Councilman Cunningham: Get behind Kids First and vote

From the desk of Peter Cunningham:

Dear Friends, Family and Neighbors,

It is with pleasure and confidence that I support the Kids First slate
of candidates of Jean Marie Mitchell, Clifford Godfrey and Steve
Feinstein.  While they have had their challenges, just like the City
has, Kids First continues to make progress.

1) Continued to cut waste in the District while absorbing millions
lost in state aid
2) Audited interlocal agreements that identified $120,000 in uncollected funds
3) Strictly enforced residency policy
4) Minimized tax burden allowed under state law
5) Hired highly qualified Superintendent
6) Transitioned from IB to AP programs
7) Recently established relationships with Stevens Institute and
Hudson County Community College

These are highlights of their fabulous achievements that have helped
provide exceptional choices for all our children whether they are in
Charter Schools, traditional Public Schools or Private.  The Kids
First success has also helped lead the reform movement in Hoboken.
Their continued success leads to better value for your tax dollars,
improved property values and an overall posititve impact on our
quality of life.

Let's work together to make it happen by supporting 3A, 4A and 5A.

More information on this great team can be found at www.kidsfirsthoboken.com.

Thanks, Peter

5th ward council candidate Leonard Luizzi: A Sad Day for Hoboken

Leonard Luizzi for 5th ward council announces:


Sad day for the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor

In 1863 the Catholic Franciscan Sisters of the poor opened a community hospital in Hoboken to serve the poor and the less fortunate.  That was over 148 years ago and in 2008 the Catholic organization managing the hospital transferred the hospitals ownership over to the city, at no cost, with the understanding that the city of Hoboken was going to continue its ministry of serving the poor and disadvantaged.   

It is obvious that the Catholic organization that owned the hospital could have sold the hospital for 90 million dollars at that time, the land value plus all of the hospital’s equipment is probably worth more than 90 million.  And the reason that Hoboken received this hospital was to maintain its commitment and the covenant of providing health services to those who are less fortunate. 

Now, Peter Cunningham and the Mayor Zimmer team have sold the hospital to a for profit company without any regard to the original mission of providing health services for those in need.  Selling a community hospital that services our community when at the same time bonding 20 million dollars to buy a property, originally a chemical plant, to build a public park.  

This, to me is a , sad day in the history of our city.  

Leonard Luizzi

Candidate for 5th Ward Councilman

Mayor Dawn Zimmer: a few things, a few very important things

Mayor Dawn Zimmer announces:

Dear Friends, School Board Election is tomorrow    Election season is upon us again, and as always the stakes are high! Tomorrow is the School Board election (Wednesday, April 27)  and I urge you to vote for the Kids First Team ofClifford Godfrey (3A), Jean Marie Mitchell (4A), and Steven Feinstein (5A).       Our schools are finally headed in the right direction and we must keep the progress going.  1/3 of our property taxes are for our schools and good schools mean higher property values, so even if you don't have children in the system you have an enormous stake in the outcome of this election.  Please remember to vote!! Polls are open from 7 am - 9 pm. City Council Election May 10th In just 2 weeks we will choose all 6 of our Ward council members.     This election is critical because it will determine whether the City Council majority remains with those who want to obstruct progress and believe, as Mike Russo said that "subsidizing things is what government does," or shifts to those who will work with me to Move Hoboken Ahead.     Please support Eric Kurta, Tom Greaney, Greg Lincoln, Rami Pinchevsky, Peter Cunningham and Jen Giattino and remind your friends to get out and vote. Hoboken University Medical Center Last week, the Hoboken University Medical Center entered into a formal agreement to sell our hospital to an entity with common ownership with Bayonne Medical Center.    Under the Agreement, the hospital would continue to operate as a full service acute care facility for at least 7 years, and Hoboken would be relieved of the enormous financial risks related to the $52 million bond guaranty incurred when the hospital was purchased almost 5 years ago.    There is still much work to be done to complete this transaction, but this is a major achievement for all Hoboken residents and taxpayers.      I’d like to thank all of the members of the Hospital Authority Board who worked so hard, on a volunteer basis, to make this enormous success possible. Under the Agreement entered into last week, the hospital would continue to operate as a full service acute care facility for at least 7 years, and Hoboken would be relieved of the enormous financial risks related to the $52 million bond guaranty incurred when the hospital was purchased almost 5 years ago. TELE TOWN HALL TEXT the word "Reform" to 41411  Sign up to participate in a tele-townhall meeting with me to discuss the issues facing our City by texting the word "REFORM" to 41411.     We will text you the details when the scheduling is finalized.   Just by signing up you can show your support for 6 great candidates and get a chance to win 2 tickets to a Red Bulls game, lunch with the Mayor (Ok - that's not such a great prize) or an autographed copy of the Jersey Sting. Move Hoboken Ahead Vintage t-shirts Support the City-wide effort to restore a reform majority on the City Council by donating to Move Hoboken Ahead and receive a limited edition vintage Move Hoboken Ahead t-shirt.     Starting today and until we run out of supplies, if you donate $100 or more to Move Hoboken Ahead by clicking HERE  and you'll receive a free vintage shirt.      Quantities and sizes are limited so make your donation now!!    Wednesday's City Council Meeting: The Grandstanding Continues! Last Wednesday's City Council meeting highlighted the importance of the upcoming elections.     My proposal to authorize class II police officers to supplement our force of sworn police officers was voted down, without any serious consideration.     Class II officers are used throughout the State to increase police effectiveness during special events and to meet seasonal demands, cost effectively increasing public safety.  It seems as though the Council majority would prefer to have a political issue by drumming up fear of increased crime, than a solution.   For the record, while there have been several widely reported incidents over the past several weeks, I have not been provided with any data indicating that crime in Hoboken is actually on the rise.  I have asked Chief Falco to provide the necessary data to determine the actual facts, and based on that information will take all necessary steps to maintain the highest possible level of public safety.    Instead of focusing on the real issues facing Hoboken, Councilwoman Mason, without any advance notice to anyone except perhaps her allies on the City Council, introduced legislation intended to slash my salary and that of the City's directors by an additional 15% - 30%, well below the levels needed to attract qualified people for these positions.     Please recall that immediately after taking office as Acting Mayor, I myself cut my own salary and that of the directors by 10%.   Apparently Mrs. Mason's commitment to government transparency takes a back seat to her urgent need to grandstand and create another false issue for her next mailer.   She explained that normal procedures should be suspended and an immediate vote be taken due to the "urgency" involved in getting Council Members “on the record” on this issue.   Fortunately, more responsible heads prevailed and the legislation failed by a 5-3 vote. Dirty Tricks   Last week, Matt Calicchio, the Russo/Mason political operative who 4 years ago falsely accused me of assaulting him while I was walking my dog,  was caught on videotape removing Jen Giattino’s signs from a business establishment.    It has been reported that the business owner has stated that Mr. Calicchio falsely claimed that he was doing so at Jen’s request to prevent a $100 fine.    There have been reports that similar incidents occurred involving Eric Kurta signs in the 1st Ward.  Apparently Mr. Calicchio is providing his unsavory services to Councilman Giacchi and Councilwoman Castellano, as well as to the rest of the Russo/Mason team.   All this highlights the importance of the upcoming elections, both School Board tomorrow and City Council on May 10.   Please spread the word and get out and vote. Thanks for listening. Dawn

New Beth Mason mailer promises 20% tax cut

Although Councilwoman Beth Mason and the 'majority' in the City Council have the complete budget on their table including an additional 5% tax cut if they ever get around to approving it; she's sent out a mailer with some intriguing tax options.

Beth Mason in her latest 2nd ward mailer is promising a 20% tax cut.  Add in the 5% cut from late last year and that total a whopping 30%.   Wow, how does she do it?  Well she doesn't answer that obvious question.

Being that she opposed the police reorganization saving the city $2.5 annually plus more than a half million in benefits this year, it's baffling where she would go to identify such savings.  More than half Hoboken's budget is in public safety.

Talking Ed Note: There's a lot of other filler all off kilter and part of the continuation of taking pot shots from every which angle at everyone who is anyone working in service to Hoboken under Mayor Zimmer.  The mailer reiterates her call to reduce Directors salaries yet again, something she said at the last Council meeting she's had her eyes on "for a while."

Of course she fails to say as she did in City Council they were already reduced to $103,000 under the mayor.  Now she wants to whack them down to as low as $70,000.  At the council meeting Councilwoman Carol Marsh remarked how strange it would be to reduce Directors salaries a second time in short order when they have dozens of people reporting to them.

Hey give the woman an A for chutzpah.  Beth Mason has it in spades.  Hoboken would settle for her just filing her required ELEC report on her campaign financial expenditures this year.  

Where is Beth Mason's ELEC?  She's apparently funding re: wheeling money all over town in a one man gang operation to take control of Hoboken and relaunch her political ambitions for Hoboken and beyond.  

Has anyone got a pulse on POG (People for Open Government)?  Last seen they were running wheeling interference on behalf of Beth Mason and threatening to come up with a wheeling ordinance that would suit the Queen of Transparency.  

Some day.

At the last city council meeting, Councilman Nino Giacchi raised some eyebrows endorsing unwritten and unknown POG anti-wheeling proposals as a way to oppose even introducing the existing legislation sponsored by Councilman Peter Cunningham.  The POG President was then invited to speak on wheeling against the council rules on first introduction.  This even though she has no ordinance to present.

How very odd.

Russo insider: "We have Beth’s money to make it all happen"

That gnarly bit of condescending flesh, Deep Uvula is back puking its little guts up on Grafix Avenger and there's some twisted turns and takes on everything from the BoE race tomorrow to the council races on May 10th.

DU's take on the Board of Ed election and the tsunami of paper ballots confirming the 500 plus paper ballot assault on behalf of the Frank Raia - Carmelo Garcia led slate:

The absentees weren’t supposed to hit so early. Minor screw up. The BOE was supposed to be a surprise attack. No way does Kids First recover from the lead. 

Uvula says the Frank Raia (r) slate has an insurmountable absentee ballot lead for the BoE race.
Matt Calicchio (l) also appeared here at the Council forum event.

In the 6th ward, Deep Uvula ridicules "that Jen girl," saying it's beneath Councilman Nino Giacchi to speak on such common place Hoboken election style tactics:


The Calicchio kid just got a little enthusiastic. Big deal. Nino is not even going to dignify this nonsense with a response. 


On the strategic use of Beth Mason's wheeling (apparently it will be wheeled everywhere setting her new unethical records across town), this conclusion:


Funny, she (Mason) is right at home. She could care less what is done with her money, as long as she gets the win in the 2nd.

Beth Mason is in deep with the Russo clan and could care less
about how her wheeled money is used as long as it gets her a win
according to the anonymous Russo insider

http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2011/04/deep-uvula-dirty-deeds.html

Latest crime video produces radio silence on the Mason-Russo front

Yesterday's latest video surveillance tape showing crime in progress produced the loudest sound of silence from the council 'majority' one will ever hear.  No cantankerous grandstanding, no multiple consultant approved email blast, no press conference called and held on the street, no chasing down local reporters to get quoted and no statement even acknowledging what occurred.

There hasn't even been a generic bland comment describing the heist as an "anomaly" from Old Guard political operative and Jersey City interloper spokesman David Cruz who appears on the ELEC reports of the Mason-Russo team for $250 a week each.

Councilwoman Beth Mason and Councilman Nino Giacchi have been utterly silent and did not provide even a response to a request for generic comment yesterday.  Forget about an interview, your taxpayer paid representatives aren't concerned with such trivialities as the right of the governed, there's power to be wielded and protected.

The Jen Giattino signs were back up in the windows of Kayla's cleaners in time for Easter. Since yesterday's story, there's been nary a word from Beth Mason, Nino Giacchi, Tim Occhipinti and company after yesterday's latest crime tape surfaced, but this one came from a local business not the FBI.

Beth Mason who has been known to attack an empty council colleagues chair at the drop of a hat to engender some press with wild charges, even when said colleague is away attending a family funeral can't seem to muster one sentence from among her coterie of paid consultants.

Councilman Nino Giacchi has also offered nothing to a business residing in his own ward.  Perhaps he views it as just another instance of "political season," and he prefers as he said on the resolution concerning council colleague Mike Russo's corruption to "focus on the issues" of the sixth ward.  His laser like focus is so penetrating, if people are still awaiting comment on the criminality of his colleague Peter Cammarano, they may have missed it when they blinked.

Matt Calicchio (r) seen with Tim Occhipinti, now Team Mason-Russo spokesman David Cruz at last fall's 4th ward debate at the Jubilee Center.  Appearing on the council 'majority's' ELEC at $250 a week each, there's been no word from him or anyone for that matter from the Mason-Russo campaign on yesterdays' latest crime tape.

Talking Ed Note: Well Hoboken should note we can hear what this council majority is saying.  Let's see how long they think that silence can last.  If the Reform candidates are sitting by to see for a short time how this develops that's fine, but they shouldn't wait too long.  Keep the powder dry.

So far only the Jersey Journal took a stab at the story, even if incomplete.  Let's see who will be following up to hold the taxpayer paid elected officials to account.