You: Hey, GA! Why the big fuss over Boss Ramos quietly sliding a political crony onto Hoboken University Medical Center's Board of Trustees in a seat reserved for a member of Hoboken's City Council?
GA: THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. (The 8th Commandment)
Grab your popcorn, people!
Tonight, the Frankencouncil (a coalition cobbled together from reform remnants, pay-to-players and vbm-harvest beneficiaries on a destructive rampage against City Hall!) is expected to stay mute during discussion about Ruben "Boss" Ramos' theft of a hospital board seat for his political crony, Eduardo Gonzalez. Why? Because at the last meeting, the 'reform remnants' sat frozen like popsicles, allowing Mike DeFusco fill the air with babble about needing the private hospital to clarify their bylaws!
Does the City Council even possess the authority to make such a request? Or is this another 'ultra vires' piece of junk rolled out to cover Boss Ramos' backside?
The reformers of yore would have been outraged. Their frozen doppelgangers are not. Last meeting, they sat like cryogenic experiments, giving silent consent to the reams of bullshit flowing from Ramos and DeFusco, their corrupt handlers. Note, this call for "clarity" on the very clear hospital bylaws is a ruse. (Note: Cunningham and Giattino were on that 2011 Council and knew of the "council minority" agreement with the hospital buyer. )
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| In 2011, the "council minority" (Beth Mason, Mike Russo, Theresa Castellano, Tim Occhipinti) were granted the initial hospital board appointment, all others to be a "member of the Hoboken City Council" |
And not a single fast-frozen council member blinked an eye when this winner popped out of Boss Ramos: "but the board let Eduardo be seated and vote, they didn't stop him..."
Really?
In Ruben's world, when a law gets broken the onus is on the author of the law to explain it to the law-breaker?
In Ruben's world, breaking a law nullifies the law and exempts the law-breaker? Lucky that our country's civil and criminal law doesn't work that way!
In Ruben's world, when a law gets broken the onus is on the author of the law to explain it to the law-breaker?
In Ruben's world, breaking a law nullifies the law and exempts the law-breaker? Lucky that our country's civil and criminal law doesn't work that way!
But this is how the Frankencouncil rolls. Get used to it. Until we take our moral outrage to the polls.
Pssst.... for 7 years, the hospital board saw a civilian in that seat, Anthony Pasquale. It is reasonable to believe the hospital Trustees were not aware seating a civilian in the Council seat was an exception written into the bylaws.
And so last meeting when given the opportunity, the Frankencouncil did not deem the hospital board seat vacated, nor remove the cony from the improperly gifted board seat.
So, the plot thickens... because the next morning the HUMC board held its final meeting of 2018. What do you think happened?
JABBOUR FILLS VACUUM OF COUNCIL LEADERSHIP
Councilwoman Jabbour showed up before the meeting, to hand deliver this letter to the Co-Chairs of the HUMC Board. And who else showed up?
Boss Ramo's backdoor pick. What happened next?
Gonzalez attended the meeting representing the Hoboken City Council and voted. Doesn't this put the City of Hoboken at peril? Corporation Council should advise on the liability of having a person with no legal standing attending meetings and voting on behalf of the Hoboken City Council.
Hey Frozen-Tiff: isn't this a lot worse than the alleged crime that you hung Gary Holtzman for?
JABBOUR'S LETTER TO THE HUMC BOARD CO-CHAIRS
Let's see what happens tonight, folks. Welcome to 2019.
Kudos to Jabbour for being one of the two adults on council, and taking this on. Ramos and his cronies would hang their heads in shame, but they have none, and are amoral in most of their dealings for Hoboken.
ReplyDeleteWho was the councilperson on the HUMC board before overly ambitious Gonzalez? Has he ever issued a report to council, so that Hoboken would now what's going on with the hospital, the whole purpose of having a seat at the table?
Who is the Ruddys Andrade person referenced in Councilwoman Jabbour's letter?
ReplyDeleteHot off of LinkedIn: Ruddys Andrade is Carepoint's Director of External Affairs.
DeleteAndrade "serve(s) as a government affairs liaison for CarePoint Health (Bayonne Medical Center, Christ Hospital, and Hoboken University Medical Center). He works actively with each municipality in the county of Hudson to forge new relationships and to strengthen and enrich existing relationships with governing officials."
He's had that position since 2014, after the bylaws were written so probably doesn't know what the hell is in them, nor has authority to unilaterally make up rules.
Thanks GA. Sounds like he (or she?) Is a PR person without either authority or a clue.
DeleteThere is no conceivable legitimate argument for the proposition that Council President Ramos coukd unilaterally appoint anyone to the position. He has no authority to do anything beyond the limited authority set out in the Council Rules, which pretty much consists of nothing beyond reviewing the agenda, presiding over Council meetings and assigning members to subcommittees.
Yeah, I agree. There's something shady about this Carepoint guy, Andrade, making private deals with Ramos. Ramos is buddies with Joey Muniz... Smells, if you ask me.
DeleteAnon @ 2:11PM-- No, Eduardo Gonzalez has not ussued a single report to the council since Boss Ramos rewarded him with the seat last June. Surprise, surprise.
A quick internet search shows that Mr. Ruddys Andrade is not a a low level public relations drone but a very politically connected player and proficient fund raiser. Councilman Ruben Ramos is looking to stay on the Hoboken City Council and in few months and will need to pump up his campaign funding for not only the November election but his future ambitions to run again for mayor and trying to further solidify his Hispanic base with the appointment of the frankly boring and easily controlled Mr. Gonzalez.
DeleteGood stuff, Anon @ 5:33 PM. The growing stink around Boss Ramos' gifting Eduardo Gonzalez with a hospital board appointment is stinging my eyes. It's a real pungent stink. Ramos allegedly told Giattino that if she ran on his slate in 2019, she wouldnt have to put in her own money.
DeleteLet's see how the Frankencouncil rolls over and plays dead tonight.
So Ramos, true to form, unilaterally appoints Gonzalez. We can expect more of same if he wins the mayoral election, at the expense of Mikey the run-at-the-mouth runoff tool
ReplyDeleteTune in tonight to see more of their autocracy, hypocrisy and mobocracy in action.
This November expect the bromance between DeFusco and Ramos will continue. Ramos barring a major upset will be to leverage his HHA vote again will hold on to his seat. DeFusco will not have the same easy time to stay in office but if he does, I would expect the boys will have a very bad breakup as both lust after the mayoral spot.
DeleteAgreed, Anon @ 5:42, and then Ramos would collect a 4th pension when he retires?
DeleteIs just being in the room enough ?
DeleteIt is amazing that someone can collect so much money from the taxpayers for so long and yet I can not think of a single positive thing he can legitimately claim he has done for the people who pay his bills.
should be messy especially if Jen, Tiff and Peter align w/ Mike and Ruben. will lead to a messy election and even messier breakup b/c they want the mayor's office too.
DeleteJen, Tiff and Peter may on some level want to be mayor but reality is they don't have the constituency and money to launch a credible campaign. Frankly the three of them will have a hard time even holding on to their Ward seats in November.
DeleteIt was fun to see the illegal ordinance fail last night.
ReplyDeleteAndrade is well known in Hudson county political circles. He apparently gets paid a lot of money to schmooze with political types, raises a bunch of dough for campaigns and is at almost any political function, funeral, wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, quinceañeras, sweet sixteen, anniversary, retirement party or similar gathering of politicos that one can imagine. Hell, he may even attend the opening of an envelope under the right circumstances. Keep in mind that CarePoint has a big footprint in Hudson County - Bayonne, Christ and University Hospitals operate under the CarePoint umbrella. Not sure what he does exactly, but he is great at "community outreach", whatever the eff that is.
ReplyDelete