The New Civility

GA streamed the Hoboken City Council meeting last night; I was one of 13 people streaming in a city of 53,000- not bad!

Percentage-wise, that's a whopping 0.00245%.  

While the lull between elections may account for some viewer migration, GA thinks another reason may be that Council meetings are so different now-- since the 7-2 Reform majority was seated.

Yep, those old meetings were 4-baggers...

...one never knew what might happen!

Would Mike Russo tell Peter Cunningham to go home and cut eyeholes in his pillowcases?

Would Timmy pop out of his seat and refuse to participate in a vote for a new HHA Commissioner or antagonize Corporation Counsel to the point where she threatened to sue?

Would Terry Castellano insult a member of the public?  Would she be caught emailing confidential city business to Mason operative James Barracato only to blame it on 2 glasses of wine?

But the biggest Council freakshow came courtesy of  Beth Mason and her revolving entourage of political operatives. Mason's 'ass menagerie' included her personal videographer, his father, her bloated ape 'bodyguard', and her uni-browed desperado, all ready to heckle and intimidate speakers on the other side of the aisle.

The Mason clown car launched one folly after another on the City Council stage.

Who could forget her jihad for the emails of the Mayor's communications staff? Or when she pretended "the Council Minority" had negotiated the deal with HoldCo that saved our hospital?  Like Lucille Ball's antics to be in show business, Mason's antics pursuing political stardom (show business for ugly people) were never-ending: phone polls, ads, tv commercials, color mailers, "Dear Neighbor" newsletters, weekly newspaper ads...

Mason's 'power' is loot, seemingly entrusted to her political operative "Treasurer" who spent it profusely and unwisely.  GA hears that swaggering turd was mocked behind his back, but never to his face...  nope, everyone had their hand out for her Benjamins.  So, if Mason self-funded $1.396M for her Council and Mayoral races, one can only imagine the geyser of loot she poured into perpetual campaign mode and vicious political vendettas, which inevitably, spilled onto the City Council stage.

New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission  published their White Paper 26, “Legislative Elections 2013- Big Spending, Little Change Plus a History of Self-Financing by Legislators and Others,” 

Yep, don't I know!

Mason's personal photographer and his Daddy videotaped me for 12 months at the zoning board and their "film" starring me played on the Nazi Truck parked across from City Hall on meeting night. Mason backed a resolution to boot GA off the ZBA over a BLOG post,  "FBI Letter No. 4" which Timmy read into the record!  Oh, then there was the easel weasel art show; to which some Reform friends on the Council rolled over and played dead. But the biggest and most expensive of Mason's political operations was (and still is) her SLAPP suit.

For her conduct, the public grew to despise her, which wore on her face like the portrait of Dorian Gray.

So...

Watching last night's meeting, it's like a toxic cloud over Hoboken has lifted.  It looked like an actual government meeting, with decorum and civility between all parties, no Stupid People Tricks, and dare I say-  a showing of respect among 'factions.'  Like a 60's Love-In without the beads, weed and bong.

What does it mean?

Is this another Dark Side political strategy, or are 'things' finally working as they should at the City Council?

Perhaps it's temporary.  I hope not.

For now, welcome to the New Civility!