Well, most of you have heard by now that Mike Lenz lost the 4th Ward City Council race last night to Timmy Occhipinti a.k.a. Binder Boy, and so we begin Day 2, or as I'm calling it, Triumph of the Shill.
Now, you may wonder why 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason is featured prominently in this poster. And why Timmy's a wardrobe accessory. We'll get to that.
First, Id like to congratulate Timmy and his army of $40 workers and his tidal wave of $40 dollar Mail-In ballots (can't wait for those ELECs!) and the army of political operatives from Jersey City and Weehawken and the Cammarano exiles and of course... Timmy's binder. Now, of course he'll need a new binder for tonight's City Council meeting, where we just lost 200 IQ points and gained 84. Maybe his new binder will have a tab that says "Independent" from where he launches thoughts that are in fact, 'independent' to prove his critics wrong... In that case, I'll be happy to dine on BBQ crow with crow salad and a side of crow-- should that occur. But that and Mason returning to the reform fold are about as likely as... as... as... a Tony Soares re-appointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
So...last night, election night in the 4th Ward was quite a scene.
I volunteered to do what I do best-- stand on a street corner like a hooker with an armful of campaign lit, and remind passers-by to vote (psssst...no cash exchange involved for this work, similar to ALL of Lenz's other street workers). So, there I stood, on the corner of 2nd and Adams... surrounded by ba veritable army of Timmy's paid workers, eyeing Frank Raia and Timmy's Campaign Manager, Jamie Cryan standing thisclose to the polling location across the street where Occhipinti lit was being distributed. Anywhere else but Hoboken, a no-no. But welcome to Hoboken, where the laws are... pretty.
Then some idiot driving a reddish van cruised by yelling, "Boooo!". Hey, I recognized that idiot! James Barracato, who was hired for Timmy's GOTV effort. I was told by the gal I was standing with that he had already done this several times. So, on his next drive-by I showed him my 'Tall Man'-- that's what we call it in my house. Do you know Tall Man? He lives between Mr. Pointer and Mr. Ring-Finger. The idiot didn't come back.
There was some, not a lot, of foot traffic so I did a lot of chatting on my cell, mainly to another Lenz volunteer worker, a close friend, who'd been sent to 400 Marshall Street, where he'd been asked to 'relieve' Public Safety Director Angel Alicea so Alicea could "use the bathroom". Well, guess what? Alicea never came back, so my friend and I spent hilarious minutes speculating what happened to him in the bathroom, what he might be doing there, or why he never came back. I won't post those. Sorry. But my friend also detailed a galaxy of major Occhipinti 'players' schmoozing with the locals across the street: Perry 'Best Hair in Hoboken' Belfiore, Terry Castellano, Mike Russo, Ruben Ramos, Matt Calicchio, City Clerk Jimmy Farina ...
At about 7:30 pm the Adams and 2nd Lenz folks were advised that Occhipinti's paid workers were leaving their posts en masse and congregating near the 221 Jackson Street polling location for a bit of 'voter intimidation'... in other words, blocking the sidewalk and crosswalks, and in sheer numbers causing voters to 'run a gauntlet' in order to reach the polling place. A type of passive discouragement, you might say. So we were asked to go down there, and did so. There we saw perhaps 25 sign-carrying, t-shirt wearing Occhipinti paid workers obstructing street traffic. So I notified candidate Mike Lenz who had arrived on the scene, and he very politely spoke to the sidewalk obstructers and their leader. They complied with his request to clear the way.
Then, guess who showed up?
Director Alicea! He made it out of the bathroom!
Hooray!
He looked like a man relieved. I was so happy for him. I really wanted to ask him about his bathroom experience, to find out why he hadn't returned to his post at 400 Marshall where by then, my friend needed to use a bathroom, too. In fact, I will never be able to see Director Alicea again without imagining him fastened to a toilet sat. Perhaps bound and gagged. Held hostage, by mischievous Occhipinti workers, his Port-a-Potty dragged into the Hudson for use as a ballast on New York Waterway ferries to Manhattan.
Alright... this post is getting too long. So, I'll cut to the chase.
Back at Lenz HQ, machine votes were tallied and it was absorbed that we had not prevailed there. Why? We got clobbered on the machines in 4-4... where machine voting has not historically been a factor. So Timmy's people worked the GOTV there HARD. Real hard. That's a story I'll count on the news folks to tell.
Then Lenz and Mayor Dawn Zimmer spoke graciously, and the crowd hung around to thank them and schmooze.
Here's the surprise, which brings us back to the graphic at the top.
In one-on-one conversations about the election results, one name was brought up by each person I spoke with. Over and over again.
Tim Occhipinti'?
No.
Beth Mason.
The anger at her there was palpable. I heard the same things again and again... had Mason not turned her back on reform, had she not handed herself to the Russo faction, had she not given up the principles she was once respected and admired for (by GA included), had she not been so ego-driven not to accept her own loss with dignity and keep up the fight, the 4th Ward loss would not have derailed the progress reformers have made in Hoboken this past year.
Mason was campaigning hard for Occhipinti in the 4th Ward last night. I saw her on Jackson Street with the candidate- not reformer Mike Lenz- the OTHER guy. HER guy.
Theoretically, Mason is the 'swing' vote on a 4-4 City Council.
But we know where the Councilwoman swings NOW.
Her swing swung away from honest government long ago. Now she swings with the likes of sleazy political consultant James Barracato- her webmaster and companion, the angry lunatic Lane Bajardi, the proprietor of Hoboken411, and... the cast of the Council of No.
On the new City Council, expect a LOT of over-reaching. With a dash of hubris.
So the next election cycle begins.
We'll be back.
Now, you may wonder why 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason is featured prominently in this poster. And why Timmy's a wardrobe accessory. We'll get to that.
First, Id like to congratulate Timmy and his army of $40 workers and his tidal wave of $40 dollar Mail-In ballots (can't wait for those ELECs!) and the army of political operatives from Jersey City and Weehawken and the Cammarano exiles and of course... Timmy's binder. Now, of course he'll need a new binder for tonight's City Council meeting, where we just lost 200 IQ points and gained 84. Maybe his new binder will have a tab that says "Independent" from where he launches thoughts that are in fact, 'independent' to prove his critics wrong... In that case, I'll be happy to dine on BBQ crow with crow salad and a side of crow-- should that occur. But that and Mason returning to the reform fold are about as likely as... as... as... a Tony Soares re-appointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
So...last night, election night in the 4th Ward was quite a scene.
I volunteered to do what I do best-- stand on a street corner like a hooker with an armful of campaign lit, and remind passers-by to vote (psssst...no cash exchange involved for this work, similar to ALL of Lenz's other street workers). So, there I stood, on the corner of 2nd and Adams... surrounded by ba veritable army of Timmy's paid workers, eyeing Frank Raia and Timmy's Campaign Manager, Jamie Cryan standing thisclose to the polling location across the street where Occhipinti lit was being distributed. Anywhere else but Hoboken, a no-no. But welcome to Hoboken, where the laws are... pretty.
Then some idiot driving a reddish van cruised by yelling, "Boooo!". Hey, I recognized that idiot! James Barracato, who was hired for Timmy's GOTV effort. I was told by the gal I was standing with that he had already done this several times. So, on his next drive-by I showed him my 'Tall Man'-- that's what we call it in my house. Do you know Tall Man? He lives between Mr. Pointer and Mr. Ring-Finger. The idiot didn't come back.
There was some, not a lot, of foot traffic so I did a lot of chatting on my cell, mainly to another Lenz volunteer worker, a close friend, who'd been sent to 400 Marshall Street, where he'd been asked to 'relieve' Public Safety Director Angel Alicea so Alicea could "use the bathroom". Well, guess what? Alicea never came back, so my friend and I spent hilarious minutes speculating what happened to him in the bathroom, what he might be doing there, or why he never came back. I won't post those. Sorry. But my friend also detailed a galaxy of major Occhipinti 'players' schmoozing with the locals across the street: Perry 'Best Hair in Hoboken' Belfiore, Terry Castellano, Mike Russo, Ruben Ramos, Matt Calicchio, City Clerk Jimmy Farina ...
At about 7:30 pm the Adams and 2nd Lenz folks were advised that Occhipinti's paid workers were leaving their posts en masse and congregating near the 221 Jackson Street polling location for a bit of 'voter intimidation'... in other words, blocking the sidewalk and crosswalks, and in sheer numbers causing voters to 'run a gauntlet' in order to reach the polling place. A type of passive discouragement, you might say. So we were asked to go down there, and did so. There we saw perhaps 25 sign-carrying, t-shirt wearing Occhipinti paid workers obstructing street traffic. So I notified candidate Mike Lenz who had arrived on the scene, and he very politely spoke to the sidewalk obstructers and their leader. They complied with his request to clear the way.
Then, guess who showed up?
Director Alicea! He made it out of the bathroom!
Hooray!
He looked like a man relieved. I was so happy for him. I really wanted to ask him about his bathroom experience, to find out why he hadn't returned to his post at 400 Marshall where by then, my friend needed to use a bathroom, too. In fact, I will never be able to see Director Alicea again without imagining him fastened to a toilet sat. Perhaps bound and gagged. Held hostage, by mischievous Occhipinti workers, his Port-a-Potty dragged into the Hudson for use as a ballast on New York Waterway ferries to Manhattan.
Alright... this post is getting too long. So, I'll cut to the chase.
Back at Lenz HQ, machine votes were tallied and it was absorbed that we had not prevailed there. Why? We got clobbered on the machines in 4-4... where machine voting has not historically been a factor. So Timmy's people worked the GOTV there HARD. Real hard. That's a story I'll count on the news folks to tell.
Then Lenz and Mayor Dawn Zimmer spoke graciously, and the crowd hung around to thank them and schmooze.
Here's the surprise, which brings us back to the graphic at the top.
In one-on-one conversations about the election results, one name was brought up by each person I spoke with. Over and over again.
Tim Occhipinti'?
No.
Beth Mason.
The anger at her there was palpable. I heard the same things again and again... had Mason not turned her back on reform, had she not handed herself to the Russo faction, had she not given up the principles she was once respected and admired for (by GA included), had she not been so ego-driven not to accept her own loss with dignity and keep up the fight, the 4th Ward loss would not have derailed the progress reformers have made in Hoboken this past year.
Mason was campaigning hard for Occhipinti in the 4th Ward last night. I saw her on Jackson Street with the candidate- not reformer Mike Lenz- the OTHER guy. HER guy.
Theoretically, Mason is the 'swing' vote on a 4-4 City Council.
But we know where the Councilwoman swings NOW.
Her swing swung away from honest government long ago. Now she swings with the likes of sleazy political consultant James Barracato- her webmaster and companion, the angry lunatic Lane Bajardi, the proprietor of Hoboken411, and... the cast of the Council of No.
On the new City Council, expect a LOT of over-reaching. With a dash of hubris.
So the next election cycle begins.
We'll be back.
You bet we'll be back and more determined than ever to drive a stick right through the black heart of election fraud in Hoboken. I am so angry that so many people in 4-4 took their right to vote so lightly that they simply sold it for $40. There's a lot of work that needs to be done to change that mindset over the next seven months and it can only begin with some of the 4-4 residents themselves.
ReplyDeleteI went up to the individual (I was told that he was an off duty cop) at the 221 corner and said that it was illegal to block the sidewalk and the Occhipinti crew did allow free passage afterwards. Tim won and now the Council of No will rule for at least the next 7 months. It shows that we have to work harder to convince uninterested voters how important voting really is. Unless some brave individuals from the 4-4 come forward we will never be able to break the buy for ballot scheme. We can't moan and hew over it, we have to work harder and earlier.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to watch TIMMAY's political career after such an inglorious start.
ReplyDeleteAvenger-
ReplyDeleteTruly thanks for the heads up. You are right, this is a storm gathering and a human tragedy rolled into one. Call it blind ambition.
Shakespeare called it "vaulting ambition", I call it a damn shame that these sociopaths have resorted to criminality to continue their morally bankrupt reign which has no legitimate purpose.
ReplyDeleteI think that whenever the opportunity arises, the issue of Anthony Russo's unpaid debt and Michael Russo's apartment in Church Square Towers should be raised. Councilpersons Mello, Marsh, Bhalla and Cunningham should find a way to bring these subjects up at every Council meeting and residents should write letters galore to the Hoboken Reporter and the Hudson Reporter and keep the comments coming on the blogs. I find Russo's abominable, over-the-top performance as an Occhipinti supporter and his presence on the dais every other week to be an outright insult to everyone who lives in Hoboken and pays taxes.