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| Oh, GOD my EYES are bleeding... |
A GA reader is pretty worked up over the use of "feather flags" in Hoboken.
Yes, it's on deck tonight, with the 2nd reading of "AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT CHAPTER 196 OF THE HOBOKEN CITY CODE ENTITLED “ZONING” ARTICLE IX “GENERAL SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS” AT §196-31(C)(2)(G) “FEATHER FLAGS.”
Truth be told, GA's list of "Most Visually Repulsive Sights" does not include feather flags.
However, they should be used sparingly on any urban streetscape, lest you want your main street to look like a used car lot. Maybe that is the issue. If you ask me, the realtor signs which dangle from gates and railings all over Hoboken are more visually disturbing.
But hey, I'm not really up on this "feather flag" issue. Though they do look cheap and shitty. Maybe feather flags are the signage of last resort... like if your business is in an igloo and your sign keeps sliding off. Or if your business is in a hole in the ground, what else can you do? What if your business is stripping at parties... do you carry the feather flag with you?
We can all agree feather flags should not advertise anything religious or morbid: no feather flags at bar mitzvahs, christenings or funerals. Is that covered in the ordinance?
But hey, I'm not really up on this "feather flag" issue. Though they do look cheap and shitty. Maybe feather flags are the signage of last resort... like if your business is in an igloo and your sign keeps sliding off. Or if your business is in a hole in the ground, what else can you do? What if your business is stripping at parties... do you carry the feather flag with you?
We can all agree feather flags should not advertise anything religious or morbid: no feather flags at bar mitzvahs, christenings or funerals. Is that covered in the ordinance?
But I agree with this reader: "rezoning spot favors" are a lousy idea. Buying votes is less permanent than trading them for rezoning spot favors.
Here is my reader's note:
Here is my reader's note:
"The City Council is once again attempting to allow someone to use those oh so beautiful feather flags. This is the second time DeFusco wants a work-around for an individual.
First time was for a beauty salon at 80 Park Ave Hoboken, which is shown on Google street view. In this case the condo assoc wanted it removed and Defusco wanted this favor for the tenant in a commercial condo space. Best yet, salon owner is neither the commercial condo owner nor does he live in town, so he's not a constituent.
Bottom line, feather flags are not allowed in our municipal code.
Doing "rezoning spot favors" is very bad practice as it is arbitrary and capricious and opens the city up to legal challenge. Or someone sues the city & demands that they too should be allowed to fly a shitty $25 flag they bought at Costco outside their store and Washington St. looks like a used car lot on route 22."
This is the resolution to be voted on tonight:
This is the resolution to be voted on tonight:
I thought I smelled a Defusco....
ReplyDeleteI happened to get a haircut in that place around that time .. and interestingly , Ann Holtzman , the Zoning officer , who either lives in that building or nearby .. was imposing a very expensive fee on the owner of that business who had a valid point (please read attached article ) at a time where Mr Adier's partner , a phillipino resident without health insurance had just had a heart attack and was on a huge healthcare debt (we are talking about thousands of dollars after he had a stent placed in one of his coronaries ) ..
ReplyDeleteImagine having to deal with that BS in such difficult times for something as meaningless as a flag on a street where people just drive through whil looking for parking .. especially when he had a valid point .
small things like this hurt businesses and most importantly, people .. and people's trust in local government; that woman had no heart , compassion or common sense at that time .
I wouldn't call that a favor as the owner of such business had a valid point .
Please read attached file :
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-dawn-zimmer-end-zoning-office-harassment-of-small-business-in-hoboken
The simple fix with zero BS for the business is to not get fined is to not break the rules.
DeleteI guess we have two sets of laws. One that applies to Mike DeFusco's friends and another one that applies to everyone else. If you're name is Suzy and you're a friend of Mike and you get a ticket running a red light in your 2012 Subaru outback at 12 midnight on tuesday just give him a call. He'll be happy to sponsor an ordinance making it legal for people named Suzy to run red lights at that intersection in a 2012 Subaru outback steakhouse at 12 midnight on Tuesdays. And Jen, Peter and Tiffanie, reformers all, will vote for it as long as Mike Lenz and Cheryl Fallick get their Rent control board appointments.
ReplyDeleteDo these self righteous clowns ever look in the mirror?
I remember seeing the council meeting online where the salon owner explained how he had to defend himself in court and won, because his feather flag pre-dated the sign ordinance. That didn't stop him from being the target of what appeared to be a personal vendetta from the city's zoning officer, who wasted taxpayer money and time on this, but at least she isn't letting De Fusco get away with his bullshit.
ReplyDelete