The Jersey Journal's Political Insider, Augie Torres, wrote:
"In Hoboken you also have Stack helping Zimmer with her selection of party county committee people because Sacco and Prieto's political operative, Joey Muniz, is helping mayoral candidate and 1st Ward City Councilman Mike DeFusco. You'd think sides are being picked in the county sandlot game. How long before the bean balls begin?"
Wait a minute... didn't 33rd Legislative District
Apparently NOT!
Hey Brian, wassup? Furthermore, what's a "sandlot game"?
And by "help", does Augie mean use of Sacco's political operative? And a poll?
GA told you that DeFusco's polling results were rumored to be "grim", perhaps even forcing one prospective candidate to drop out before he dropped in.
In fact, no one has dropped in lately.
Methinks there's a vacuum created by DeFusco’s reticence to dip his toe into election waters; an opening for another candidate with an anti-Zimmer agenda.
GA gets laughed at when I bring up Freeholder Anthony 'Stick' Romano as a possibility.
Is it so funny?
GA wonders why BoE Trustee Peter Bianacamano bailed on the BOE's budget vote last Tuesday (the ole politician's trick to avoid taking a stance on a potential campaign issue.) He's a Stick loyalist and no longer in consideration for Karen Nason's slate. Seems to me he plans to run for something.
Maybe three time's the charm?
The possible combinations and permutations seem endless and fun to play with.
ReplyDeleteIf GA is right about DeFusco's grim poll #'s maybe DeFusco will double cross everyone and run with Zimmer (bumping Mello) to regain reform cred for a 2021 run. Zimmer might do it just to see the look on the faces of all those people who wheeled money into Mike's war chest hoping to take her out as they watch her take possession of their money for her "unity" ticket.
It seems crazy but it would actually be a pretty smart move for both Zimmer and DeFusco. Zimmer would clinch her third term without a fight and Mike would almost certainly get to be mayor in 4 years. Now that would be a deal worthy of an Al Sullivan conspiracy column.
Mike can't run for council until 2019. Nobody on the Reform side wants to run with him.
Deleteintersting theory, but zimmer doesn't need defusco on her ticket to "clinch her third term".
DeleteMikey looks like he is already for sale and his people are looking desperate with their far fetched speculations.
DeletePeter B missed the vote on the budget? What was his excuse?
ReplyDeleteSandwich Head didn't have an excuse. Just no showed.
ReplyDeleteSacco or Stack who cares? Why would Zimmer need them, her draw is she defied the corrupt machine still going today.
ReplyDeleteHoboken loses with either of them...
In that same story you reference, it's more of the same...HCDO wheeling contracts :"Someone was uneasy about Prieto's (Sacco's) expansion of power. It didn't take long for the Sacco faction and allies to kill this attempt at a loophole.
It was also time to punish those who dared to bring up this proposal. You did not want to confront Stack but a satellite was a good target. At a Hudson County Board of Freeholders Tuesday caucus meeting, led by Freeholder Anthony P. Vainieri, Jr., who also serves as chief of staff for Mayor Sacco, the board pulled from the agenda a professional contract for Kenny's law firm, Florio and Kenny of Hoboken.
The next day there was a hastily called meeting among Fulop, Stack, Sacco, DeGise and others. The following Thursday, day of the regular freeholders session, the Florio and Kenny contract was placed back on the agenda. It was vaguely explained at the meeting that all questions about the contract were "answered."
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/05/hcdo_unity_is_a_facade_political_insider.html#incart_river_index
There's a difference. Stack is generally hands off with Hoboken. He comes here for votes and brings turkeys to the HHA. Thats it. Doesnt strongarm Zimmer, dosent interfere with City business.
DeleteAsk around about Joey. Joey gets new business for Remington & Vernick... Joey wants contracts. Joey's moved into other Hudco municipalities. Joey gets what Joey wants.
Stack is willing to help. Joey wants to help himself
I don't think Zimmer needs either. I think they want / need her. Hoboken is a new, population that will serve their future political aspirations. With Menendez probably stepping down, they both probably have their eye on that prize - and want to make sure they have Hoboken residents as potential voters. Not the old school, low income BNR's but the new, affluent professional ones... Zimmer could care less. Other than she wants to be Mayor again.
ReplyDeleteActually not true. Stack is our representative in the state senate and positioned to craft/vote for legislation to benefit Hoboken. That's the political power he has. As for the election, Stack can do no harm while Prieto's minion can.
DeleteGood points.
DeleteI just don't believe it that Stack is any better than Sacco and as noted in the article it's about contracts again and the same old players.
Maybe Zimmer will get Menendez's Senate Seat and Bhalla can use his huge war chest for the Mayoral race? It certainly isn't for City Council, not that when it's that size.
I wouldn't count out DeFusco yet, not Nason. Some say that Nason, DeFusco and maybe even Batista are going to run a fusion ticket.
The issues announcing his slate is whether or not he wants to put aside a great career in Television Marketing.
A Third term is never easy and DeFusco is a slick marketer, tireless door knocker ( came to 333 River at least 4 times - more than my GrubHub deliveries )
Both he and Zimmer are very approachable it would be a tough call to not give someone else a shot if they have good ideas, it might be time for a little refresh here in town. The agenda really needs to be expanded-- maintaining things and stopping all these rowhouses and brownstones from being demolished should be a concern to everyone. A beautiful Brownstone at 920 Bloomfield is meeting the wrecking ball soon.
Anon @4:40... Wayyyy to inside baseball.
DeleteWhat has Stack done for us in Trenton?
He has TWO jobs, Just Like Sacco...
When is he going to reform the county tax structure that makes towns like Hoboken tow the line for cities like his at the county level?
What's Stack done in Trenton? Click on the List of Bills Stack Sponsored here: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/BIO.asp?Leg=306
DeleteThat's just 2016-2017.
Interesting...... in 2016-2017 Senator Stack sponsored 100 bills while Sen Sacco sponsored 51.
Delete@4:42, that last paragraph of your comment is awesome, love it! essentially saying "yeah, the mayor is a good person and the city is moving in the right direction on multiple important fronts but hey, it's tough not to hand the reins over to a newbie who hasn't ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING in his brief police career", LOL!
Deletealso, can you point us to (or give us) a laundry list of "all these rowhouses and brownstones" that are being demolished? with a statement like that, i'd imagine it must be 20 or 30 historic old buildings, or least 10 of them, right? odd that i haven't read anything about it in the press or seen it myself, you'd think that many lovely old building being demolished would be noticeable and front page news. can't wait to see your list, bud.
@4:42, of course you don't see them, you are a developer consultant now. Maybe you should read the new ordinance the council just added that forces buildings to be reviewed by the Historic Commission! THe ones being bulldozed are pre the new ordinance. Thanks to Cunningham, Giattino and Fisher for forcing the Mayor to end stonewalling that history saving law.
DeleteWhat has Stack Bills done for Hoboken? As he tries to make us a Sanctuary COUNTY
Delete@8:01"brief police career"
DeletePut down the Cadbury bar and run spell check on your iPhone
What did Zimmer do in her "brief" council career? Other than vote to stop added flood pumps
4:42 The "WTF*ck Nancy.." guy gets upset when you mention his taking money to shill for variances.
DeleteA little advice:
DeleteOn the direct comparison of DeFusco's private sector work experience to Zimmer's before she became Mayor (the real resumes not the inaccurate stuff spun by her opponents that Zimmer has largely ignored over the years) you will at best have a draw. Not to mention that Mike is not running against Zimmer circa 2009 so if you think that's a worthwhile talking point to voters you're a bit of an idiot.
If you add in Zimmer's experience as a stay at home mom to her private sector work experience you lose badly even on the "what did they do before they got elected" issue.
If you compare Zimmer's accomplishments on the City Council before she became Mayor to DeFusco's accomplishment to date you not only lose, you get destroyed. Mike has none. Zimmer had several really important accomplishments but they kind of get lost in the long list of accomplishments since then. If you're unfamiliar with Zimmer's important role on the Council you either didn't live in Hoboken back then or weren't paying much attention.
If you compare DeFusco's overall record of life accomplishment to Zimmer's, obviously including her record as Mayor, you get destroyed.
If running against her on flooding and historic preservation while saying "Mike doesn't really have any accomplishments to qualify him for the job but neither did Zimmer back in 2009" is the best you got against a two term mayor with a long list of accomplishment and an approval rating your own poll says is sky high, then you really should re-think the wisdom of running at all.
Thanks Ziggy
DeleteOh that's right, that project at 1400 block of Adams
Delete@8:01, you're kidding, right? Try Almost the entire west side of Park Ave between 1st & 2nd, try 226 & 122 Bloomfield, try 4 buildings on the west side of Park between 3rd & 4th, try 337 Garden and a couple of doors up from the Stevens pre-school and those are just a few off the top of my head that are downtown.
ReplyDeleteMost of the new buildings look much better than they dilapidated ones the replaced. Just because a building is old doesn't make it good.
DeleteDilapidated Brownstones on 9th and Bloomfield, 12th and Bloom, 5th and Park... Nice try
DeleteYep the long abandoned church building was very rundown. The OWNER of the building will spend millions to restore most of the exterior of their property. It would have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars to buy, restore and maintain.
DeleteThe new building on Fifth & Park looks much better and is a much better neighbor than the very run down buildings that had no historic value other than they were old that they replaced.
Every old dilapidated building is not historic. Hoboken voters know the difference between historic preservation (which they support that's why it polled well) and keeping old dilapidated buildings old and dilapidated (which they don't support). If you had crafted your poll to actually find out what people think with balanced questions instead of the push poll you might have learned that.
DeleteBut then if you understood that this issue won't work you'd be stuck with the conclusion that Mike has no issues to run on at all.
Mike DeFusco. No accomplishments. No experience. No issues. Now that's a winning formula if ever I saw one. He could change that and win if he waited for 2021, but the polls don't lie. In 2017 that's all he's got.
The ones on Bloomfield, Hudson, Park and Garden were and are!
DeleteKeep pitching that line
What experience did Zimmer have?
Nope they didn't and don't . Your personal opinion is just that..
DeleteYou ask: "What experience did Zimmer have?"
DeleteWhy on earth would anyone here educate you? The OG party line is that she was just a stupid housewife who stumbled into the job and has been fumbling around over her head for 8 years. Go with that. See how it plays.
If I were advising Mike I'd try to avoid the resume comparison like the plague. Though I have to admit it might play better for Mike than talking about issues, since talking about issues will just highlight how much Zimmer and her reform team have achieved and how little Mike has contributed to those achievements.
Of course there's always vote buying to fall back on but are there enough for sale to carry the day?
Menendez was doing good for Hoboken too....
ReplyDeleteSeems that the Mayor's supporters online are way too focused on DeFusco.
ReplyDeleteIf he's such a joke, why not ignore him and focus on the real opposition wh has already announced?
Why not the same level of coverage on Ronald or Nason?
With Zimmer's troll JDG trolling peoples personal facebook pages and spamming them all weekend with personal attacks one would think Zimmer's people are overly concerned about Mike. Why?
Does the trolling reference refer to the facebook back and forth with the Keims, Horsey, GA and others reported on by Horsey? If so, it's got nothing to do with Zimmer or Defusco and certainly doesn't qualify as trolling.
DeleteAs for whether DeFusco's potential candidacy is striking fear into anyone's heart, I refer you to Mike's own polling data which everyone seems to know sucked for Mike. Mike would probably be a stronger candidate than Ron or Karen but presumably his goal is to be elected mayor some day, not to finish a poor second in a four way race in what'as likely to be his first and last shot at the brass ring. Better to wait for the race he can win, than end his career before it really gets started in a race he can't.
He is joke with potentially dangerous un-funny punchline for Hoboken because he has surrounded himself with really sketchy people with access to great deal of money .
DeleteI am sure DeFusco and his handlers and hangers onnare not happy with all the attention and would prefer to do their business out of the public eye.
It's pretty easy to win elections if you can define yourself any way you want. Mike's handlers certainly want to have Mike defined for the voters as a smart idealistic young progressive with great ideas for Hoboken's future - in other words defined as the opposite of who he has shown himself to be over the past several months.
DeleteThe real Mike couldn't get elected dogcatcher. The fake Mike won the 1st ward. Neither Mike will be elected Mayor in 2017. Personally, I'd rather see him run this year and have Zimmer put him out of his misery than give him 4 years to work on selling his fake persona in 2021.