Deep Uvula: Below the Radar- UPDATED

The Hoboken Reporter asked this week: why are political factions wrangling over one housing seat?

In fact, the battle to keep the Hoboken Housing Authority under Executive Director Carmelo Garcia's control started weeks ago, when none other than a Russo intervened to stop Jake Stuiver from becoming Chairman.  Yes, a Russo.

Russo's behind-the-scenes machinations to keep Stuiver off the levers of HHA board control were intense, and this was before anyone knew about Marianne Camporeale's removal by the DCA. Which begs the question, why would the Russo's want to stop Stuiver from chairing the HHA?

Then the lid blew off this simmering pot last Wednesday when the Old Guard unleashed mayhem at the City Council- and don't believe for a moment that Camporeale (lawyered-up, claiming her civil rights violated under the ADA) wasn't told to be there.  Of course, she was.

The entire spectacle was a well-coordinated Hail Mary pass to keep her ON the HHA- but it went awry, over-played by petulant Prince Occhipinti, who had warned us of the Old Guard strategy the day before on Facebook!

Which brings us back to The Hoboken Reporter's question: why the "wrangling" over one HHA seat?

Well, you will never guess WHO got in touch with me this weekend with the answer: Deep Uvula (DU).

GA and Deep Uvula meet in the Midtown Garage

 
Do you know why GA calls this informant Deep Uvula?  See above.

And the dish I get from Uvula is unique because this chatty appendage is firmly, deeply ensconced in the other camp- still is.   

DU first showed up on  GA in March 2011 to dish about the Dark Side's Ian Sacs-o-phobia and their rules of engagement in Hoboken political life.  And that pink, fleshy blabbermouth didn't stop dishing until... the Feds showed up.  Then he/she went quiet.  More or less.

Since uvulas are not beer kegs to be tapped at will, one waits for their uvula to come back.  

Well, quite out-of-the-blue DU, who is one of many closet readers on the Dark Side (I've heard) who  like this blog, wanted to talk.   Here it is:

Been a while since we last spoke. Kind of spooky and people are still jumpy. Still not supposed to talk about any of that, so cant give you any details. Everyone knows that there is going to be some damage from the Ricciardi thing. Now it’s all about trying to contain the damage.

Things seemed to be going okay, with folks making plans for what to do after the Feds get done with this mess. Most thought that the HAA was safe and under the radar for a while and would let things get done without too much notice.

But then Camporeale had to screw things up by getting bounced off the HHA. Nobody gets how Carmelo could have fucked up so bad on this one. Just get her to the damn classes – we all remember what happened to Ruben. She had one job to do and screwed it up big time.

For a bunch of reasons I’m not in line to get anything out if it, so I could give a rat’s ass about it now. She was supposed to keep the HHA seat to allow Carmelo time to push through the plan to rebuild the HHA, or at least get it so far along that it couldn’t be stopped. Bet you haven’t heard or seen those plans. You don’t have to look too hard. Ask the One Eye guy.

This was supposed to be the last big grab for money in town before all you Yuppies take over and shut everything down. Hundreds of millions in construction fees, real estate commissions, insurance premiums, points – everyone has been slobbering over all the dough to be made.

The trick was to get the plans so far down the road to approval that Zimmer can’t do nothing about it. That is why it has been under wraps. But now that idiot old bat blew it.

A new guy on the HHA like that Lincoln guy changes the whole thing. He won’t just take what Carmelo tries to sell him. He and that Mello guy will probably ask too many questions about who was getting what. You should check the plans – no parks, shows the Pino site as a garage, and wall to wall buildings. A builder’s wet dream.

You wondered why everyone was screaming and yelling last Wednesday – had nothing to do with that old bat – she is as tough as nails. Always was. It’s all about jeopardizing the money that everyone plans to be making. 

Occhipinti acted like a fool. Even Mike realized he was out of control and had to step in. He and the old bat forget that this stuff is now on video and they just made a bunch of commercials for the Mayor’s re-election campaign.

Hear that folks are starting to think he has some serious limitations and that he is believing that he really is the whole bag of tricks. But the kid can’t think on his feet for nothing. Nobody is too happy about what happened Wednesday. They lost the seat and acted like morons. The whole lot of them.

There are plenty of pissed off folks behind the scenes. That is why you saw the ones that are out in front so desperate – this could get ugly.

Gotta love the excuses about her being a poor old disabled lady. And Russo said that crap with a straight face. Pretty impressive.

You thought 300k for new floors in the elevators was wild, that is peanuts compared to what people are planning to take out of the tear down of the HHA. That is what last Wednesday was all about. 

Sure the votes had something to do with it as well, but the idea is to keep just enough HHA units spread out in the new buildings to keep the lock on the fourth ward. But it may not be for Occhipinti if he doesn’t calm the fuck down.

And everyone is laughing at what idiots you made out of Beth and Barracato. Nobody really cares about that Jewish shit Beth tries to pull on you or if she is in hot water over that charity. Nobody cares where the money comes from, just that it shows up and the rest is her and her husband’s problem.

People try to tell her to leave you the fuck alone for her own good because she just keeps getting her ass kicked every time she tries another dumb stunt. She don’t listen. But it is good for laughs.

Wow.

GA assumed the hideous bleating from the Dark Side was about protecting their Vote-by-Mail (VBM) harvest.

Not a grand scheme to reap millions in razing the HHA.

One wonders what's been happening below the radar to make this happen.  One can imagine the promises made to a whole 'gang' of beneficiaries: from politicians to their friends and donors... use your imagination.  

The kind of scrutiny Reform leadership brings throws a bucket of water on such a scheme, truly making it a "wet dream."

DU's explanation for the desperation of this fight for ONE seat to keep the HHA levers of power makes perfect sense to me.

One Eye, can you look into this?

(Updated, 10:06 am)

This is stunning. GA just got this email from an attendee at the last HHA meeting: 

At the last HHA meeting, there was a vote to continue the redevelopment plan.

Mello wanted to ask questions and hold the vote off until next month, but qualified by saying something like, " If it's already too far along, I won't challenge it but..."

Carmelo interjected (on the microphone set to 11) "Yes, we are already very far along and have worked on it for over a year, and it will slow down progress..."  

Then Mello backed off and they voted for it. I'm not sure of the impact that vote had. If Camporeale's vote is not valid, I hope it can unravel some errant voting in the past for this redev project. I don't think any of the board members fully understood what was going on. 

Wow.  Now doesn't that validate everything DU said.

(GA was at that meeting, but frankly left early because Little Avenger (LA) was bored out of her skull.)