Last night's SOTC (state of total confusion) about WHO is our mayor

People, if you want a straight news story about Hoboken Mayor Bhalla's State of the City speech, I recommend The Jersey Journal and Hudson County View.   If you want meshugas about council egos run amok, you're in the right place.

GA attended last night's SOTC as both constituent and observer. 

THE SPEECH

My constituent-self was satisfied.  In short, the mayor spoke of progress and aspiration, in areas that matter most to Mile Square residents. These included: infrastructure upgrades (replacing water mains), park upgrades (adding 'inclusive elements' for kids with disabilities in Madison Park and a Special Needs and Inclusive park), our future 6-acre Northwest resiliency park ("Hoboken's Central Park"), our new Office of Constituent Services (over 500 residents have been helped so far), decreasing crime (burglary down 18% this year), LGBTQ civil rights (first-ever perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's annual report), respecting human rights and dignity (Hoboken as a welcoming city), Rebuild by Design (project elements will be integrated into the Hoboken street scape), a pending deal with SUEZ, our new Homelessness Task Force, our plastic bag ban, funding public art (Bhalla has allocated one percent of all future city bonds to public arts in Hoboken), and Bhalla's Vision Zero initiative (for the City of Hoboken to eliminate ALL traffic related deaths AND injuries by the year 2030). 

Plus, there were personal stories; the mayor spoke of residents who'd triumphed over devastating illness and/or disability. These individuals have gone on to inspire the Hoboken community: 5 year-old "Super Satya"  Satya Singh's triumph over cancer at age 1, and double-amputee Jack Silbert, who "runs a  “Don’t dis - disabilities” where he talks to children about the importance of understanding people for the quality of their character, and not through visible differences." 

Do you want to read the Mayor's speech? Go ahead!

HOBOKEN MAYOR BHALLA'S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla&#... by on Scribd

THE TURNOUT
The weather may have sucked (rain) but the mayor PACKED the house. Wooot woot woot. 

Dignitaries present: former Mayor Dawn Zimmer, former Mayor Dave Roberts, District 33 Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro, Freeholder Anthony Romano,  Hoboken Board of Education Trustees Dallara, Klupfel, Cademartori, Tekerian, Angley, and Khanna and Hoboken District Superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson.

Our City Councilpersons all attended except for Ruben Ramos- who politely called to say he was sick - and Mike DeFusco, who didn't politely call, he just blew it off.  (Maybe he thought the SOTC was a Planning Board meeting?)

I was early so observed schmoozing from where I sat... boy, the place was bursting with schmooze. 

Look who I schmoozed with:

Peter Biancamano and I were laughing about "someone's" recent apoplexy over a post on this site. Biancamano did confirm that what I published about our exchange was completely true, and what a certain raving conspiracy confabulist has been alleging is not.  GA will follow up with Pete soon...   

Oh look! The unflappable Jim Doyle!

I suspected that poor Jim was a victim of the Orange Toddler's Wall Game, and sadly I was right.  It's common knowledge that Doyle works for the Environmental Protection Agency, and the EPA is a favorite Right-wing pinata.  Well, due to the Orange Idiot's Government Shutdown, poor Jim hasn't seen a paycheck since the last full moon.  

Sure, the Orange Maniac waved his Fairy Wand to end the shutdown, but that doesn't mean 800,000 federal employees got paid the next day. No, payroll departments everywhere have to sort through the mess the Orange Fool created before they are up and running again.  

GA tells you this not to feel sorry for poor Jim Doyle, or to put his business out there.  GA tells you this to remind folks that some of our Hoboken friends and neighbors are feeling real pain, and  may be suffering. So, if you know anyone who was hurt, please reach out and see if  they are okay.  Jim is okay.     

Not much else... I saw Patty Waiters on the way out and apparently someone told her that I was running for office! Ha, when Hell freezes over.  "Nope, I'm running home," I replied,  and I did.   

Later that night, GA got messages that after the mayor's speech: Councilwomen Jen Giattino and Tiffanie Fisher were "whining to the Jersey Journal and the Hudson County View that the  mayor should have thanked them..."

No way!  Yes-way!

The Jersey Journal

Hudson County View

Um, there seems to be some confusion about who is the Mayor and who is not... These two are becoming punchlines. What about meeeeee? What about meeee? 

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, in all of her 8 years as mayor-- and 8 State of the Union speeches-- NEVER thanked the council. Not once.  And not one Council  member ever complained to the press  that they weren't "thanked".

Want to see an apples-to-apples comparison with Mayor Zimmer's First State of the City address?  Can you find the part where she thanked the council?  Try it.

MAYOR ZIMMER'S FIRST STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

February 22, 2011

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer ... by on Scribd

Councilwomen wait your turn. When one of you or both of you become mayor, you can thank whomever you want. Or, choose not to.

Who really cares who gets thanked and who doesn't?  Not Hoboken residents.