), please pass along the invitation to your friends and follow up with phone calls to confirm their attendance.  The invite is attached.  You can RSVP on the website, or by calling Alessio at (201) 457-9028.

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Vote Yes for November Fundraiser at Arthur's in Hoboken September 20th 6-8pm

Mayor Zimmer Recommends Two Good Causes This Week

Mayor Dawn Zimmer has two worthy causes and fundraisers for your calendar this week...

Dear Friends,

I am writing to personally invite you to two very important fundraising events [this] week.

Hoboken Charter School Fundraiser
Tuesday, September 18th
at the Turtle Club, 936 Park Avenue
6-9 PM

As most of you know, Hoboken Charter School’s building was badly damaged in a fire last week. While insurance will cover a great deal of the costs, there is immediate need for additional help.

The Hoboken Rotary is sponsoring this event and the Turtle Club is offering a complimentary beverage to anyone who donates $10 at the door.

Vote Yes for November Fundraiser
Thursday, September 20th
at Arthurs Tavern, 237 Washington Street
6-8 PM

The citizen sponsored election reform to consolidate municipal elections on Election Day in November is critically important to the future of our town.

Holding our elections on Election Day will empower Hoboken citizens by increasing voter participation, reducing voter fatigue, reducing the seemingly endless barrage of campaign literature and saving taxpayers money.

Unfortunately, the well financed enemies of reform are gearing up to oppose this much needed reform. Please help this citizen’s group by giving them the resources they need to get these reforms enacted by the voters this November.

The event will include light refreshments and open bar for beer and wine. The requested contribution is $100 ($150 for couples).

I will be attending both events and look forward to seeing many of you there.

Regards,

Mayor Dawn Zimmer

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Mayor Zimmer Recommends Two Good Causes This Week