Oh, boy. Didn't you think the North Bergen crew gave up on 'allegedly' tinkering with Hoboken's mayoral election?
Apparently not (allegedly)...
When Stack endorsed Mayor Zimmer, the (alleged) North Bergen roaches scurried away.
Well, you know the rest. Mayor Zimmer exited suddenly without the courtesy of notifying those who had helped or endorsed her. As a consequence, LD-33 Senator Brian Stack has been reluctant to throw his muscle behind any Hoboken candidate.
In that void- and without a protector, Hoboken is wide open again for an LD-32 invasion.
So, if you were (allegedly) a North Bergen cockroach, you might look for the most dishonest, most corruptible, most eager to sell out Hoboken administration to replace the play-by-the-rules, nerdy Zimmer administration. Wouldn't you? Then, you and your cockroach friends could multiply, growing fatter and fatter on juicy contracts, patronage jobs and all of the perks of electing a puppet-mayor.
Maybe that's how a cockroach thinks.
Well... the question is: will Stack step in to keep Hoboken vermin-free?
How the hell do I know!
But, chances he might just got better.
Because, a source has told GA:
"An old adversary of Brian Stack's has been hired by DeFusco- a North Bergen lawyer who, when aligned with Muniz/Sacco has acted as a political/election attorney against Brian Stack. In 2007, DeFusco's lawyer worked against Stack in that big Primary fight. This is all about DeFusco continuing his alliance with North Bergen to take over Hoboken. A direct hit on Brian's 33rd District."Interesting!
It also appears that this attorney represented an anti-Stack group called "Union City for Concerned Citizens" in 2013.
Is it a coincidence that an attorney with a long, adversarial history with Brian Stack, and whom sources say is "close to Sacco and Muniz" was hired to boot Stick Romano off the ballot?
Do you believe in coincidences?
Here's the "boot Stick from the ballot" letter filed on August 22, which begins: "This letter was filed on behalf of a client, a resident of Hudson County who is not a candidate for any public office and who wishes not to be identified at this time."
excellent reporting, GA, kudos. proof once again that you have real sources (as opposed to relying on fantasyland wishful thinking) and work hard to dig for real news. so glad the haters haven't dampened your spirits, thanks again and please carry on!
ReplyDeleteMaybe he's just one of the only attorneys willing to risk his political career to go up against stack. If he was the attorney in the primary fight, that means Ravi used him too, right?
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I don't care who is sticking it to stick. Just glad someone is.
Ravi was a private citizen in 2007. No, Ravi didn't use him.
DeleteIsn't it odd that a North Bergen lawyer, "close" to Sacco/Muniz and adversary of Brian Stack's is trying to get Stick Romano kicked off the ballot, on behalf of Mike DeFusco?
If this was meant to keep DeFusco's fingerprints off his attempt to bounce Stick it's pretty dumb. Instead both Sacco and DeFusco's fingerprints are all over and Stack is pissed off instead of not caring.
ReplyDeleteBesides his other glaring faults (like immaturity, nastiness, questionable ethics etc. DeFusco seems like he's simply not be smart enough to handle the job.
Also the lawyer is flat out wrong about either office remaining vacant for a year. The interim freeholder gets chosen by the HCDO and the CC president becomes acting mayor unless the Council chooses someone else within 30 days.
ReplyDeleteIf stick has to give something up it would be freeholder so it's unclear what DeFusco gets out of this even if Romano has to choose.
Defusco has an article on his campaign website that includes an OPRA copy of the letter with an 8/25 timestamp from the County Clerk.
ReplyDeleteThe letter was filed on 8/22. Figuring a few days turnaround time for the OPRA, he got it pretty damn quick. Almost like he knew it was there.
Is it bad that someone is trying to get Stick to make a decision about which ballot position to run on? If so, why? I don't see the whole picture apparently.
ReplyDeleteGA, I don't have the fondness for Stack that you do. I think he's a terrible double dipper & wish he'd be forced to take one job or the other and stop this farce of being in Trenton and Union City legislating/executive branching.
Um, snoopy the merit of the ballot issue is not the point nor subject of this post. The subject is the co-opting of a campaign and a candidate by outside entities who see Hoboken as grab bag of goodies: contracts, jobs, influence pedling, loot. As a resident of Hoboken, that is a threat that may not be known or obvious to most. It is obvious to me.
DeleteAs for your point I'm giving Stick a pass because of my "fondness"for him, that's your opinion. I'll tell you right now you are wrong, and that is unfair. I've written dozens of critical articles over the years about Stick's performance at the County and his support of shady BoE characters. I am not moralizing about Stick today, I am letting folks know there is a cockroach infestation and King Roach is Mike DeFusco.
GA, snoopy said you had a fondness for Stack, not Stick.
DeleteHa! Sorry, snoopy! Well, you know what happens when I read before my first caffeine infusion. Okay, am on cup #2.
DeleteMy fondness for Stack? I don't know... I'm little pissed because he didn't send me a birthday card this year. Listen, like Dang said, Stack has been generally benign in Hoboken. His choice of Carmelo Garcia for FH was a big mistake, but he figured that out. He hit a homerun with Annette Chaparro. Did you know that LD32 Senator /NB mayor Sacco was a triple-dipper? He was Supt of Schools in NB, now he's the Director of elementary and secondary education. Stack is in a position to rescue Hoboken from a cockroach infestation. So I believe!
I'm just seeing all of this. So I was missing the bigger picture. Got it. FWIW I can't stand Stack and his double dipping ways. I want Stick to be prevented from being on the ballot twice. And, while Chaparro is better than Garcia, I believe your cat would have been better than Garcia as well. I hope you don't mind me bringing your family into this post (the cat). :)
DeleteMy cat would never surreptitiously record a conversation over lunch at Jack Dempsey's! Or over a bowl of Friskies! My cat just wouldn't go there. Besides, where would she wear the wire?
DeleteI dont think GA was expressing any opinion on the issue of stick running for both offices. Rather she was making note of the oddity of having Sacco's people handle it for DeFusco rather than DeFusco doing it himself and stupidly pissing off stack unnecessarily. You don't have to like stack to know your better off not having him as an enemy.
ReplyDeleteStack has been a benign presence in Hoboken. Sacco on the other hand is showing a marked interest in an developer-beholden, overtly sleazy candidate. I'd much rather stay with benign.
ReplyDelete