Par-tay with Kids First

What a Kids First 2013 Kick-Off it was yesterday afternoon at The Turtle Club!

From infants to old geezers, the place was packed.   Wall-to wall KF supporters drank up a storm, danced, sang.  Okay,  that's not true.  But it was crowded, and the energy in the room was enough to make GA's hair frizz... okay, it was already like that.

Anyway, it was just a great start to the Kids First 2013 campaign;  so much energy and so many brownies...

And a bevy of Reform beauties: City Council candidate Jim Doyle and the lovely Leah Healy, Councilwoman Jen Giattino and family, Councilman Ravi Bhalla and family,  former Councilwoman Carol Marsh, ALL the Kids First beauties: Rose Markle, Jean Marie Mitchell,  Ruthy McAllister, Tom Kluepfel,   former KF Trustee Theresa Minutillo,  Mayor Dawn Zimmer with the lovely Stan Grossbard, KF's Campaign Manager Deirdre 'Red' Wall,  former KF Campaign manager Liz Mulholland, and too many Kids First fans to name, and kids, kids, kids all over the place... 'cause that's WHO it's all about.

KIDS.

The grassroots energy and enthusiasm and KIDS in the room reminded GA of why Kids First carries the mantle of reform, why parents and taxpayers can trust them to direct all available resources into our classrooms where they belong.

Remember who showed up at last year's Move Forward kick-off?  (Hint: resembled a wake minus the coffin)

(Move Forward was the Mason-backed, 'old Guard' BoE slate opposing Kids First, who campaigned with a Nazi Truck, midnight fliers and allegedly lost 750 stockpiled VBMs to flooding in the Citadel basement. The MF-ers were co-managed by John 'Mama's Boy' Castellano and Carmelo BFF Joe "It wasn't me" Branco)

Move Forward 2012: 'Change is coming" but they'd steal your dollars too.

 Move Forward 2012 Kick-Off: Lining up to feed from the $62 million BoE goody-bag, at Room 84

This year's Room 84 candidates are Vanessa Falco and Brian Murray.   

GA will get to Murray another day- all you need to know is he's a local realtor who's been bashing Kids First and kissing up to Carmelo Garcia for some time at public meetings.  Murray also gives seminars on relocating from Hoboken to the burbs (presumably to generate sales commissions) while trashing Hoboken public schools.  GA's wondered if all that romancing of Garcia has anything to do with anticipated listings of Vision 20/20 luxury units. It certainly couldn't be Garcia's no-show attendance  at School Board committee meetings.

August 2012 Facebook post:  Back it up, Carmelo... smooch, smooch

Well, I digress.  Back to the par-tay, here are our three wonderful candidates, raving beauties all!

Kids First 2013: Jennifer Evans, Leon Gold, Irene Sobolov

Look who dropped in!

GA with glass of milk, Mayor Zimmer, Carrie Phillips, Mrs. Kluepfel, an unidentified elbow

And, the most important of all... Hoboken KIDS!

Adorable!!!!!

And one more thing... a couple of birdies told me that The Hoboken Reporter is sitting on letters submitted by Kids First.

GA hears a letter from School Board Trustee Tom Kluepfel has been mouldering for 3 weeks over at The Hoboken Reporter UNPUBLISHED.

Does Tom have to chage his name to 'Joe  Mindak' or 'Peter Biancamano' to get his letter published?

WHAT GIVES?

Hoboken Reporter:  how about pretending you're not in the tank for Ruben or ABZ ('Anyone But Zimmer')?

Publish Tom's 'friggin' letter, already.