Caribbean in Jersey

Ready for Summer? Neither am I. But you really ought to get your ducks in a row because camp slots (for your kiddies) and hotel rooms (for you) are disappearing as quickly as you read this. Yes, I'm warning you: wait until the last minute and you're screwed: you and yours will spend all summer roasting in your tiny, hot, overtaxed Hoboken hovel.

Yes, the economy blows, and you may not have disposable income for extravagance. Neither do I. But there are fantastic places to go right here in NJ. So while we're on the subject I'll share one with you. In fact, LA (Little Avenger) loved it so much last year she's booked it again.

Well, I did per her request.

It's a gloriously retro piece of 1950's kitsch 'Doo Wop' motel architecture, listed on the National Registery of Historic Places, called The Caribbean Motel, in Wildwood Crest, N.J. It boasts plastic palm trees, 'futuristic' levitating ramp, canted glass walls, recessed Sci-fi 'spaceship' lights, a funky C-shaped pool. And it's 2 blocks from the beach, off the south end of the famous 2-mile Wildwood boardwalk. GA loves the kitsch. LA loves the pool.

There are quite a few of these funky old retro treasures in the Wildwoods; it almost feels like South Beach down there. Almost. Except the palm trees are plastic. Some are blue. Some are pink. It's a kitsch-lover's delight. And just 3 hours from Hoboken.

Here are some pics I took last July (click to enlarge any):









So, are you inspired to make your summer plans? I'm not kidding, don't wait until the last minute.

Video Tribute

to Tammy Wynette, the First Lady of Country Music and a personal favorite of mine, who passed away in the month of April, 12 years ago.

I like Tammy because her songs dealt with relationships between men and women, and hardships like divorce and loneliness. As you may recall, one of her biggest hits saw a little controversy back in the 1992 presidential campaign when Hillary Clinton proclaimed on 60 Minutes, “I'm not sitting here as some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette.”

Oops.

Wynette was furioius, and Clinton issued a public apology. Then referring to Clinton, Lynn said, “She’s had to eat them words … how many times? Shall we count the ways?”

Ah, well... don't we all make mistakes one time or another?

Happy 12th Anniversary in Heaven, dear Tammy.

Dispatch from LUA

Last night 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason held a soiree at LUA. The event had been advertised on the 411 smear-merchant's web site as an opportunity "to openly and casually discuss any and all Hoboken matters".

In other words... Beth Mason launches her campaign on H411, and you're invited.


A friend who recently moved to the 2nd Ward and had attended last night in hopes of meeting new neighbors, expressed disappointment it attracted mainly "Beth regulars" and not more fresh faces. It was a fairly uneventful but pleasant evening which he described by email this way:

I had a blast! about 75 people or so showed up. Mostly Beth regulars if you signed up and got a raffle ticket- Good for 1 free drink. Luckily Margaret O'Brien doesn't drink so I got hers in x-change for a soda. Neither does Patricia watiters and she rounded up 3 more! gave 1 to Tina Hahn. Also some complimentary finger foods i had a hard time identifying. Spent the 1st half talking to Tina, Inez Garcia Kiem and Frank Orsini and the second half Paul Swinbinski. Mostly a mingling affair. Beth gave an intro and worked the crowd. Had a empanada trio- tomato and cheese, chicken and beef. With 1 paid drink it came to $27, very pricey. others: Perry Belfiore Tim Occhipinti, Jason Mauer, Liz Markevitch, Freeholder Romano and Ricky of course. Beth said she lost 30 pounds and is training for a triathlon.When I left I thanked Beth and she replied "yeah right".

$27 for an empanada and a drink?

"Yeah right."

Haiku

April is ending in a burst of Haiku. You know, the 17-syllable Japanese poem that doesn't rhyme.

The challenge of Haiku is to place an image in the reader's mind using 3 simple lines, in a syllable pattern of 5-7-5. Both meaning and imagery must be conveyed therein or else you might as well write limericks. Which any idiot could do. No, it takes real talent to write a Haiku.

The Little Avenger's 2nd-grade class is studying Haiku now. Here's one that she wrote:

Cherry Blossoms fall
Japanese Cherry Blossoms
Are blooming in Spring

Another Haiku was written by my friend Kathy, just for me on a subject I'd like to keep out of the hands of Mr. Dung-Obsessed who would schlep it with him to the next City Council meeting for another commanding live performance. Otherwise I'd share, because it was hilarious. Kathy's a hoot.

Next is a GA-original Haiku inspired by a new discussion up on Revolt. I call my poem, "Ode to Spring":

Knife in your back ouch
Poison pens spew pay-to-play
Here comes Beth Mason

Did you see fields of buttercups in your mind? Or a white fluffy bunny twitching her little pink nose? It's all about images. And meaning.

I call this one "Recycled Horse Shit":

Rotting filth flies forth
From Mason's busy suck-ups
Nasty mailers come

I hope that one painted frescoes of unicorns and rainbows for you. Look, see the sun shining.

In conclusion, I would like to thank members of the Academy and newly-registered Revolt member Kim, for inspiring these Haikus. Without you, they wouldn't be where they are today.

Yes, indeed. It looks like a certain City Council member is the first out-of-the gate deploying the usual internet mud-flingers, even before the blogs and message boards have had a chance to cool off from the School Board election.

Submit your Haiku to grafixavenger666@gmail.com.

Horse Farm

No, I'm not talking about MSV or its resident bronco. I'm talking about the Little Avenger's (LA) career choice: horse farmer.

Or course, every kid talks about what they want to be when they grow up. Didn't you?

What surprises me about LA is her consistency. She's been describing this horse farm where she'll grow carrots and apples for the horses to eat for 2 years now- or 28% of her life (she's 7). That's tenacity; at her age I wanted to be a ballerina, astronaut, teacher, and scientist all in a single afternoon.

So, a few days ago LA surprised me with this drawing, saying as she held it out, "This is my dream".


And I have no doubt she'll realize her dream. But please don't tell her it'll cost her more than eight dollars. Not yet.

So, take a moment to reflect on where you are today and if you've realized your 'dream', or found something you like even better.

The Photos

Although my Canon Model A590 was a Consumer Reports 'Recommended Best Buy', it's a pitiful laughingstock next to Da Horsey and Da Kurt's smokin' hot, high-end camera equipment.

So, like Macy's' Kris Kringle famously sending customers to Gimbels for better toys, I direct you to MSV and The Hoboken Journal for better pics. Unless...

You don't want to leave me. Here. All alone. In the dark. Sniff, sniff.

(click to enlarge any)

First up, Jean Marie Mitchell gets sworn in with her
mom and son by her side.

Irene Sobolov gets sworn in, as proud hubby and boys look on.

Leon Gold takes the oath in his Prom Queen corsage
(aw... just kidding, Leon)

Rose Markle, being sworn in before the eyes of her loving
hubby and daughter.

Weren't those nice? Each swearing-in was following by a standing ovation...


Well, call it an almost standing ovation since each time, almost everyone was standing... except for... oh, never mind.

And there they are folks, our new School Board! Aren't they lovely?

From left to right: Frances Rhodes Kearns, Maureen Sullivan, Jean Marie Mitchell,
Vice Pres.Therea Minutillo, Pres. Rose Marie Markle, Ruth McAllister, Carmelo Garcia,
Irene Sobolov, Leon Gold

Oh, you wanted to see who was in the audience? Sure, got those:

left side

right side

Let's see... there's someone's missing in that crowd... the guy with the traveling art show, what's his name again?

OK so now you've seen the 'highlights', here's a dishonorable mention for the evening's singular, sorry 'lowlight': the disgraceful, mean-spirited words of Patricia Waiters.

Ms. Waiters began her speech with the proclamation, "I am not a sore loser", then talked the trash of a sore loser for her entire allotted 5-minutes. Surprise, surprise: her rant was generously sprinkled with wild, unsubstantiated accusations of election fraud. Par for the course for Ms. Waiters, but boy, did she hit bottom with her attack on one Board member's volunteer service in our community. Disgusting. So for that, I politely request that Ms. Waiters take the pink 'magic wand' she brought with her to the Stevens Debate, and use it to make herself disappear.

Kudos to Kids First Campaign Manager and parent activist Liz Muholland for going to the podium immediately following for a passionate defense of the Board member viciously attacked by Ms. Waiters.

There she is, the lovely Liz Mulholland, moments before she rips Waiters a new one.

Other notes: Nathan Brinkman, former mayoral candidate and Real Results camapaign manager, was there in a show of class and respect for the new Board members. Good for you, Nathan.

Mr. Brinkman is still angry with me for a post of mine that appeared on April 1st. Given that he is still upset with me after a whole month, I take that as a sign that my words cut deeply. So I would like to offer my regret for doing so. And I will take your word for it that you did NOT throw your friend under the bus.

What else? I met the ubiquitous Tim Carroll of The Hoboken Reporter, finally. Aside from the fact that reporters scare me, he's a nice fellow.

Body Language

I'm a big believer in body language. That is, as a method of breaking and entering another person's head to read their innermost thoughts, feelings, intentions, comfort level, and even whether they're telling you the truth. While it is possible for anyone to modulate their voice and 'sound' a certain way (such as in projecting confidence), check what their body is saying: facial tics, drumming fingers, tapping toes, shifting posture, darting eyes, to tell you all you need to know about what they're really thinking.

Actually, it is quite easy to tell when a person is lying to you, or to anyone else. Here's how: as the lie departs the liar's lying mouth, the lying eyes give it away: they will either dart to the left or to the right or they'll blink- so quickly you might miss it if you weren't trying to discern whether or not that person was a big, fat liar. It's very quick, so pay attention or you might just miss it. Do you like being lied to? I don't.

What about an enormous exaggeration, is that the same thing as a lie? You know what I mean, ladies. *wink*

But I digress...

I bring up this topic because last night I couldn't help but notice a really big space between two Board members up there on the dais. It was due to one of them being so far over to the right she was nearly sitting in Frances Rhodes Kearns' lap. Now that was some serious body language, and you didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what it meant.


So, I admit during the Board meeting I was so distracted by that big open space between the two, Maureen Sullivan and Jean Marie Mitchell, that my mind drifted... thinking how enormously wide it was and all the things that could probably fit in there... for example:


I told you it was wide.

Look, it was a bloody campaign. Time may not heal all wounds, but it will certainly help. And the public is now privy to the unfolding drama of reconciliation that can be gleaned from our own observations. At School Board meetings.

From watching that body language.

Say "Cheese!" to the Mayor

I'll post more pics after I sort through them. But for starters, an amusing anecdote from last night's BoE Organization Meeting, which began with a swearing-in ceremony for new Board members.

It was a packed house. Among those in attendance was Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who puzzled the audience by getting up to photograph the first member sworn in, Jean Marie Mitchell. Why was the mayor snapping away at the front of the room for Ms. Mitchell's swearing in? And why photograph only her and not the other new Board members?

Jean Marie Mitchell is sworn in with her son Andrew and proud mother at her side... but why is the Mayor taking their picture?

I asked Jean Marie later what that was all about.

Apparantly JM's mother had no idea that the young woman sitting beside her on the left was Hoboken's mayor; her mom lives out-of-town, in Old Bridge, NJ. So when her daughter's name was called for the swearing-in, Mom handed Mayor Zimmer her personal camera and asked her to snap some pics! JM told me that she'd whispered "That's the Mayor!", but obviously her mom missed "the Mayor" part.

And Jean Marie speculated that her mother, on her way back to Old Bridge, still didn't know she'd asked Hoboken's mayor to memorialize her special moment on film.

Mayor Zimmer was a great sport, by the way.

Talk, Talk, Talk.

This afternoon, the playground was buzzing with speculation about tonight's 7pm BoE swearing-in ceremony.

Specifically whether the 'real result' of a very public fracture with her former coalition and subsequent bloody campaign will be a dramatic resignation, a no-show or a stoic, suck-it-up appearance of one sitting Board member. You know who I'm talking about.

My guess is that said Board member will show up to face the music.

More talk: with the swearing-in of new members, the tradition is to rearrange assigned seating at the 'dais' (that's what I call it, you know the long table where the bar-mitzvah boy sits... mazeltov!). So, with the new arrangement, who will sit next to whom? Who gets put on the far ends (east and west Siberia)? Who is going to sit next to... well, um... you know...?

And... will certain malcontents drop in to spread their sourness amongst the Kids First revelers? Will 4th-place finisher John Madigan make an irate and ranting appearance? Will a certain poop-obsessed person repeat his boorish behavior and get thrown out for disorderly conduct? And after the meeting, will the entire gang head out for another 'intoxicating' celebration? (OK, that was my question)

40 minutes and counting for the answers.

Since when did Board of Education meetings get so... interesting?

"It's Alive!"

Fans of The Hoboken Journal all across America were saddened when the lights went out there on March 8, 2010.

That included me.

Because The Hoboken Journal is where the 'Grafix Avenger' was born, its closure meant no more venue for my satirical graphics which HJ's proprietor, Kurt Gardiner (a.k.a. Reformerus Giganticus and The Bard of Hoboken) had published with little editorial input. OK, I did hear the occasional, "that's disgusting", or the "no way I'm going to put that on my site", or "that's not funny", but those were few and far between. (Kurt, you may have seen naked people in that graphic, to me it was art. Ever heard of Spencer Tunick?)

So after Kurt closed shop, I had no recourse but to start my own blog in order to publish my own crap. Now, nobody tells me what to do! And I never get in any trouble! Oh, wait a minute...

But I digress.

Former fans of The Hoboken Journal who have been paying attention may have noticed some rumbling over there. No, that wasn't the leftover bean tamale you had for dinner last night. Or Ricky Mason going over Beth's checkbook. It looks like that lovable, overgrown German galoot is BACK!

At least in the capacity that he wishes to be.

My guess is that there will be a new incarnation of HJ. Whatever it is, thank goodness our gigantic reformer has got his health and his mojo back.

Now, for the real news: the Grafix Avenger blog was able to obtain EXCLUSIVE video footage of the moments before, during and after The Hoboken Journal's reanimation.

That's Kurt there on the gurney, in case you don't recognize him.



Welcome back, Kurt!

Dean Kemph Dishes on Obsession

In case you've never read the razor-sharp, satirical musings of Dean Kemph, who looks down upon the Hoboken political scene from the Heights of Jersey and winces: prepare yourself. Today Dean takes on a subject near but NOT dear to my heart: the Don Quixote-like zeal of a certain 'political activist' to fight the windmills of his mind with ca-ca. Pictures of ca-ca, that is.

Enjoy.

A word of political praise from Citizen Dean...

While my candid comments on the Hoboken political scene have been deservedly cast as generally critical, often questioning the judgments and motives of competing factions, I do feel compelled upon occasion to give credit where it’s due. So today I extend congratulations to Lane Bajardi, who recently garnered the coveted Disorderly Person distinction from local law enforcement authorities; thereby gaining official recognition for the title he has informally held for the past year. The events leading to this honor were generally inspired by his obsession with his latest raison d’excrement, the poop pics which he now carries on his person like a naval officer with the nuclear codes. Unfortunately, his efforts to display the offending graphics have not met with widespread enthusiasm; rumor has it that he has even been unable to convince Beth Mason to take a gander. His inability to impact the indignation index at the Council meeting only fueled his outhouse outrage, and he barely had his hand into his briefcase/surrogate toilet before he was unceremoniously dumped from the BOE meeting. Understandably, he has fared even less favorably setting up his overhead projector on the dinner party circuit.


While I applaud the courageous imperviousness to crap that Lane displayed during the mayoral run, I also caution Mr. Bajardi that others are not always similarly inclined. Regardless of the public’s sensibilities towards the subject graphic parody, it may be time to realize that his campaign has not demonstrated much citywide…er…movement. The townsfolk seem to be suggesting that the last thing they need is Lane Bajardi intentionally attempting to trigger the collective repulsion reflex; possibly feeling that he has done that enough inadvertently. With so much left to complain about, the town needs his undivided attention focused on general criticism before he tailspins forever into the bowels of this one issue. Despite this setback, I remain confident that Lane will be able to flush it from his system and come up smelling like a rose.


Dean Kemph

Bravo.

Guest Artist Corner

Today's guest artist is none other than my cousin Jon Regen, who is a singer, songwriter, pianist and... even more exciting: he used to live in Jersey City! Imagine that! He's back in Manhattan now, and I don't know how the hell that humongous grand piano fits in that teeny-tiny apartment of his. I'll bet he greased the doorway. Well, it's none of my business.

I chose this video because it highlights his jazz pianist roots. He's doing more contemporary pop stuff now- and currently touring for his 2008 album, Let it Go.



More videos here.

AND... if YOU are an artist of ANY kind (visual, music, video, photography, poet, writer, minstrel, bard) and would like to appear in GA's "Guest Artist Corner" please contact me at grafixavenger666@gmail.com.

Sorry, I can't pay you if you appear as 'Guest Artist". Perhaps you can pay me? Oh, I kid.

You're Invited...

to watch the ladies and gent of the new Kids First majority get sworn in. Hooray!

Tomorrow, Tuesday evening at 7pm... here's your invitation:

click to enlarge

I'm guessing it will be a family affair; kids or significant others holding the Bible for their mother or wife or husband as they are sworn in.. an emotional moment in their lives, for each person standing up there will have sacrificed much for this. Especially the children. And their sacrifice has just begun. Time missed at work, time missed at home, all for an unpaid service to our community, our kids, their future.

I say without hesitation I am HONORED to know these ladies and that tall guy with the moustache, Leon. Smart as a whip,that guy. He even has a PhD. All of them have chosen this path for the right reasons and there is not a political itch amongst them. They are ready to do the hard, unglamorous work ahead. And I am so thankful for that.

I wish the entire School Board success in working together. The election is over. Let's move on.

Day at Tick Park

"Tick Park" is the unfortunate name I call a lovely park in Fort Lee, because I always forget it's real name and that's where the Little Avenger (LA) was attacked by a deer tick 2 years ago. But why let one teeny-tiny blood-thirsty deer tick ruin a good thing?

No, we've been back many times since- ticks be damned. And don't YOU let one (or a few hundred thousand) hungry ticks hiding in wait to drop down on your unsuspecting flesh and dig in with it's little pincers- yum, yum! discourage you from a visit to Tick Park, either. Just cover up and you'll be fine.

It's actual name is Ross Dock Picnic Area, and it's part of the Palisades Interstate Park system; the NJ section is a 12 mile-long stretch of scenic park areas sandwiched between the Palisades and the Hudson River. Ross Dock is near the bottom of this map:

click to enlarge

It's close to Hoboken, about a 25-minute drive. If you are curious, I took these pics there today on this gorgeous day.








This trail runs the length of the Palisade Interstate Park parallel to the Hudson, and it's lovely and scenic but... LA's tick latched on somewhere along the trail (though she wandered off into the woods to admire some daffodils). Just take proper precautions and you won't meet one of these:


Isn't that disgusting?

If you DO meet up with one of these awful things, you probably won't notice it until it's dined on you for a few hours, at which time it will be engorged with your vital juices and large enough to see.

In which case, please take my advice: DO NOT try to pull it out yourself; hold a lit match to it and it will drop off.

See, isn't this blog useful? You can get practical information here about detaching engorged ticks, in addition to political satire featuring one.

So, don't be afraid to head on over because there's nothing to fear in Tick Park.

The Bard of Hoboken

Who is this mysterious bard who has been littering the blogs and message boards of Hoboken with verse?

Where did he come from and when will he go back?

We hope sticks around for his merry rhymes continue to busteth our guts and spliteth our sides.

Continue on with your silly rhymes, oh jolly Bard of Hoboken:

I have to be honest and get this off my chest,
I admit I was pleased with Lane's arrest,
On just about every forum,
The angry mite has lacked any decency and decorum,
His counter charges surely are in jest.

-The Bard of Hoboken

Markle's In!

Hoboken BoE President Rose Markle

Nerves were a little frayed in the schoolyard this morning wondering what news those envelopes sitting in the Hudson County Board of Elections would bring. Lurking in the darkest corners of our darkest thoughts: defeat snatched from jaws of victory.

Well, no such thing! Patch.com is reporting that Rose Markle has edged out 4th-place John Madigan by 72 votes! Oh, thank goodness.

Clean Sweep confirmed.

Congratulations, Rose!

Waffle House

I'd planned to move on to new topics today, but remembered something worth mentioning in the context of H411's public denunciation of my graphic work and campaign to destroy this blog.

He was for it before he was against it.

Yes, last night I recalled Perry Klaussen published a whole slew of my graphics back in July 2009, in the time frame between Mayor Peter Cammarano's arrest and resignation. That was before I was Grafix Avenger, before his repressive censorship policies left me no choice but to leave. As a reader and contributor.

I was able to locate most, not all, of these images in the H411 archives. I'm posting them for you to see.

Please note for the record, Klaussen added his web site name and authorship to the original submissions.And even modified some for his own use. They are in no particular order. Click on any to enlarge, also read Klaussen's friendly commentary.

Fornicating animals weren't "disgusting" and "offensive" back in those days.

I opened a Cafe Press shop for about 5 minutes prior to Cammarano's resignation, making these images available for t-shirts after receiving interest in them. Read how enthused Klaussen was back then to OWN a t-shit emblazoned with one of my 'disgusting" graphics.

H411 modified this one, added the text.

Here's the unaltered original:

And our stroll down Memory Lane is done. Speaking of Lane... oh, never mind.

Toothless Tiger

The 411 Bully, Perry Klaussen, is at it again.

On Tuesday, he "contacted the Mayor" to complain about the content on this blog, which he has described in the past as "disgusting" and "offensive". This from the guy who posted side-by-side photos of our Mayor next to monkeys, apes and chimpanzees only 4 short months ago.

Pick yourself up off the floor, please. Yes, I agree: he must have balls the size of coconuts. Maybe that's why he wears shorts all winter?

In case you don't believe me:

click to read

See? I told you so.

The escalation in his campaign of harassment and intimidation against this blog reveals quite a bit about him.

Starting with an inability to recognize his own diminished influence in Hoboken. He still thinks he's king of the hill, but doesn't recognize it's an ant hill. (Call him 'Lord of the Ants'). He'll tell you he gets (big number) of 'hits', every day, impressive- until you look at the actual data. Which I am about to show you.

People are passing through 411 via search engines, mainly Google, without staying, like cars driving past a ghost town. They slow down to look but don't stop. Hello and good-bye. See for yourself where his traffic is coming from:

Hoboken411.com data is from Alexa.com

Any reason to stop and stay was killed long ago- by Klaussen himself. But that familiar tale of censorship, perpetual post moderation and reader bullying is not the subject of this post. Neither is how Mr. Klaussen disseminates 411 registrant's identities all over town- how do you think you know mine? Think about it. You didn't hear it from me.

Let's start with the web traffic metrics that matter: TIME users spend on his site, PAGE VIEWS per user, and BOUNCE, the percentage of visitors that leave after one page turn.

A healthy, flourishing web site will have INCREASING numbers for the time and page view metrics, and a DECREASING number for bounce. Bad news for 411.

From Alexa, the web site data collection company, screen caps taken last night, April 21, 2010 (click to enlarge all graphics):

Time Users Spend on H411

Page Views per User

Bounce (% that leave H411 after one page turn)

Now, if you were Klaussen and your website was your livelihood, would you be spending valuable time harassing an obscure blogger and her little blog, or trying to save your dying business? It's only a matter of time until advertisers catch on. Were he a brighter wattage bulb, he would be busy tinkering under the 411-hood instead of tinkering with my First Amendment right to free speech.

Legal advice I've received to date (shake my family tree and a lawyer falls out) is that Klaussen's actions thus far are protected under the First Amendment. But he'll slip up- he can't help himself, his single-minded, targeted derangement will be his undoing. Just like his buddy, who's now in serious legal trouble and whose name I won't mention.

My best advice to Klaussen is to drop the vendetta, move on, and fix that once-thriving business, before all your advertisers jump ship. Then I can blog on more pleasant subjects.

Though, this fake controversy has done wonders for my traffic.

Creepy Keywords

click to read

This may only be of interest to ME, but I'm having fun with this new 'web tracker' that runs on this blog, silently generating reams of data. So I tried a "Keyword Analysis" to see how people are finding this site on search engines, and got one ore two creepy results.

Post-mortem Analysis

Ask 10 people what Real Results did to earn a last place finish in the School Board election and you will get 10 different opinions.

Here is mine.

Image
Real Results ran on their business credentials, their experience in the corporate world; they were the 'Executive Team'. By inference, Kids First was a bunch of "uneducated housewives" (actual quote from an RR blogger on Patch.com:)

click to read

Now, in order to show us how business-y and executive-y and truly experienced they were, they felt the need to dress like attendees at a state funeral. And not in a cool country like France. More like Uzbekistan. Problem with that?

It signaled an out-of-touchness with actual, living, breathing people who have 'good' jobs but at the same time don't walk the streets like mannequins in Macy's window. My good friend, a conservative Republican who works on Wall Street, loses the business costume (dark suit and heels) when she's being a 'person' and a 'mom' in Hoboken.

I think it was a fundamental misjudgment to think that voters wanted BoE members in power suits and ties. No, they wanted real, warm human beings and not the tightly-controlled, rigidity and coldness of the corporate world. They wanted Board members who could manage children, not mutual funds.

Real Results, competence is not a power suit you pull out of your closet. Hoboken voters figured that out.

Fake Facts
Enough said.


Maureen
It started with Sullivan's February 14th resignation letter published in the print edition of in The Hoboken Reporter. Where she "resigns" from Kids First with a litany of accusations, ending with: "I’m not putting together a slate to challenge Kids First in April, but I encourage true reformers to demand accountability and consider running for the board."

But that's exactly what she was doing.

Please read Greg Bond's astute blog-piece Maureen First , his take on Sullivan tossing her former friends under the school bus. I concur with you, Greg.

From that day, it's gone straight downhill. Closed session information bandied about on blogs, loyal friends trashed on the 411 smear merchant's web site, an unholy alliance with said unscrupulous 411 smear-merchant and his impulse-driven associate, emergence as a partisan Republican endorsing a 100% partisan Republican School Board slate, covertly wooing Hoboken Republicans for our non-partisan School Board, posting a private email from a Kids First member on a public forum...

Ms. Sullivan has been fighting a very public battle for hearts and minds, but it is really a battle to validate the ideological differences she has with her former Kids First colleagues. If she had really wanted to help Real Results and not craft herself into a goddess of reform, she would have kept quiet and been dignified throughout the campaign. But she didn't and she wasn't.

And for that she may own the magnitude of Real Results' defeat.

Ouch.