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Another reason GA is glad the Big Guy passed on his presidential run today: he's got his eye on Hoboken.
Enough to have interceded with a large wad of cash when 4 City Council members tried to sink the HoldCo deal, with this strong condemnation:
“It is completely unacceptable that the city council placed local politics ahead of the 1300 employees at the Hoboken University Medical Center and the people in the community who rely on the critical services provided by this hospital. This Administration is not going to allow political bickering to put this hospital in jeopardy and potentially have a negative and irresponsible impact on the city’s finances, which is why the state will contribute the $5 million, if needed, to ensure the Hoboken University Medical Center deal closes and the hospital stays open. With the availability of this funding, it is now up to the unions to ensure the hospital stays open, people continue to have access to emergency services, 1300 jobs are saved, and municipal default is averted.”Buzzwords to remember:'completely irresponsible', 'political bickering', 'negative', 'irresponsible impact' and GA's favorite: 'if needed'.
Christie knows the score. And the players.
One whose campaign is under investigation by the NJ Attorney General's Office for election fraud (Tim Occhipinti), another whose large campaign contributions -in excess of ELEC's single donor restrictions wheeled through PACs, helped finance the alleged vote-buying (Beth Mason), and one seen accepting a $5G bribe from informant Solomon Dwek on FBI surveillance tape- a bribe he never collected (Mike Russo).
Christie, A former U.S. Attorney, surely knows of the systemic corruption that's made our elections a joke, that caused one City Hall insider to remark that prior to Zimmer, "City Hall was run like a criminal enterprise". Can't tell you who said it.
Whatever his motives, GA believes this Republican former law-enforcement official is behind the AG sweep into Hudson County (West New York, Union City, Hoboken), something no Democrat would ever have the balls to do- take on Hudson County's Democratic machine. I wouldn't be surprised if he's regularly apprised by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and his Attorney General Paula Dow on the Hoboken investigation.
And don't underestimate the power of Zimmer's bipartisan overtures; Christie sent Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno to Hoboken on July 1st to swear in Peter Cunningham and Jen Giattino. Just them. The mayor's allies. Beth Mason, Tim Occhipinti, Mike Russo and Terry Castellano got the Trenton Diss. A very public raspberry from the The Big Guy himself.
So, GA doesn't give a damn about Christie's motivations. I'm just glad he's sticking around to 'finish the job' where we need it, without the huge distraction of running a national campaign.
As for 'the job'...
We wait... and all we can do is look around for 'signs'; anything to tell us that the ground is really moving beneath us, reshaping the landscape as we go about our lives.
The signs are out there if you pay attention.
Here's one I noticed as I perused through Gallery 1200's Grand Opening photos on Facebook.
As you may know, a new art gallery opened this past Sunday at 1200 Washington Street,the former Mason Campaign headquarters. The gallery is being sponsored by the Mason Family Civic League. Both Beth and Ricky Mason, the sponsors, were there. The 87 photos included many posed shots of artists and attendees with either one of the sponsors.
Out of the 87 photos how many do you think were of both Masons in the same frame?
None.
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| Not one pic of the sponsors, the Masons, together in the same frame |
GA finds this telling.
With that many photographs taken in a small gallery, you'd expect at least one posed shot of the couple, the gallery sponsors, together.
So why wouldn't they want to be photographed together?
For the same reason they weren't seated together (where they could be photographed) at the Pier A 9-11 Memorial ceremony?
This is not accidental, folks.
GA thinks this is a 'sign', the recognition that they've already seen the shift of the landscape and are trying to minimize fallout for the one left standing.
Just seems like every time you go to a gallery you run into Matt Callicchio, Pupie Raia, Stick Romano, and King of the VBMs Ryan Yacco...
ReplyDeleteForgetting that there are no pics of the estranged couple in the 80 snaps, could they have spared a shot or 2 of the artwork? You can't see it through the riff-raff. Silly me, I usually go to galleries to take my mind away from the riff-raff for a while. Maybe the photog was making an ironic commentary?
What an intriguing post GA. You have my head spinning, spinning, spinning with this gem:
ReplyDelete"...one City Hall insider to remark that prior to Zimmer, "City Hall was run like a criminal enterprise."
They did act like a bunch of hoods if you look at tapes of the old meetings. Cammarano was their perfect messenger with his snickering, condescending schtick the local media ignored and called him a guy with a future.
Hard to say who's worse, the local riff raff that has held seats on the Council or the enablers who never held them accountable in the media.
The tide is turning. Great story with the insight on the wannabe first couple of Hoboken.
Lots of shots of the social Keimers and paid sycophants
ReplyDeletei live down the block from this place and kind of want to go in but just can't get over the "first couple of hoboken" (great phrase, smarty!) hump. it's like if rupert murdoch or the koch brothers sponsored an art exhibit...i might go, but i'd feel a little dirty inside that i was implicitly endorsing them. feel bad for the artists, but sometimes you have to deal with the devil.
ReplyDeleteWoe be to the "artists" who have forged this unholy alliance. When corrupt politics and art merge, you get...DREK (the Soviet system comes to mind) and the minute Mason needs the space for use as a paymaster's office for her next campaign, the other stated uses of this space will go by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteC'mon GA, maybe the Masons were doing the de rigueur "mix 'n mingle" at their vanity gallery inaugural. They're still of one mind, if not of one snap. Oracle is spot-on.
ReplyDeleteAs for Christie's motivations, all well & good to not care for the short-term. Certainly, if Christie expedites investigations and possible indictments/convictions. And helps with the HUMC deal.
But down the line is another story. Chits WILL be called in. Think: NJT development (when "Dubai on the Hudson" is revived in some form); & northern Hoboken (when the tunnel is again funded).
Once Christie & Menendez finish (for now) their Hudson Co. power-tussle, more will be revealed.
And perhaps less will be revealed of Christie. He's already taking lots of flack about his weight. That must have been focus-grouped by handlers & factored into his 2012 decision. My guess is, polls may point to a statistically-meaningful bias against corpulence. It's not the world of Grover Cleveland political appeal anymore.
Before 2016, it could be speculated Christie will do exactly what Menendez did some years back: shape-shift from morbidly obese to a healthier weight. But even if he's recovering from his addiction to food, Christie--like Menendez--will remain addicted to power.
For Christie & Menendez, Hoboken is just an object in the quest.