Double Vision 20/20

left: Vision 20/20 BEFORE Camporeale stepped down  right: Vision 20/20 AFTER Camporeale stepped down and Reform took control of the HHA Board

Folks, there is no doubt in GA's mind that the histrionics we saw at the City Council, online and at the HHA over Marianne Camporeale's removal had everything to do with the pot of gold over the rainbow: the razing and redevelopment of the HHA called Vision 20/20.

Camporeale's removal meant the ascendance of Reform at the HHA and all kinds of sunlight for the secretive and all-powerful Executive Director Carmelo Garcia.  In order to keep out prying eyes, the ED's last defense was to protect his secrets within a fortress: his lawyer, his auditor and a staged People's-rebellion against the Starbucks-sipping, bicycle-riding interlopers of Reform.

Zimmer Puppet!  Benedict Arnold! Big Giant Meanie!

All of the fuss- including hiding the ED's contract, resisting a new auditor, ramming through the re-appointment of attorney Daglian (now invalidated by Corp Counsel) and the t-shirt rebellion have aroused intense interest- even suspicion- that all this to keep sunlight out of the HHA must mean something's amiss.  

Well, whatever's amiss will be revealed, because GA believes it's only a matter of time until HUD gets involved.  And I believe it was the wrangling over the attorney;  the conflict of interest in representing the Board over his own reappointment and which triggered Hoboken's Corporation Counsel to invalidate it- that is going to raise red flags at HUD.  In my opinion.

It's not the crime, it's the cover-up.

And the all-you-can eat Vision 20/20 smorgasbord planned by Chef Carmelo appears to be on hold until matters are straightened out:  appointing a new attorney, new auditor, a Deputy Director,  Board control of meetings, etc.

Well, yesterday was a busy day here at GA.  Let's recap:

• The HHA's elevator contractor,  GS Elevator Industries, had his NJ corporate status revoked in 2007- their suspension began on July 27, 2007, to be exact.   Their reinstatement has been "pending" since 2009.  In spite of that, the HHA awarded him a contract in "November 2010" (October 20, 2012 meeting transcript- pages 50,51) and that year paid $385K for "replacement of elevator floors"- reported to HUD in it's Annual Performance Statement signed by Executive Director Carmelo Garcia.  GA took a second look and noticed the statement was  not verified by the HHA's auditor (no signature).  Does this mean the audit for the reporting of federal funding and expenditures was never done?

As for the elevator contractor, GA got this from a lawyer-friend: If I was their bank, I would be exceptionally interested in that document, and unless they could show they had incorporated elsewhere, it would immediately serve as grounds for shutting down their accounts. Well, whatever the case may be, the elevator contract was awarded in 2010- the same year that $385K of federal money was paid for ... ?  Audit needed.

•  On October 20, 2012, Executive Director Garcia announced that  HHA's Fire Protection contract was "being awarded to Total Fire Safety" (meeting transcript- page 49) On February 14, 2013- 4 months later- Hoboken Fire Department Chief Blohm presented the results of his department's recent inspection: abysmal safety violations, life threatening conditions-- SIX buildings with NO fire suppression, non-working electric panels, non-working generators among others.  If the contract was awarded in October, how were such egregious, hazardous safety conditions allowed to languish for months?