NEW, IMPROVED HUDSON REPORTER
GA would like to give a shout out to the Hudson Reporter under it's new management, The Newspaper Media Group (NMG). It is no longer a partisan rag, pumping up developer-friendly candidates, weaponized against particular elected officials, candidates and activists (bloggers). The new owners are journalists.
Hence, a refreshed perspective that moved from a "power" list to "most influential"-allowing issues and matters of public interest to compete with individuals. New management has a socially conscious, relevant perspective for the mainstream, instead of trying to elect development-friendly candidates.
And so, in the remastered Hudson Reporter we have issues in 2018's "Top Ten"-- four of them: Immigration activists (#1), Anti-Gun activists (#7), Environmental groups (#8) and The Arts Community (39). This is not the HR of yore. See what I mean- from the HR's "Power List" published in 2017, the top ten:
1. State Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco (3 last year)2. State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack (5 last year)
3. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (1 last year)
4. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop (2 last year)
5. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (No. 4 last year)
6. Candidates for governor (new)
7. Suez Water (new)
8. Anthony Vanieri (17 last year)
9. Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise (14 last year)
10. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli (same)
The focus of our local paper has gone from political power to political action.
On that note, GA would like to congratulate Hoboken's own:
- Emily Jabbour (#7) for bringing a Moms Demand Action Chapter to Hudson County, her outreach to other gun-safe activists, her continued activism in the Hoboken and Jersey City communities.
- Hoboken's Fund for a Better Waterfront (#8) for continued activism to bring a park to the UDD waterfront site
- Liz Cohen Ndoye and Richard Roig and the Hoboken Arts community (#9) who worked with Mayor Bhalla on his Executive Order to fund public art (1% of every bond ordinance)
- Mayor Ravi Bhalla (#11) recognized for progressive action on appointing Hobken's first-ever LGBTQ community liaison, Laura Knittel and passing legislation making all single-use occupancy bathrooms gender neutral.
- Oh yeah, Hoboken's own Frank Raia (#26) for his alleged involvement in a vote-buying scheme. The Hoboken Reporter got that right. A local political celebrity like Raia getting nailed for alleged vote buying will likely impact how some Hoboken campaigns operate, but the actual influence of his indictment remains to be seen.
Lastly, props to a Jersey City resident, Amy DeGise (#2).
GA spoke to her at length a few months back, meant to write about it, didn't. I recall we talked about HudCO political division after her HCDO election and in Hoboken after the 2017 mayoral election. I said that I hadn't supported her for HCDO Chair, even went after her pretty hard, however she won and had my respect. She does. She is nice, real and her politics are progressive. Yes, a progressive in charge of the HCDO. And a woman. Imagine that. So, GA is rooting for her success, and that she does not allow the HudCo Boys Club and Bosses to push her around. Stay true, Amy!
GA's WEEK IN REVIEW
Well changing subjects... let's recap a few things we learned here this week:
- Ruben Ramos ("Ramos for Council") has blown through $34,598.64 of 2019 municipal campaign receipts
- This $34,598.64 does not include the $20,000 deposit reported on May 5, 2016 that vanished on an amended report filed on May 23, 2016
- Amended total of Ruben Ramos ("Ramos for Council") expenditures is $54,598.64 (including the $20,000 reported deposit that disappeared on May 23, 2016)
- Ruben Ramos ('Ramos for Council") spent $193.64 on BINGO, then reimbursed himself from campaign funds.
When does the stink wake up 'Reformers' on the Council? GA holds out hope for Giattino and Cunningham. They are better than this.
The HR still has Al Sullivan bloviating each week, so we're not totally out of the woods. ;)
ReplyDeleteBTW, I had trouble finding long-winded Tiff and 4th-place Jen and MDF and Ramos on this list, can someone help me out? Must be a mistake, right??? Not a very VIBRANT representation of TRUE influence!! I mean, c'mon, they even included an "unelectable" guy, what's up with that,!!
Ha! Did you know that Al's got dozens, maybe hundreds (?) of photography and journalism awards. Aside from his weekly column, he did a ridiculous amount of work for the paper, those cheapskates bled him dry... dunno about now under its new management. I hope things are better now for poor Al!
DeleteYeah, part of me is sympathetic but Al at times seemed too easily persuaded to mimic the anti-Zimmer/Bhalla talking points of various questionable types, be they a councilperson wife of a rich lawyer or a former-reformer-turned-real-estate-guy.
DeleteAnd FWIW, there's lots here (http://asullivanjournal.blogspot.com) that, shall we generously say, is a bit less than PC.
And then there's this: https://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2017/08/nj_reporter_faces_furor_over_racially_charged_poet.html.
But we are not here to bury Al, but to praise the new Hudson Reporter (formerly Hudson Distorter)!
Ha! Al's like something you'd pull out of a time capsule. Sometimes you want to stuff him back in. Too much bong!
DeleteYou mean that the gelding owner of that stench filled and dung beetle infested lean-to did not merit a mention, even for the smelliest, most disgusting and conspiracy laden alt right piece of garbage blog? Indicative of the status of Tiff's PR/political consultant.
ReplyDeleteThe "new Hoboken Reporter" may have lost it's political edge but it's a bit hard to find - I haven't seen it since they stopped delivering to doors. Where do you find a copy?
ReplyDeleteI was glad to read that story but would not get that excited over it, since its been the only thing worth reading in that paper so far this year and we're already into March almost. After the hit job on ravi a few weeks ago I am withholding judgment and even that was after it had been written about over and over elsewhere, there is almost nothing worth reading there anymore. Not to mention I find mistakes almost every week now and then saw this: https://hudsonreporter.com/2019/02/14/we-stand-corrected/ I couldnt' care less if Sullivan is "PC" if he gets facts right. I wouldnt' be quick to call anyone journalists because of one story. My cousin is a councilman in South Jersey where the same owners took over the papers and stopped covering meetings in several towns. They may not take developer money but they are probably only in it for money so I will take a wait and see and not get too hopefull based on a week or two. At least the paper is still around though I suppose.
ReplyDeleteYou know a lot of the credit for this should go to Emily and the other people moving up on the list. Sullivan did put Dawn in 3rd or 4th place a couple of years ago so it has usually been pretty accurate. It is unfortunate that Sacco and BS. were so high up but that's how people saw it for a long time, luckily it is clear that times are changing and even Sullivan has to acknowledge it. The list was always a fun read although you could argue about the positions. Regarding the newspaper I spent a lot of time trying to find it last week and then when i did, most of the "news" was rewritten press releases, some may like that but I agree with above I wouldn't call it journalism. Maybe once in a while we will get something like the power list but it doesn't seem often. The letters now are mostly from Jersey City now, seems like they don't care much about what they are putting into teh apepr as long as they have something to wrap around the ads. Last year I voted for Ravi partly based on their the election coverage and even enjoyed the debate they did so at least they had something worth reading more often then ever 3 months.
ReplyDelete