Earwitness News: Ruben Hires Ex-Reporters and Pablo Fonseca


So, you'd think politicos would come up for air on a holiday weekend, right?

Wrong!

Today's Earwitness News report has a couple of moving parts, and they came from several well-placed sources.

On the heels of that Fulop thumpin' in Jersey City, seismic shifts in the HCDO's power structure (congrats to Tom Bertoli its new Executive Director), and Hudson County political loyalties flipping like pancakes, we've got a hotly contested mayoral race right here in Hoboken. 

What does one have to do with the other? 

A lot, it seems.

Because it looks like some folks outside the Mile Square really want Ruben Ramos to win.  Really.  Enough to send troops to Hoboken to help Ruben slay the Giant, Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

And a giant she is.  According to a source, a recent independent poll found Zimmer so far ahead of Ramos we can't see him in her clouds of dust.  Oh, but he's there and with the help he's getting, it's going to get very dirty.

Part -1 Stack Supports Ruben, Makes a Move on Hoboken
It's no secret that Ruben Ramos orchestrated the selection of HHA Executive Director Carmelo Garcia for Assembly with Union City Mayor Brian Stack.

It's no secret that Carmelo has done everything but start digging the foundation with his bare knuckles to break ground on Phase 1 of the Vision 20/20 Plan, the redevelopment of the HHA.  GA estimates the developer's fees alone to be at least $20 million.

It's no secret that Brian Stack needs cash; the scuttlebutt is that he has $1 million of debt.

According to a source, Stack is eyeing Hoboken and it's huge development potential, because if Ruben wins there will be "lots of money to be made".  Hence, Stack has dispatched 'people' to help Ruben; most of them come from the vanquished West New York Mayor Felix Roque's administration.

And, guess who's working for Stack now?

Hint: fishy Beth Mason political operative who steered Mason's political career into a dumpster.

Yep!  GA hears that Stack hired the hapless Finboy, which explains the explosion of garbage postings on MSV of late. Stack must really be out-of-touch with Hoboken's political scene, because everything this untalented urchin touches fails gloriously.  Fellow bloggers: expect that rancid tuna to appear under a flurry of screen names spewing his signature politi-spam.

Part -2 Ruben Hires Pablo Fonseca
One former Roque person dispatched to Hoboken for a top level post in Ruben's campaign is none other than Pablo Fonseca.   Fonseca was Newark Mayor Corey Booker's former Chief of Staff  and in 2011, was named in a corruption indictment of Newark's Deputy Mayor Ronald Salahuddin;   Fonseca was not indicted. In February 2013, Salahuddin was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in federal prison for conspiracy to commit extortion while serving as Newark deputy mayor.  The Star-Ledger excerpted this from the indictment:
Salahuddin said he needed help pulling strings in City Hall to ensure the contracts went to Mazzocchi, according to the indictment. And for that, authorities say, he claimed to have recruited Fonseca.

"I got to have (Fonseca) take the lead," Salahuddin said, according to the indictment.

During a meeting with the undercover informant in December 2006, Salahuddin said Fonseca asked him to raise $10,000 in donations for "a charity supported by City of Newark officials," according to the indictment. One week later, Mazzocchi gave a $5,000 check to Salahuddin, who then mentioned the demolition contracts, authorities said.

"When the demolition comes up ... I’ve already told (Fonseca) ... I hand him this ($5,000 check) ... it’s locked in," Salahuddin said, according to the indictment.

In August 2007, Salahuddin said Fonseca had pressured a city employee with authority to award contracts, authorities said. "He just told (the employee), point blank, that we are now trying to help our friends," Salahuddin said, according to the indictment.

Each time Cooper landed a contract, authorities say Salahuddin made money, too. He had invested $900,000 in Cooper Trucking in 2004 after mortgaging his home and a rental property. Authorities say Salahuddin failed to disclose his stake in the firm. He did, however, list Cooper Trucking in 2008 on a state disclosure form requiring officials to list sources of income exceeding $2,000.

Fonseca was a top campaign strategist for Booker in his unsuccessful attempt to unseat Mayor Sharpe James in 2002. After being elected in 2006, Booker named Fonseca his chief of staff.
And now Fonseca is running the Ramos campaign.  Birds of a feather?

What do Mindak, Miani and Gonzales have to say about this?

Part 3- Ramos Using 2 Ex-Reporters to Lobby The Hoboken Reporter
GA hears that 2 former reporters are now working for the Ramos campaign and actively trying to influence their former paper, The Hoboken Reporter to publish slanted news stories that portray Mayor Zimmer as weak, and being abandoned by her supporters.

GA hears that another ex-reporter Tim Carroll from The Hoboken Reporter was hired by Ramos, but quit shortly after.  After Carroll quit, the 2 ex-reporters were hired.

Wow, a pretty dirty strategy. Hiring former newspaper 'insiders' to plant campaign propaganda as 'news' with their former peers.

Will The Hoboken Reporter gobble the garbage and regurgitate it in print?  We'll wait and see.  But GA hears the campaign's mandate is to trash Zimmer in the HR and to keep it coming until Election Day.

Interestingly, the page 3 Beth Mason ad was BACK in the Hoboken Reporter this week.

Methinks that Mason, the Energizer Bunny of  Political Scheming, is attempting a comeback by helping Stack take down Zimmer.  Where else has she got to go?  Hence, moving her fish-filet to Stack's office.

Oh Jeez, like a flurry of Finboy's moronic web-postings is going to carry Ruben across the Finish line.   More like the 'FinishED line; Mason and her Gang are better known in Hoboken as the 'Kiss of Death' to any campaign they touch.   Ask Healy what Mason's $46K did for him.

Earwitness News, over and out.


Comments

  1. so now mason is backing ramos? what happened to mayor timmy? he's gonna have a big pouty sadface when he finds out, oh boy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or they are just looking for a paycheck. I was never under the impression that Mason's operatives just work for her. She can't afford to keep everyone on retainer full time for no reason.

      Delete
    2. I believe Timmy was on the menu when Mason thought she'd get the Assembly slot or a Albio Sires' spot.

      I suppose all bets are off after she bet on the wrong horse in JC. Fulop and Sacco appear to be working together, so Stack is the only 'home' she has, assuming he doesn't kick her to the curb. I am surprised Stack would take on Finboy, with his reputation- one political bomb after another in Hoboken, and at least one (I know of) ticking away.

      tick tick tick

      Delete
    3. Patently false statement: " She can't afford to keep everyone on retainer full time for no reason."

      Delete
    4. Leaks, she hires a shit ton of people. She can't hire them all for no reason. Maybe a handful she will pay to do nothing useful but there are just too many cockroaches scurrying out looking for scraps to pay them all to do nothing.

      Delete
    5. She sent the father and son douchebag team of Barry and Tim Brendel to ZBA meetings for months from sheer spite. Except that the footage turned up on the Nazi truck.

      We may be talking about the difference between paying people to do nothing, and paying people and having nothing to show for it because she is the single most inept manager on the east coast.

      Delete
    6. She did but that is just a few hours a week and I doubt it paid much. These people need to make a living and there are a ton of them looking to make money during election season. She just can't afford to keep a dozen or more on staff year round and pay them enough to not have them try and go make a buck elsewhere when the opportunity presents itself. That is all I am saying. I am not at all trying to say she doesn't pay these people b/c I don't at all believe that to be true.

      Delete
    7. Anon @ 9:13AM, I'm curious how she evades reporting all of these political employees. Are they working off the books? Does she pay cash or is the $$ routed through one of her shell companies? She got cash to her operatives to sue the 20 bloggers. How? I'll bet that Jimmy the Fish knows.

      Delete
    8. Well her accountant probably justifies no reporting these political employees b/c they are guaranteed losers who will do nothing to advance her political career. Think of it a bit. Every since she brought all these leeches on board, she has done nothing but look bad and fail at almost everything.

      Delete
    9. Anon @ 10:09AM, she's only got herself to blame. A competent politician doesn't buy an entourage of morons and would have fired them a long time ago. Her choices. No one decent will work for her now. Accountant? Doubt it. someone is moving this cash around. Paying her operatives and paying for other things.

      Delete
  2. GA you failed to mention the relationship between Pablo, Booker and Ravi? Just let me be more clear Political donations, city contracts etc.... Birds of a feather? Did you leave it out on purpose GA? Idk anything about Pablo and his problems or lack of problems in Newark but I do care about Ravi and Hoboken...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon, the post is about mayoral election politics. I'll leave the Ravi-bashing to Hoboken411. Heads up: I am not a libertarian.

      Delete
    2. I love disingenuous trolls that pretend they don’t know anything about a subject but in the same breath reveal that they know all about the issue. Wikipedia even has a name for them –“concern trolls” LOL. Seems you made a direct hit, GA, as this little concern troll has their panties all in a twist.

      Delete
  3. So you will not be making that connection between Ravi and Pablo? Birds of a feather? huh GA? are you telling me that Ravi is not running with Mayor Zimmer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Anon. Pablo Fonseca is working for Ramos, not Bhalla. End of story.

      As I said I am not a libertarian. Differing opinions are welcome. Spinning trolls are not. I get it, you want to deflect attention from the fact that the Ramos campaign is being run by Fonseca, by blowing smoke at your favorite pinata.

      Have a nice day.

      Delete
    2. On any given day, the worst lapse in judgment of any reform candidate would pale in comparison to the day-to-day machinations, self-dealing, corruption, grafting and overall scum-bagginess of the Old Guard.

      Delete
  4. Hey AnonyASS

    Get your own blog if you dont like what GA writes. But based upon what you have posted so far, I doubt that you would get much of a following.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can't SPEAK ON HERE GA? let me restate my comment as a statement not a question...

    I am not spinning nothing I am concerned that your story in inaccurate and incomplete. The story mentioned Ramos Council I think its fair that if the story is trying to discredit someone his ties to Zimmer's Councilman and his relationship to the same person should be mentioned. If your not considered about it then part two of your story in incomplete and irrelevant...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon, please put down your crack pipe. Ramos "Council"? No, the Ramos CAMPAIGN. Presumably a political strategist. The Ramos CAMPAIGN is now dispatching former reporters to The Hoboken reporter to plant fake news.

      Don't be "concerned" about my blog. "Inaccurate"? Not at all. Ravi has no ties to Fonseca. If you find any, feel free to express them on Hoboken411 or on your therapist's couch.

      You have expressed your concerns here, thank you. Have a nice day.

      Delete
    2. You can make an ass all you want troll. Nobody will take you seriously and you do nothing but make the people you support look bad when you make an ass of yourself or post something incredibly stupid but you still have the right to make a complete fool out of yourself. BTW, you are doing a great job. I am sure Ramos thinks you are doing so wonderful he wished you ceased to exist.

      Delete
    3. The Ramos troll seems to be all caught up in what GA has to say and how BAD it makes Ramos look. But again – let the troll go get its own blog and write away – the little hairy creature seems to be just overflowing with wonderful political insight and snappy repartee and I am just sure that this poor imitation of cousin It will get such a large following It will blow GA out of the water with “complete” and “relevant” posts. Oh if only us reformers would only listen to the Troll and follow the Troll to the promised land of 800k in missing quarters, indicted and imprisoned mayors, city councilmen agreeing to be bribed on an FBI tape, closing the hospital, and saddling the city with 52 million in debt, refusing to vote to repair Pier C, and all sorts of other goodies. Of course, if only we would listen to the Troll we could live in a land where Church Towers is really an affordable housing opportunity available to anyone of modest means and open to the residents of the HHA. We have all heard the slime the Troll and its ilk is trying to sell and none of us here are buying, so my dear little beady eyed perverted and scummy Troll, go peddle that snake oil elsewhere. You support Ramos, you support corruption and political grifting. Not allowed here.

      Delete
    4. khoboken-

      Are you sure the Troll is hairy?

      Delete
  6. AnnonyASS - Of course you are spinning. You want to write your version of GA's story and label her's irrelevant and incomplete. If you don't like hers, then go get your own blog and write away. So far, all I have heard from you is hot air and innuendo about RB. SO go set up an "I Hate RB Site". I am sure that you will get lots of really intelligent readers interested in your POV. Here, you are just another idiotic troll, accept your fate gracefully, or be prepared to be slimeb into oblivion.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's nice when someone comes along and accidentally confirms my worst suspicions about Team Ramos by making a desperate ham-handed attempt to change the subject.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Politics is Politics and everyone has his view...sometimes it's obvious but most of the time the strategy and tactics can surprise or confuse. The writing was on the wall in JC and the writing is on the wall for Hoboken.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The wall is far enough away for history to be re-written on it. It looks like that is the Ramos' campaign strategy. Pump false narratives into the press and a fishy operative's politi-spam online.

      If I were Ruben, I'd run on my Assembly record. I know at least one person, a reformer, who thinks he did a good job there. It's baffling why he's chosen the low road.

      Delete
  9. Ruben's chances are as good as Buono's - they are perfect together.
    I liked his performance in the Assembly, as well.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment