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| Frank Raia, candidate Karen Nason and musician Jonathan Edwards |
In spite of one non-candidate who's been sucking up the oxygen lately, there are real candidates for Hoboken mayor!
Three, in fact: incumbent Dawn Zimmer, Ronald Bautista and Karen Nason.
On Monday, April 17, Zimmer held a fundraiser at Porter Collins, followed 2 days later by Karen Nason's fundraiser at House of 'Que!
While Zimmer's featured a political celebrity guest (Phil Murphy), Nason's featured a musical celebrity guest: 70's folk icon Jonathan Edwards (of "Sunshine" fame) who entertained the house with great acoustic guitar music.
Nason packed the house:
GA saw a lot of new faces, members of Hoboken's business community, local politicos. It appears that former Councilwoman Theresa Castellano and former NHSA Commissioner Frank Raia are firmly in Nason's camp; both stayed for the whole event.
Not present: Freeholder Anthony "Stick" Romano.
FYI: the 'rumor' that Nason was "put up by Stick" is all wrong. She has other political backers.
In her speech, Nason named her three top platform issues: (1) helping the small business community (2) improving the city's infrastructure and (3) limiting bonding. GA recorded her speech (below).
My casual observation is that Nason's message will appeal to anti-Zimmer and/or OG folks, the small business community, and her bohemian/ artist persona will grab some millennials. Hmmm... sounds like Mike DeFusco's constituency.
In fact, by the time Mike DeFusco gets into the race, she'll have poached his entire vote. Remember The Tortoise and the Hare?
Once upon a time there was a hare [Mike DeFusco] who, boasting how he could run faster [and raise more $$$] than anyone else, was forever teasing tortoise [Get out of the race, Karen! You can't win!] for its slowness.”SAD. Slow and steady wins it every time.
Annoyed by such bragging, the tortoise accepted the challenge [Bring it on]...
... At that very point, the hare woke with a jolt [on Memorial Day weekend]. He could see the tortoise a speck in the distance and away he dashed. He leapt and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and gasping for breath. Just a little more and he’d be first at the finish. But the hare’s last leap was just too late, for the tortoise had beaten him to the winning post. Poor hare! Tired and in disgrace, he slumped down beside the tortoise who was silently smiling at him.
Go back to sleep, Mike!
Here's what candidate Nason wants you to know:
"I am working on 2nd event in May. Will include music, professional skateboarder's, artists and I will disclose the place as we get closer, but it will be a Cirque du Soleil style event! I am also working on two events that will include Women in Business for Hudson County, and I am hosting the Chamber of Commerce new members meeting this Friday at "Hothouse," April 28th for new member's 9-10:30 am breakfast at 200 Monroe Street 2nd and Monroe. I will not be able to attend as my son is graduating college Suma Cum Laude for Journalism and I will be there this weekend. Folks can go on Nasonformayor.com for updates, etc. The website is a work in progress with more coming with the website. My slogan is "Service over Ambition" "People over Politics". You will hear this a lot from me. Grassroots is the way I will run my campaign."GA recorded her speech, followed by a duet of "Sunshine"with Jonathan Edwards.
All in all, Nason raised $6,684 that night, ka-ching!
You had me at Raia... Looks like Nason will be the proud owner of Pupie's paid for VBM's in this election. I feel kinda bad for Little Lyin Mike who needed these votes...
ReplyDeletePupie was okay when he supported Zimmer though...
DeleteMike is screwed without Pupie Power.
ReplyDeleteHey Nancy just wanted to say the singer is Jonathan Edwards!!! You have Evans. Just wanting folks to know because his
ReplyDeletemusic is awesome and well worth the purchase! Thanks Nancy!!
Ooops! Will fix that!
DeleteTrain wreck.
ReplyDeleteYou don't live here so why's it YOUR business? Out of town paid hack.
DeleteLocal resident, not a business owner, no political related income.
DeleteBut you are a jerk-off
She owns multiple businesses - She lives here as well. Check your facts.
DeleteGA, FYI I just had another comment that didn't post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSorry, it's not in my Spam folder... it got lost in the tubes. :(
DeleteSo, Castellano, Pupie, and Nason. I thought Castellano went with the Russos? Do they all hate Zimmer and DeFusco enough to unite behind her?
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteEverybody in the pool! -- too bad we still don't have one.
ReplyDeleteAw... you don't have to sulk. You really think Mike had a chance?
DeleteThe idea that the Russos would ever allow Mike DeFusco to become Mayor was always an absurd leap into wishful thinking by DeFusco and the self-interested political morons/political pariahs he listens to (PB and TS). Theresa despises Mike and never lets go of a grudge - in this case a legitimate and understandable one. And Mike Russo wants to be Mayor in 2021.
ReplyDeleteOnly a complete idiot would believe the Russos would ever permit DeFusco to become Mayor if it ever looked like he had a chance against Zimmer. His chances with full throated Russo and Raia support were slim but not impossible, but that support was always as noted above pathetic ignorant wishful thinking. Without it he's a laugh line on a suicide mission diving into permanent political oblivion (see Tim Occhipinti).
But he's gone too far to turn back. He'll put a couple of Russos on his ticket like Mason did in a desperate attempt to win their support. The Russos will then go all out to elect their Council people while throwing poor little Mikey under the bus.
Mason May 2009 redux! Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it and poor Mikey seems to have an awfully short memory.
I don't think MDF has gone too far to turn back. He hasn't opened his campaign yet. Only political junkies are paying attention. That's not even 1% of Hoboken.
DeleteThat 1% has a proven to have a great deal of influence over the vote on election day. The majority of that 1 % already think MDF is an ass hat.
DeleteOf course he theoretically can back out. But if he tries to claim he was never running because he never announced as you seem to suggest he'll look like a liar and an idiot.
DeleteOn second thought, what difference would that make. He already looks like a liar and an idiot so why not go out that way with $87,000 of OPM in his pocket. It beats being a penniless loser with no chance of re-election to council no matter how many important people you screw.
MDF has said $10K of that would go to repay his loan to himself for his Council run. Then there are the expenses for running the fundraisers, etc... Same with KN.
Delete*
ReplyDeleteThere is no upside for Russo in backing DeFusco.
These comments are hysterically funny and I'm enjoying them. You anons find new ways to make fun of Mike in every post. I LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteI'm not voting for Nason or DeFusco. Looks like I'm left with Zimmer and that's that.
ME TOO.
DeleteThere's also the bike guy...that I know nothing about. I just can't bring myself to vote for Zimmer, DeFusco or Nason, so I guess I need to check him out.
DeleteSomeone else...PLEASE!
I wouldn't think of Bautista as just "the bike guy". Come on. How many bike wackos are there really in this town? People in Hoboken want to fucking drive everywhere even if it's 2 blocks to their friend's house, then bitch about how hard it is to find parking. There is no bike constituency in Hoboken.
ReplyDeleteOne strategy our "bike guy" might take is to try to capture the entire Hispanic vote. Low voter turnout for off-year elections means if someone like the bike dude can get his Spanish-speaking friends to all vote for him, you never know... he might have a chance to steal the election. Zimmer and Nason better start pandering to the Hispanic vote before the bike dude takes it all.
Sometimes you have to wonder whether political hacks who write really moronic things are actually morons or just pretending to be morons. Of course only a moron would pretend to be a moron so either way, I guess you qualify as a moron.
DeleteKeep hacking moron!
Take a look at the bike racks near the PATH Station and tell then me there is no bike constituency in Hoboken. Even that DeFuso kid says he take his bike to the ferry to NYC.
ReplyDeleteRunning for public office even if you have no real chance of winning gives you an excellent platform to express your point of view.
Just was over on Nason's website. Choice quote:
ReplyDelete"...if we just got out of the way of investors..."
Nice Karen. Do you want us to get out of the way of developer's too?
I think she must be the Raia candidate and she'll be the beneficiary of Raia's VBM special delivery. Since when does any person or faction from reform applaud candidates affiliated with VBM? (well, I mean since the 2007 city council election anyway.)
Extrapolation Man strikes again!
DeleteCriticizing Defusco is being homophobic.
An out-of-context remark about investors is the same as turning over the city to developers. (PS, you might want to play the anti-developer card too heavily until you study Defusco's ELEC's.)
Showing a picture of Frank at a party is being pro-vote-buying.
Thank you, Extrapolation Man! Your desperate manipulation of facts is as enjoyable as it is recognizable.
You're confused. Mike DeFusco has made it clear that he feels the city needs to get out of the way of developers. And Ruben Ramos who supports Mike is no stranger to the concept of paid for votes. He and Pupie had quite a battle fighting over them in 2013, and they partnered in the effort many a time before. You know buying votes at the polls is exactly the same crime as buying them through VBM's don't you?
DeleteKaren has the same right to run as Mike, and by many measures she's far more qualified. If you watched the video she's certainly more articulate. Mike should put on his big boy pants and focus on explaining why he should be Hoboken's next mayor - something nobody has been able to explain so far - instead of trying to push candidates out of the race.
Yo dunce @ 5:04, I "applaud" democracy. Which means Nason has as much right to run as Zimmer and as DeFusco. You bullies think you can trash talk a woman out of the race and attack her business. Sorry, Nick Sacco and Joey Muniz don't pick Hoboken candidates
DeleteKaren Nason has a nice voice.
DeleteI hope she will get to sing at Mayor Zimmer's 3rd term inauguration ceremony.
And bring some of that yummy pizzaaaaa!
DeleteVote for who you believe in.
ReplyDeleteGod, what idiots! I said Nason is a train wreck; I didn't say she doesn't have the right to run. It's fine with me if train wrecks run for office. I suspect the other train wreck, Pat Waiters, will toss her hat into the race at some point too.
ReplyDeleteYou all need to be a little more careful about your own personal campaign agendas leaking out in your rebuttals. It's obvious that the Zimmerbots on this blog are livid about DeFusco's presumed run and don't think he should be running and that is what underlies all the shade and the obvious hatred of Defusco. Only some democracy should be "applauded". How dare he toss his hat in the ring!
Way to try to flip the story on its head LTS. If Mike's people didn't want their desperate efforts to get Karen to drop out to be known, they should have been a bit more circumspect.
DeleteHas anybody associated with Zimmer ever approached Mike to dissuade him from running? I thought not.
Personally, I have an open mind over whether Mike should be running (that's should as in does he have anything to offer not does he have a right to) since no one has even tried to make the case why this inexperienced kid should be Mayor.
I look forward to hearing him explain what he has to offer beyond the "Dawn sucks" talking points put together by LTS. If the only positive vision he has basically copycats Karen Nason (pro business, less restrictive zoning, etc) then its hard to see what he adds to the existing field other than LTS inspired venom.
Who in the world is LTS?
DeleteI'm not one of "Mike's people" and I don't care who runs or who drops out of this race. I don't think I, in good conscience, could vote for any of the options on the table although I know nothing about Bautiste and will have to hear what he has to say.
Obviously, the only two people under discussion for Mayor that have ANY experience in government are Zimmer and DeFusco, but as far as I'm concerned that's not a requirement for someone to toss their hat in. Don't know why anyone would toss valentines to Nason who thinks DeFusco is too inexperienced.
There is no bar to entry regardless of whether there's a candidate that has some similar things on their platform already(although it's a nice campaign strategy angle.) By that notion Bautiste shouldn't have declared because bike lane enthusiast Dawn was already in the race.
I've got my fingers crossed that more candidates will throw their hat into the ring and hopefully there will be more options come election day.
I hear Soares is running around saying Pupie gave Karen the money. He and DeFusco begged her not to run, now they're trashing her.
ReplyDelete$6600 raised? Maybe she can get 2-30 seconds spots now on cablevision. And look at that crowd, i see 4 people who actually live here and can vote. She will get no votes. And can she not stand like a viking all the time, has anyone shown her how to stand like a woman with respect
ReplyDelete