Mama mia! Did you hear? Yesterday morning Hoboken's Mayor Ravi Bhalla turned Italian.
At this year's wreath-laying ceremony in Hudson County's Columbus Park, Bhalla received a citation declaring him "honorary" Italian Man of the Year (and who isn't honored to be a paisan?) Right after his conversion, Bhalla had a mad craving for pizza...
Tragically that night, 4 members of the Council majority (the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, Thing 2, and Peter Cunningham) voted a resounding "NO" to pay for pizza that our new Italian Mayor had ordered for hungry Marine View residents at a dinnertime meeting.
Tragically that night, 4 members of the Council majority (the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, Thing 2, and Peter Cunningham) voted a resounding "NO" to pay for pizza that our new Italian Mayor had ordered for hungry Marine View residents at a dinnertime meeting.
The Parsimonious Pizza-Pinchers declared that Italian Mayor Bhalla's meeting was not "public" since one of their coalition could not eat a slice of that pizza! Oh, no!
Had Councilman Mike DeFusco been allowed into the room (against the wishes of at least 5 Marineview residents) he could have stuffed his face with pizza and soda until he exploded! That the Council would have paid for.
Well...
Last night, the four Parsiminoius Pizza-Pinchers attempted to exact their revenge on a 23 year-old staffer who paid out-of-pocket for the $135 dinner for 60 hungry Marine View residents. Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher (Thing 2) showed no empathy for the young lady; Fisher did her best Margaret Hamilton impression and smirked "Let the mayor pay her back!" Imagine that! Refusing to reimburse a staff member in City Hall for the cost of pizza during a lovely community event!
Now, did any of the self- righteous supporters of the Penurious Pizza-Pinchers ever complain about the donuts and coffee served at Hoboken District School events they attended-- like orientations, graduations or awards ceremonies?
When you grabbed that cruller did you think, "This scrumptious treat burned a 75 cent-hole in 50,000 taxpyer-pockets!"
I didn't. I ate my donut, drank my coffee, and it was good.
Maybe taxpayers excluded from the function should be outraged at underwriting nominal district expenses on Dunkin Donuts and coffee. Maybe those without kids in the district- or wihout kids period- should ask to be reimbursed. Because the meeting wasn't "open to the public."
A few hundred bucks for "petty cash" expenses on refreshments for constituents or stakeholders is not the same as the public financing steak dinners at Frankie and Johnnies, junkets to Atlantic City, 168 cell phone accounts, 1,200 unidentifiable jobs and a double-dipping Assistant Superintendent.
A few hundred bucks for "petty cash" expenses on refreshments for constituents or stakeholders is not the same as the public financing steak dinners at Frankie and Johnnies, junkets to Atlantic City, 168 cell phone accounts, 1,200 unidentifiable jobs and a double-dipping Assistant Superintendent.
GA says, if you don't think nominal expenses of public money on refreshments for public meetings, even those exclusive to particular constituents or stakeholders, then cough up that donut. Cough it up like a hairball.
But you know, GA is secretly glad that the Council refused to pay for our Italian Mayor's marine View pizza because its the perfect metaphor for their dysfunction.
No pizza for you! No croissant! No donut! No coffee!
This kind of penny ante F-U to the Mayor stuff is truly embarrassing. Besides each other and their small handful of online misfit cheerleaders I don't know what audience they could possibly think this appeals to.
ReplyDeleteJen was incredulous when defusco flipped and voted to pay for the pizza. he put her up to it then hung her out to dry. Ha ha ha ha lay down with dogs thats what happens.
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