BULLY-Union doubles down on Doyle attack ad, throws mayor under bus

GA's been head-scratching over this  Jim Doyle attack ad.

I don't recall ever seeing a Union or PAC go after a sitting Hoboken Council member who is not a candidate for office.  But go after Jim, they did- ELEC825 told the entire tri-state cable TV audience that Jim Doyle "abandoned the children of Hoboken."  It is laughable.

But the intent of this ad is not funny.   

ELEC 825's ad buy is a Trumpian intimidation tactic to punish a Hoboken official for (1) voting "no" on the Hilton hotel, and (2) opposing North Bergen's $1.8 billion Liberty Generating power plant project.   Imagine that. A Union doesn't like how a sitting councilman votes.  Boo hoo.  What is really troubling is, that this union feels comfortable flexing their muscle like this in Hoboken. Like we are their bitch.

Actually, GA would argue they need US more than we need THEM.  Look at where the IUOE Local 825 employees live-- see any from Hoboken?   

It looks to me like we've created a jobs bank for the UNION not for Hoboken RESIDENTS.  No wonder they think they can shit all over us. 

IUOE Local 825 PAC - employee/donors on ELEC 10-15-2018 by GrafixAvenger on Scribd

In fact, ELEC 825 demonstrated what they think of Hoboken yesterday on Hudson County View when they threw Mayor Bhalla right under the bus.  I'm talking about John Heinis's  two updates on his article, "Labor union that backed Bhalla for Hoboken mayor attacks Doyle over hotel vote."

Update #1 Mayor Bhalla's response to the 30-second ELEC 825 attack ad on Doyle. 

“I contacted the senior leadership at the operating engineers, who are friends and supporters, and I explained to them my longstanding friendship and personal relationship with the councilman and his family and how I felt the ad was inappropriate and unfair to Jim and they immediately took it down and apologized to me,” Bhalla said.

“I made an affirmative commitment, not at the request of any unions, to send a public message to the development community, that if they want to work with the City of Hoboken that there will be a baseline expectation that all development labor will be union based." 

The mayor also said he spoke to Doyle and they “had a good laugh” when discussing the commercial, indicating that he didn’t seem at all bothered by it.

Update #2 from ELEC 825's spokesman, Mike Makarski.

"Early this evening, ELEC 825 spokesman Mike Makarski said the union stands by the ad.

“Councilman Doyle’s vote against the first major redevelopment agreement of the Bhalla administration, and the first major redevelopment project in Hoboken of recent memory was a miscalculation,” he said.

“Our organization is committed to infrastructure investment and economic development – which are both cornerstones of this project. That coupled with his staunch opposition to a power plant project, not in his city, left us no choice but to inform residents of his decision.”

WTF? After Mayor Bhalla's statement that ELEC-825 "apologized" to him, the Union spokesman says that ELEC 825 "stands by the ad."  They have the gall to say that Doyle "left them no choice"? Is it too late to undo the "commitment" to hire this Union's members, and shrink the hotel square footage?

ELEC 825 doesn't  own this city, but they seem to think they do.

Here is what a longtime Hoboken political observer told GA:

"It was a ham-fisted, chest-thumping, bully threat by Local 825 directed at the Hoboken governing body going forward. A kind of a showing off their clout. Braggadocio.  Stupid, crass thing to do for sure.. but very revealing that they think they run the show on development here."

If I were the governing body, I would let them know WHO is running the show.