UPDATE:
GA was contacted in the minutes since posting this by several folks in-the-know. A compilation of notes:
"Tiffanie is lying in her letter... she knows that Hodes didn't write the amendment to the By-Laws. There were between 5 and 10 amendments suggested not just one and Tiffanie knows who wrote them but for some reason she is trying to scapegoat Rachel... Another lie-by-omission: Tiffanie brought Kurt Gardiner with her to the Sunday meeting but only mentions Phil, Nora and Rachel in her letter, like she was being ganged up on. She wasn't. I heard Kurt was yelling."
So, what do I think? Pure speculation: Rachel is being targeted because Friends of Giattino think she's running for the 6th Ward Council seat. Funny, of the various names GA's heard thrown around, none of them are "Rachel Hodes."
Classic smear campaign. Yet another reason to vote the Chair out: she's lied to the Committee, and in doing so, attempts to smear their Recording Secretary.
"Tiffanie is lying in her letter... she knows that Hodes didn't write the amendment to the By-Laws. There were between 5 and 10 amendments suggested not just one and Tiffanie knows who wrote them but for some reason she is trying to scapegoat Rachel... Another lie-by-omission: Tiffanie brought Kurt Gardiner with her to the Sunday meeting but only mentions Phil, Nora and Rachel in her letter, like she was being ganged up on. She wasn't. I heard Kurt was yelling."
So, what do I think? Pure speculation: Rachel is being targeted because Friends of Giattino think she's running for the 6th Ward Council seat. Funny, of the various names GA's heard thrown around, none of them are "Rachel Hodes."
Classic smear campaign. Yet another reason to vote the Chair out: she's lied to the Committee, and in doing so, attempts to smear their Recording Secretary.
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EPISODE 24
Yeah, this was news to me; the story is told by emails forwarded this morning. Then I'll offer my opinion below.
Please note that Rachel Hodes is the Recording Secretary of the Hoboken Dem Committee; sending committee communications is her executive function.
__________
Date: March 26, 2018 at 5:00:29 PM EDT
To: Rachel Hodes
Subject: REVISED NOTICE Official Meeting at 4/9 at 7pm of Hoboken Democratic Committee
Dear Members of the Hoboken Democratic Committee,
We will hold an official meeting of the committee on Monday, April 9 at 7pm at the Mile Square Theater (1400 Clinton Street).
The purpose of this meeting to address leadership of the Committee. Per the by-laws and Robert's Rules of Order, there will be a motion to rescind the vote taken on June 12, 2017 electing Tiffanie Fisher as Chair. If the vote to rescind passes, the Chair shall be deemed vacant and nominations for Chair will be accepted and candidates voted upon in accordance with Committee by-laws.
We hope you can join us. If you are unable to make it in person, you can participate by authorizing someone to vote as your proxy. To do so, you will need to prepare and sign a letter designating another Committee member as your proxy for the purpose of any and all votes taken by the Committee on April 9, 2018. Please email or call Rachel Hodes (****@gmail.com or 732-***-**** ) if you need any assistance.
Sincerely,
Rachel Hodes, Recording Secretary
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From: "Tiffanie Fisher"
Date: March 27, 2018 at 5:33:17 PM EDT
To: "'Tiffanie Fisher'"
Subject: RE: Transparency about the Efforts to Change Leadership of the Democratic Committee
My apologies to John Allen. He informed me he did not make any calls on this matter yesterday.
__________
From: Tiffanie Fisher [mailto:hoboken2nd@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 5:20 PM
To: Tiffanie Fisher
Subject: Transparency about the Efforts to Change Leadership of the Democratic Committee
Dear HD committee members –
I want to provide some context to the recent emails about the upcoming April 9th meeting that I hope you will consider in your own decision on how to proceed.
This effort to take over the committee actually started back in mid-January. I received a call then from our new mayor asking for a “meeting of the whole” committee. At our executive committee (“EC”) meeting a few hours later that night, Rachel offered a draft amendment to the by-laws for us to consider that was characterized as “minor wordsmithing”. It was only later that night that I realized it contained clear language intended to remove me as Chair. Even with this in the background, we moved forward together and planned a successful 2018 Kick-Off event, improved communications and began coordinating future events.
However, when I recently met with the mayor (and Rachel who joined) to try to work together, my efforts were rebuffed. I then received the petition for the April 9th meeting, which I supported although felt the path taken was unnecessary. I requested that the meeting be rescheduled by a few days due to the conflict with the NW Resiliency Park meeting that same night, but my request was denied. And then when I met Phil, Rachel and Nora this past Sunday to discuss the upcoming meeting, they said “We are being generous in offering you the opportunity to resign.”
The second email you received yesterday came only after I informed the EC members driving this effort that they must be honest and transparent with you. About why you’re being asked to attend the meeting on April 9th and why you are being asked to surrender your vote to a proxy. I understand that several of you were already contacted during the day yesterday by the mayor’s Chief of Staff John Allen, the former Chief of Staff Vijay Chaudhuri and/or others, and in some instances offered an opportunity to speak to the mayor directly about this effort.
I do plan to be in attendance at the meeting. According to our bylaws a quorum of 39 voting members must be present to conduct the meeting and if the committee fails to reach a quorum of 39, there can be no vote. In the interim, I am reaching out to as many of you as I can but please feel free to email any questions or call me at (201) ***-****. I would love to have the chance to speak with you before you make your own decision.
No matter what the outcome of the meeting, I remain committed to fighting for and supporting Democratic values, working with Democratic committee members and pushing the Democratic agenda including among others women’s rights, supporting our middle class and gun control. And I still firmly believe we can accomplish more when united, then divided.
Thank you to those who have already reached out to me and do not support this effort.
Tiffanie
Tiffanie Fisher
Hoboken City Council, 2nd Ward
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MY TWO CENTS
GA is not mushy at all on whether the Chairwoman of the Hoboken Democratic Committee should have co-managed the campaign of a Republican candidate for Mayor against Democrats.
Hell, no. GA's opinion is nothing new- I've posted it before. My reason is simple.
What Fisher did in a non-partisan election is strictly against the By-Laws of the Hoboken Democratic Committee.
__________
Article 2, Section 3:
"Nothing within this section shall be interpreted to prevent an individual from exercising political expression in his or her personal capacity as a voter and every accord shall be made to respect such privacy provided no advocacy is made in his or her official capacity to support a candidate in a nonpartisan election or where such advocacy would run contrary to electing a Democrat to office."
-BY-LAWS OF THE HOBOKEN DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE
(Adopted pursuant to Section 19:5-2 of the Revised Statutes of State of the State of New Jersey)
__________
__________
The Preamble:
"We pledge to do all we can to nominate and assist in the election of Democratic candidates for public office; adopt and promote statement of policy; assist national, state, county and locate Democratic Party organizations and candidates in their candidacies and education of the voters; raise and disburse monies needed for the successful operation of the Democratic Party; establish standards and rules of procedure to afford all members of the Democratic Party full, timely and equal opportunities to participate in decisions concerning the selection of candidates, the formulation of policy, and the conduct of other Party affairs, without prejudice on the basis of sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic identity or physical disability, and further, to promote fair campaign practices and the fair adjudication of disputes; work with Democratic public officials at all levels to achieve the objectives of the Democratic Party..."
If you think GA is cherry-picking, here are the By-Laws in full.
I DARE you to find something in these Hoboken Democratic Committee By-Laws that supports a member, no less the Chair, supporting the election of a Republican against a Democrat in a non-partisan election.
You WON'T.
BY-LAWS OF THE HOBOKEN DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE by GrafixAvenger on Scribd
Tiffanie Fisher should have resigned her position as Chair back then to avoid this mess the committee seems to be in NOW. She has (selfishly) made herself the story, held her own interests above the intent and purpose of the Committee, which is to support the election of Democrats.
The committee is not, and never was. about her leadership. She cannot play victim, she cannot pretend a bunch of meanies dislike her personally.
She cannot scapegoat anyone, either. Rachel Hodes does not unilaterally write amendments to By-laws, as Fisher misstated. The amendment was simply to add that elected members should be officers. That amendment would not have effected Fisher in her role as Chair; by-laws are NOT retroactively enforced. Her allegation of a "January effort" to remove her is baloney. GA knows that because some folks were not pleased that after the November election, Hoboken's top Democrat, Mayor Bhalla, wanted committee members to back off Fisher. The mayor wanted healing, and for all to work together.
GA will add that I disagreed with the Bhalla approach. Oh, yeah. In my opinion, she should have gotten an immediate heave-ho for violating the By-Laws. (I couched that opinion, but it was clear.)
Well, Fisher writes that now the mayor wants her out. Is it because of her public attacks on him- he is Hoboken's top Democrat, after all. Or problems with her leadership? Dunno.
All GA can tell you is that folks who believe in the MISSION of the Hoboken Democratic Committee do understand why it is important for Democrats to elect Democrats. Two Christie terms should have made that clear. To those Committee members who support still support the Chair knowing that she has disobeyed the most fundamental purpose of the Committee, that she has disobeyed the bylaws, you should resign, too.
End of story.
The Democratic Committee exists to support the election of DEMOCRATS.
GA understands that there are other issues some committee folks have with her leadership. I don't have insight into the various reasons because I am not on the Committee. However, the following opinion of a Committee person sent to me is noteworthy:
"Tiffanie was so caught up in Leading the campaign of Jenn G in the fall that she didn’t send out the registration forms to be a poll worker until hours before the deadline. So much for getting rid of corruption at the voting booths."
Hey, Committee people. Do what's best for advancing the goals of the Democratic Committee. Obey the By-Laws.
If you have lost confidence in your elected leader, put it to a vote.
This is what Democracy looks like.
I agree with you GA. I understand that Committee members have pointed to her incompetence but from my perspective as a proud Democrat, it's ludicrous and embarrassing for the Chair of the Hoboken Democratic Party to endorse a Republican for Mayor, even in a non-partisan election. Notably Tiffanie chose to endorse a Republican at a time when Donald Trump, a bigot, is the head of the Republican Party. Not acceptable, regardless of whether her endorsement and active campaigning was a violation of the party by-laws or not. On principle, she should have been out in last summer. If she wasn't going to resign, which would have been the honorable thing to do, this no confidence vote should have been held last summer. This has gone on way too long. I'm happy though that they are finally taking action.
ReplyDeletefirst step: boot her from the committee. second step: voters boot her from the city council. it's called karma.
ReplyDeletebuh-bye, tiff.
Unless I'm mistaken section 4 of the bylaws always explicitly incorporated Roberts Rules of Order into the bylaws so no change to the bylaws was ever needed enable the removal of an officer, it was already existed in Robert's Rules.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I don't think Ms. Fisher is giving us the full story.
In a Machiavellian way, it's possible that Fisher isn't a Democrat at all, just like her DINO colleagues on council, Cunningham, and now, Giattino. She couldn't have done more harm to the Democratic Committee if she were a Republican. But through her incompetence and selfish actions, refusal to resign in the face of all this, and her support of a Republican for mayor, she certainly acted exactly like a Republican.
ReplyDeleteAnd if her attempt to manage a Republican's mayoral campaign wasn't bad enough, the largest expenditure of that failed mission was funneled to Trump's MAGA guy in DC, all while Giattino danced around the issue of which Republican she had supported for POTUS.
She comes across as a real jackass in that letter. My expectation is no matter what happens, she will be nothing but sour grapes about the whole situation. She just does not get it, at the end of the day she serves at the pleasure of her constituents and they are incredibly displeased.
ReplyDeleteOne more reason to vote the Chair out: she's either paranoid or a liar, and it has impacted her ability to run the Committee.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Tiffanie was going to be removed during a general meeting by stealth, through passing a rule change that nobody read or thought about first, is simply absurd. Any meeting to revise the bylaws would have to have at least 39 members in attendance. The Committee members are mostly an intelligent and educated bunch, with minds of their own- they would read the proposed changes before voting on them. If any proposed changes removed Tiffanie from her position as Chair (which was not the intention), people would have noticed, and that would have instantly become the primary subject of the discussion. She would not have simply been removed by accident. Nor would she be removed due to a deliberate change in the rules during the middle of her term that disqualified her- people would have wanted to discuss the merits of removing her during her present term, and would have wanted a vote on that issue alone.
My impression is that the proposed bylaw changes were not intended to remove Tiffanie during her current term, but were intended to only control for future terms. If people thought the language was unclear or would have removed Tiffanie during this term, the language would have been changed- the proposals were a first draft drawn up by one person who was not even on the executive board. It was meant to open a discussion, and the proposals were, of course, open to amendment. But Tiffanie appears to have panicked, and thought that this was evidence of a plot to remove her, which is absurd- if there was a plan to remove her, it would have been done the way it's happening now, by calling a meeting and voting to explicitly remove her. Her unreasonable fear appears to be at least one reason why she has refused to call a general meeting. That failure is itself one reason, among many, for why she needs to be removed. Ironic and sad- her fear of losing something has contributed to her losing it.
And if she didn't have such an unreasonable fear- if she knew and knows that the plot she's described in public and private emails multiple times is absurd- then she's been deliberately lying to everyone about events and her fellow executive board members, and needs to be removed for that reason alone.
Because Fisher knew she would be removed, she refused to hold an official meeting at which such action would have been taken. Instead, the outraged committee members had to come together to agree to hold a special meeting, with or without her.
ReplyDeleteRoberts Rules of Order are not in and of themselves bylaws, but are used by most governing bodies for procedural ease. They are not legally binding. Fisher can make a fuss about some perceived misstep concerning Roberts Rules, but it's just deflection from the fact that what this really is, is a vote of no confidence.
I'd add, beyond endorsing a Republican, it just seems that Tiffanie has completely lost the confidence of the Committee. The Executive Committee wrote a clear email explaining why they don't think that she's doing her job and they all signed it. Then 60 members of the Committee went ahead and signed pledge cards in the County Democratic Committee race, despite her protestations it. No one seems to be listening to her. Why continue on then and force a vote to be kicked out? This is so goofy.
ReplyDelete"I heard Kurt was yelling."
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping the account of Kurt yelling at committee people is erroneous, that would not be appropriate and frankly disappointing.
Kurt yelling would not be surprising from what I've heard. Yelling is just an in-person version of what he does online. I'm not sure what happened, but he really lost his mind this past election cycle. All those memes. I think he thought he was being funny or witty. Instead he was hanging himself by his own petard.
DeleteThis points to a core strength of republicans. They would NEVER suffer all this handwringing over a fifth column operative. One and done.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is very stark. A Democrat thinks, if he can get a republican to agree with him, he must be on the right track. Conservatives, on the other hand, suspect they are losing their edge if a Democrat agrees with them.
Think of it. Conservatives hold all corporate media in deep contempt merely for being centrist.
Toss her out on her ass and move on. Math skills are party independent. Maybe she can make the switch to the GOP. Pronouncements don’t make you a Democrat. It’s your attitude toward concentrations of power. Hers will be quite welcome.
So I probably can't attend this one either??
ReplyDeleteProbably not! Neither can I!
DeleteNaw, you need to be a democratic committee person to attend. I'm not sure if that's a reward or a punishment.
DeleteBut it would be fun to watch Tiff get all unhinged when they give her the boot.
DeleteIt's not a public meeting, and that's how it should be. The Democratic committee needs to strategize about how to best elect Democrats, not Republicans. Nor should it be infiltrated by Republicans, like Fisher, as a proxy for Giattino. And this is one of the main reasons she must go.
DeleteFischer should be dropped just for hitching her wagon and her candidate's wagon to the website that spews the most vile Trump-loving alt-right conspiracy theories. No self-respecting big "D" Democrat would say "hey constituents come and read my thoughts here between the pro-NRA posts and the Trump apologies." Fake Democrat Giatino's campaign ads are right after the comments promoting Pizza Gate.
ReplyDeleteDemocrats my ass. There is no fucking middle ground with that bullshit.
Yup, I've said to a few of the now New Bad Crew (NBC ©)that if you stand behind the racist, misogynist, anti-Semitic rants of that blog then you stand with it. Doesn't mean they are all racist, misogynist, anti-Semites, but supporting it with ad money, content, and even comments shows that they are now turning a blind eye to one of the biggest problems in our county - spreading hate. All the posts even hoboken "press releases from NBC having nothing positive to say about Hoboken-just hate filled rants (how's that new mall by the train station coming DeFusco?). Plus currently attacking the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School kids, cause of course those students got shot at just to lead that pesky anti-NRA agenda. Disgusting.
DeleteFor the record, that nasty fake-news attack on Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg has been debunked:
DeleteDavid Hogg not at school during shooting? Bloggers spread misinformation
Fisher's support while HDP chair of Republican Giattino in a non partisan mayoral race is defensible.
ReplyDeleteHer fundraising and continued support for a local website that spews right wing nonsense along with Tiffanie worship is not.
Fisher obviously thinks that as long as the site supports her and attacks her local enemies it is worthy of her support even if it also disseminates right wing lunacy, supports Trump blindly and attacks Democrats.
As HDP chair that is in my opinion simply indefensible.
I'm not on the committee and don't have a vote, but if I was at this meeting I'd want to hear her explain that.
I’m sure they’ll take an a la carte approach, ie, they have reservations about some opinions expressed but on the whole, it’s a community resource, etc, etc.
DeleteAlso definitely against this cross-burning business and the hateful rhetoric at these Klan rallies. But the bar-b-q — to die for!
There's nothing to explain. Actions speak louder than words. One one hand Tiffanie is expressing concern about gun violence, with the other hand she's raised funds for a blog that makes fun of Parkland survivors and disparages them. That two-face non-sense is the antithesis of Democratic Party values. I
DeleteI had no idea he had gotten that bad w/ the lunacy. I honestly avoid the site now b/c he just went so far overboard during the election that I was personally disgusted. Your commentary makes me glad I stopped being a reader over there.
DeleteParty affiliation matters at every level of government, especially in these times. "Non-partisan" is a polite fiction.
DeleteWell the thing that bothers me the most about this debate over partisanship is how hypocritical Jen and the gang were about it. They hate Ravi b/c he is a card carrying Democrat, blast him for his support of Democrats elsewhere in the state and then whine like little children when people point out Jen was a Republican (and now she is a DINO - how politically convenient). It really is complete hypocrisy just like their newly formed alliance w/ all the worst elements in town.
Deletenumbers, the by-laws are the by-laws. An HDP Chair managing the campaign of a Republican to defeat Democrats is NOT defensible.
DeleteIt makes a quantifiable difference to Hoboken that we have a Dem mayor under a Dem governor-- the City has already reaped benefits from the close Bhalla-Murphy relationship, and I hope will continue to do so. While electing a Dem mayor under Murphy has a real (positive) impact on our City, Fisher's support for an alt-right blog has none. It refects on her personally, but doesnt change life for Hoboken residents. Working against Democrats to elect a member of the Party of Trump was a betrayal of the Dem Committee mission.
We're not disagreeing GA but the non partisan election issue does create some technical wiggle room for those looking to give Fisher the benefit of the doubt. I had a long conversation with such a person just yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThe support for the lunatic right wing blog has no wiggle room. It is not just a local political blog. It promulgates views that are repugnant to any Democrat.
Fisher was fully aware of the right wing content when she fundraised for the site and encouraged people to read it. She somehow forgot to mention the right wing lunacy in her fundraising letter.
The lunacy has not abated. If anything it just keeps getting worse. Is Fisher willing apologize for her bad judgment and to repudiate the site in a letter sent to everyone who received her fundraising letter? Or is she still telling people to read it because for her its Tiffanie worship trumps all else?
GA - "provided no advocacy is made in his or her official capacity to support a candidate in a nonpartisan election or where such advocacy would run contrary to electing a Democrat to office."
DeleteI think numbers is right. She's going to skate on this.
Did Tiffany campaign for Jen in her "official capacity" or not? I don't know. But I don't recall seeing anything that said, "I, Tiffany, as chairwoman of the HDC, support Jen for mayor." I did see her use councilperson, but that's not the official capacity discussed here.
Pretty sure she did, snoopster- in email, an endorsement signed "2nd Ward Councilwoman" and advocacy on her official Council (not personal) Facebook page for the Republican candidate against Dems. One can argue that positions and alliances on the City Council during the election were supportive of particular candidates, in opposition to other candidates.
DeleteRight - as councilperson. BUT. . .the bylaws likely mean her official capacity as chair.
DeleteIMO its a a distinction without a difference . She is the elected leader of Hoboken's Democratic Party organization, a public figure, and being the spokesperson/running communications for a Republican mayoral candidate against Democrats- attacking Democrats-, if not violating the letter of the by-laws, violates them in spirit. I'm not a lawyer, of course. My interpretation.
DeleteLOL ok ok!
DeleteSo perhaps she can technically skate on the "no advocacy" issue. However, as Chair of the Giattino campaign she should have been aware of who this MAGA consultant was and what services he was providing for thousands of dollars. Shame on her if she knew, and shame on her if she didn't know. Either scenario is an abrogation of her responsibilities to both the HDC and/or to Giattino's campaign.
ReplyDeleteThe reports that she was slacking in her duties as Chair to HDC are galling. Waiting hours before the deadline to send out registration forms to be a poll worker?
Since this is a vote not a trial, it's not really about by-law interpretations. Its about counting votes.
ReplyDeleteIf the party is going to be an effective vehicle to help democrats flip seats this november it needs an effective leader working in tandem with our democratic Mayor to make that happen.
Many committee people, based on Fisher's entire body of work since she was elected chair, do not believe Fisher has been or will be an effective leader dedicated to the task at hand. That's really what this is all about.
Very true and I sincerely hope the committee people see her for the failure she is and give her the boot. She should be unceremoniously removed ASAP. A video of her and Kurt whining and yelling would be very much appreciated.
DeleteTiffanie Fisher has done to the Democratic Committee what Aimee Fisher did to Mary Jo Buttafuoco -- shot it in the face.
ReplyDeleteso glad the dem committee hasn't let this slide or moved on without taking recourse. there's really no way for tiff to spin this one, totally guilty as charged on all counts. honestly, i don't see her removal as any great loss: setting aside the whole campaigning-for-a-republican-and-supporting-a-vile-alt.right-blog thing, it seems like she dropped the ball on a number of committee matters.
ReplyDelete