tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89820973142242019042024-02-21T20:53:56.000-05:00Grafix AvengerOne gal's musings on the Hoboken political sceneGrafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.comBlogger3777125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-5543479452274029502022-01-20T15:40:00.007-05:002022-01-20T15:48:54.324-05:00Hoboken MAGA underwriting "Vote No"!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEsp6NplBZUroR2b3zZb7XsS8-_fCaro4iyJVY1sSaz2LI6yl4OsXlb8lA1SC98aw9Wi2G_cyAc3POnqCRk5q_Yewq6WuxmGCJPTptntbiRsTSf7-zCl1ZKtDkYe_5CcCh2HIhJJPCAw5M7sdM2XUicqGJS1KQX6HjcFArHKmX7adqOzcsCWDPOWxS=s1010" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="892" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEsp6NplBZUroR2b3zZb7XsS8-_fCaro4iyJVY1sSaz2LI6yl4OsXlb8lA1SC98aw9Wi2G_cyAc3POnqCRk5q_Yewq6WuxmGCJPTptntbiRsTSf7-zCl1ZKtDkYe_5CcCh2HIhJJPCAw5M7sdM2XUicqGJS1KQX6HjcFArHKmX7adqOzcsCWDPOWxS=s16000" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">People of good faith can disagree on the January 25th Ballot Referendum. And they are. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">People of good faith can come to different conclusions with the same set of facts. And they are. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">People of good faith have the right to know that a partisan political party organization ideologically hostile to public education is fomenting division in Hoboken in a carefully planned, secretly funded, media juggernaut. This is a political operation claiming to be "grassroots." </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Why haven't they reported their contributions and expenditures to NJ-ELEC? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The lack of transparency is astounding. The "paid for by the Hoboken Republican Party" is written so small it can only be read with the Hubble telescope. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhioEovp98QJxoP5-2kj0FKnIAKsWMpkADJP03POeQ5ttSKeUE2SgebAVGCG-RU35ru1bNOwnUmUCxDA3FaTEtNbfB1ypVSR1JFSdy2QfJzg_VqTNLcr1RGengXoiuSGAqkleF2joHj64WthhVK-3ez79jRNHtk3_GTR6K5w2gG4mIdVP5EPRj9SBMe=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhioEovp98QJxoP5-2kj0FKnIAKsWMpkADJP03POeQ5ttSKeUE2SgebAVGCG-RU35ru1bNOwnUmUCxDA3FaTEtNbfB1ypVSR1JFSdy2QfJzg_VqTNLcr1RGengXoiuSGAqkleF2joHj64WthhVK-3ez79jRNHtk3_GTR6K5w2gG4mIdVP5EPRj9SBMe=s16000" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Bottom line: a political party hostile to public funding of public education has been driving the "Vote No" train; you are getting the "facts" that they want you to know from the FOX NEWS campaign of Hoboken.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You may not support this referendum. That is your right; your vote is sacred. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But understand how ONE political machine is using you to fulfill larger partisan ideological goals in our municipality. <b>The Hoboken Democratic Party has not entered this election, not spent a dime, nor tried to exert influence.<span style="color: #073763;"> </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">This divisive "torches and pitchforks" shitstorm is owned by the Hoboken MAGA party. And they are funding "Vote NO" in the <i>dark. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, good people on <i>both </i>sides, call for transparency. Understand who is trying to influence your vote, and make sure that you well-informed, not plied with partisan propaganda. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfYxKBlyNkLHpxxRdAhp2s7NS9FNEDvebqZenB6zh84wL_OP5-Mbf0vz0WZCHuLnAd9oxnd3GEYKDAzGeaaCThO346iAsIk6npw7KLUOPtfEkzipJ2w8yJfvIW1mTqwInW2-c0JG8JAZQHyanmh6uckr46nnbf4xM_7DkMJ_0q05FX2V3HQ1oz-QBp=s700" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfYxKBlyNkLHpxxRdAhp2s7NS9FNEDvebqZenB6zh84wL_OP5-Mbf0vz0WZCHuLnAd9oxnd3GEYKDAzGeaaCThO346iAsIk6npw7KLUOPtfEkzipJ2w8yJfvIW1mTqwInW2-c0JG8JAZQHyanmh6uckr46nnbf4xM_7DkMJ_0q05FX2V3HQ1oz-QBp=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/elec-pro-hoboken-school-referendum-group-has-raised-8-5k-no-groups-havent-filed-yet/">https://hudsoncountyview.com/elec-pro-hoboken-school-referendum-group-has-raised-8-5k-no-groups-havent-filed-yet/</a></td></tr></tbody></table> Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-14714446334337617762021-11-02T22:28:00.002-04:002021-11-02T22:28:31.713-04:00Team Bhalla Victory Statement<p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicGcl3MZd3RGqm58h6Sndp9ePYtf18yYtkIDCzvtIUw1fUVPRXCfy_9G1fbZYXpG4Uh75MFpjEyeKYr6ChtaK-zx6v7Dd-AiazMQkzPISBKujxMTc1cmqBlW6ZnVZJDPU5I8TvBAJ0ezmYS4Zq_Gu6DZKflPHYyVl1RMcoOJtkbMR2b0d3gK-3yvTM=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicGcl3MZd3RGqm58h6Sndp9ePYtf18yYtkIDCzvtIUw1fUVPRXCfy_9G1fbZYXpG4Uh75MFpjEyeKYr6ChtaK-zx6v7Dd-AiazMQkzPISBKujxMTc1cmqBlW6ZnVZJDPU5I8TvBAJ0ezmYS4Zq_Gu6DZKflPHYyVl1RMcoOJtkbMR2b0d3gK-3yvTM=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Bhalla wins in a landslide.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Team Bhalla Victory Statement</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">"This was an overwhelming victory tonight for Mayor Bhalla and the Team Bhalla at-large Council slate of Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, Councilman Jim Doyle and Joe Quintero. Hoboken voters sent an message that they strongly approved of the performance, policies and new proposals of Mayor Bhalla and his Council Team. Team Bhalla thanks Hoboken voters for the strong mandate they provided--one that will create momentum for leading Hoboken forward. Team Bhalla congratulates all the Council opponents for their hard work and the good campaigns they ran.”</p><p><br /></p>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-11105573967658758472021-11-02T21:25:00.007-04:002021-11-02T22:12:33.731-04:00UPDATED: TEAM BHALLA SWEEPS! <h2 style="text-align: left;"> Congratulations, Hoboken!</h2><p><br /></p><p>Updated counts <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/hoboken/hoboken-mayor-council-election-results-get-latest" target="_blank">from Hoboken Patch</a>... wow, that's not a sweep, it's a bloodbath!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2UaGmqOy53nZGzc52lyAtyacTRPFxnZhBP_QRaiLUYoNf8ZSZJgKhPpDTPlcX4mDW2P_wnz8PpqRmCDsLWmqEDlhw5MkoQSaQO-0nvDf9BVFeK6olAZnTYyOG0h1CFcyQqlWBIEn6NQ5pdvFexb4OjLtBlJLZfcM4wU6JUXu6gZn1aAupUV4hlScT=s1981" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1981" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2UaGmqOy53nZGzc52lyAtyacTRPFxnZhBP_QRaiLUYoNf8ZSZJgKhPpDTPlcX4mDW2P_wnz8PpqRmCDsLWmqEDlhw5MkoQSaQO-0nvDf9BVFeK6olAZnTYyOG0h1CFcyQqlWBIEn6NQ5pdvFexb4OjLtBlJLZfcM4wU6JUXu6gZn1aAupUV4hlScT=w349-h640" width="349" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-45224652446574757962021-11-02T11:31:00.015-04:002021-11-02T12:20:39.109-04:00TODAY: bring out your dead to VOTE!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguiWYQaUf0VjYZq080q3GjVW0JNRD3Q59jISz7B7JdtXBacIp0pbCG-ZmlQCAXThepal4XS4PqXnqz9ykv7NldnZlvft8RyLVTDk7qFdhQZn95qfof4FnnPy7EVrktbzZXrKDKyloxok8SSwdzMkxP4j-oSpoByY_zonRrSJkFi4KgQPlXqIFdJET_=s1000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1000" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguiWYQaUf0VjYZq080q3GjVW0JNRD3Q59jISz7B7JdtXBacIp0pbCG-ZmlQCAXThepal4XS4PqXnqz9ykv7NldnZlvft8RyLVTDk7qFdhQZn95qfof4FnnPy7EVrktbzZXrKDKyloxok8SSwdzMkxP4j-oSpoByY_zonRrSJkFi4KgQPlXqIFdJET_=w640-h412" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My endorsements (green) </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>VOTE or get off the pot! </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Have you voted yet? </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;">People, it's <u>very</u> important that rancid New Jersey Trumplican candidates- like that <b>Jack</b>ass <b>Ciatarrelli-</b> get clobbered. Locally, our unopposed mayor may be a done-deal, but the Hoboken City Council <u>majority</u> is up for grabs. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I give my personal endorsement to At-Large council candidates <b><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2021/10/hoboken-sample-ballot.html">Emily Jabbour, Jim Doyle and Joe Quintero.</a></b> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sure, they are on the Mayor's slate, but there isn't a 'politician' among them. None of the three actually like politics, they are true public servants. Incumbents Jim and Emily have a record of progressive-activism- I call them <i>un</i>politicians. I <i>know</i> that Emily and Jim are as disgusted at the endless council majority sniping at City Hall, their constant effort to undermine Executive authority, by changing our local ordinance- be it tampering with the "donut hole", defunding his Office of Constituent Services, or taking away his board appointment powers so they can stack boards with cronies. When it comes to power, they want it <i>all.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The only "check" that's needed is on their continual overstepping their own legislative powers to dig at the mayor, his staff, his Directors, even the Police Chief. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's gotta stop. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Fisher- Giattino will continue their politics of personal grievance. They scrambled to find 3 candidates to keep their majority- if "Independently Together" slate is elected that means 3 HOBOKEN REALTORS will be seated on the City Council. What kind of "check" is that? Enough with this Fisher-Giattino majority obstruction and political infighting. How about civility? I love boring.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jim is incredibly boring (with excellent grammar) and Emily is a doer- <i>not a talker</i>. Neither are interested in partisan warfare. Joe Q seems like a straight-up guy, possibly as boring as Jim. I hope so. All three are about PUBLIC SERVICE, not whining on Facebook or Twitter. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5vzaeylvs4K3zMXd8o7jqoE9aog4wPhCvxzGHx0GQIU4UxkkP87M9Bx1ebO2Hz5AOa0qv2sLNGIdI_6a_UiMCjrJfY5T8DU7b93sPhbWA8k81VrQtfOnTdgetKw-wz909N9Z3QKdOA7rbS7VNhcY4iWbUP9u5o4H3DWT0wSGERO8bVW5zi92Lgvtq=s1024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5vzaeylvs4K3zMXd8o7jqoE9aog4wPhCvxzGHx0GQIU4UxkkP87M9Bx1ebO2Hz5AOa0qv2sLNGIdI_6a_UiMCjrJfY5T8DU7b93sPhbWA8k81VrQtfOnTdgetKw-wz909N9Z3QKdOA7rbS7VNhcY4iWbUP9u5o4H3DWT0wSGERO8bVW5zi92Lgvtq=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Last but not least...</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Honorable Mention<b> </b>goes to the candidate who ran the most animated campaign in Hoboken history: <b>Ian Rintel.</b> I mean that literally: his campaign was <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58sDrEsKcZ0qNbgbYuZ2IQ">animated!</a></b> I personally like Ian, he also is not about partisan nonsense- but alas we only vote for three. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>VOTE FOR TEAM BHALLA! </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>AND PLEASE RE-ELECT BOE TRUSTEES</b> <b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Malani Cademartori, Thomas Kluepfel,</span></b> and <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Ailene McGuirk</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-15198517715516833582021-10-30T11:22:00.011-04:002021-10-30T11:49:42.389-04:00"Independently Together" candidates harass Hoboken TEENAGER<p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfYTdN9cS5X9LMVqMH2LHTaVd5kRlJIv0fbAYlXXuMcpq2W32Mn7_GMh6rvUo58Ck-rUKt5LA21F3zxa_ni0wDoeSOKL5uZYe6lnbj2owUXW0WxueXFtBzVYwUZdlPNHn6FfPayPPpzasJhb_FSeap9O3P247v5Y_EXSCqwjU_CoeaIjd9ypzpFB1P=s1311" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1311" data-original-width="1060" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfYTdN9cS5X9LMVqMH2LHTaVd5kRlJIv0fbAYlXXuMcpq2W32Mn7_GMh6rvUo58Ck-rUKt5LA21F3zxa_ni0wDoeSOKL5uZYe6lnbj2owUXW0WxueXFtBzVYwUZdlPNHn6FfPayPPpzasJhb_FSeap9O3P247v5Y_EXSCqwjU_CoeaIjd9ypzpFB1P=w518-h640" width="518" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An irate Hoboken parent just forwarded this message texted to his teenager. With his permission, I am publishing it as a warning to Hoboken parents that their children may be receiving unsolicited political propaganda from the "Independently Together" slate on their cell phones!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is unclear how or why the "Independently Together" slate is spamming the cell phones of Hoboken children. As a mother to a Hoboken teen, this is disturbing. Children should not be harassed by adult politicians. The offending candidates, Cheryl Fallick and Sheila Brennan, have collectively borrowed $10,000 for their campaign--- adequate to pay for a mailer. Why, instead, have they chosen to spam Hoboken teenagers?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Parents, be on the lookout. </div><p></p>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-53737700395893968472021-10-29T11:15:00.016-04:002021-10-29T12:43:11.627-04:00As seen in Hoboken's 4th Ward<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkyVduLDIBRLUEZlh8TYbKn3k3R4oInnzxoc3U8mCUPaJjDzFGhLXkZL7bwZIVbzNcGwX-AYOEmKkX1EIWNm_INL0ySZRFjnxhH0wBNvqFoikTTZxudBmUyU707zu35JDYXgmrNPgfNG0WWt6e1e7p1ntCi6zy4f5mbBYaysP9X_a0RCUbx31Ongjk=s900" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkyVduLDIBRLUEZlh8TYbKn3k3R4oInnzxoc3U8mCUPaJjDzFGhLXkZL7bwZIVbzNcGwX-AYOEmKkX1EIWNm_INL0ySZRFjnxhH0wBNvqFoikTTZxudBmUyU707zu35JDYXgmrNPgfNG0WWt6e1e7p1ntCi6zy4f5mbBYaysP9X_a0RCUbx31Ongjk=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keep it up, whoever you are!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The message to <b>Jack Ciattarelli </b>is loud and clear: Hoboken hates you. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, not everyone hates you. Just the sane ones. Who are they? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There's a simple test to administer to your Hoboken friends and neighbors to determine whether or not they have lost their marbles. Ask:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Q: Who got more votes in the 2020 presidential election? </span></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If they answer "Donald Trump" then I'm sorry to tell you they are lost souls- Facebook-infested fucking nut bars. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">You'll see. Prod them. They'll tell you that the attack on the Capitol was a peaceful F.B.I. plot, that Deep State micro chips to sterilize your gizzards were planted in <b>Pfizer, Moderna</b> and <b>J&J </b>vaccine, that their QAnon calendar promises Dear Leader will be reinstated tomorrow. Lunatics. These people are so freakin' crazy, they should not be allowed to drive cars or dress themselves. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Those are Jack Ciattarelli voters.</b> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As for reality-based sane persons, they know who won the last presidential election. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">They will most likely <u>not</u> be voting for the crazy-conspiracy-endorsing Trump Tool, <b>Jack Ciatarrelli.</b> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj05gkPJl0A8N_rielRbAzMafpTaTE_rwiwmN2ZERujlS16HuAePsgnitgzKuA-TtuY5VNgoIbXwc4MpHebqsBnGcQVvke9QQLbdYkWA8ntEW5qkLZwwKdgt6_okSAj-PRe0-2kJdimLrJHEDRhrSRE0OxzT5WZUXCV5jqUDK2xeARJE8wCZixo3unJ=s804" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj05gkPJl0A8N_rielRbAzMafpTaTE_rwiwmN2ZERujlS16HuAePsgnitgzKuA-TtuY5VNgoIbXwc4MpHebqsBnGcQVvke9QQLbdYkWA8ntEW5qkLZwwKdgt6_okSAj-PRe0-2kJdimLrJHEDRhrSRE0OxzT5WZUXCV5jqUDK2xeARJE8wCZixo3unJ=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My turn.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I realize that some may be offended by this post. 🎻</div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-78480777436507452472021-10-28T15:41:00.012-04:002021-10-29T07:38:35.770-04:00Hoboken Sample Ballot! <p>Hello, folks! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As a longtime Hoboken resident/political commentator, I'm compelled to make sure that voters understand their ballot. This election cycle some voting machines will be completely new to you, like the ones over at City Hall. Some of you may have already voted. For those who haven't, whether you plan to vote early or on election day, here is a "Sample Ballot" annotated for educational purposes only. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLDTMvVFHI3yh56nmE19P1cM66bA3DUOKcWGFKuqcLaGRWW22b2fEuiXtqqLoZ7UzBQ0pswuk2K-mKvIHCMlu8U29_DPxFnbfzWFzY3SSZB656M9VJo_JY-8wPPKJZWhbhOTzB9GmDfGnw71LUCxFVdUbUIo3W1QafG6WcXd8E2pcVRrjYpNY85SMb=s1000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLDTMvVFHI3yh56nmE19P1cM66bA3DUOKcWGFKuqcLaGRWW22b2fEuiXtqqLoZ7UzBQ0pswuk2K-mKvIHCMlu8U29_DPxFnbfzWFzY3SSZB656M9VJo_JY-8wPPKJZWhbhOTzB9GmDfGnw71LUCxFVdUbUIo3W1QafG6WcXd8E2pcVRrjYpNY85SMb=s16000" /></a></div><br /><p>Hoboken voters, please pay close attention to the "At-Large" Council candidates: Column H:</p><p></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b> SAMPLE BALLOT: COLUMN H</b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZvXLU5G_vG7KwTXh0cPRnZEZ4izULofhssSbQxtfjCSrE-MmLUoH--bsSbu-YjS9uQhubjgfDWWjvHynwP6UPYIazVzh2ZaOosGocQS43zYxxXZ_DK-aKS3lRIXvp2YVCed-hlWSMQBBqC1oDZbVk4TnEHn6ef8Ax1jIYwDt5nfpM3Ltvxj2-3bE_=s1000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZvXLU5G_vG7KwTXh0cPRnZEZ4izULofhssSbQxtfjCSrE-MmLUoH--bsSbu-YjS9uQhubjgfDWWjvHynwP6UPYIazVzh2ZaOosGocQS43zYxxXZ_DK-aKS3lRIXvp2YVCed-hlWSMQBBqC1oDZbVk4TnEHn6ef8Ax1jIYwDt5nfpM3Ltvxj2-3bE_=s16000" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Here is why "COLUMN H" is so important. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Are you sick of petty, political infighting on the City Council? <b><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/letter-hoboken-mayor-shouldve-acted-sooner-swifter-to-help-seniors-combat-covid-19/" target="_blank">Endless sniping at the mayor?</a></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Do you want to see a council that will work collaboratively together with City Hall, not crank out whiny press releases and continually try to undermine lawful Executive authority? This bunch refused to vote on the mayor's board appointees, then CHANGED THE LAW, to stack one board with a crony (coincidently running on "Column H"). </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That "checks and balances" argument is all bullshit. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">This council majority wants to retain power to oppose City Hall<i> at all costs.</i> Knee-jerk opposition. Power for power's sake. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">This cabal is not a 'check" on the mayor; they relentlessly try to undermine the Administration out of gross, petty personal animus; the needs and interests of Hoboken residents are collateral damage. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">For example, this vindictive majority abolished Hoboken's Office of Constituent Services at the height of the pandemic. The sponsor of the "Independently Together" slate harassed HPD Chief Ferrante for years, even refusing to vote on his contract, then tried to gut it. It is <i>my </i>opinion that the outrageous behavior of the council majority is at least partially responsible for Ferrante's early retirement. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjApbYGHP03wBlKTVVRNGDcyOuKh7uyfPdyd742aZGZf95bFtwOMccrzA-1m-0RZFQomLxnFeLTaVHAxAhjOiopruI7hGG1rnPFWP1QJj2qO4Sz85uJjlZ4pBJ13QUP3soHBNHMqn3peDpS99hEhGy_pra-dQpe0ZpX43EPRPt4xn_u_FuzkuqpAQK2=s700" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="700" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjApbYGHP03wBlKTVVRNGDcyOuKh7uyfPdyd742aZGZf95bFtwOMccrzA-1m-0RZFQomLxnFeLTaVHAxAhjOiopruI7hGG1rnPFWP1QJj2qO4Sz85uJjlZ4pBJ13QUP3soHBNHMqn3peDpS99hEhGy_pra-dQpe0ZpX43EPRPt4xn_u_FuzkuqpAQK2=w640-h475" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power mad councilwoman- sponsor of "Independently Together" slate- harassed former HPD Chief Ferrante</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Hoboken needs a "check" on a council majority that refuses to stay in their legislative lane and focus on governing, not playing politics.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hoboken needs smart, experienced councilmembers who represent Hoboken constituents over their own greed to retain power <i>at all costs. </i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hoboken needs government to work together, <i>not</i> fight each other. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b>People, please vote for government that <i>works together</i>. </b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAa6_cosjrHdNIDCyKYgF5sMIl4XHB5FCbcCs9lDVOxa3mSvYnkWx3vnj8KHfTe15b-ozx2L-I-oIAEpi-c5lSCknGl_axS2RLV32VbNiUNmBi6qBeFaADzmJaMk7bX-AwVwPdfSJ0RsJ6P_J1tRf9DRwPQ8JkDNk1YGUiN6afGHycKolxIPWB3Bte=s1024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAa6_cosjrHdNIDCyKYgF5sMIl4XHB5FCbcCs9lDVOxa3mSvYnkWx3vnj8KHfTe15b-ozx2L-I-oIAEpi-c5lSCknGl_axS2RLV32VbNiUNmBi6qBeFaADzmJaMk7bX-AwVwPdfSJ0RsJ6P_J1tRf9DRwPQ8JkDNk1YGUiN6afGHycKolxIPWB3Bte=s16000" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-37262535810301825402021-05-31T10:16:00.005-04:002021-05-31T10:16:57.487-04:00Memorial Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />This is sacrifice. We are here because honorable men and women died leaving wives, husbands, children, parents, sisters, brothers. Empty chairs, broken hearts. Remembering them, honoring them, thanking them on this Memorial Day. Words are insufficient.<br />
<br />Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-54035939674438733752021-05-04T13:41:00.004-04:002021-05-04T13:51:24.481-04:00DeFusco's First Amendment problem (CBS News VIDEO)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGYumkVNqooj8f7v3kYvQMI3BZRecnmsHhIhnf4iEKHabNyZUb2YAH71e0IyD9HB55zfCsA6PM_e8wegYc_XcBwOORAsgosxtbd-bjLcq0yTpv2RKYSZsdAenAZWwtu-0deFa5ORterQ/s854/STILL+BLOCKED+BY+MIKE+DEFUSCO.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGYumkVNqooj8f7v3kYvQMI3BZRecnmsHhIhnf4iEKHabNyZUb2YAH71e0IyD9HB55zfCsA6PM_e8wegYc_XcBwOORAsgosxtbd-bjLcq0yTpv2RKYSZsdAenAZWwtu-0deFa5ORterQ/s16000/STILL+BLOCKED+BY+MIKE+DEFUSCO.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unrepentant Councilman DeFusco continues (today) to block Hoboken taxpaying constituent (me)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Last night, I slept through this this CBS News Exclusive report: </div><div> </div><div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="478" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=eyJtIjoiY2JzIiwidiI6IjU1NDkxMDUiLCJhbnZhY2siOiI1VkQ2RXlkNmRqZXdiQ21Od0JGbnNKajE3WUF2R1J3bCIsInNoYXJlTGluayI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY2JzbG9jLmFsLzMzYTBVa0giLCJwbHVnaW5zIjp7ImNvbXNjb3JlIjp7ImNsaWVudElkIjoiMzAwMDAyMyIsImMzIjoibmV3eW9yay5jYnNsb2NhbC5jb20ifSwiZGZwIjp7ImNsaWVudFNpZGUiOnsiYWRUYWdVcmwiOiJodHRwOi8vcHViYWRzLmcuZG91YmxlY2xpY2submV0L2dhbXBhZC9hZHM%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" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="850"></iframe>
<p></p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #201f1e; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">And this morning as if by magic, my </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook commenting privileges on Councilman DeFusco's Facebook page were restored! </span></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sadly, in </span></span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter-land, my First Amendment right to free and open discourse with the </span></span><span style="color: #201f1e;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre-wrap;">Councilman</span></span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who a steward of public money in Hoboken, </span></span></span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">were</span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"> still being </span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/09/739906562/u-s-appeals-court-rules-trump-violated-first-amendment-by-blocking-twitter-follo" target="_blank">unconstitutionally</a></span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"> trampled underfoot (see above). That means that the CBS expose did not shame this Hoboken official into obeying settled law, so the </span></span><span style="color: #201f1e;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre-wrap;">unconstitutional</span></span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"> censorship of Hoboken residents is not settled. </span></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Defenders of DeFusco's censorship, like</span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher </span><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">and the First Ward Councilman himself, are on the wrong legal side of this issue. It is settled law. Fisher and DeFusco are public servants not Deciders of who can speak to them on social media and who cannot. </span></h2><div><span style="text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-size: x-large;">“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”</span></span></div><div><span style="text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #201f1e;"><i>-George Orwell</i></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZvA3DXNVNtmtgUN1R1uTfxJZ1DhWonZ8zZFk6joLP0PqiHnaODsZKHmlZdBKBTIj0DnPXuQ9aNH1E1Xy7Bwx9D8OhStE0hYvvsPGn3oVXqxoQXoy2C7Y4PHFK5I38jHgxd6ZyQIpTtk/s600/Steve+Fulop+Tweet+unblock.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZvA3DXNVNtmtgUN1R1uTfxJZ1DhWonZ8zZFk6joLP0PqiHnaODsZKHmlZdBKBTIj0DnPXuQ9aNH1E1Xy7Bwx9D8OhStE0hYvvsPGn3oVXqxoQXoy2C7Y4PHFK5I38jHgxd6ZyQIpTtk/s16000/Steve+Fulop+Tweet+unblock.png" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The following announcement was issued today by members of the City Council, who stand with Hoboken citizens' First Amendment right to speak truth to power. </div><h2 le="" style="text-align: center;"><u>STATEMENT</u></h2><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Hoboken City Council introduces ordinance to prohibit elected officials from blocking individuals on social media</b></span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New proposed regulation comes on the heels of First Ward City Councilman blocking residents who question his overseas travels and numerous Airbnb rentals of his Hoboken home during the COVID-19 pandemic</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Members of the Hoboken City Council, including co-sponsors </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Phil Cohen, Michael Russo, and Emily Jabbour</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, have introduced an ordinance prohibiting elected officials in Hoboken from blocking individuals from engaging with them on social media platforms used to communicate with the community about official City business. The ordinance, which will be introduced at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, imposes up to a $500 fine for each individual the elected official blocks on their official social media feeds including Facebook and Twitter. The City Councilmembers introduced the ordinance after receiving complaints from residents who for years have been blocked on Twitter and Facebook by Councilmember Mike DeFusco, including some who recently questioned his multiple overseas vacations to hot-spot countries like Colombia in violation of municipal, state, and CDC guidelines, as well as the 23 Airbnb rentals of his home since last August during the height of the pandemic.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hoboken residents expect to communicate freely with their representatives who choose to engage the community on their social media platforms, like Twitter. I have heard from a number of Hoboken residents who have complained that they have been silenced by the First Ward Councilmember,” said Councilmember Phil Cohen. “With this Ordinance, Hoboken’s elected officials will know what is expected of them on their official Social Media accounts and the First Amendment rights of our constituents will be protected.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“When we decided to step up and run for public office as City Council representatives, we signed up to hear both the good and the bad from our community. We should not block members of the public from being heard on our social media platforms,” said Councilmember Emily Jabbour.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“As elected officials, we should be embracing a diversity of opinions and respecting the very valid questions that may be raised by individuals and constituents,” said Councilmember Michael Russo. Councilmember Russo further stated “We need to allow full access to our residents. Blocking those opinions and limiting access runs counter to everything we should believe in as leaders in office, and I’m glad to co-sponsor this ordinance to ensure every individual in this great city can make their voices heard without restriction while providing full access to those they choose to lead.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Being barred from hearing and interacting with elected officials on social media has been banned by our federal courts, so I’m glad to hear Hoboken is doing its part to address the problem. That having been said, it’s extremely unfortunate we need a city ordinance for some politicians to obey the law. We need and deserve more from our public servants,” said </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eytan Stern Weber</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who had previously been </span><a href="https://twitter.com/eytansternweber/status/1302752622810726400?s=10" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">blocked on social media by Councilman DeFusco</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most recent instance of an elected official censoring First Amendment rights stems from comments made by a Hoboken resident, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/HobokenCricco/status/1384236153767829509?s=20" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">questioning Councilman Mike DeFusco’s documented travels</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to Colombia, Croatia, and Belgium, while simultaneously renting his apartment 23 times as a “superhost” on Airbnb to individuals from hot-spot states, as initially reported by </span><a href="https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hoboken/sections/government/articles/pay-to-stay-hoboken-councilman-addresses-use-of-home-as-airbnb-rental-during-pandemic-b70cff56-5853-428e-9ed2-f0427c645ab0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tap Into</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-councilman-defusco-discusses-his-whereabouts-while-renting-home-on-airbnb/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hudson County View</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. After questioning the Councilmember’s actions and absence from Hoboken during the pandemic, the constituent was </span><a href="https://twitter.com/HobokenCricco/status/1384235344351043592" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">subsequently blocked</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The recent blocking by Councilmember DeFusco is the latest in a </span><a href="https://twitter.com/EytanSternWeber/status/1302752622810726400?s=20" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">string of his restricting comments on his social media feeds</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, including </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BRHOBOKEN/status/1148964510813884419?s=20" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://twitter.com/PJSomerville/status/1303481177781739520?s=20" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, during his time in elected office. This ordinance, if enacted by the City Council and adopted by the Mayor, would impose up to a $500 fine per individual who has been blocked, except in the instance of targeted harassment as specified by the respective social media platform. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Included are additional screen shots of DeFusco censoring constituents on Facebook: </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kg5ZNKUqpaibZ0JGdVMqSIL8ggujiduJ/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ug09hyOnAIcmQYnfm7endrBmzzLcQJhC/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Numerous court decisions have affirmed that elected officials are infringing on the First Amendment rights of their constituents by prohibiting free speech on social media feeds, including the United States Court of Appeals for the </span><a href="https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/fourth-circuit-court-decision-davison-v-randall" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fourth Circuit</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/21/01/192994P.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eighth Circuit</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, along with several other courts. In a recent </span><a href="https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/aclu-amicus-brief-davison-v-randall" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">friend of the court brief</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to the Fourth Circuit, the ACLU stated:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; font-size: medium; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The practical harms of allowing viewpoint-based discrimination in any of these circumstances highlight why the Constitution proscribes it. When a government actor bans critics from speaking in a forum, it silences and chills dissent, warps the public conversation, and skews public perception. When only critics are blocked from viewing information or petitioning the government for services, the restriction operates as a punishment for holding political viewpoints that the government actor disfavors.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #201f1e; font-family: New; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The ACLU also recently filed lawsuits against the </span><a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2018/12/10/aclu-maine-governor-paul-lepage-facebook-settlement" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Governor of Maine</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the </span><a href="https://www.aclu-md.org/en/press-releases/aclu-wins-free-speech-settlement-over-governor-hogans-facebook-censorship" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Governor of Maryland</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for censoring constituents on social media, which resulted in settlements between the parties that protected First Amendment rights. </span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: New; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-60277432262361271982021-04-23T11:55:00.017-04:002021-04-23T13:04:31.368-04:00Media Firestorm: WPIX11 covers DeFusco AirBNB (VIDEO)<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="506" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="900"></iframe><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGc7DEIKEOUjUvC6zgZkg-L07N9UwBrp_xZHbUUtcX2b5FZ9ls6K-eT2xV2ji7JNV8yO5vIKcKBZjkUUJsgD7zqS8MxIsDUG7X813vp8mG5LFgIGR8TcqfPvL8Daxs5f9vMsWMuIDPzpg/s870/WPIX11+Defusco+AirBNB+article-400.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGc7DEIKEOUjUvC6zgZkg-L07N9UwBrp_xZHbUUtcX2b5FZ9ls6K-eT2xV2ji7JNV8yO5vIKcKBZjkUUJsgD7zqS8MxIsDUG7X813vp8mG5LFgIGR8TcqfPvL8Daxs5f9vMsWMuIDPzpg/s16000/WPIX11+Defusco+AirBNB+article-400.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Full article: <a href="https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-jersey/hoboken-councilman-accused-of-fleeing-city-during-pandemic-renting-out-apartment-on-airbnb/">https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-jersey/hoboken-councilman-accused-of-fleeing-city-during-pandemic-renting-out-apartment-on-airbnb/</a></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is a simple way for Councilman DeFusco to put this controversy to rest, once and for all. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The issue is not his right to earn supplemental income. </b> Fisher was on WPIX last night lamenting the plight of Hoboken singles-- like herself and DeFusco-- to pay their bills, from what looked like a multi-million dollar Adirondack Camp. It's a straw man argument; singles without kids <i>and </i>families with childcare and college expenses are all struggling. All of us, whether single or married, with or without children, public official or private citizen, have the right to earn money. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYujMKkhqZ44Km5cnqW8bmcD7hEeG0Z3e1cMnqpgDXmKBWE2xeEPAGh1Y31CDmWU7Frzfp6RrMFPXU6090VTtQ8_IpUV1OKv-7HFlAIvbdLkwmkLXEUBqMtLk77_K-tu5fuGxHE9Ry-U/s800/fisher.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="800" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYujMKkhqZ44Km5cnqW8bmcD7hEeG0Z3e1cMnqpgDXmKBWE2xeEPAGh1Y31CDmWU7Frzfp6RrMFPXU6090VTtQ8_IpUV1OKv-7HFlAIvbdLkwmkLXEUBqMtLk77_K-tu5fuGxHE9Ry-U/w640-h364/fisher.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Defending DeFusco: it's tough making ends meet!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The issue and the controversy in this case is </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">his </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">absence from Hoboken during the pandemic, </b><span style="font-size: x-large;">and the</span><b style="font-size: x-large;"> length and frequency of his overseas travel.</b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Obfuscation with straw man arguments will not make these questions go away</b>. Because of a trail of reviews left by "Michael, Hoboken NJ" on AirBNB listings in Croatia, Belgium and Colombia, that span from August 2020 through March 2021. Another news outlet, <b><a href="https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/garfield/news/airbnb-activity-explains-hoboken-councilmans-troubling-absence-amid-pandemic-officials-say/807431/" target="_blank">The Daily Voice,</a></b> reported a claim from public officials that DeFusco's AirBNB listing had been cohosted by his public relations person. The Daily Voice wrote: "<a href="https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/garfield/news/airbnb-activity-explains-hoboken-councilmans-troubling-absence-amid-pandemic-officials-say/807431/" target="_blank"><i style="font-weight: bold;">since the recent publications in Tap Into and Hudson County View, </i>[redacted]<i style="font-weight: bold;"> was removed as a co-host, officials said.</i></a>" </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">DeFusco did not confirm nor deny this published claim that his listing had been cohosted. Instead, he told reporter <b>John Heinis</b> that <i>"<span style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-councilman-defusco-discusses-his-whereabouts-while-renting-home-on-airbnb/" target="_blank">the listing is a shared account with my childhood best friend who has lived in Europe for the last ten years and was permitted to travel within the European Union.</a></b>” </span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Cohosted? Shared? Unidentified childhood friend? Reviews from his registered account in Croatia, Belgium and Colombia... </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The appearance that the First Ward Councilman spent extended periods of time away from the First Ward during the pandemic will haunt his political life, unless he can dispel it. As I began this post...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">There is a simple way for Councilman DeFusco to put this controversy to rest, once and for all. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Councilman DeFusco, show us your <b>Passport. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>DeFusco's U.S. Passport has date-stamps. </b> When he came and left the United States. When he came and left Colombia. If he was traveling in Croatia and Belgium (which he claims is untrue) and when. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Easy peasy</i>. If Councilman DeFusco really wants the truth out there, it's all in that little blue book issued by the United States Government. He simply needs to hand it over to the press for review. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <i>whole</i> book, not selected pages. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRv_6NsCDkHvEOAE2lg7a-0bpH6vmFe5Q-uZygTLmAfF6RyqNVxd3XxxX2wW_oaoAr04AT4cK-2AJFWAxJOlSzdgY-HOFjaQ-bGl-DsnUarvgAyvqlSphD32SNt_PkFROv3Z6IYYMWmY/s866/passport.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="680" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRv_6NsCDkHvEOAE2lg7a-0bpH6vmFe5Q-uZygTLmAfF6RyqNVxd3XxxX2wW_oaoAr04AT4cK-2AJFWAxJOlSzdgY-HOFjaQ-bGl-DsnUarvgAyvqlSphD32SNt_PkFROv3Z6IYYMWmY/s16000/passport.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The truth is not hard to find.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-67984783769302522612021-04-22T14:20:00.026-04:002021-04-23T09:47:19.793-04:00Pandemic Traveler Mystery <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAArAKFQ9LKksdptehiGx87yNEYIsd1SLMLkNdMfYoTglivK6XpWBxBZZyeVK7L6uNarDuA2EBaTooWz4q6LK8QUho9_XoPPcXH0muIS_-cAtcszNktEZXiy10aFGfqbi8EpHjjAvuqKg/s900/Michael-guest-croatia-Sept+2020.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAArAKFQ9LKksdptehiGx87yNEYIsd1SLMLkNdMfYoTglivK6XpWBxBZZyeVK7L6uNarDuA2EBaTooWz4q6LK8QUho9_XoPPcXH0muIS_-cAtcszNktEZXiy10aFGfqbi8EpHjjAvuqKg/s16000/Michael-guest-croatia-Sept+2020.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This AirBNB is in <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijeka" target="_blank">Rijeka, Croatia</a></b>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Ever since <b>Chris Halloran</b> broke the story that Hoboken's <b>First Ward City Councilman</b> rents out his condominium as an AirBNB, it seems the Councilman's public statements have been less-than-forthcoming. Here's how he explained his frequent absences from Hoboken:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><b><a href="https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hoboken/sections/government/articles/pay-to-stay-hoboken-councilman-addresses-use-of-home-as-airbnb-rental-during-pandemic-b70cff56-5853-428e-9ed2-f0427c645ab0" target="_blank">“Like most people, including my colleagues on the City Council, during the pandemic I spent time with close family.</a>.. </b></i><i><a href="https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hoboken/sections/government/articles/pay-to-stay-hoboken-councilman-addresses-use-of-home-as-airbnb-rental-during-pandemic-b70cff56-5853-428e-9ed2-f0427c645ab0" target="_blank"><b>DeFusco went on to say, “<span style="background-color: #fcff01;">During some of these visits I offered my home as a short-term rental,</span> such as over weekends or holidays, to others as a way of offsetting my mortgage...”</b></a></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then why did DeFusco's AirBNB profile receive 10 international reviews as "Guest" since August 2020? He declined to comment. </p><div style="text-align: justify;">His story morphed later when he told <b>John Heinis</b> of <i>Hudson County Vie</i>w that he'd only traveled to Colombia. What then about those AirBnB Hosts in Croatia and Belgium who reviewed his visits?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-councilman-defusco-discusses-his-whereabouts-while-renting-home-on-airbnb/" target="_blank"><b>“The listing is a shared account with my childhood best friend who has lived in Europe for the last ten years and was permitted to travel within the European Union,” he began.</b></a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, that makes no sense. Sure, AirBNB permits sharing an account-- it's called <b>cohosting</b>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That is not what Councilman DeFusco purports to be doing; <u>there is no registered co-host on his AirBNB account.</u> What he appears to be doing is sharing a single AirBNB registration, 'Michael, Hoboken, NJ." Such 'bait and switch' hosting would appear to violate <b><a href="https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1451/airbnb-experiences-standards-and-requirements" target="_blank">AirBNB Hosting Rules</a>.</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis965xII8TpujYvWE8m9SwqJOOOl0hw8QT3zlrpbswqOo2WNjkJngeGvyHwaMp932jX2HyP0fW_7HMr_k3lQKI_rB2UL-iQRD4NBsUax6IWm9hTTEWU7zGN66KRPelc9218GNz_HglThU/s800/condominium.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="800" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis965xII8TpujYvWE8m9SwqJOOOl0hw8QT3zlrpbswqOo2WNjkJngeGvyHwaMp932jX2HyP0fW_7HMr_k3lQKI_rB2UL-iQRD4NBsUax6IWm9hTTEWU7zGN66KRPelc9218GNz_HglThU/w640-h193/condominium.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why didn't DeFusco use his <u>own photo</u> to host his <u>own Hoboken AirBNB listing</u>? </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you followed all that, how about this... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="text-align: left;">"Michael of Hoboken, NJ" </span>has left eight reviews on AirBNB in the wake of his foreign travels.</b> Since August 2020. Either those reviews were written by his account-sharing doppelganger who's living in Europe(who sounds a lot like the First Ward Hoboken Councilman) or....? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">What a mystery.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKd5Ln-tesON39AFU3l1n4UJ-TgwtK2w8eYkp4gKKq74Cgg9FZlx6fo7d-aCjL5llNLWNiTMmz7omFcnWoak4CyGPPtAFGXgvskvVxe7H0dOpwQFLSJSXQ9tiUrMd6A3UEDVg_mDMXrQ/s900/croatia+2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKd5Ln-tesON39AFU3l1n4UJ-TgwtK2w8eYkp4gKKq74Cgg9FZlx6fo7d-aCjL5llNLWNiTMmz7omFcnWoak4CyGPPtAFGXgvskvVxe7H0dOpwQFLSJSXQ9tiUrMd6A3UEDVg_mDMXrQ/s16000/croatia+2.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">According to Michael, this AirBNB in <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovinj" target="_blank">Rovinj, Croatia</a> </b>"very little character" </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJZKGKbFSU4AIopu-jNn3F9PhGQ1HAzF4Kg5AlCflg1kM2AvrI7WGvBOiVYuW8foDR2sK2RSylHEF6JF0PGrLVezVdqSY2-MUrryCpAjg-Mf8yD5RJdzCauTWxd7z8nn4KwZN1pF7VLo/s900/Croatia-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJZKGKbFSU4AIopu-jNn3F9PhGQ1HAzF4Kg5AlCflg1kM2AvrI7WGvBOiVYuW8foDR2sK2RSylHEF6JF0PGrLVezVdqSY2-MUrryCpAjg-Mf8yD5RJdzCauTWxd7z8nn4KwZN1pF7VLo/s16000/Croatia-3.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This AirBNB is in <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubrovnik" target="_blank">Dubrovnik, Croatia</a></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NHcpVGHkP-w1BXoZtC-Qu671Rv6imQ7GQn0gmZDRNkLSxXcKFfbbNuiVfkVr2zPtdvwmoY1GkDnTrOBCX7Su7ltZOJ75jTLGL4c72udWUpJVc3E9AQIYw_hx_I1FApoOSYKSrPjbdsk/s900/croatia+4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NHcpVGHkP-w1BXoZtC-Qu671Rv6imQ7GQn0gmZDRNkLSxXcKFfbbNuiVfkVr2zPtdvwmoY1GkDnTrOBCX7Su7ltZOJ75jTLGL4c72udWUpJVc3E9AQIYw_hx_I1FApoOSYKSrPjbdsk/s16000/croatia+4.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This AirBNB is in<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-Dalmatia_County" target="_blank"> Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia</a></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30OHfUY8ZJlPTo83uaHHznGzhvusZzUeyIIPVkGeaJ8DKUMu7ML8RmHsbwVsBxGisaFLzmfDhfhEN_34vEaYOj5nP0dzW225L9ZnpQuujqH8iBXtDa4nzAF_yTZDpR8ZKvvZz7OwYnFQ/s900/1-CROATIA+SPLIT.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30OHfUY8ZJlPTo83uaHHznGzhvusZzUeyIIPVkGeaJ8DKUMu7ML8RmHsbwVsBxGisaFLzmfDhfhEN_34vEaYOj5nP0dzW225L9ZnpQuujqH8iBXtDa4nzAF_yTZDpR8ZKvvZz7OwYnFQ/s16000/1-CROATIA+SPLIT.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This AirBNB is in <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split,_Croatia" target="_blank">Split, Croatia</a></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9K6eXlEnCNO5l7kKSyVzKIraa6CROhMkT4KzUX6YF6nRIc7zQkQuoMOSQhhWfEbu3o7c2Dw61dY1VTh-f5Ul16SxSBAWh_aY8CnXyl_na6YFsHU4H7pcM70bUPktxPvrTE_6M40ZoE0/s900/croatia+5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9K6eXlEnCNO5l7kKSyVzKIraa6CROhMkT4KzUX6YF6nRIc7zQkQuoMOSQhhWfEbu3o7c2Dw61dY1VTh-f5Ul16SxSBAWh_aY8CnXyl_na6YFsHU4H7pcM70bUPktxPvrTE_6M40ZoE0/s16000/croatia+5.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This AirBNB is in<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kor%C4%8Dula" target="_blank"> KorculaTown,</a></b> a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufTY8DPHOZvDP4Q9VYRgx7NZ-JZvKYuTHIRZsZVYvL-0f0mWP9Td-TuVwSerZJ7FIovc0USONZdmhAWVrMaG4IYAKC72Y2V4DF_Ci0AmDkhsXfaDjmzSe2JnW8rQZeOHs64bYyi1Ei1g/s900/COLUMBIA+NO+REVIEWS.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufTY8DPHOZvDP4Q9VYRgx7NZ-JZvKYuTHIRZsZVYvL-0f0mWP9Td-TuVwSerZJ7FIovc0USONZdmhAWVrMaG4IYAKC72Y2V4DF_Ci0AmDkhsXfaDjmzSe2JnW8rQZeOHs64bYyi1Ei1g/s16000/COLUMBIA+NO+REVIEWS.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No reviews were left for these AirBNBs by guest "Michael, Hoboken, NJ" -- both are located in <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia" target="_blank">Colombia</a></b> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKdQiY8VUTdGOy11YBNklrugnih13s8EwmBLbz3FBb9tNpiw3JyQD-87JNvhc1rjVUnjlY8IpxYXOANNiI8-KMwBiotMZf-1bZBj939Kx3xYQkISN27TRIPCuUVS2JB6mExsBTg1PZRU/s900/columbia+1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKdQiY8VUTdGOy11YBNklrugnih13s8EwmBLbz3FBb9tNpiw3JyQD-87JNvhc1rjVUnjlY8IpxYXOANNiI8-KMwBiotMZf-1bZBj939Kx3xYQkISN27TRIPCuUVS2JB6mExsBTg1PZRU/s16000/columbia+1.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This AirBNB is in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartagena,_Colombia" target="_blank">Cartagena, Colombia</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tjqgLZ7fZY4" title="YouTube video player" width="850"></iframe>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-61969290624257514902021-04-20T14:36:00.060-04:002021-04-21T13:24:22.120-04:00UPDATE: DeFusco CALLS HPD to complain about "SUPERHOST!" <p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQL-ILtxmkqmORjMHTnZhnnZ-1M1KH4EuM1xbScVDd36kXwhSSQdHUQKlkU6fERSvdgLEg0WINvpj0jvWuXjuD9AW6mxJ1BOKXLZk80mjiFYL6uHIQo1QlIkpbhsufOjhplLA9fBcUT0M/s2048/hand+cuffs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="2048" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQL-ILtxmkqmORjMHTnZhnnZ-1M1KH4EuM1xbScVDd36kXwhSSQdHUQKlkU6fERSvdgLEg0WINvpj0jvWuXjuD9AW6mxJ1BOKXLZk80mjiFYL6uHIQo1QlIkpbhsufOjhplLA9fBcUT0M/w640-h474/hand+cuffs.png" width="640" /></a></div><b><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p>UPDATE:</b> While our friends at the <b>Hoboken Police Department</b> are dealing with <b>Chauvin</b> verdict fallout, placing their lives on the line every day to keep Hoboken residents safe from actual crime, one petulant Hoboken City Councilman dialed 9-1-1 to whine about a <i>blog post</i>-- mine. According to his complaint, <i>SUPERHOST</i> contained objectionable links; he objected to me linking his public domain AirBNB listing. <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">True story.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes,<i> a sitting Hoboken City Councilman (<u>public figure</u>) called the Hoboken Police Department to complain about a local resident's blog post containing <u>public domain</u> information.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Calling the police? Why the police? Why not the Army? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>I have no idea, but it was weird.</b> Especially since the story about his AirBNB listing did not originate with me. I picked it up following publication on two local media outlets: <i>Tapinto </i>and <i>Hudson County View. </i>The listing is public domain. His listing is recognizable from Zoom meetings- the brick wall, artwork, built-in-shelves, that are streamed out live every Council meeting.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, the lovely Hoboken Police Captain I spoke with described Councilman DeFusco's complaint. He was very professional. In response, I promised to remove the offending links-- and I have. All gone! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">You know, the HPD under Chief Ken Ferrante does a fantastic job keeping Hoboken residents safe, keeping crime down and communicating with the public- all <b>in spite of the frequent criticism posed by DeFusco and his Council allies</b>. But when he needs a 'favor' he snaps his finger... </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I certainly would have responded to an email, or a phone call from one of our mutual friends. Why would he bother the HPD? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Weird. Happy to answer questions from media. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>_______________________________________</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcSKr47RjvuGwPgGebuOUbOFzkpPCOlF0rU3SIXiY74j1sCCGfNVpOXLXkU0aXxeY5JgRVgsvH3h8GevFvXcYV7v4Vrbgz-3uHQohkHcxrt5rWqP6MGRjmFZNv_RUuC7G2GJFGMhlOiM/s700/TapInto.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcSKr47RjvuGwPgGebuOUbOFzkpPCOlF0rU3SIXiY74j1sCCGfNVpOXLXkU0aXxeY5JgRVgsvH3h8GevFvXcYV7v4Vrbgz-3uHQohkHcxrt5rWqP6MGRjmFZNv_RUuC7G2GJFGMhlOiM/s16000/TapInto.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hoboken/sections/government/articles/pay-to-stay-hoboken-councilman-addresses-use-of-home-as-airbnb-rental-during-pandemic-b70cff56-5853-428e-9ed2-f0427c645ab0">https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hoboken/sections/government/articles/pay-to-stay-hoboken-councilman-addresses-use-of-home-as-airbnb-rental-during-pandemic-b70cff56-5853-428e-9ed2-f0427c645ab0</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: justify;">As you may already know, Chris Halloran of </span><i style="text-align: justify;"><b>Tapinto </b></i><b style="text-align: justify;">broke some news</b><span style="text-align: justify;">:</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> a strident City Council critic of Hoboken Mayor</span><b style="text-align: justify;"> Ravi Bhalla</b><span style="text-align: justify;">'s side-gig has his own side-gig: </span><b style="text-align: justify;">First Ward</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Innkeeper</b><span style="text-align: justify;">. It's true. Councilman Michael DeFusco's condo is listed on AirBnB, and business is booming! In fact, DeFusco's side-gig is wildly successful, earning him the prestigious title of AirBnB "SuperHost'!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It isn't easy to wear that AirBnB crown. But <b>SuperHost Michael </b>has<b> </b>garnered <b>nearly 2 dozen 5-star reviews</b> from guests at his <i>Renovated Urban Oasis w/ private patio, </i>for which he charges<i> </i>$150 per night.<i> </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Good for him. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Why let an empty apartment go to waste when it can generate oodles of Benjamins? Meanwhile, SuperHost Michael globetrots through a deadly, once-in-a-century pandemic with his fellow Americans dropping dead left and right; can you blame him? Its depressing, all those sick, old people. Who <i>wouldn't</i> want to pick up and get away from them? Especially when Others can fill your vacuum of leadership; people like <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/HobokenEmily/posts/842900839607794" style="background: transparent; color: #340a9c; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, volunteers Migdalia Pagan Milano, Cristin Cricco-Powell and Raahkee Merchandani who helped seniors pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine... they even flyered SuperHost's Columbian Towers</a></b><span style="background-color: white;">. </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkzRxpqcL39Ke1RnOTBJdAeFyHN9d1Zl1OHBnnOcQVfV3LGUi2z3zcheM9ojpMWjT8lE8pMd9btq4wepK1HS-95lsWrAehpulJLP8mVPA_dyI6pe3vrq-ix708o4olzXyHc8HPLpNlFw/s1280/columbian+towers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkzRxpqcL39Ke1RnOTBJdAeFyHN9d1Zl1OHBnnOcQVfV3LGUi2z3zcheM9ojpMWjT8lE8pMd9btq4wepK1HS-95lsWrAehpulJLP8mVPA_dyI6pe3vrq-ix708o4olzXyHc8HPLpNlFw/w640-h480/columbian+towers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 16, 2021: Making sure SuperHost Michael's senior constituents know how to get covid vaccines</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></b></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Putting aside globetrotting</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> SuperHost Michael's defiance of the</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-colombia" style="background: transparent; color: #340a9c; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> CDC's COVID-19 Level 4 "no travel" Health Advisory</a> (plus vacating his First Ward duties), I don't object to him (or any public official) earning passive income to support themselves (such as an </span></span>"of-Counsel" title or an "AirBNB SuperHost" title) if these <u>three</u> conditions are met:</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>(1) </b>The side-gig must be open to public examination to ensure no there is no conflict-of-interest or quid pro-quo ("pay to stay") and,</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>(2)</b> The side-gig must not compromise their performance. For example, abandoning seniors in one's covid-ridden ward-- a dereliction of duty-- for foreign travel, and, </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>(3)</b> Full disclosure of any third parties assisting with the side-gig, such as "co-hosts" or unindentified guys wearing blue shorts masquerading as host "Michael" in Host Michael's AirBNB avatar. </i></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hFOMRlBXWtXt4FC61iFoQ1tO8PeSfPrMyOQa0UUKmHVdbtdmUGbnX2WmEWlhWqb4FgBqr8PS2c2cKHUkR8OB8BEMeHtOMhg2qRaBNgpCtT4uD61jYNjUl3s0_B9fbdalUeGp2Anqm9g/s800/condominium.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hFOMRlBXWtXt4FC61iFoQ1tO8PeSfPrMyOQa0UUKmHVdbtdmUGbnX2WmEWlhWqb4FgBqr8PS2c2cKHUkR8OB8BEMeHtOMhg2qRaBNgpCtT4uD61jYNjUl3s0_B9fbdalUeGp2Anqm9g/s16000/condominium.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">As for reporting income from side-gigs, in accordance with government ethics rules, public officials like <b>SuperHost Michael</b> must report those earnings on their Financial Disclosure form. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In my opinion, our City Council should request that Hoboken's Law Department perform an ethics review of DeFusco's lucrative side-gig. The guest list, for example. Imagine you were a vendor wanting a contract with the City of Hoboken, why wouldn't you send guests to the <i>Renovated Urban Oasis w/ private patio? </i>You might send a few dozen guests.<i> </i>And don't you wonder who is managing that <i>Renovated Urban Oasis w/ private patio --</i>cleaning, making beds, filling soap dispenser, etc., while SuperHost is in Croatia? Does this individual or property manager do business (or want to) with the City of Hoboken? Start that ethics review!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, if SuperHost Michael<b> </b>were <i>my</i> Councilman, I'd have plenty of questions. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lucky for you, your Council SuperHost will take your questions at<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;"> </span>9AM on Thursday, May 6 in a<span style="color: #990000;"> </span><b>Phil-Cohen </b>style <i>Mornings with Mike.</i> To ensure that <i>Mornings with Mike</i> are not mere photo-ops packed with sycophants tailored for Facebook and Twitter, I do urge folks to show up. Given his busy international travel schedule, it may be your only chance. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wGk-wzcyCbNfgFXs_sHz82Y-KPdYtYgR9WLOadNJlFxtdF1l_sOGJT4qbALBv0z3smvDFF6ivRDfBQaTgBMOgxrH6K7eSk1Xg2Aj-WQQJaTZOGJSqSzT43g09VbAqN79Ps4KUbWNc9Y/s1087/1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wGk-wzcyCbNfgFXs_sHz82Y-KPdYtYgR9WLOadNJlFxtdF1l_sOGJT4qbALBv0z3smvDFF6ivRDfBQaTgBMOgxrH6K7eSk1Xg2Aj-WQQJaTZOGJSqSzT43g09VbAqN79Ps4KUbWNc9Y/s16000/1.png" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCp_rhs3RIMkLNcYUrpNcWvmLoc-g2KiK_nSLnZPj-aFg3Ol3V1WQK6rWJ2mxiclR5Ju7VgTB1xC5YK9RqSsGkXe5BCPdx0bs1NuiT2npOrsA2Hn09VTUjpCITP67ql4bd_QJpU2e52c/s700/2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCp_rhs3RIMkLNcYUrpNcWvmLoc-g2KiK_nSLnZPj-aFg3Ol3V1WQK6rWJ2mxiclR5Ju7VgTB1xC5YK9RqSsGkXe5BCPdx0bs1NuiT2npOrsA2Hn09VTUjpCITP67ql4bd_QJpU2e52c/s16000/2.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpIq1kbCz9GdOnp5g3x7iys2-6Ppt_JSS2WT908pvBQgwM5bxZ6Ia3z9j-XjZfGxfNPnh248v6U9jD29l78FxYAT8144Q4qDPEjMz78gnlVfaTHLSt7M9mfbtQeAbARoi0JxC0q8oKnw/s700/3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpIq1kbCz9GdOnp5g3x7iys2-6Ppt_JSS2WT908pvBQgwM5bxZ6Ia3z9j-XjZfGxfNPnh248v6U9jD29l78FxYAT8144Q4qDPEjMz78gnlVfaTHLSt7M9mfbtQeAbARoi0JxC0q8oKnw/s16000/3.png" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bring your questions to <i>Mornings with Mike</i> on May 6!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdOfU0jMG-rOIgZ9_1I0fK8Wiw4g1CFz5znHhlDHnVV168n36soMHUlHqWA_nW9kmy1sDhpigvDx-gTsaiQKi-xpCG7utFfRQrfLZk7Nsj-jlTaX1loRuwyCGD5m22WvmwLlfJTht0wQ/s658/Mornings+with+mike.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdOfU0jMG-rOIgZ9_1I0fK8Wiw4g1CFz5znHhlDHnVV168n36soMHUlHqWA_nW9kmy1sDhpigvDx-gTsaiQKi-xpCG7utFfRQrfLZk7Nsj-jlTaX1loRuwyCGD5m22WvmwLlfJTht0wQ/s16000/Mornings+with+mike.png" /></a></div> </div></div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-66406098542723106152021-03-17T13:25:00.010-04:002021-03-17T13:32:37.288-04:00Carmelo case: Justice seeks Immunity (from COVID-19)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxF7FJw5FBDqQG8O0bLabp5WGulhOXCpSkrYiJt07vKWCmYaxAO4gaqpKr70OGI_z0ij6ojtUjgNjLmO17y2syWZ1AjiaFRdODAoi7jO7EVP0FkN_u6wR3YNyukMyF1U5GB_zpqHBlgE/s800/Justice+seeks+immunity.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxF7FJw5FBDqQG8O0bLabp5WGulhOXCpSkrYiJt07vKWCmYaxAO4gaqpKr70OGI_z0ij6ojtUjgNjLmO17y2syWZ1AjiaFRdODAoi7jO7EVP0FkN_u6wR3YNyukMyF1U5GB_zpqHBlgE/s16000/Justice+seeks+immunity.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pull up your sleeve, Lady Justice</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div>On March 11, 2021,<b> The District Court of the State of New Jersey</b> issued its <u>fourth</u> extension of a Standing Order regarding "court operations under the exigent circumstances created by COVID-19". </div><div><br /></div><div>The Order reads, in part, like a <b>Dr. Fauci </b>briefing:</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"...New Jersey is lagging behind its goal of vaccinating 70% of the State’s adults within six months, and, to date, only 10.6% of New Jersey’s population has received both doses of the <b>Pfizer</b> and <b>Moderna </b>vaccines or the single-dose <b>Johnson & Johnson v</b>accine; and</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WHEREAS, </b>while vaccination has been available to various categories of individuals, including correction officers and prison inmates, under the New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, vaccination of judicial employees, considered essential workers, will not be available until March 29, 2021, and vaccination of the general population under the age of 65 and not at heightened risk will not begin until sometime thereafter; and</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WHEREAS,</b> the two-dose process of the Pfizer vaccine takes three weeks and that of the Moderna vaccine takes four, and the CDC does not consider an individual to be fully vaccinated until an additional two weeks after the second dose of each of those vaccines; and </span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WHEREAS, </b>full vaccination of many judicial employees will therefore not occur until mid-May, and full vaccination of much of the general public under the age of 65 will not occur</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">until an even later date; and</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WHEREAS,</b> the effectiveness of the available vaccines against current, and potentially, future, more virulent variants of the virus, is unknown, creating an uncertain impact on the public health; and</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>WHEREAS, </b>in light of the foregoing, it is necessary to continue strict mitigation protocols to limit the spread of the disease while vaccination continues, as evidenced by the recent statement by the Director of the CDC that the months of March and April will be critical in determining whether the United States will experience another surge in COVID-19 cases; and ..."</span></i></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What does this mean for the Hoboken's <b>Carmelo Garcia</b>'s federal corruption case, <i>United States of America v Carmelo Garcia,</i> et. al.? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's his fourth extension of his continuance, which stops the clock on statutory "speedy trial" time limits, "to permit defense council the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation in this matter and to allow parties to conduct plea negotiations and attempt to enter a plea agreement." But not indefinitely:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">"<b>The Court ORDERS that all civil and criminal jury selections and jury trials shall be continued to June 1, 2021.</b> The Court may issue further Orders or Extensions concerning future general continuances of any matters as may be deemed necessary and appropriate. Jury selections and trials impacted by this Standing Order may be reset by further Order of the assigned judicial officer. "</span></i></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Justice may be blind, but it also moves like a snail-- and that was before this global pandemic. </div>
<p style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 14px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px;"> <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/499168883/U-S-A-vs-Carmelo-G-Garcia-March-11-2021-Standing-Order-of-continuance-due-to-COVID-19#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View U.S.A. vs Carmelo G. Garcia: March 11, 2021 Standing Order of continuance due to COVID-19 on Scribd">U.S.A. vs Carmelo G. Garcia: March 11, 2021 Standing Order of continuance due to COVID-19</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/162315507/GrafixAvenger#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View GrafixAvenger's profile on Scribd">GrafixAvenger</a> on Scribd</p><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_14750" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/499168883/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-DjrBJWqeNEx4ALmWxAbK" title="U.S.A. vs Carmelo G. Garcia: March 11, 2021 Standing Order of continuance due to COVID-19" width="100%"></iframe>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-25697930774741638182021-03-15T18:30:00.041-04:002021-03-17T08:33:20.556-04:00DeFusco DUMPS Columbian Towers seniors for good times in Colombia!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZw58h6ehK7raS4NKwFLfVFB2MVvD0oe2Grzm5nDbYuWddzpmyUY9n8swYQV47ZJVYYKb6yVMZd-VfNyb5ntmrD6ZBvMgo9ojsr-D7M3Gs8KSro73QGrVkmC9sAbQ8JZ4goMp3VKPYw0/s1503/VACCINATED+DEFUSCO+TIMELINE+COLOMBIA.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="990" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZw58h6ehK7raS4NKwFLfVFB2MVvD0oe2Grzm5nDbYuWddzpmyUY9n8swYQV47ZJVYYKb6yVMZd-VfNyb5ntmrD6ZBvMgo9ojsr-D7M3Gs8KSro73QGrVkmC9sAbQ8JZ4goMp3VKPYw0/s16000/VACCINATED+DEFUSCO+TIMELINE+COLOMBIA.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2021/03/councilman-pulls-ted-cruz-ignores-cdc.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">As reported,</a><b> </b>in mid-February, <b>First Ward Councilman Michael DeFusco</b> defied the<b><a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-colombia" target="_blank"> CDC's COVID-19 Level 4 "no travel" Health Advisory</a></b> to fly to South America. Note, the councilman slinked off without informing constituents of his absence, letting his Facebook page go dark for three weeks: from February 9 to March 1. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In ordinary times, Councilman DeFusco wouldn't be missed. Not before, not during, not after his vacation. Not in a box, not with a fox. Not in a house, not with a mouse. Not here nor there, we would not miss him anywhere. That's because he is notoriously lazy, steals credit for other people's accomplishments, wields a Hudson County public relations firm to loudly inflate his empty suit, kill unflattering press coverage and attack his critics. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But these are not ordinary times. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Councilman DeFusco's failure to act in January, February and<i> now,</i> to pre-register the senior residents of Columbian Towers for their covid-19 vaccine, to provide them with City of Hoboken vaccine information flyers, to coordinate with Hoboken CERT and offer to assist them as needed to get vaccinated is a potentially deadly dereliction of duty. <b> Councilman DeFusco has literally done NOTHING for his Columbian Towers seniors who are the most at-risk for hospitalization and death from COVID-19. </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thankfully, the First Ward councilman's leadership vacuum has been filled by others: the <b>City of Hoboken CERT Team</b>, <b>Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, Councilman Phil Cohen</b>, numerous volunteers, under the leadership of <b>Mayor Ravi Bhalla </b>and his administration. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What's really amazing: DeFusco was completely unaware of the City's senior pre-registration program for the COVID-19 vaccine. The Councilman's tweet of January 21st, asking Councilman Phil Cohen to "<i>share the [COVID-19 vaccine] registration process with Council members so we can do the same for our senior constituents?"</i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZfgxLDU9oewVfVgql1lgH2v6AkXtTpFwKVy4PK8q4E1yVz_Mg2wPg_Gd4wb15tQ1kMo0xTBVTfHngisNdAZnKMb-uacdzDdkftq3au0zUP9KXeMuq1Sa8MJRpP9Rk527BqznahZGHus/s900/defusco+tweet+underlined.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZfgxLDU9oewVfVgql1lgH2v6AkXtTpFwKVy4PK8q4E1yVz_Mg2wPg_Gd4wb15tQ1kMo0xTBVTfHngisNdAZnKMb-uacdzDdkftq3au0zUP9KXeMuq1Sa8MJRpP9Rk527BqznahZGHus/s16000/defusco+tweet+underlined.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you believe this dunce?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from Councilman DeFusco, only the <i>Liberty Mutual</i> ostrich might have been unaware of the City of Hoboken's senior vaccine pre-registration program. The program rolled out like this:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>On <b>January 11, 2021</b>, the <b><a href="https://local.nixle.com/alert/8469108/" target="_blank">City announced it on Nixle,</a></b> social media, on the <b><a href="https://hipaa.jotform.com/210705683988165" target="_blank">City's website</a></b>, and press release. The same day, the announcement was <b><a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/hoboken/hoboken-begins-pre-registering-seniors-covid-vaccine" target="_blank">published on Patch </a></b>and other local media. </li><li>On<b> January 12,</b> the City followed up with another Nixle <b><a href="https://local.nixle.com/alert/8470882/" target="_blank">featuring a downloadable poster about vaccine pre-registration addressed to seniors</a>.</b></li><li>On <b>January 16,</b> <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rkramnick/posts/10225060882500020" target="_blank"> Hoboken CERT members and Phil Cohen helped seniors pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccin</a></b>e at the Adams Gardens, Monroe Gardens, and Fox Hill buildings, and placed a flyer beneath each door.</li><li>On<b> January 16</b>, <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/HobokenEmily/posts/842900839607794" target="_blank">Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, volunteers Migdalia Pagano, Cristin Cricco-Powell and Raahkee Merchandani helped seniors pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine and flyered at First Ward's Columbian Towers</a></b>. </li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Senior vaccine pre-registration information was everywhere-</b>- more places than I have listed above. Yet, five days <i>after</i> Councilwoman Jabbour and volunteers had pre-registered<i> his </i>senior constituents in Columbian Towers for the COVID-19 vaccine-- or at least informed them about pre-registration with a flyer under their doors, DeFusco didn't have a clue about it; <i>ten days</i> after the program announcement was publicized everywhere, DeFusco asked Phil to <i>"share the registration process with Council members so we can do the same for our senior constituents."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even worse than ignorance, DeFusco's failure to aid Columbian Towers seniors (and all seniors in his ward) in getting vaccinated- his failure to contact Hoboken's CERT team to coordinate with them- is unforgivable. To the senior population, COVID-19 can be a death sentence. Did DeFusco spend one minute thinking about their health, thinking about what he could do for them to keep them protected from this deadly virus? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>He literally left the First Ward senior population to their own devices. </b>He literally left Columbia Towers seniors to "figure it out;" the City of Hoboken had figured it out, only DeFusco went AWOL leaving others had to step in to give First Ward seniors urgently needed help. And DeFusco's senior constituents are <i>still</i> being helped. By others. Meanwhile, their Councilman is fresh off vacation, his public relations firm is back to work. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How's this for irony: in mid-February the First Ward councilman abandoned his senior constituents in Columbian Towers for.... <b>Colombia</b>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrWV4FTmUabrsvfWvltM4IMXjYRLN937KCT0Vmh_mPVaeJ41xXgW0m6dkIVafZhy0Rk7uCI4A4I5fIvYq9pvBD8RgZnYD6xizMovp69vVzwDGgnUhj2wDwg1_FAplVteZsv6WvJKXMns/s900/columbian+arms+defusco+covid+vaccine.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrWV4FTmUabrsvfWvltM4IMXjYRLN937KCT0Vmh_mPVaeJ41xXgW0m6dkIVafZhy0Rk7uCI4A4I5fIvYq9pvBD8RgZnYD6xizMovp69vVzwDGgnUhj2wDwg1_FAplVteZsv6WvJKXMns/s16000/columbian+arms+defusco+covid+vaccine.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-78936667601368197782021-03-11T17:51:00.088-05:002021-03-15T11:45:26.683-04:00Hoboken councilman pulls a Ted Cruz! <span style="font-size: large;">Holy piña colada.</span> <p style="text-align: justify;">What is <i>with</i> politicians who forsake their constituents during public emergencies? They'll leave us in artic temperatures with no electricity, heat, nor running water, they'll fly off to sunny beaches as coronavirus infections spike and spread through the City of Hoboken. Adding insult to injury, those <b>postcards</b>... </p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDO9g1op2fhNNpma-BTi9eX8uONSXmgBhOHvvCLUhYvzhIf9UsYDnlXl5dk_kfuIA18kQPaeEUo6-TxrDmzamc02A43zqf0mAIMvYhhF5t1tTioscGRKYx1qY40FfbA2IbYOLbO5hdPHg/s700/CRUZ+POSTCARD-700.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDO9g1op2fhNNpma-BTi9eX8uONSXmgBhOHvvCLUhYvzhIf9UsYDnlXl5dk_kfuIA18kQPaeEUo6-TxrDmzamc02A43zqf0mAIMvYhhF5t1tTioscGRKYx1qY40FfbA2IbYOLbO5hdPHg/s16000/CRUZ+POSTCARD-700.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Slkt9WSV4xJt7ppzje_0_6krMXV_JCWKxGVgTYvHHEPqgs3pGcya_1C48yOeGCrkPykvPardiIUQdNHwxGXKubnezCWJnlttp3ERQKmQeT25vJwJp-IUFU0AzQxuakp_nDc0rlD8Mk/s700/MDF+Postcard+columbia+700.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Slkt9WSV4xJt7ppzje_0_6krMXV_JCWKxGVgTYvHHEPqgs3pGcya_1C48yOeGCrkPykvPardiIUQdNHwxGXKubnezCWJnlttp3ERQKmQeT25vJwJp-IUFU0AzQxuakp_nDc0rlD8Mk/s16000/MDF+Postcard+columbia+700.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Unhappy 1st Coronavirus-a-versary. </i>What a tragic year it's been. And hard. Like many of you, I've chosen not to travel within the U.S. to see family. I'm not allowed to visit my daughter at college. As much as it sucks, CDC guidelines are our only way out: wearing a mask, social-distancing, avoiding crowds and ALL pleasure trips. Dr. Fauci reminds us, "covid needs to replicate in order to mutate." Simply put, introducing the virus to new hosts will result in new variants, so <i>stay the fuck home</i>. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's no fun. But neither is being dead. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">And our postcard- luvin', pleasure-tripping politicians know better. What's the tell? The way they quietly slink off to paradise without saying a word to their constituents. <i>Poof, </i>gone from Facebook for 3 weeks, a lull from<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mike4hoboken/posts/1403386093331765" target="_blank"> February 9 </a></b>to <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mike4hoboken/posts/1417940438542997" target="_blank">March 1</a></b>. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">And when their constituents find out? A red-faced politician may claim some "emergency," that he had to travel... but don't believe it! Such weasels always blame someone else rather than their own poor judgment. Like <b>Senator Ted Cruz </b>blamed his <i>daughter</i> for his escape to sunny Cancun. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Who or what will Councilman Mike Defusco blame for fleeing his Hoboken consituents amidst a soaring COVID-19 infection-rate last month? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, in mid-February, DeFusco shrugged off dire CDC and U.S. State Department COVID-19 advisories <u>against</u> international travel, and <b>flew to Columbia,</b> missing the Hoboken City Council Meeting on February 17.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: #fcff01;">CDC: "TRAVELERS SHOULD AVOID ALL TRAVEL TO COLUMBIA"</b></h3><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-colombia">https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-colombia</a></b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20PaAHPbjwVxPyd2MjDemoybMu-EzcccyfDh0pYJUA1XBR-Do1sKndPxQsUG9DcvRi4-cucGpic_ej76DZKpQeoNqT3l5g9kTAApL1B9K8w5chM-m7YxCOMuyC0M1dtDclv9-9QPlhm0/s807/cdc+columbia+traveler%2527s+health.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20PaAHPbjwVxPyd2MjDemoybMu-EzcccyfDh0pYJUA1XBR-Do1sKndPxQsUG9DcvRi4-cucGpic_ej76DZKpQeoNqT3l5g9kTAApL1B9K8w5chM-m7YxCOMuyC0M1dtDclv9-9QPlhm0/w476-h640/cdc+columbia+traveler%2527s+health.png" width="476" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: #fcff01;">U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: "RECONSIDER TRAVEL TO COLUMBIA DUE TO COVID-19."</b></h3></b><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/colombia-travel-advisory.html">https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/colombia-travel-advisory.html</a></b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHU1YI5UILjGwlEwY_rOUgrQ0AFQAYYiLCjqHzuaplGbDMXZQEPqV20J1CZZLYQZJVY7NnP2qiTqo5fx_JODC4lai0H_twinQeVZ00fVaxMAp-z9hcT-RJe-5UrqHpggv6HLxEzNi2sU/s1140/Screenshot_20210311-162748.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHU1YI5UILjGwlEwY_rOUgrQ0AFQAYYiLCjqHzuaplGbDMXZQEPqV20J1CZZLYQZJVY7NnP2qiTqo5fx_JODC4lai0H_twinQeVZ00fVaxMAp-z9hcT-RJe-5UrqHpggv6HLxEzNi2sU/w606-h640/Screenshot_20210311-162748.png" width="606" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">COVID-19 MATTERS</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When it comes to all-things coronavirus, I've argued that Councilman DeFusco is glib, reckless, out of touch. He treats the pandemic more like a personal inconvenience to be shrugged off, oblivious to the toll it's taken on Hoboken individuals and families. If DeFusco took the virus seriously, if he actually cared, he'd obey CDC guidelines in order to prevent infection and spread. <b>Traveling to Columbia does not prevent infection and spread.</b> Nor does <b><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2020/03/defusco-awol-for-11-85-daily-covid-19.html" target="_blank">blowing off COVID-19</a> </b>council meetings, <b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XIxPNjUA0w6h-2E2XAYqnh_kPrOMH4Ax2fv-U7lAs4WB2ecFcMmMmQbf4ONpTzdsywxRforgxFxmgA81rC-Sij8pEk_0jTBjB7ZEArSL-mXUU85ULmzFoCHDKnRvu8wBM66tSOA7NkY/s1600/defusco+at+gym+400.jpg" target="_blank">running to NYC gyms</a></b> to 'cheat' Hoboken gym closures, distributing wipes in Marine View with <b><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2020/03/pandemic-politicking-councilmans-rogue.html" target="_blank">a misleading label</a></b> to contact <i>him </i>with COVID-19 questions, <i>not</i> the Hoboken CERT team or NJ Board of Health, <b><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2020/10/councilman-defuscos-crowded-indoor.html" target="_blank">throwing a packed fundraiser</a></b> at a small Hoboken venue, and joking online about <b><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2020/08/seriously.html" target="_blank">"social distancing" from a hammock.</a></b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I rest my case. </div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-68247269973962756282021-02-17T15:02:00.013-05:002021-02-17T15:22:49.615-05:00Tonight: Pay-to-Play Ordinance: the Sequel<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Its back! </b> </p><p style="text-align: left;">Tonight an amendment to Hoboken's Pay-to-Play ordinance, retooled after its recent rejection, is up for a final vote. <span style="text-align: justify;">While I vigorously support local campaign finance reform, I'm drawn to the irony that neither </span>sponsor of tonight's ordinance has satisfied her own reporting obligations to NJ's Election Law Enforcement Commission ("NJ-ELEC"). That's a big no-no. <b>Without timely and accurate ELEC reporting, there is no way a municipality can enforce its Pay-to-Play law. </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And as ELEC reporting deficiencies go, this is a big one.</p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b>TIFFANIE FISHER CERTIFIED HER 2019 CAMPAIGN HAD NO OUTSTANDING DEBT OR OBLIGATIONS.... </b></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZAblEO6kbvdwOTXnMPxeyQ1OnNgKYca4SI6si5BHxxLQZc-T7SQke60tEDuEuN5raJTLWQYOq382HMek91FGZJtc75LFHn6SStGwZQKS82douJB_zr2uGMgDbVr0J2Bq-Xp8jKSTC6k/s887/Fisher+certification+final.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="887" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZAblEO6kbvdwOTXnMPxeyQ1OnNgKYca4SI6si5BHxxLQZc-T7SQke60tEDuEuN5raJTLWQYOq382HMek91FGZJtc75LFHn6SStGwZQKS82douJB_zr2uGMgDbVr0J2Bq-Xp8jKSTC6k/s16000/Fisher+certification+final.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tiffanie Fisher for Hoboken 2nd Ward</i>: <u>438-day late</u> 20 day Post Election Report</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">…<b>BUT THAT IS<span style="color: #990000;"> FALSE. </span></b></h2><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkUTNXchpqJdELZIa9bHB3PCtdh2Zqr2CBnsL_odgJLGKrJOmsbBbvScOyHF35B7sgQLRQPH-F3iRR_8Me0huoDfV4IdGBiXZJcaYoz7wP_lni4i8GGPzMlcX1w18pCDxyPiW7rUY5pQ/s900/FISHER+CAMPAIGN+DEBT.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkUTNXchpqJdELZIa9bHB3PCtdh2Zqr2CBnsL_odgJLGKrJOmsbBbvScOyHF35B7sgQLRQPH-F3iRR_8Me0huoDfV4IdGBiXZJcaYoz7wP_lni4i8GGPzMlcX1w18pCDxyPiW7rUY5pQ/s16000/FISHER+CAMPAIGN+DEBT.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tiffanie Fisher for Hoboken 2nd Ward</i>: <b><u>438-day late</u></b> 20 day Post Election Report<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">According to Fisher's<b> 20 day Post Election </b>report, her campaign fund<b> </b><u>carries debt </u>("outstanding obligations"). Debt can be paid off or transferred to another account, but the campaign fund has <i>not</i> "wound up its business" and cannot be closed until that is done. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet the candidate, an elected official, certified this statement:</div><h2 style="text-align: justify;">"I <i>certify</i> that all contributions to this campaign have been disbursed, that <i>there are <span style="color: #990000;">no outstanding loans or obligations</span></i>, and that the election fund has would up its business and has been dissolved." </h2><div style="text-align: justify;">Why?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fisher also jettisoned her original Treasurer without filing the state- mandated "successor" form to the Commission (D-1, D-2 or DX). Not a hanging offense, but sloppy. And Pay-to-Play cosponsor Giattino, reported a campaign fund balance on October 2019, but has <u>failed to file quarterly reports</u> since. Again, <b>Pay-to-Play law cannot be enforced if elected officials and candidates do not file timely ELEC reports. </b></div> <p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>IT'S BACK TONIGHT</b></h2><p style="text-align: justify;">So, when Councilmembers are <i>this</i> reckless and sloppy with their own campaign financial administration, are they qualified to rewrite campaign finance law? When a Councilwoman cannot seem to follow simple rules, like how to close a campaign account or swap a Treasurer, is she knowledgeable enough about election law to rewrite it? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm going to say<i> no.</i> In my opinion. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It's one thing to write legislation pertaining to dog doo; I assume all council dog owners pick up after their pets. Hence, council dog owners can be trusted to codify canine waste management, to keep our streets clean But councilpersons who evade or ignore the state's election reporting rules are, in my opinion, unsuited to write law intended to keep elections clean. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">My opinion, folks. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">So what changes are being proposed? For one, campaign contributions from a candidate's spouse and children are treated the same as those from vendors with the City of Hoboken. That seems... weird. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notably, the ordinance attempts to regulate Independent Expenditures (IEs).</b> <i>How come nobody ever thought of that before*</i>. (*sarcasm) By their nature, IEs are unregulated; they operate <u>independently from</u> and <u>without coordination</u> with the candidate, committee or entity for which they produce communications, and IEs have no spending limit. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Fisher's proposed reform prohibits City vendors from making contributions to IEs within a year of the expiration of the contract. It also prohibits awarding public contracts to contributors to IEs (within one year of the contribution date). Is that legal, when City vendors are allowed to make individual contributions up to $300? I don't know. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, IEs themselves are legal, thanks to <b><i><a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained" target="_blank">Citizens United v FEC.</a></i></b> So, how can a municipality keep them from interfering in local elections? <b>Can a municipality refuse to do business with those who make legal contributions to a legal entity? </b> Sounds like fodder for a First Amendment complaint, in federal court.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByXJMXlK3L1mFBY_0oYZwpeMJjJAxtnzyi5nYNcfhTy7-Os8zVqyRg58WNUlb2KjRpADxz24dyE6U6sL2EdEZ-Mm2NmIihXsjTKWKjAyyA855GoEOMlABk5TeQhQmLplht_AgvqJk94I/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-869.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByXJMXlK3L1mFBY_0oYZwpeMJjJAxtnzyi5nYNcfhTy7-Os8zVqyRg58WNUlb2KjRpADxz24dyE6U6sL2EdEZ-Mm2NmIihXsjTKWKjAyyA855GoEOMlABk5TeQhQmLplht_AgvqJk94I/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-869.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6ehePvEGPKxyxx6dcqcR0Kv99X3d7SHWnebp5fdsbBa4Txwoj5B2eEevFSUk1dxIjxFkCaH8ufQ3eJA4nTDT5-B53wo5RbXEsoqVkk1NncspgwuhtwpL87nxlKoQvDXUrH4G-O_j6dg/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-870.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6ehePvEGPKxyxx6dcqcR0Kv99X3d7SHWnebp5fdsbBa4Txwoj5B2eEevFSUk1dxIjxFkCaH8ufQ3eJA4nTDT5-B53wo5RbXEsoqVkk1NncspgwuhtwpL87nxlKoQvDXUrH4G-O_j6dg/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-870.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK42N4kCV8XUOqMGzkHoofEu_JGEDJerhkcjh_aTFq7AZmgQqSentr2quRHRmEHjZqAMqWodpBBreepvUuIEPK9hF2nAX5RyRk0USHhoIWb-D1rRabrAyCn5BZp9ZOVxuq4AMXR77Yk9Y/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-871.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK42N4kCV8XUOqMGzkHoofEu_JGEDJerhkcjh_aTFq7AZmgQqSentr2quRHRmEHjZqAMqWodpBBreepvUuIEPK9hF2nAX5RyRk0USHhoIWb-D1rRabrAyCn5BZp9ZOVxuq4AMXR77Yk9Y/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-871.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRwXd076rVII-VvHNFRRAUAmPnjlCkOl0C0taYL_g-6qky5dRKfkZCyjV2M3AHUL5xqlmK1iN3swWb01LF7hgPyEE3Plm8KHGtRnaWNbGtH8xlgsBuOlnoPCGS-_UJwfZmRtxHMDhOKQ/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-872.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRwXd076rVII-VvHNFRRAUAmPnjlCkOl0C0taYL_g-6qky5dRKfkZCyjV2M3AHUL5xqlmK1iN3swWb01LF7hgPyEE3Plm8KHGtRnaWNbGtH8xlgsBuOlnoPCGS-_UJwfZmRtxHMDhOKQ/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-872.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-10193991405865249662021-02-10T12:43:00.006-05:002021-02-10T13:04:42.587-05:00Glass Houses: BOTH sponsors of Hoboken election reform have ELEC delinquencies <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD_TbgjB4g7Wq-igVzwQf8KvQbUYXIu9RBDZaaJS6VEOQDS6VUxe48Mgf5Qe7eA_fGnHPlcSCviMiyeetBXnwaO1lMH8YiTmlFgfyvIldLvgdgKDT-F_TP4mJFdD2tI-67vK6cZwwxLI/s700/ELEC+2021+Fisher+contribution.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD_TbgjB4g7Wq-igVzwQf8KvQbUYXIu9RBDZaaJS6VEOQDS6VUxe48Mgf5Qe7eA_fGnHPlcSCviMiyeetBXnwaO1lMH8YiTmlFgfyvIldLvgdgKDT-F_TP4mJFdD2tI-67vK6cZwwxLI/s16000/ELEC+2021+Fisher+contribution.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Account activity in the future?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"> The law is the law. Election law, that is. </h3><p style="text-align: justify;">The<b> New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission</b> ("NJ-ELEC") publishes a manual for New Jersey political candidates called "<b><a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank">New Jersey Compliance Manual for Candidates</a></b>" containing "<b><a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank">requirements and instructions</a></b>". It is written for the layperson, no fancy mumbo-jumbo. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Every NJ elected official ought to be very familiar with these guidelines and practice them.</b> In particular, local lawmakers proposing legislative reform to local campaign finance regulations, which invariably overlap state election reporting regulations. It goes without saying that such lawmakers are expected to comply to the letter of state law.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Do the Hoboken lawmakers, <b>Tiffanie Fisher </b>and <b>Jen Giattino</b>, sponsoring local campaign finance reform meet that standard? </p><h2 style="text-align: justify;">No<i>.</i> </h2><p style="text-align: justify;">Both campaigns "<i><b>Tiffanie Fisher for 4th Ward Councilwoman</b></i>" and <i><b>"Jen Giattino for Hoboken Council</b></i>" <u>remain open</u>: one carries $4,288.debt (Fisher campaign), the other carries a $1,354.94 balance (Giattino campaign). Neither have met the legal requirements for terminating campaign reporting. Here it is in plain language, from NJ's Compliance manual for candidates:</p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank"><b>"<i>Termination of Election Reporting</i>"</b><b> </b></a></h2><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><i><a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank">Before a committee can be terminated, a final "Report of Contributions and Expenditures" (Form R-1) must be certified and <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">filed with the “Declaration of Final Report”</span></b> completed (See page 11 of Form R-1). In order to terminate further reporting for an election:</a></i></h3><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">There should be no remaining balance</span> in any depository opened or maintained by the committee;</i> "</a></li><li><i><a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">There should be no outstanding obligations;</span> or, the remaining outstanding obligations must not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the total expenditures of the committee, whichever is less.</a></i></li></ul></h3><div>Their own filings indicate that neither have met the legal requirements to stop reporting their respective campaign finance reports to the State of New Jersey. Their failure to file quarterly ELECs has denied public access to examine whether or not either has complied with local and state election law. </div><div><br /></div><div>Before both put their names on legislation to reform Hoboken's campaign finance report, both ought to clean up their own financial-reporting houses. </div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b>"TIFFANIE FISHER FOR 2ND WARD COUNCILWOMAN"</b></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>'SECRETLY' SWITCHED TREASURERS, ZEROED OUT BALANCE, REPORTED OUTSTANDING OBLIGATIONS YET CERTIFIED "DECLARATION OF FINAL REPORT" </i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>FISHER 20-DAY POST ELECTION REPORT</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>RECEIVED FEBRUARY 4, 2021 </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92hLdWfyCXlVEQupOdte2mVF-h_6VpdkXPuxklnRWZ4csKpyvsos1Y19WF-HjIakbEQ5X3uyTUjMUgCquAni2BTfOseXahKiEX9mko8L4Q7YLE2knuAio3ScCFy8CQgb1T3yeQ4wiK0M/s1162/ELEC+2021+fisher+final+page.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92hLdWfyCXlVEQupOdte2mVF-h_6VpdkXPuxklnRWZ4csKpyvsos1Y19WF-HjIakbEQ5X3uyTUjMUgCquAni2BTfOseXahKiEX9mko8L4Q7YLE2knuAio3ScCFy8CQgb1T3yeQ4wiK0M/s16000/ELEC+2021+fisher+final+page.png" /></a></div><br /><div><div>(1) Fisher's 20-Day Post Election reports a <b>new Treasurer-</b> the candidate herself. Based upon the campaign's filings, Candidate Fisher has not complied with State of New Jersey legal requirements on removing/replacing her Treasurer. </div><div><h2><i>"<a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank">B. Resignation, Removal, or Death of a Treasurer</a></i></h2><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><i><a href="https://www.elec.state.nj.us/pdffiles/forms/compliance/man_cf.pdf" target="_blank">The candidate or committee shall notify the Commission in writing in the case of the resignation, removal, or death of a campaign treasurer or deputy campaign treasurer within ten days of its occurrence. The candidate shall appoint a successor as soon as practicable, but in no case more than 20 days after the occurrence. <span style="color: #cc0000;">Within three days of the appointment of the successor, the successor’s name and address must be filed on the appropriate form (Form D-1, D-2, or DX) with the Commission</span>.</a>"</i></h3></div><div>(2) Treasurer Fisher certifies the "Declaration of Final Report"- meaning her reporting obligations are over. Did Treasurer Fisher read the fine print on the certification that she signed? </div><h2 style="text-align: center;">"I certify... that there are no outstanding loans or other obligations..."</h2><div> That doesn't seem to be true. Treasurer Fisher should consult Candidate Fisher. </div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxR8WDW-6e6T7rIMLiugRVNLIjws6NqdQiREBoMccX3IVrA4FA-BhIeGXejmFFhCM7uwVXjUyf9uT1wUT_ItwdWZ39xdUj-o33OfbJVctDtdMZVJNsRWRtuLDSAUfJkkiBSMJLEDqCxo/s989/FISHERCERITIES+ACCOUNT+CLOSED.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxR8WDW-6e6T7rIMLiugRVNLIjws6NqdQiREBoMccX3IVrA4FA-BhIeGXejmFFhCM7uwVXjUyf9uT1wUT_ItwdWZ39xdUj-o33OfbJVctDtdMZVJNsRWRtuLDSAUfJkkiBSMJLEDqCxo/s16000/FISHERCERITIES+ACCOUNT+CLOSED.png" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b><u>"JEN GIATTINO FOR CITY COUNCIL"</u></b></h2><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>NEVER FILED A "DECLARATION OF FINAL REPORT", CARRIES A BALANCE</i></span></b></h2><p style="text-align: justify;">Unlike Fisher, Giattino filed a timely 20-Day Post Election report. The report, her last ever filed, was time-stamped "received" on December 20, 2019. This account was never closed out- see below, her "Declaration of Final Report" is blank. Her account reported a balance. Giattino has not reported nothing for receipts and expenditures since that 2019 reporting period, nor has closed out her account. </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>GIATTINO 20-DAY POST ELECTION REPOR</b>T</span><br /><b><i>RECEIVED DECEMBER 20, 2019</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNa5UWzf5u5fp0JAqOyGf7JCgUxeYntPiDi-PKiG8X6ym9-5_csL1n5h79YlF-5VK3IvtivsgTO2_oCDqHv2MKC06CHARYhvErNIYvBrKLctQeMwIM_VPOU7M2niDNoUcFD6aJbPeRYsM/s1137/Untitled-12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="872" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNa5UWzf5u5fp0JAqOyGf7JCgUxeYntPiDi-PKiG8X6ym9-5_csL1n5h79YlF-5VK3IvtivsgTO2_oCDqHv2MKC06CHARYhvErNIYvBrKLctQeMwIM_VPOU7M2niDNoUcFD6aJbPeRYsM/s16000/Untitled-12.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>CONCLUSION</b></span></div> Councilwomen in glass houses should clean up their own messes. Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-10029536443043700012021-02-09T12:48:00.000-05:002021-02-09T12:48:10.890-05:00Carmelo's federal case, IHA updates<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeZJZylPBacuxxUvhXdChKlQbX4tfhF-UEWafO-f-gHPAWB7VecNh6iyCg8z2u6iJRrysj5XVSRKMvfRyHxJrqAsK3txGB4AFE7uOnOkXOvHh1eiaxF_MI9fqZI9C60Y9ZI7yg7Ocve0/s985/essex+news+daily+sept+2020.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeZJZylPBacuxxUvhXdChKlQbX4tfhF-UEWafO-f-gHPAWB7VecNh6iyCg8z2u6iJRrysj5XVSRKMvfRyHxJrqAsK3txGB4AFE7uOnOkXOvHh1eiaxF_MI9fqZI9C60Y9ZI7yg7Ocve0/w585-h640/essex+news+daily+sept+2020.png" width="585" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://essexnewsdaily.com/headlne-news/91717">https://essexnewsdaily.com/headlne-news/91717</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Folks may recall, this blog's last <i><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8982097314224201904/5661582360325170181#" target="_blank">U.S.A. v Carmelo Garcia, et. al.</a></b> </i><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2021/01/carmelos-countdown-to-justice.html" target="_blank">update</a> was two weeks ago. At that time, there were 6 days left on the <i>continuance </i>granted by the Court<i> </i>"to permit defense council the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation in this matter and to allow parties to conduct plea negotiations and attempt to enter a plea agreement." </p><p>I had asked: <i><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2021/01/carmelos-countdown-to-justice.html" target="_blank">will Garcia seek to prove his innocence at trial? Will he cooperate with prosecutors on a plea deal? Will both sides ask for a(nother) continuance? </a></i></p><p><b>The answer was behind Door Number Three;</b> the Court granted parties another continuance, putting legal proceeding on hold until March 12, 2021. </p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b><u>ORDER FOR A CONTINUANCE</u></b></h3><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1henEtJYaJUwotmmOW-UU6pTqQroVQHKqRm5WL7e13lnb1jmOHvTXB3YxACf9hoZahyphenhyphenq7ElnDz1Imq0wHGSqRjrstZSjNveJFUWa_Z28r_IF3KACLvYXaWugHjxceHqrM6s5w5UlxPE/s906/Order+to+contine-+judge+mark+falk-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1henEtJYaJUwotmmOW-UU6pTqQroVQHKqRm5WL7e13lnb1jmOHvTXB3YxACf9hoZahyphenhyphenq7ElnDz1Imq0wHGSqRjrstZSjNveJFUWa_Z28r_IF3KACLvYXaWugHjxceHqrM6s5w5UlxPE/s16000/Order+to+contine-+judge+mark+falk-1.jpg" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgQ6ivwqqD3QeiDRUuMPB1JpRpAeYp1iaJqNa1l4Bqd2ZF1PyG7KsZ9kqLsVDX7D1uosxdp9ypqHbssBvMcWXSPFfnJ0Kq6pz8moDdCTpTXVLZ39fPQtOL6SuVgTZYbgGqVRAT8mIiBA/s906/Order+to+contine-+judge+mark+falk-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgQ6ivwqqD3QeiDRUuMPB1JpRpAeYp1iaJqNa1l4Bqd2ZF1PyG7KsZ9kqLsVDX7D1uosxdp9ypqHbssBvMcWXSPFfnJ0Kq6pz8moDdCTpTXVLZ39fPQtOL6SuVgTZYbgGqVRAT8mIiBA/s16000/Order+to+contine-+judge+mark+falk-2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEsTjmjlEZq8g1DwrDydfGdfEEcs21jEdoun37R1S79zpBCKv6tjDtrWTE-OLm5TnmFqd3dcZbjII_w1PcXzlRQ0nRKrJ9VOrMCCG80xxjVvtYjBD1YdZo1D-0ly9ilEDgXpCsaazNZM/s906/Order+to+contine-+judge+mark+falk-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEsTjmjlEZq8g1DwrDydfGdfEEcs21jEdoun37R1S79zpBCKv6tjDtrWTE-OLm5TnmFqd3dcZbjII_w1PcXzlRQ0nRKrJ9VOrMCCG80xxjVvtYjBD1YdZo1D-0ly9ilEDgXpCsaazNZM/s16000/Order+to+contine-+judge+mark+falk-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>IHA HAS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It appears that Carmelo Garcia is<b> out </b>as<b> Executive Director of the Irvington Housing Authority. </b> According to the IHA website, the<a href="https://www.ihanj.org/director" target="_blank"><b> "Interim Executive Director" is Ramon Rivera.</b></a> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJLyOLShy7VaWEasBfkSrcvt5WehDERED4Y8VhgWNXBbOzT0_yEWulc3b3-PHszjrXsAtA4vVQCXMIz9lazwQ5FBeMF_n1t-QUCBTToYooGPV1R1P-16o2XfPEyH6mCFyfW1eZw-4YHA/s1181/Irvington+HA+agenda+Feb+2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJLyOLShy7VaWEasBfkSrcvt5WehDERED4Y8VhgWNXBbOzT0_yEWulc3b3-PHszjrXsAtA4vVQCXMIz9lazwQ5FBeMF_n1t-QUCBTToYooGPV1R1P-16o2XfPEyH6mCFyfW1eZw-4YHA/s16000/Irvington+HA+agenda+Feb+2021.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">When did this happen? Under what circumstance? Is it temporary? Permanent? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Normally, one could find this information on the Irvington Housing Authority website. That is also where members of the public should have access to the federal agency's meeting minutes, transcripts, agendas, etc. <i> </i>But... (<b>hide the children</b>) the IHA website is absolute shit; <u>zero</u> meeting minutes, transcripts, agendas other than the one posted for the <i>next</i> meeting. One at a time! What actually happens at these meetings? Who does business with the IHA? If a member of the public wants to know how their federal dollars are being managed, or how the IHA population is being managed, what the issues are for the residents of the IHA.... GOOD LUCK. The January agenda that was on the site last month is already gone. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh honey, that would <u>never</u> fly in Hoboken. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Really, the Irvington HA should look a the <b>Hoboken Housing Authority's website </b>as a model; the HHA online vastly improved after the departure of Executive Director Carmelo Garcia. Perhaps the same happy fate will come to the Irvington Housing Authority? </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>HOBOKEN HOUSING AUTHORITY ONLINE</b>: <b><a href="https://www.myhhanj.com/">https://www.myhhanj.com/</a></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, all I know is the on October 24, 2020 <i><b>The NJ Globe wrote: "</b></i><span style="color: #0000ee;"><b><u>Garcia is currently the executive director of the Irvington Housing Authority.</u></b></span><a href=" https://newjerseyglobe.com/fr/former-hudson-assemblyman-charged-in-bribery-scheme/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"> as Executive Director</a><b>" </b>by the IHA January meeting agenda he was gone. POOF! No announcement found on Google... maybe <i>you'll</i> find it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">All I can say is <i>Carmelo Garcia is presumed innocent until tried by a jury of his peers. </i></p> Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-11773721362118612612021-02-08T16:47:00.015-05:002021-02-08T16:59:44.554-05:00Better 438 Days Late than Never (Fisher ELEC)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE49nuZyot5e-gZKlZJNrCgAHVK61ffo-er4VRIpyVHOcopnnfR4sX4DdVRn7XLKeFbu99skJzM0WKmX5pVydZaI2iDgigvMNh1Q25_ngTOdP-CGA1qcumeK2GQSkZ9uh5Z-XxIrvG2ao/s904/438+DAYS+LATE+ELEC+FISHER+2019.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE49nuZyot5e-gZKlZJNrCgAHVK61ffo-er4VRIpyVHOcopnnfR4sX4DdVRn7XLKeFbu99skJzM0WKmX5pVydZaI2iDgigvMNh1Q25_ngTOdP-CGA1qcumeK2GQSkZ9uh5Z-XxIrvG2ao/s16000/438+DAYS+LATE+ELEC+FISHER+2019.png" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>438 days </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">and</i><b> a complaint filed with the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission </i><b>is all it took for Hoboken's 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher to file her delinquent campaign finance report. </b> Her 20-day post election report was due on November 25, 2019; NJ-ELEC date-stamped it "received "on February 4, 2021.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Y'know, pandemic and all, most folks aren't checking the ELEC database for late filings. However, with Fisher's sponsorship of an ordinance amending Hoboken's "Pay-to-Play" law, she put her own compliance with existing local and state campaign finance law up to scrutiny. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">And it was, and she failed. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Not out of ignorance, either. I don't know <i>why</i>. In addition to the delinquent 20-day Post Election report, Fisher was required to file quarterly reports: April, July, October and January of every year, until the account closes. As of January 15, 2021 Fisher missed 10 ELEC filings. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But better late than never. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I personally credit <b>5th Ward Councilman</b> <b>Phil Cohen </b>for compelling his council colleague to follow New Jersey State law. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Cohen didn't play "GOTCHA!" either. He showed good faith by notifying her on January 6th at Hoboken's City Council meeting that she hadn't filed her legally-mandated reports since October 2019. Well, twenty days later, Fisher's delinquent report had still not shown up on the ELEC database. Hence, Cohen was compelled to file a complaint with the State of New Jersey's Election Law Enforcement Commission. He provided the text of his complaint to the public:</p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>TEXT OF COMPLAINT AGAINT "TIFFANIE FISHER FOR HOBOKEN 2ND WARD" </b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqaxeAYkeUqe51nVOli-Vx4uxMGwi9v_SKQkiA0csZ92j-9fpF8VkTR5MGGrUVlNJ7s56YOQcIiUzE6psA4feWp4DsHnmibUJNIPCnKlQjNefcE3RpqwNwfiNYJ8uALAt6Gq7urX8I7E/s907/phil+pay+to+play+complaint.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqaxeAYkeUqe51nVOli-Vx4uxMGwi9v_SKQkiA0csZ92j-9fpF8VkTR5MGGrUVlNJ7s56YOQcIiUzE6psA4feWp4DsHnmibUJNIPCnKlQjNefcE3RpqwNwfiNYJ8uALAt6Gq7urX8I7E/s16000/phil+pay+to+play+complaint.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After the complaint was filed, and <b><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/in-hoboken-cohen-files-elec-complaint-against-fisher-for-late-council-filing/" target="_blank"> reported in<i> Hudson County View</i></a></b>, Fisher claimed: </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/in-hoboken-cohen-files-elec-complaint-against-fisher-for-late-council-filing/" target="_blank">“I don’t know why my originally submitted forms were not posted by ELEC but I’m in process of rectifying this. And I’m glad he supports the important pay-to-play legislation I am co-sponsoring with Council Vice President Giattino that up for final vote at next week’s council meeting.”</a></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">That's possible. But I'm curious why she didn't follow up with ELEC before January 27, 2021. Wouldn't you have? </p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><b>"BETTER 438 DAYS LATE-THAN-NEVER" ELEC REPORT</b></h2>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7769164513350559" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/493811686/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-KGFXLnsAy1nAWpsGWPU4" title="20-day Post Election ELEC: 2019 "Tiffanie Fisher for Hoboken 2nd Ward" " width="100%"></iframe><p style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 14px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px;"><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/493811686/20-day-Post-Election-ELEC-2019-Tiffanie-Fisher-for-Hoboken-2nd-Ward#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View 20-day Post Election ELEC: 2019 "Tiffanie Fisher for Hoboken 2nd Ward" on Scribd">20-day Post Election ELEC: ...</a> by <a href="https://www.scribd.com/user/162315507/GrafixAvenger#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View GrafixAvenger's profile on Scribd">GrafixAvenger</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In addition, if you are curious about the proposed amendments to Hoboken's Pay-to-Play ordinance, (which has already passed on First Reading), I've posted it in full below. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The changes aim to stop Dark Money contributions (to "IE"s) from those who have public contracts with the City of Hoboken. It also adds PACs and Super-PACs, but <b>omits Unions. </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>That is a <i>large</i> omission. A lot of Union cash rolls into Hoboken campaigns. </b>That said, I agree with the intent of the legislation. </p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>FISHER-SPONSORED AMENDED 'PAY-TO-PLAY' ORDINANCE</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s54l3ZZc1mrG6SW8Zz7SdWm2NxET4TUvHVNbTX9tc5XB3Lfq6iehl46YJuHgP-h2y-lfAkzWf7ylh2G8q-ClAJCGfrKQtErX8jkFoy9xyxyfzEda6zmjwx20wV-ZIDNs6aKjioYwcVE/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-869.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s54l3ZZc1mrG6SW8Zz7SdWm2NxET4TUvHVNbTX9tc5XB3Lfq6iehl46YJuHgP-h2y-lfAkzWf7ylh2G8q-ClAJCGfrKQtErX8jkFoy9xyxyfzEda6zmjwx20wV-ZIDNs6aKjioYwcVE/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-869.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtuqsgbwwQUqsZ4qqiNSSI2X2WkEtKHdBNCCxXFMgbV0rRJXDNWIK_3ZMg3PBz7B1NUgVRS5IYF0q1AbDKi-Abnd2VprU9G_ecFRTzsduhoNNQAuXTcrMC6vkUnNkDilgQzr8AqephyU/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-870.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtuqsgbwwQUqsZ4qqiNSSI2X2WkEtKHdBNCCxXFMgbV0rRJXDNWIK_3ZMg3PBz7B1NUgVRS5IYF0q1AbDKi-Abnd2VprU9G_ecFRTzsduhoNNQAuXTcrMC6vkUnNkDilgQzr8AqephyU/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-870.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBx1Kj-K380IjRi75qMdCpWw-8bYy3i6Rk6uQT-yzVOHmlvxAlpNzHt6RB_Y8BdWLQln0juU4TTlWJ68r1hnlKXAGzOBkQ5ZxfiG4hYwmuAVYrsqhgtwW5dRp2-Oe_u5SLb08H61LVdjY/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-871.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBx1Kj-K380IjRi75qMdCpWw-8bYy3i6Rk6uQT-yzVOHmlvxAlpNzHt6RB_Y8BdWLQln0juU4TTlWJ68r1hnlKXAGzOBkQ5ZxfiG4hYwmuAVYrsqhgtwW5dRp2-Oe_u5SLb08H61LVdjY/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-871.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqsg9q0dqJ0MGbGi1qnZZR2vqysNijRFREViQDHDJJMSop0loPP0G70FfDiqeQUvpzi004qKPQelgee7khtRsblW37K7X8UOFdHL0HB4hajYjuonAaWP0aObCjKo2bZiIcVur2BoeQJs/s999/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-872.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqsg9q0dqJ0MGbGi1qnZZR2vqysNijRFREViQDHDJJMSop0loPP0G70FfDiqeQUvpzi004qKPQelgee7khtRsblW37K7X8UOFdHL0HB4hajYjuonAaWP0aObCjKo2bZiIcVur2BoeQJs/s16000/2021-01-20+City+Council+-+Full+Agenda-1563-872.png" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-56615823603251701812021-01-25T12:42:00.002-05:002021-01-25T12:48:52.471-05:00Carmelo's Countdown to Justice<div><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVysLDxBqya4sRNoH3plpuALZgmt-SIVH7JB_uDTF15w2o-aSDwhtxnBtXBhmbDoGQfdYMCagmTvFQSrGtG-3CrzAHMWyod1JvBpttzxy1fXDZwHSkyh_FyghiulzhYn2LerHWmoOPPo/s642/Carmelo+twitter+profile.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVysLDxBqya4sRNoH3plpuALZgmt-SIVH7JB_uDTF15w2o-aSDwhtxnBtXBhmbDoGQfdYMCagmTvFQSrGtG-3CrzAHMWyod1JvBpttzxy1fXDZwHSkyh_FyghiulzhYn2LerHWmoOPPo/w374-h400/Carmelo+twitter+profile.png" width="374" /></a></div><b><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b>SIX DAYS AND COUNTING...</b></h3></b></h3><div style="text-align: justify;">Remember that federal corruption complaint against former <b>Hoboken School Board Trustee</b> and <b>Housing Authority Executive Director</b>, <b>Carmelo G. Garcia</b>? <b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8982097314224201904/5661582360325170181#" target="_blank">USA v. Carmelo G. Garcia, et al.</a> </b>accused Defendant Garcia of taking bribes from developers while he held positions as <b>Deputy Mayor for the City of Newark </b>and <b>Acting Director of the Newark Department of Economic Housing and Development. </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Readers' note: <i>Defendant Garcia is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty; the allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations. </i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For Hoboken residents who've followed Carmelo's long career in Mile Square government and public life, the allegations are truly sensational. NJ.com described them as follows:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;">"<a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2020/11/ex-newark-deputy-mayor-took-25k-fancy-jewelry-as-bribes-feds-allege.html" target="_blank"><b>Valvano and Sablosky exchanged cash and high-end jewelry, including a $7,500 watch, with Garcia so they could secure redevelopment agreements with Newark and purchase city-owned property for projects, authorities said.</b></a></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2020/11/ex-newark-deputy-mayor-took-25k-fancy-jewelry-as-bribes-feds-allege.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">In June 2018, Valvano allegedly provided a person only identified in court documents as “Individual 2” with an envelope containing $25,000 in cash to give to Garcia. Garcia arrived at an unidentified restaurant in Mountainside with a gym bag and told Individual 2 to meet him in the bathroom, authorities said.</span></b></a></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2020/11/ex-newark-deputy-mayor-took-25k-fancy-jewelry-as-bribes-feds-allege.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">“Once defendant Garcia and Individual 2 were alone in the bathroom, defendant Garcia set the gym bag on the floor in one of the bathroom stalls and then went over to the sink to wash his hands,” federal agents wrote in court documents. “Individual 2 entered the stall, placed the envelope with the $25,000 in cash in the gym bag, and left the bathroom.”</span></b></a></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.nj.com/essex/2020/11/ex-newark-deputy-mayor-took-25k-fancy-jewelry-as-bribes-feds-allege.html" target="_blank"><b>Federal authorities point to text messages they obtained from the two pawnbrokers that indicate Garcia accepted $5,000 from them.</b></a>"</span></div><div><br /></div><div>$7,500 for an alleged watch? Who would allegedly <i>spend </i>that kind of money on a watch? </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZh7x71qYGC8TBKhFZCRvvWE3ggBHXIe8C9dsJ8iN2XsJsbhmyWjdKaE6BgN8Ja9QKJINNMFONkmDVLnewqE1QV5Y7Cfbj9qMSO002IGZ1aVVS_JKe5e7WYNFdgxrWq3ilXY8v0X-Vjs/s800/Biden+Rolex.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZh7x71qYGC8TBKhFZCRvvWE3ggBHXIe8C9dsJ8iN2XsJsbhmyWjdKaE6BgN8Ja9QKJINNMFONkmDVLnewqE1QV5Y7Cfbj9qMSO002IGZ1aVVS_JKe5e7WYNFdgxrWq3ilXY8v0X-Vjs/s16000/Biden+Rolex.png" /></a></div> </div><div>Right. Well, there's nothing wrong with spending <u>one's own</u> <b>hard-earned</b> money on nice things. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, to recap this case...</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><i>USA v. Carmelo G. Garcia</i> was filed on November 19, 2020. </li><li>Garcia was arrested 5 days later. </li><li>On November 25, Judge Joseph A Dickson granted an <b>Order of Continuance</b>, stopping the clock on <b><a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-628-speedy-trial-act-1974" target="_blank">statutory "speedy trial" </a></b>time limits, "to permit defense council the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation in this matter and to allow parties to conduct plea negotiations and attempt to enter a plea agreement." </li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The continuance expires in 6 days, on January 31.</b> Which leaves anyone paying attention wondering what's next. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Will Garcia seek to prove his innocence at trial? Will he cooperate with prosecutors on a plea deal? Will both sides ask for a(nother) continuance? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next phase will be heard by a new judge; the Honorable Joseph Dickson recused himself last week, he's been replaced by the <b>Honorable Mark Falk, United States Chief Magistrate Judge</b>. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Six days.<i> Back at ya. </i></div><div> </div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-25590270719602373832021-01-22T11:14:00.019-05:002021-01-23T17:02:06.616-05:00Hoboken Mayor replaces Doyle on City Council <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Wtx6fS2w9MZL0fA3wYOLK9dXyzQ7IM7-xoYT9RULLjt_ciddMRGuNDTLIwnU33jT5cNMqICe4glp4eug3R7zd35TAW5j11vyEkZjNCpi1foex2DSkwJuEfA323VoGxMrBpBOVZB4xtc/s800/city+council+with+Bernie.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Wtx6fS2w9MZL0fA3wYOLK9dXyzQ7IM7-xoYT9RULLjt_ciddMRGuNDTLIwnU33jT5cNMqICe4glp4eug3R7zd35TAW5j11vyEkZjNCpi1foex2DSkwJuEfA323VoGxMrBpBOVZB4xtc/s16000/city+council+with+Bernie.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>HOBOKEN:</b> In a move that surprised even his closest allies, <b>Hoboken Mayor Bhalla </b>decided to swap two-term <b>At-Large Councilman Jim Doyle</b> with a similarly qualified replacement, <b>Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders</b>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When asked why he would take this hasty action, Bhalla replied, "Its clear that Jim can't stand the petty vindictiveness of a few council colleagues who are less legislators than jealous babies with loaded diapers. Jim deserves mercy, he has done his time."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But why pick Sanders? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Like Doyle, <b>Uncle Bernie</b> supports a ban on fracking, supports reduction in coal- and oil-fired power plant emissions and enjoys sliced bananas on his morning granola. Jim also favors wooly mittens over synthetic gloves" said Bhalla.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Councilman-Senator Sanders</b> attended his first Hoboken City Council Meeting this week, voting with his colleagues on First Reading of an ordinance to limit pay-to-play contributions. This ordinance was spearheaded by Sanders' colleague <b>2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher</b>. As reported in<b><i><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-council-oks-1st-reading-of-measure-to-tighten-pay-to-play-rules-ahead-of-mayors-race/" target="_blank"> Hudson County View: </a></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><i><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-council-oks-1st-reading-of-measure-to-tighten-pay-to-play-rules-ahead-of-mayors-race/" target="_blank">“Over the past few years outside money coming into Hoboken’s elections has risen extensively via PACs and Independent Expenditures,” Fisher said in an email today.</a></i></div><div><i><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-council-oks-1st-reading-of-measure-to-tighten-pay-to-play-rules-ahead-of-mayors-race/" target="_blank"><br /></a></i></div><div><i><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-council-oks-1st-reading-of-measure-to-tighten-pay-to-play-rules-ahead-of-mayors-race/" target="_blank">“To further disincentivize ‘quid pro quo’ type arrangements, these changes fix loopholes in our pay-to-play laws to capture IE’s and vendors provided with emergency contracts, both currently excluded. Significant outside money makes local elections less competitive and not necessarily reflective of a community’s view.”</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Councilwoman Fisher's latest perspective on Pay-to-Play precedes Hoboken's 2021 mayoral election; in the lead-up to her own 2019 election, Fisher took the opposite tact: she opposed proposed legislation to enforce local Pay-to-Play law. To add confusion, Ms. Fisher's renewed advocacy for tightening campaign finance law is directly at odds with her embrace of Councilman Mike DeFusco as a political and ideological ally. </div><div><br /></div></div><div align="center"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="438" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2EeLDlIItJo" width="800"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That said, Councilwoman Fisher's latest position on campaign finance reform aligns with the views of Councilman-Senator Bernie Sanders, who has said in the past:</div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">"A few wealthy individuals and corporations have bought up our private sector and now they're buying up the government. Campaign finance reform is the most important issue facing us today, because it impacts all the others."</h3><div style="text-align: justify;">In keeping with her renewed energy for transparency, it's worth noting that <b><span style="color: #990000;">Councilwoman Fisher has not filed a Quarterly Election Finance Report since October 2019</span>.</b> Her October 2019 campaign finance report shows a balance of $3,437.81. Clearly, Ms. Fisher has not followed State of New Jersey campaign finance law, nor has allowed constituents to see her receipts, contributions and disbursements made since October 2019. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps Councilman-Senator Sanders will remind his colleagues that no one is above the law, including law makers. </div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-81395909384908110212020-12-04T13:23:00.004-05:002020-12-05T08:43:51.254-05:00Giattino, Fisher attack on Hoboken District PILOT leading to litigation <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvhJ6EIumrRNcGiw9KjxuZ857jNPdNsO-EMWq83Nzwjk0TgI_i5ThQOONhXfTPhzGEXN3B7riTmR8RidD_qLrVeNZhfX3fiSOJ_xakOhB4YMhpaVpPfVjJY9X-XyMun_S-NAQ9ziDSMw/s990/2019+Hoboken+District+DISABLED+STUDENTS2-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="990" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvhJ6EIumrRNcGiw9KjxuZ857jNPdNsO-EMWq83Nzwjk0TgI_i5ThQOONhXfTPhzGEXN3B7riTmR8RidD_qLrVeNZhfX3fiSOJ_xakOhB4YMhpaVpPfVjJY9X-XyMun_S-NAQ9ziDSMw/s16000/2019+Hoboken+District+DISABLED+STUDENTS2-1.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffanie Fisher and Jen Giattino seek "equity" for districts that do NOT share equal obligations and expenses </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">And so, the weeks-long manufactured-conflict pitting Charters against the Hoboken District continues. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Hoboken Council majority continues to sit on an <i><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/ultra_vires" target="_blank">ultra-vires</a></i> resolution to "share" a PILOT payment, as though they expect it to hatch. <b>It will not.</b> The 'egg' is rotten. <b>Ruben Ramos' </b>resolution violates NJ state law; the City of Hoboken cannot legally divert public money <i>directly </i>to Charter districts. Moreover, the Hoboken City Council has <b>no legal standing </b>to direct Hoboken Board of Education on how to allocate public money. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Council knows this</i>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hence, their "fight" is political theater, grandstanding for Charter community votes in the 2021 municipal election. At least three in this majority (Ramos, DeFusco, Fisher) wish to unseat Hoboken's wildly popular mayor. With the support of about 3 out of 4 likely voters, that's a daunting goal... plus the incumbent is expected to get the backing of <b>Senators</b> <b>Bob Menendez</b> and <b>Cory Booker</b>. Hence, the Council is scrambling to divide the electorate, to manufacture an issue to run on. And so they've taken their fight to<i> school children</i>. My kids against yours. Under the pretext of "fairness." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How revolting. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b>COUNCIL PROVOKES CIVIL LAWSUIT WITH HOBOKEN DISTRICT</b></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Hudson County View</b> </i>has reported: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-shoots-down-boes-demand-for-770-jackson-st-pilot-revenue/" target="_blank">"After weeks with little to no movement regarding how to distribute approximately $243,000 in revenue from the 770 Jackson St. payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) deal, the Hoboken Board of Education tried to “demand” the full amount from the city – to no avail."</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Make no mistake, the word "demand" from an attorney to an adversarial public board is not petulance, it's legal jargon that precedes litigation. And after weeks of being 'dicked around' by the Hoboken City Council, Hoboken School Board Counsel <b>Vito Gagliardi</b> served the City a <b><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Hoboken-BOE-to-Aloia-11-30-20.pdf" target="_blank">Demand Letter. </a></b> The letter gives the Council until its December 16th meeting to honor their 2016 PILOT agreement with the developer of 770 Jackson. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What a waste of time and public money.</b> Litigation will cost three Charter districts and the Public district more than the actual PILOT amount ($243K). The City Council will lose. The NJ Department of Education is the governing authority over the public district's allocation of public money. Once again, council members have no legal standing to tell a Public School District how to spend it's budget (which is 100% comprised of public money). </div><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b>GIATTINO, FISHER USE BOE FOR POLITICAL CLIMB, THEN THROW THEM UNDER THE BUS </b></h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Funny how Giattino and Fisher have turned on the Hoboken District.</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ironic, because they owe their political ascent to activist Hoboken District volunteers, parents, BOE Trustees and BOE candidates who campaigned hard for them. In fact in 2017, they took BOE activists on board to run a mayoral campaign competing with the candidate recruited by <b>Mayor Dawn Zimmer.</b> I was one of the only Kids First activists who stayed with Bhalla; I'd never forgotten his voluntary <b><a href="https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-i-met-ravi.html" target="_blank">defense of the Hoboken District</a> </b> in 2008 before he entered politics. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhyphenhyphenLKoV_NVaQyJoAtgl5sY4C6oJBJKjwsmPixhiI4f9UHENOIzsSLS0uTGG_RC0YC2WUiMGDFcZgSF1sFrPFN82-fAWfvmAqPqNdqbE1GDdRxaYJOhEFIo_avW4iwhzpnnmK0Q_wXpbw/s550/zimmer+forward+togetherpic+ghost.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="550" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhyphenhyphenLKoV_NVaQyJoAtgl5sY4C6oJBJKjwsmPixhiI4f9UHENOIzsSLS0uTGG_RC0YC2WUiMGDFcZgSF1sFrPFN82-fAWfvmAqPqNdqbE1GDdRxaYJOhEFIo_avW4iwhzpnnmK0Q_wXpbw/w640-h480/zimmer+forward+togetherpic+ghost.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>That was then. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, what does one do with an orange once its juice is squeezed out? </div><div><br /></div><div>And so goes the Giattino-Fisher support for Hoboken District Schools when it no longer serves them a political benefit. <span style="text-align: justify;">In hindsight, their support for the Hoboken District appears transactional. How quickly they went from BOE advocates to adversaries. The first hint that they'd turned on the District was their publicized opposition to that </span><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken-charter-schools-council-members-ask-bhalla-to-reconsider-3m-in-hotel-incentives/" style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">$1M contribution to the Hoboken Public Education Fund</a><b style="text-align: justify;">, </b><span style="text-align: justify;">part of the hotel developer's giveback. </span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><u style="text-align: justify;"><b>LAST WORDS:</b></u><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;">I literally cannot believe </span><i style="text-align: justify;">this </i><span style="text-align: justify;">is going on, and with all of the other CRAP this City has to deal with during PANDEMIC HELL. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">A Hoboken covid-19 patient </span><i style="text-align: justify;">died</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> the other day, and</span><i style="text-align: justify;"> these</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">fools are picking a fight with our District schools.... Going to the mattresses to divert public monies from our District positively </span><i style="text-align: justify;">reeks</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">of classism</span><span style="text-align: justify;">,</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> a lack of concern for the the less-affluent student population, a disrespect for elected Board of Education Trustees ability to run their own district, a lack of concern for the Special Education population requiring the most services that our District educates at a very high cost, a contempt for state </span><i style="text-align: justify;">law</i><span style="text-align: justify;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">What a shame.</div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-38227623003699008512020-12-03T14:05:00.018-05:002020-12-03T17:07:37.181-05:00Defendant Carmelo Garcia to hammer out plea deal?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2z6mBjYbTMA8RTa-zYkMp8hTi-XaGdu1tXx5T6ONA74AWkPhGIpKvm-SF1jDAvfLNgVDQZnfptOYOYUdfj-Jd5ZboDUXk5vzvDFtAeDvT88mDNLjbvjq3oz2idM1GQqaRfqg8Y__Jpk/s0/img_caring_for_a_canary_595_600.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2z6mBjYbTMA8RTa-zYkMp8hTi-XaGdu1tXx5T6ONA74AWkPhGIpKvm-SF1jDAvfLNgVDQZnfptOYOYUdfj-Jd5ZboDUXk5vzvDFtAeDvT88mDNLjbvjq3oz2idM1GQqaRfqg8Y__Jpk/s0/img_caring_for_a_canary_595_600.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://youtu.be/z-OteAgvINc" target="_blank">tweet tweet </a></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's the scoop on Hoboken's latest (alleged) true-crime drama:<i> United States of America v Carmelo G Garcia</i>...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Defendant<b> Carmelo G. Garcia </b>and the <b>Assistant</b> <b>U.S. Attorneys </b>have jointly requested a "continuance" to stop the clock on court proceedings. According to the Court's <b>Order of Continuance</b>, the reasons were "<i>to permit defense council the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation in this matter and to <b>allow parties to conduct plea negotiations and attempt to enter a plea agreement</b></i><b>.</b>" </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 25,<b> Judge Joseph A Dickson</b> granted the relatively short continuance- until January 31, 2021. Notably, the same continuance was granted to Garcia's two Co-Defendants. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">What does it all mean? As a layperson adrift in a sea of legal mumbo-jumbo, I asked a lawyer-friend to opine on the delay. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She thought that they may have needed time because of the holidays, and added, "<i>if I were one of Carmelo's "associates" in anything else he may have been involved in that hasn't passed the statute of limitations, I would be as nervous as a cat swishing its tail in a room full of rocking chairs.</i>"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I told her that Carmelo's two Co-Defendants had likewise received a continuance. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She remarked, "<i>Sounds like a canary convention</i>." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There you go. To be continued...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><u><b>DEFENDANT CARMELO GARCIA DOCKET</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">current to 12/03/2020</span></u></h3> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1usPecQtwMthYDavjc53Jyeg6ZyHoaP7tw5vUXmjtcAnp0MKGIuWjFTrDsA54cVgj8QL30YQkzGI5FDpayF1dfQ3TNtj1dYstfFkklqE7zG4KkJspOcUePL7pDx49myffEmgN119IpI/s800/carmelo+docket+december+3+2020.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1usPecQtwMthYDavjc53Jyeg6ZyHoaP7tw5vUXmjtcAnp0MKGIuWjFTrDsA54cVgj8QL30YQkzGI5FDpayF1dfQ3TNtj1dYstfFkklqE7zG4KkJspOcUePL7pDx49myffEmgN119IpI/s16000/carmelo+docket+december+3+2020.png" /></a></div><div> </div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><u>ORDER OF CONTINUANCE, <i>USA V CARMELO GARCIA</i></u></h3></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4FuutT4eowBRX0Fa21WpWTfJ7O2eL9TTB0v5M9lGPLdVh61pPwX9NKAhV7PjJbjQOb34Cvfc6Tzhb4gn1FHBfiHduQZ1AEcfHPEkQyvMV0eFwqTxE5Rc4xCFyEFd2njtB3OOrVuNEB4/s1035/Carmelo+plea+11-25-2020-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4FuutT4eowBRX0Fa21WpWTfJ7O2eL9TTB0v5M9lGPLdVh61pPwX9NKAhV7PjJbjQOb34Cvfc6Tzhb4gn1FHBfiHduQZ1AEcfHPEkQyvMV0eFwqTxE5Rc4xCFyEFd2njtB3OOrVuNEB4/s16000/Carmelo+plea+11-25-2020-1.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXdegtJ2Lz99lsiF9Qh2eD8okaT2baVYlDQveALgRguaJdOG3VHINPWzc69-2uP7llnebZNiCVClJXtTLo0uuoZjVjCdgxPFD_fIReF69gd-09BbpBChzCcHpOpPJVSZRWhX1Ez8csfs/s1035/Carmelo+plea+11-25-2020-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXdegtJ2Lz99lsiF9Qh2eD8okaT2baVYlDQveALgRguaJdOG3VHINPWzc69-2uP7llnebZNiCVClJXtTLo0uuoZjVjCdgxPFD_fIReF69gd-09BbpBChzCcHpOpPJVSZRWhX1Ez8csfs/s16000/Carmelo+plea+11-25-2020-2.png" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-80658540361443248502020-12-02T15:35:00.021-05:002020-12-02T15:57:58.175-05:00Hoboken puts kibosh on Santa-Superspreader <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyaEF3xzP63h2ES_mkc0llizTB5C4qjwEUZ583fhp7lvE0G-pC5zf7uvGhZQB7oOP2x8fZrNCwXK-cldBjKVvXgO78lA1vSFb5pm1RMa5LQRh7NKAxZZuA7EJ7wdGB9Sjvbzb_00YpI8/s1077/santacon+2020+poster+with+covid.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyaEF3xzP63h2ES_mkc0llizTB5C4qjwEUZ583fhp7lvE0G-pC5zf7uvGhZQB7oOP2x8fZrNCwXK-cldBjKVvXgO78lA1vSFb5pm1RMa5LQRh7NKAxZZuA7EJ7wdGB9Sjvbzb_00YpI8/s16000/santacon+2020+poster+with+covid.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Believe it or not, at least one "<i>Hoboken Santacon</i>" online promoter is still shilling December 19th's <b><a href="https://www.hobokensantacon.com/" target="_blank">Santa-Superspreader </a></b>even<i> after</i> <b><a href="https://hudsoncountyview.com/bhalla-ferrante-reaffirm-that-hobokens-santacon-wont-be-taking-place-this-year/" target="_blank">both the Mayor and Police Chief announced it's been canceled.</a> </b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg_qVc4L3NwU8BNl-A11E24zSAtovO5UKD-NfL_LUsLrgmdmT9E5fNtxpeiuWJoAlVR-xuHhZeOneSmzrxYmnfGa_aTig4kJ9IBccvt_yFrzmdYPH9syjQJJiMBdkt4n3SymTkMrYhUU/s900/santacon+site.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg_qVc4L3NwU8BNl-A11E24zSAtovO5UKD-NfL_LUsLrgmdmT9E5fNtxpeiuWJoAlVR-xuHhZeOneSmzrxYmnfGa_aTig4kJ9IBccvt_yFrzmdYPH9syjQJJiMBdkt4n3SymTkMrYhUU/s16000/santacon+site.png" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Yep, yesterday they made it official. In a joint statment, Hoboken Mayor <b>Ravi Bhalla</b> and Hoboken Police Chief <b>Ken Ferrante</b> rolled out the "Unwelcome Mat" for incoming Santas and Elves: </div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">STATEMENT FROM MAYOR BHALLA AND CHIEF FERRANTE ON SANTACON CANCELLATION </span></h3></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante confirmed that the annual “Santacon” event was officially cancelled in the City of Hoboken, due to safety precautions and regulations related to the COVID-19 health crisis.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Our sole goal as Mayor and Police Chief is to keep Hoboken residents safe, and an unsanctioned, crowded bar crawl would have presented substantial challenges related to the pandemic," said Mayor Bhalla and Chief Ferrante. "We are glad to share that Santacon has officially been canceled by the event organizers, which will help protect Hoboken residents from a potential super-spreader type event. Thank you to the many bars and restaurants who from the very beginning, refused to participate in Santacon, as these events continue to lose steam.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Santacon, along with other “con” events have never been approved or sanctioned by the City of Hoboken.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The “LepreCon” event that took place in early March had an all-time low of <b><a href="https://local.nixle.com/alert/7856962/?sub_id=2404944" target="_blank">only four bars participating.</a></b></span></div></div><div><br /></div><i>Ho-ho-ho.</i><div><br /></div><div>As of today, one SantaCon promoter has deferred to the City's ban. At least <b><a href="https://www.hobokensantacon.com/" target="_blank">one other </a></b>has <i>not.</i> But the word is out to the entire tri-state area on broadcast radio, cable and network television media and in print. <div><br /></div><div>Will Hoboken's Unwelcome Mat deter the most party-hardy, dumber than rocks Elves and Santas from coming to town on December 19? <i>Probably not. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>So it remains to be seen how the City will enforce its kibosh. Is the ban enforceable? Does it need more legal teeth? </div><div><br /></div><div>In my opinion, community service is the best penalty for any SantaCon invaders. I'd like to see chain gangs of Elves sweeping our streets or placing Santas as bollards in no-parking zones. The death penalty may be too harsh, but certainly kibosh-breaking invaders deserve more than a fine. In my opinion. <div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNop229znbryKyTG0sk327ZCUmt7iUMig8bpHMztOV9KaT8yF2lqfoICkd5qZmsiY1zw-2Z8gHVqgBdmUljr5Vv9cN7zRMbHR6Aa72YIGrNcNmHQDL9SigMgpiCSADMAwJqpGZBRO_sfY/s650/ny+post+santacon+2020.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNop229znbryKyTG0sk327ZCUmt7iUMig8bpHMztOV9KaT8yF2lqfoICkd5qZmsiY1zw-2Z8gHVqgBdmUljr5Vv9cN7zRMbHR6Aa72YIGrNcNmHQDL9SigMgpiCSADMAwJqpGZBRO_sfY/s16000/ny+post+santacon+2020.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://nypost.com/2020/12/01/potential-superspreader-hoboken-santacon-is-canceled/" target="_blank">https://nypost.com/2020/12/01/potential-superspreader-hoboken-santacon-is-canceled/</a></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div> </div></div></div></div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982097314224201904.post-88258618343524798352020-11-29T11:25:00.009-05:002020-11-29T11:48:49.555-05:00Pay respects to Hoboken's Finest, Sargeant Peter Zanin, Today 4-8 PM<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nXRhXOYgMhd8oeMdmBlKjAjJynP4s-RTQ4e7mI1ocCMM_ebre4DT_FvFWziaDu3W4g2feg6qLpfZeQXnmeCaD1tpuVz8rw4yIyNNQxVwfvWIR7lG0cFk5S17Bt02CnDHzwqg3QAclMU/s800/Hoboken+Sgt+Peter+Zanin+Storytime+with+a+cop.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nXRhXOYgMhd8oeMdmBlKjAjJynP4s-RTQ4e7mI1ocCMM_ebre4DT_FvFWziaDu3W4g2feg6qLpfZeQXnmeCaD1tpuVz8rw4yIyNNQxVwfvWIR7lG0cFk5S17Bt02CnDHzwqg3QAclMU/s16000/Hoboken+Sgt+Peter+Zanin+Storytime+with+a+cop.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kik4t7FvtJA&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kik4t7FvtJA&feature=youtu.be</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">Hoboken is in shock at the sudden, unexpected passing of much loved <b>HPD Sargeant Peter "Peachy" Zanin.</b> Sgt. Zanin, a son of Hoboken, will live on in the hearts of his Hoboken police family and friends, and neighbors (like me) who never met him personally but have seen that kind face and shock of red hair on duty and on YouTube, reading to quarantined children. Sgt. Zanin was taken, quite literally in the prime of his life; a husband and a dad to three young kids. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whether you knew him or not, every Hoboken resident owes the Sargeant a debt of gratitude for his service, his charity, for risking his own personal safety for all of us every day. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Folks may pay their respects to Sgt. Zanin and offer their condolences today; his Funeral Mass is tomorrow. </p><b><a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/hoboken/amp/29102288/funeral-mass-set-for-hoboken-police-sgt-peter-zanin" target="_blank"><i>Hoboken Patch</i> </a></b>has posted the details: <div><b style="text-align: justify;"><br /></b></div><div><i><b style="text-align: justify;">"Visitation </b><span style="text-align: justify;">(</span><span style="text-align: justify;">family only</span><span style="text-align: justify;">) will be held on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. Visitation for others (</span><span style="text-align: justify;">non-family</span><span style="text-align: justify;">) will begin at 4 p.m. concluding at 8 p.m. at</span><b style="text-align: justify;"> Failla-McKnight Memorial Home, 533 Willow Ave. </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Parking available in rear of memorial home off Sixth Street."</span></i><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span style="text-align: justify;">"</span><b style="text-align: justify;">The Funeral Mass </b><span style="text-align: justify;">will be offered this Monday at 10 a.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul RC Church, Hoboken. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Visitation </b><span style="text-align: justify;">(</span><span style="text-align: justify;">family only</span><span style="text-align: justify;">) will be held on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. Visitation for others (</span><span style="text-align: justify;">non-family</span><span style="text-align: justify;">) will begin at 4 p.m. concluding at 8 p.m. at</span><b style="text-align: justify;"> Failla-McKnight Memorial Home, 533 Willow Ave. </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Parking available in rear of memorial home off Sixth Street."</span></i></div><div><div> </div><div>My sincerest condolences to Sgt. Zanin's family, his HPD family, and all of his loved ones. May he rest in peace.</div><div><br /><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="438" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kik4t7FvtJA" width="800"></iframe></div></div></div></div>Grafix_Avengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09277322207313098473noreply@blogger.com0