Last night, an attack ad--equal parts vicious and brain-dead-- aired on cable television. Nothing unusual, right? It's 11 days before a highly-contested mid term election.
Only this ad was unusual for a couple of reasons:
(1) the person being attacked is not a candidate on the November 6 ballot, he's not even at the state nor national level.
(2) the victim is a municipal Councilman being attacked for a vote- which did not even effect the ultimate outcome. The matter he voted against, passed.
(1) the person being attacked is not a candidate on the November 6 ballot, he's not even at the state nor national level.
(2) the victim is a municipal Councilman being attacked for a vote- which did not even effect the ultimate outcome. The matter he voted against, passed.
So, effectively the attack ad was not to persuade voters, it was to bully and intimidate the member of local city government, a smear for the sake of smearing. See what will happen to you if you vote like this ever again on our next development project.
But it gets even weirder... the ad was paid for a PAC, ELEC825, whose members support the Mayor of Hoboken and... the person attacked is the Mayor's political ally, Jim Doyle.
But it gets even weirder... the ad was paid for a PAC, ELEC825, whose members support the Mayor of Hoboken and... the person attacked is the Mayor's political ally, Jim Doyle.
The ad is so dumb ("Jim abandoned the children of Hoboken"), so poorly crafted, and defies logic to attack an ally of Mayor Bhalla.
This Union is way too comfortable, trying to throw their weight around in Hoboken politics. Attacking a councilman because they don't like his vote???? Really?
ELEC825, SCREW YOU.
ELEC825 members consist of the following organizations:
Clearly, this Union's britches have gotten TOO BIG. Somehow they feel COMFORTABLE attacking Hoboken's good government officials, like Jim.
What's funny is Jim is the last guy on Earth who'd be bothered by ELEC825's dopey ad.
The Mayor's Chief of Staff John Allen told me, "Yeah, we reamed them out. Ravi took them to task yesterday and had the tv spot immediately taken down. He defended Jim as a man of principle and noted that Jim was the person to be least likely affected by a political commercial."
So, is this PAC going to bully Hoboken Councilpersons who don't approve future development projects that Unions want a piece of? Really? This is the new normal?
Meanwhile, I checked IUOE's October 2018 ELEC filings, and thought this was curious: a 48-HR Form E-3 filed yesterday showing the The International Union of Operating Engineers PAC made a $15,000 payment to the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO). The payment date was October 16, but the filing was 9 days later-- by law within 48 hours of the expenditure. Which would put it in the time frame of the attack ad production and cable buy.
But why would the HDCO produce an attack ad on a Bhalla ally, with Union $?
This Union is way too comfortable, trying to throw their weight around in Hoboken politics. Attacking a councilman because they don't like his vote???? Really?
ELEC825, SCREW YOU.
ELEC825 members consist of the following organizations:
- The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 825
- The Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey (ACCNJ)
- Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley
- Construction Contractors Labor Employers of New Jersey
Clearly, this Union's britches have gotten TOO BIG. Somehow they feel COMFORTABLE attacking Hoboken's good government officials, like Jim.
What's funny is Jim is the last guy on Earth who'd be bothered by ELEC825's dopey ad.
The Mayor's Chief of Staff John Allen told me, "Yeah, we reamed them out. Ravi took them to task yesterday and had the tv spot immediately taken down. He defended Jim as a man of principle and noted that Jim was the person to be least likely affected by a political commercial."
So, is this PAC going to bully Hoboken Councilpersons who don't approve future development projects that Unions want a piece of? Really? This is the new normal?
Meanwhile, I checked IUOE's October 2018 ELEC filings, and thought this was curious: a 48-HR Form E-3 filed yesterday showing the The International Union of Operating Engineers PAC made a $15,000 payment to the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO). The payment date was October 16, but the filing was 9 days later-- by law within 48 hours of the expenditure. Which would put it in the time frame of the attack ad production and cable buy.
But why would the HDCO produce an attack ad on a Bhalla ally, with Union $?
Unless this Union owns Hoboken, they need a reality check from the administration.
Because of it's height, the unions will get the hotel project, with our without generous community givebacks, so why the cheap shot? They're salivating over the rail yard project too, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteDidn't DeFusco get wide support from unions too, as well as the owners of Hoboken's newest sex club?
The only difference between the Worst Ward Councilman taking union money and Mayor Bhalla taking it, is that the Mayor would hold them to their legal limits.
I know. Something about this ad reeks. It's too dumb and obnoxious, with zero political benefit- except to bully and smear a guy who tends to vote "no" on massive, ugly, shitty-looking over-development.
DeleteIf I had to guess, someone over at the union was trying to justify their existence by spending some money on ads. Can't keep fleecing the rank and file if you can't find ways to spend boat loads of cash on crap like this. Of course, that is just a guess. I can't imagine this stupidity had any rhyme or reason to it.
DeleteMayor Bhalla and the union provided their comments on this on HCV. WTF?????
ReplyDeleteSpeaking to HCV over the phone, Bhalla said the leadership at Local 825 agreed to stop running the ad and that it had already be taken out of syndication.
“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.
Early this evening, ELEC 825 spokesman Mike Makarski said the union stands by the message in 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. This left us no choice but to inform residents of his decision.”
Makarski also confirmed that after a “constructive conversation” with Bhalla, the union agreed to pull the ads
Actually, you've posted the edited version of Makarski's quote. Fortunately, I memorialized it-- its on today's post. Makarski apparently asked HCV to omit the part where ELEC 825 is upset at Doyle's opposition to a $1.8 B power plant project in North Bergen. Oh, yeah. Those bitches think they can bully our governing body to vote "with" them.
DeleteIs it too late to boot this Union from the Hotel deal, and reduce square footage? Serious. I don't care that Jim doesn't care about the ad-- it is not the point at all. This is some Trumpian, undemocratc bullying and an unsubtle message to the administration, they think they're running the show here. Hoboken doesn't roll like that. Maybe that shit works in North Bergen.
THE DARK STATE
ReplyDeleteSome may remember Mike Makarski from his time working for powerful political operative for hire Paul Swibinski's Vision Media.
The smear, the not so subtle threat, the contrived cover your ass explanation to the press when you get your hand slapped all totally conform to their reputation.