The City Council chamber was packed on Sunday night- standing room only. And even then, every available space on both sides of the room was filled and the crowd spilled out the door.
This was not the usual crowd of meeting regulars and activists, but members of the public who came out on a Sunday evening to persuade a few rogue City Council members to save the hospital, and with it our City's financial future.
The anger and emotion in the room was palpable, and directed toward those 4 members of the City Council holding the hospital sale hostage: Mason, Russo, Occhipinti and Castellano (absent).
But it was the 'ringleader' Beth Mason, who became the focus at the start, when she tried to shanghai the proceedings with a stunt- a bizarre, non-binding 'negotiation' that the self-declared 'Council minority' had directly with the hospital buyer, HoldCo. Mason announced that the Council Minority negotiations with HoldCo went into the "wee hours of the morning"- a posture (presumably) designed to elicit gratitude from the public.
The public wasn't having it.
The stunt was so transparently political, the agreement so blatantly unenforceable (Dave Mello later called it "bush league") and strange, that Mason provoked the kind of scorn that sparks ordinary people into action. Someone had actually downloaded a half-dozen copies of GA's 'Recall Beth Mason' logo and distributed it- there weren't enough to go around for all the people who wanted one. (GA got one.)
And after the Public Comment when Mason was given the floor, she rolled out her "agreement", then said something that prompted an outburst from spectators. The outburst began with calls of "Liar!" followed by the chant, "Recall! Recall! Recall!..." quickly shut down by City Council President Ravi Bhalla.
What did Mason say to provoke the crowd?
Here it is, and GA's noted how she peppers her statement with the word"actually".
Note the surprise on Russo's face. And how he turns his head down and away from his 'neighbor' on the dais, something he did frequently throughout the evening.
Back to the Mason statement which riled the crowd. She talks about Holdco; "their regret" that "ALL participants had not been part of the process" which would have brought "resolution MUCH sooner".
Are you people getting it now?
Aside from her total misrepresentation of the HoldCo letter, she tells us WHY she shanghaied the entire HUMC sale. She tells us her MOTIVE. It's simple.
She wasn't part of the hospital negotiations and feels slighted. And if she can't save the hospital, then nobody can.
Has GA used the phrase 'batshit crazy' today?
Read Mason's statement again.
The AMAZING part of this entire saga is that 3 of her peers followed this loony's tune like she was the Pied Piper.
The next question is are they going to double-down on Russo's nutty "no more bonding" threat? What a disgrace we're on the verge of laying off workers needlessly and the police station is a hazard to those who work there. Peter Cunningham suggested those bonding ordinances would be revisited.
Perhaps it's time for Hoboken to have it's own version of 'Code Pink'- in support of responsible governing, not governing-by-stunt.
The photo below was taken earlier, one of many times "Recall Mason" signs were held aloft. (GA is partially visible)
Note how downcast Mason supporter (and Freeholder candidate) Stick Romano looks...
Anyone is welcome to download GA's "Recall Beth Mason logo" to use for non-commercial purposes.
And if you wish to make your own sign on letter-sized paper, don't forget to select 'landscape' mode when you print (instead of portrait) to get the view as large as possible. (The image is high-resolution which means you can copy it on larger paper, too)
So who's allowed to use this logo for COMMERCIAL purposes?
I am!
Please visit my Recall Beth Mason Gift Shop!
You can buy hats, t-shirts for kids and adults, buttons, mugs, and more! In fact, the product line keeps expanding... need a Recall Beth Mason bumper sticker? Folks, this stuff is selling.
What does that tell you?
The sentiment among 2nd Ward residents to recall Mason is growing fast.
This was not the usual crowd of meeting regulars and activists, but members of the public who came out on a Sunday evening to persuade a few rogue City Council members to save the hospital, and with it our City's financial future.
The anger and emotion in the room was palpable, and directed toward those 4 members of the City Council holding the hospital sale hostage: Mason, Russo, Occhipinti and Castellano (absent).
But it was the 'ringleader' Beth Mason, who became the focus at the start, when she tried to shanghai the proceedings with a stunt- a bizarre, non-binding 'negotiation' that the self-declared 'Council minority' had directly with the hospital buyer, HoldCo. Mason announced that the Council Minority negotiations with HoldCo went into the "wee hours of the morning"- a posture (presumably) designed to elicit gratitude from the public.
The public wasn't having it.
The stunt was so transparently political, the agreement so blatantly unenforceable (Dave Mello later called it "bush league") and strange, that Mason provoked the kind of scorn that sparks ordinary people into action. Someone had actually downloaded a half-dozen copies of GA's 'Recall Beth Mason' logo and distributed it- there weren't enough to go around for all the people who wanted one. (GA got one.)
And after the Public Comment when Mason was given the floor, she rolled out her "agreement", then said something that prompted an outburst from spectators. The outburst began with calls of "Liar!" followed by the chant, "Recall! Recall! Recall!..." quickly shut down by City Council President Ravi Bhalla.
What did Mason say to provoke the crowd?
Here it is, and GA's noted how she peppers her statement with the word"actually".
"...with me is actually that letter it's 3 pages and actually outlines those specific things and I am willing to read that if necessary in terms of the specifics of that and actually their REGRET that this had not happened prior to now, and that this situation and the resolution of this could have happened MUCH sooner with ALL participants being part of the process... and uh, with that... (outburst, "Liar!, Liar! Recall! Recall! Recall!...)These screenshots were taken during the audience outburst.
Note the surprise on Russo's face. And how he turns his head down and away from his 'neighbor' on the dais, something he did frequently throughout the evening.
Back to the Mason statement which riled the crowd. She talks about Holdco; "their regret" that "ALL participants had not been part of the process" which would have brought "resolution MUCH sooner".
Are you people getting it now?
Aside from her total misrepresentation of the HoldCo letter, she tells us WHY she shanghaied the entire HUMC sale. She tells us her MOTIVE. It's simple.
She wasn't part of the hospital negotiations and feels slighted. And if she can't save the hospital, then nobody can.
Has GA used the phrase 'batshit crazy' today?
Read Mason's statement again.
The AMAZING part of this entire saga is that 3 of her peers followed this loony's tune like she was the Pied Piper.
The next question is are they going to double-down on Russo's nutty "no more bonding" threat? What a disgrace we're on the verge of laying off workers needlessly and the police station is a hazard to those who work there. Peter Cunningham suggested those bonding ordinances would be revisited.
Perhaps it's time for Hoboken to have it's own version of 'Code Pink'- in support of responsible governing, not governing-by-stunt.
The photo below was taken earlier, one of many times "Recall Mason" signs were held aloft. (GA is partially visible)
Note how downcast Mason supporter (and Freeholder candidate) Stick Romano looks...
Anyone is welcome to download GA's "Recall Beth Mason logo" to use for non-commercial purposes.
And if you wish to make your own sign on letter-sized paper, don't forget to select 'landscape' mode when you print (instead of portrait) to get the view as large as possible. (The image is high-resolution which means you can copy it on larger paper, too)
So who's allowed to use this logo for COMMERCIAL purposes?
I am!
Please visit my Recall Beth Mason Gift Shop!
You can buy hats, t-shirts for kids and adults, buttons, mugs, and more! In fact, the product line keeps expanding... need a Recall Beth Mason bumper sticker? Folks, this stuff is selling.
What does that tell you?
The sentiment among 2nd Ward residents to recall Mason is growing fast.
Here's hoping people sport T-shirts & caps, with recall petitions & voter registration forms stashed in the handy tote. Along with a stash of buttons to distribute.
ReplyDeleteGiven its popularity at the Sun. meeting, the sign could be printed for prominent window display. Irrespective of ward.
Infotainme has a handy recall process comment on the "Beth Got Played" thread.
No time like the present, folks!
I would love to see someone make a "open house" size sign that reads "recall beth mason" and stick it in her front yard and take a picture of it and just let it stay there overnight. Can you imagine Ricky going out to the driveway in the morning to get the paper and seeing that sign on his lawn? Oh the video of him removing it would be priceless :)
ReplyDelete