Councilwoman Jen Giattino - Hoboken Parks & Parking update

AN UPDATE: Parks: Sinatra Park is scheduled to be completed on 12/21/12. Although this does not help with field space for this fall, it's looking good for Spring 2013 The field at 1600 Park is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2013 Mama Johnson Field will be turfed by end of summer.  This will enable it to be used more efficiently than the current grass field Parking: Municipal Garages: The wait lists have been eliminated! Visitor Parking Permits: Many residents are not aware that the Parking Utility sells scratch-off hang tags for individual day use. The scratch-off hang tags cost $5. You can purchase up to 7 hang tags and keep them on hand for when a visitor comes to town. To purchase daily Visitor parking permits you need need the same proof of residency used for  Residential parking permit.   Visitors cannot park on the resident only side of the street, but they can park on the other side for over 4 hours. “Extended Parking Zones": This permits residents to park 15 feet from crosswalks on “outbound” street segments and 25 feet from crosswalks on “inbound” street segments during certain times. “Outbound” and “inbound” street segments are the portions of the street that permit a vehicle to drive away from and towards an intersection, respectively. Parking in “Extended Parking Zones” is not permitted between the hours of 7am and 7pm on days when public schools are in session.  To maintain clearance for emergency response vehicles, any vehicle parked closer than 15 feet from a crosswalk is subject to a summons and towing if it is determined that it could impact emergency response time. Please refer to the diagram below for examples of parking that is permitted versus not permitted.     Benches on Washington Street: I have worked with one of the city's planners to identify certain benches on Washington Street that would better serve residents and visitors by having them face away from the street rather than facing parked cars. The City has begun to turn around benches and the feedback has been positive. Distribution & Posting of Flyers: As many of you know, I have been advocating for better enforcement of the distribution and posting of flyers. The current ordinance is being changed to read more clearly. Thank you to all the businesses who have stopped and to all the constituents and other residents for their help with this matter. If you do see a flyer on a car, posted to a tree or on a utility poll, please take it down and notify me with the details.  Thank you for your time. Please contact me with any thoughts or concerns. Jen Giattino Sinatra Field under reconstruction Sinatra Walkway under reconstruction View of lower Manhattan from Sinatra Walkway Click HERE to download a pdf of this diagram for a better view. Click rendering to see larger view of Master Plan for 1600 Park and Hoboken Cove online

Council President Ravi Bhalla announces vote drive

Announcing Hoboken Votes!             Dear Friends, I write to announce the launch of an exciting new grassroots initiative: Hoboken Votes!The purpose of Hoboken Votes is to ensure that as many Hoboken residents as possible are registered to vote so their voices are heard in the upcoming Presidential election, and in future elections for years to come. As a benchmark, we have set a goal of registering 1,000 new voters between now and the Presidential election. Are you willing to help me reach our goal? If so, email me atcouncilmanbhalla@gmail.com Hoboken Votes is a non-partisan voter registration campaign aimed at encouraging residents to make their voices heard at the federal, state, county and local levels. Whether you are an independent, Republican, or Democrat, this campaign encourages all residents to make sure they are registered to vote so their voices are heard at the ballot booth. Hoboken Votes will have its first kickoff event this Sunday at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., where we will have a table to register voters and answer questions about the voting process. We are looking for volunteers both this Sunday and beyond. If you are interested in helping us reach our goal of 1,000 new voters, please contact me atcouncilmanbhalla@gmail.com Thank you! Ravi S. Bhalla City Council President

Beth Mason and political operative FinBoy named orchestrating hit job

GA Bombshell: Hudson Reporter orchestrating hit job for Beth Mason on Da Horsey

Mason pitching herself as victim of Nazi parody on YouTube, blames MSV

Grafix Avenger knocked our socks off today with her updated exclusive on the Hudson Reporter's story underway on the Hoboken blogosphere.  

Yesterday, MSV voiced it received an odd inquiry with concerns in addition to hers.  As it turns out, it's not the Nazi propaganda movie poster the Hudson Reporter wanted to rehash, according to a source from "the other side" - it's a hit job against MSV.  

MSV has filed almost 3,000 stories in under three years, much of it original content and most of it has a reform flavor.  If you want to be critical, this is an open forum - one can do as they please.  We've even permitted a personal attack on the host from time to time just to be neighborly and show a thick hide.  So if the Hudson Reporter wants to dissect any of those thousands of stories have at it.

Recently, we've coined the phrase the Mason Media Complex and believe our town can not expect any modicum of accountability without all sides being held to some professional norms.  Frankly, it's lacking and the reasons are long and best left for another day.

MSV can say the earmarks of a hit job have been readily apparent out of the starting gate and contacts yesterday to the Hudson Reporter Editor by phone and email have not been returned.  We've denied any knowledge in the creation of Nazi parodies on YouTube and repeatedly requested links to MSV material about it referencing stories done on this website.  The Hudson Reporter can't provide it.

So who is pitching all this misinformation?

James Barracato
aka FinBoy

In short, Grafix Avenger has learned there's been a presentation made and materials presented in a comprehensive planted story targeting Da Horsey.  Echoes have been heard here too.  Guess Hoboken411 just won't do these days...

The Hudson Reporter claims to be fielding complaints from the City Council on blogosphere excess but MSV is hearing only one corner specifically Beth Mason's is the one getting a hearing, no strike that - setting the agenda!

Activist Jake Stuiver who worked with the title of Mason campaign manager back in spring 2009 notes in the last serious sit-down discussion he had with her in May 2010, she expressed an indignant sense of victimhood over online comments in the Hoboken blogosphere.  He recounts telling her many people felt similarly on the the other side and viewed her as the ultimate responsible party behind the vicious character assassination that had come to define Hoboken411.

He says her response to that perspective was "But that stuff is all true."

Both Beth Mason and her political operative James Barracato were contacted for this story.

Neither has responded to request for comment on their pitch to the Hudson Reporter.

Suffice it to say MSV knows and we know the Hudson Reporter does too.

Word of Beth Mason and political operative James "FinBoy" Barracato of Weehawken setting up a hit job  at the Hudson Reporter means Da Horsey is the target to connect MSV to a YouTube Nazi parody.

Grafix Avenger's follow up bombshell is available at the link:

http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2012/05/breaking-mason-hoboken-reporter-smear.html

Talking Ed Note: Councilwoman Beth Mason was far more friendly at last night's City Council meeting than some others in attendance.  While she said hello, there was a very weird vibe.  Another close observer noted similar to us today.  

Was she all smiles early on because she believes the "hit" is complete?

Councilman David Mello appointed to HHA in 6-2 vote

Councilman David Mello probably never thought taking on more work would find so much opposition but it did when he finally was appointed 6-2 after a long debate with members of the public and council arguing the appointment and other unrelated matters.

The City Council has become a grind on the most basic of issues with grandstanding and inability to follow the most basic decorum, this not due to lack of effort by Council President Ravi Bhalla.  Councilman Michael Russo was not present to see his replacement appointed.

In a minor flap, one of the remaining candidates competing for the HHA position, Joseph Branco a local business owner decided his petitioning efforts to the council would go right up until the bell.  Other candidates who had considered themselves for the role had stood down after some initial consideration.

Branco who formerly supported Peter Cammarano for mayor but has been working in support of Mayor Zimmer in recent years complained about the lack of transparency in the process noting the resolution for the appointment was not blank but contained Mello's name.  The practice of filling in the name on a council appointment has not been the case in recent years under the Zimmer led majority.

Additional criticism offered by Branco on Mello being named to multiple boards was also cited with references to MSV and a story quoting the mayor.  But those criticisms were actually incorrect on the substance.  Mello holds an elected position as a councilman and is now appointed to a single board role.  

Previously, Mello has served on the Planning Board but that position mandated by law now sits another council member: Carol Marsh.  Some concerns in the discussion centered around the amount of work Mello has with an additional board position.  He handled the load similarly in the past.

Councilwoman Terry Castellano put Joseph Branco's name into nomination delaying the inevitable vote approving Mello to replace Councilman Michael Russo.  HHA board positions serve for five year terms.

Councilman David Mello was appointed to the Hoboken Housing Authority board tonight in a 6-2 vote.

Talking Ed Note: MSV would like to issue a correction and apology to Eduardo Gonzalez who also holds a seat on the seven member Hoboken Housing Board.  In earlier stories Gonzalez was mentioned as the treasurer of the Friends of Beth Mason committee in 2011 and that is not the case.  MSV would like to note a correction would have been issued sooner if that information was known.  Our apologies for the error.

Hoboken Politico Perry Belfiore is back in form speaking on multiple issues showing an uncanny interest in transparency, well at least when he can wield it against reform council members which he does with gusto.  He commented on our taking photographs at the meeting.  

Does the Old Guard really need to hear that public meetings are public venues for photography?  If you don't want to have your picture taken in a public meeting then don't come.  Somehow over the years other Old Guard people have learned that.  Others such as Nick Calicchio who has acted thuggishly on more than one occasion at government meetings decided to yell out to not take photos.  He also yelled out at a public speaker calling him "a commie."  He then proceeded to ignore warnings from Council President Ravi Bhalla to not get out of order, leave his seat and get two feet from us with his cell phone to take photos.  We placed our camera between us to restrict his invasion of personal space.

Never saying a word, MSV was told to join Mr. Calicchio in leaving the meeting.

Calicchio has done that exact routine in other meetings: BoE and City Council.  Da Horsey protests.  We would have stayed through resolution #1 but instead watched at home with the Ranger game.

Quentin Wiest was officially voted Hoboken Business Administrator
He fills the role left by Arch Liston at the same salary of 150K.

Correction: The vote on Councilman David Mello's appointment was actually 6-2.  Councilwoman Beth Mason voted in favor after a discussion with Councilwoman Jen Giattino demonstrated she had spoken to all four candidates.