SofteeGate: Petition Targets the WRONG Mister Softee!

WHODUNIT?

The petition about the 'threat' to Tony the Mister Softee man,  appears to have misidentified which Mr. Softee prompted the one person, 'briank' to complain about him on Hoboken411.

The Chang.org petition to Tim Occhipinti and Terry Castellano is called: "City of Hoboken, NJ: Allow Tony (Mr.Softee) to operate his business in Church Square Park".

But not all is as it appears to be... as Softee-Gate evolves into a 'whodunit.'

Softee-phobe 'briank' writes on Hoboken411: 

Is it a figment of my imagination thy he generally would park on the southeast corner of 5th and Willow? That as soon as the line of customers was down served, he would turn the music back on to try to attract more customers? That I had to write to my councilman to complain?

 An astute GA reader sent me this email: 

playing music?? on the southeast corner of 5th and Willow??? ahhhhh..... this is NOT about Tony at all. The ice cream truck in question belongs to the nice Hispanic gentleman who also stops at Wallace occasionally. HIS "area" is Willow to the west (inclusive of Willow). Tony is east of Willow Ave. 

Ask Tony, he will tell you that. 

Tony can usually be found on 4th and Park, Pier A or driving along the streets EAST OF WILLOW. For many many many years. 

So, Mr Brian write "his Councilman" about this truck, on the southeast corner of 5th and Willow and a petition spreads thru Hoboken and cyber Hoboken like wildfire. Save Tony (again) Did this Councilperson not know that this wasn't Tony? Did he not know where 5th and Willow was? or did he think that this nice Hispanic gentleman wouldn't elicit the appropriate response? 

You're right, astute GA reader!   Tony's spot is on 4th and Park! 

So, the ginned-up controversy to "save Tony" with the orchestrated "save Tony petition" is about   another Mister Softee (I'll have to get his name).

Then why does the petition target the WRONG Mister Softee?

Don't Tim and Terry want to protect the other Mister Softee guy?

This political ploy to rally Old Hoboken voters against 'newcomers' seems to happen every election cycle. From 2005's Save Mister Softee jihad smack in the middle of  the Dave Roberts vs. Carol Marsh campaign (thanks to IndieCom who made this point on MSV.)

Click here to read full letter

Why do Old Guard politicians gin up complaints from a crank (or several cranks) to a full-fledged civil war on your child's ice cream cone? (curiously, the 'attack'  always seems to target the same vendor).

Does this dopey ploy work?  Dunno, but it's got 726 signatures.

That's an awful lot of pissed off ice-cream eaters.  Too bad the issue's a political scam.