The BoE Congregation

Curse of the Empty Chair.

'Action' was the word last night on both ends of town: a Special Meeting of the ZBA and a very 'special' meeting at the BoE.

What was so special about the BoE meeting?

Well, only two paltry Mason operatives showed up at the ZBA: Tim the videographer and Not-Perry,  arriving and leaving separately, sitting apart.  (How are those guys paid?  Not from her 501(c)(3), The Mason Civic League, Inc., like Matt Calicchio, we hope.  Does the I.R.S. know the answer?  Since the Feds read GA and MSV, maybe they can find out?)

While the BoE had a Dark Side hootenanny.

Team Carmelo: Joe Branco, Brian Murray were there together,  Liz Markevitch, BoE candidate, was sitting next to Theresa Burns.  Nick Calicchio tried to sit up front with Branco but ended up solo in the front row.

And who else came?   

Perry Belfiore my friend, with hair of woven silk like a silver possum napping up there.   (Mind you, it is a one-sided relationship.  Perry runs from me on sight like I'm the Anthrax deliveryman)

How come they get the real one and I get the decoy?  Can we trade?

left: Perry Belfiore, right: Not-Perry, his decoy

It was a rather subdued night.  Until a closed session discussion at 8:30 pm prompted a Dark Side exodus, my source described the atmosphere this way.

Like a roomful of church pews, the Dark Side (Forces of Satan) sat on the left, the Forces of Good and Support for the CHILDREN of the Hoboken District (Divine Accountability) sat on the right. But evangelist Carmelo Garcia, a gifted orator who preaches from the dais often on issues that (GA is told) have been discussed in Committee meetings he's missed was... missing. 

Where in the world was Carmelo Garcia?

Here's where.

Carmelo had contacted BoE President Rose Markle before the meeting and requested she announce that he was "home with a virus."

Yikes. I had one recently- not fun. You know, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.  And the weight doesn't even stay off.   All that vomiting might be worth it if the pounds wouldn't come back.  All I can tell you is my last virus was hell.

Poor Carmelo.  GA wishes him a speedy recovery.

Can I make a confession?   

GA's inner skeptic thought at first he might be off scrambling to expedite approvals on his HHA proposal since it's recent exposure to public scrutiny. 

Does that make me a bad person?

Just because I was imagining Carmelo frantically making phone calls or running to meetings to expedite approvals or do damage control instead of stricken with a miserable virus at home, too weak to eat or drink, perhaps running a fever?

And here I am, thinking he's missing yet another BoE meeting for his own personal agenda.

Shame on me.

I do hope he feels much better today. 

Electrolytes, Carmelo!  Drink one of these: