SPECIAL MEETING: Ordinance PASSES on First Reading

WHO KNEW?
People, GA did not know if this ordinance would pass. Why wouldn't it?

Because Mayor Bhalla called for this meeting, Mayor Bhalla asked the Council to authorize acquisition of the UDD Property currently owned by New York Waterway.

And GA takes nothing for granted in this current toxic political climate.

How toxic?

Let's see,  just in the past week, the anti-Bhalla Council majority have alternated between:
(1) scathing press releases,
(2) pimping the mayor's brother's personal text messages,
(3) scheming to seize Rent Leveling appointment powers away from the  mayor in order to appoint two named Giattino supporters, while
(4) booting a priest's appointment to the Rent Leveling Board off the meeting agenda.

Father Warren Hall in 2015

ABOUT FATHER HALL

The priest who was treated so badly is Father Warren Hall.  Hall, who is openly gay, was priest at Hoboken's St. Peter's and Paul's Church until he was removed by in 2016 the Archbishop for his outspoken support of LGBT advocacy groups. 

Father Hall currently serves as our YMCA's  Director of MBS (Mind Body Spirit) where he manages 96 housing units (SROs). Ironically, Father Warren sees a different side of Hoboken's displacement problem; he helps the person who aspires to find affordable housing in Hoboken.  His compassion, his community service, his work experience make him uniquely qualified to serve on Hoboken's Rent Leveling Board.  

And he wanted to serve. Father Hall applied for the position, and was selected by the mayor based upon merit, not politics (Hall supported DeFusco for mayor).

So then, why the injustice?  Why was Father Hall treated so dismissively by the Council majority?  He was not even given the courtesy of a hearing before his appointment was pulled off the agenda.   

Father Hall deserves the unconditional consent of the Council on his appointment by the mayor.  Will he get it next week? 

WE THOUGHT OF IT FIRST!

So, you see why GA thought that the ordinance might get shot down, since the meeting was requested by Mayor Bhalla.   But it sailed right through!  Wait... the sponsors of the ordinance are Giattino and Fisher, not the Administration. 

Did the administration put forth their own, that got replaced...?   I'll ask.

Listen, the public doesn't care.  The public just wants big things to get done. 

SPECIAL MEETING

So, last night's meeting was short.

8 Council members were there; Mike DeFusco was absent. Someone told GA that he was in Vermont. Brrrrr...

Council President Ramos called the vote first- before the public portion. It passed 8-0. Quite a few folks were there to speak- and refreshingly many were new faces.  Most favored the ordinance, a few were opposed. Then about 20 minutes in, Councilman DeFusco called in to put his vote on the record.  Here's what happened (clip):

Don't you wonder why Ramos doesn't do that more often-- cut off MDF's bloviations to shorten council meetings by an hour (at least)?

So, last night went smoothly. Next week is a regular meeting, on Wednesday, March 7.