I've held my tongue on the Bhalla kerfuffle; mainly because everyone else and their mother has offered an opinion about it. What more could I possibly add?
But yesterday's act of courage- 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason calling for Councilman Ravinder Bhalla's resignation (yes, he's gotta go!) has called for an injection of common sense and even a history lesson-- from yours truly.
As you know by now, Mr. Bhalla didn't file a form called a 'BE' with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) in the years following the document's 2006 enforcement. This form applies to private vendors who do business with the city and requires disclosure of contracts and donations to all political parties, candidates and PACs.
Now, for anyone to believe that Mr. Bhalla skirted this requirement on purpose, is to believe he is the stupidest of idiots, a totally brainless schmuck, a schmendrick like no other. Being BOTH a lawyer and a Hoboken City Councilman, it would be the equivalent of a serial tax-evader applying for a job at the IRS and not expecting consequences. Breathtakingly stupid, right? Sorry haters, Bhalla is very, very smart. Smarter than you. Maybe you're jealous?
No, this is a lose-lose situation for Mr. Bhalla, and it is clear that the BE form was not on his radar, or he would have done it. Because, as I've pointed out, he is not a drooling idiot that wears a "Kick Me" sign.
So let's move on.
Enter Beth Mason, who gets lots of paid advice. If she would only pay me, I would give her better advice. My advice would have been to SHUT UP. Because when your opponent is struggling it's best to be silent, let him/her flounder and let events unfold instead of STEPPING INTO THE DRAMA and becoming part of it.
Too late.
With these words, " This is an unethical situation...It's another sad day for Hoboken. It's a black eye for sure... We need people who set an example... He's an example of what we don't want. I am calling on him to resign..." Mason has inserted herself into the story, opening up her own actions to scrutiny and charges of hypocrisy.
That's where I come in.
About Mason and late ELEC filings, I guess it depends whose they are. Remember the Cammarano campaign's late, late, late ELEC report filing in the runoff with Zimmer last June? As reported by the NJ Politicker:
Do you remember the INDIGNANT OUTCRY from that righteous transparency- watchdog, Beth Mason? Neither do I.
This is what I remember hearing from Ms. Mason:
That's right- CRICKETS!
Did you know Peter Cammarano's political strategist back then, Paul Swibinski, is working for Mason now? I don't know him, but I hear he's very smart. So then why didn't he get Cammy's ELEC reports filed on time? And is the same Mr. Swibinski advising Mason to demand Mr. Bhalla's RESIGNATION for his late ELEC filing?
Hypocrisy alert!
On a humorous side note, Mr. Swibinski had this opinion of the Mason brain trust before he joined it:
She ran the worst campaign ever. So then why keep running the same campaign over and over again? Are you people expecting a different result?
One more. Re: castigation of a fellow City Council member for 'missing' a filing deadline... I seem to recall a certain City Councilwoman who missed the filing deadline for her own special-election petition... she claimed to be stuck in an elevator? Or sent to the wrong room? Or both?
By the way, do you remember Councilman Bhalla's heated public demands that Beth Mason RESIGN from her mayoral ambition, that she be denied a place on the ballot because of her petition's late filing? Neither do I.
In fact, I seem to remember what Councilman Bhalla had to say about it:
Yup, they're back. The CRICKETS.
Well, what would you expect from a dignified man like Mr. Bhalla who respects the intelligence of the people he serves? He's not a petty, mean-spirited person looking to score political points with cheap shots.
Hoboken voters see right through the crap: the gratuitous and hypocritical negativity, the posturing, the exorbitant flow of cash into the pockets of Consultants and high-end mailers, the stunning excess of it all.
Have those highly-paid Consultants seen this?
Maybe it's time to run a nicer campaign, less mean, more ethical.
That's how you 'll win back the love.
(Update, May 4, 2010- 1:10 pm)
Gotta love Da Horsey... he's got another scoop: Councilman Bhalla strikes back.
In a morning press conference held in his office Bhalla cited Mason had "dozens" of ELEC violations, including illegal cash disbursements in her 2009 campaign. Wow.
Well, it's the old 'people who live in glass houses...' proverb come to life.
Fire those Consultants, Ms.Mason.
But yesterday's act of courage- 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason calling for Councilman Ravinder Bhalla's resignation (yes, he's gotta go!) has called for an injection of common sense and even a history lesson-- from yours truly.
As you know by now, Mr. Bhalla didn't file a form called a 'BE' with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) in the years following the document's 2006 enforcement. This form applies to private vendors who do business with the city and requires disclosure of contracts and donations to all political parties, candidates and PACs.
Now, for anyone to believe that Mr. Bhalla skirted this requirement on purpose, is to believe he is the stupidest of idiots, a totally brainless schmuck, a schmendrick like no other. Being BOTH a lawyer and a Hoboken City Councilman, it would be the equivalent of a serial tax-evader applying for a job at the IRS and not expecting consequences. Breathtakingly stupid, right? Sorry haters, Bhalla is very, very smart. Smarter than you. Maybe you're jealous?
No, this is a lose-lose situation for Mr. Bhalla, and it is clear that the BE form was not on his radar, or he would have done it. Because, as I've pointed out, he is not a drooling idiot that wears a "Kick Me" sign.
So let's move on.
Enter Beth Mason, who gets lots of paid advice. If she would only pay me, I would give her better advice. My advice would have been to SHUT UP. Because when your opponent is struggling it's best to be silent, let him/her flounder and let events unfold instead of STEPPING INTO THE DRAMA and becoming part of it.
Too late.
With these words, " This is an unethical situation...It's another sad day for Hoboken. It's a black eye for sure... We need people who set an example... He's an example of what we don't want. I am calling on him to resign..." Mason has inserted herself into the story, opening up her own actions to scrutiny and charges of hypocrisy.
That's where I come in.
About Mason and late ELEC filings, I guess it depends whose they are. Remember the Cammarano campaign's late, late, late ELEC report filing in the runoff with Zimmer last June? As reported by the NJ Politicker:
Do you remember the INDIGNANT OUTCRY from that righteous transparency- watchdog, Beth Mason? Neither do I.This is what I remember hearing from Ms. Mason:
That's right- CRICKETS!Did you know Peter Cammarano's political strategist back then, Paul Swibinski, is working for Mason now? I don't know him, but I hear he's very smart. So then why didn't he get Cammy's ELEC reports filed on time? And is the same Mr. Swibinski advising Mason to demand Mr. Bhalla's RESIGNATION for his late ELEC filing?
Hypocrisy alert!
On a humorous side note, Mr. Swibinski had this opinion of the Mason brain trust before he joined it:
She ran the worst campaign ever. So then why keep running the same campaign over and over again? Are you people expecting a different result?One more. Re: castigation of a fellow City Council member for 'missing' a filing deadline... I seem to recall a certain City Councilwoman who missed the filing deadline for her own special-election petition... she claimed to be stuck in an elevator? Or sent to the wrong room? Or both?
By the way, do you remember Councilman Bhalla's heated public demands that Beth Mason RESIGN from her mayoral ambition, that she be denied a place on the ballot because of her petition's late filing? Neither do I.In fact, I seem to remember what Councilman Bhalla had to say about it:
Yup, they're back. The CRICKETS.Well, what would you expect from a dignified man like Mr. Bhalla who respects the intelligence of the people he serves? He's not a petty, mean-spirited person looking to score political points with cheap shots.
Hoboken voters see right through the crap: the gratuitous and hypocritical negativity, the posturing, the exorbitant flow of cash into the pockets of Consultants and high-end mailers, the stunning excess of it all.
Have those highly-paid Consultants seen this?
Maybe it's time to run a nicer campaign, less mean, more ethical.That's how you 'll win back the love.
(Update, May 4, 2010- 1:10 pm)
Gotta love Da Horsey... he's got another scoop: Councilman Bhalla strikes back.
In a morning press conference held in his office Bhalla cited Mason had "dozens" of ELEC violations, including illegal cash disbursements in her 2009 campaign. Wow.
Well, it's the old 'people who live in glass houses...' proverb come to life.
Fire those Consultants, Ms.Mason.
It looks like Mason may be the one wearing the "kick-me" sign after this if she isn't already! It will be interesting to see if the Mason ELEC reveals will dampen her blood lust; sadly for the trees that will become her next mailer I suspect not.
ReplyDeleteThis one is too rich.....I just can't stop chucklin' - Oh Beth, Beth - I can see your foot searching for your mouth as I type.
ReplyDelete