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| Actual quote from the March 15, 2018 Hoboken City Council Meeting |
GA's been covering the story of Councilwoman Jen Giattino's production of a "free" legal opinion at the Hoboken City Council since March 2018.
It always stank to high hell. The freebie opinion was the legal justification to pass an ordinance (later vetoed) which stripped power from the mayors office and handed it to the council. Later, I found out that Giattino's freebie came from a close ally of Hudson County Boss Nick Sacco.
Why would Sacco's lawyer be gifting Bhalla's council antagonists to legislate power from the mayor? Efforts to get information about this free legal service went nowhere.
Well, fast forward to now. The "free legal opinion" from a Sacco ally was in fact, buried on a back-dated April 2018 ELEC filed on November 2018 in her 2015 campaign account. Giattino, who is the Treasurer on that account, reported the legal services as an in-kind political contribution valued at $1,250.
I wrote it up this Monday. And for the past three days, anonymous threats, personal insults and efforts to intimidate this blog into silence can be found here. That is not how Reform rolls. This is some serious Dark Side shit. As a footnote, Giattino's been using the same PR firm representing Mike DeFusco and Ruben Ramos.
So, to better understand this evolution of a "freebie" to a Councilwoman into an in-kind political contribution, a timeline is below. Maybe someone out there knows the legal and ethical implications of a legislator using an in-kind contribution to her political campaign for the purpose of changing Hoboken municipal law (giving herself board appointment powers.)
It always stank to high hell. The freebie opinion was the legal justification to pass an ordinance (later vetoed) which stripped power from the mayors office and handed it to the council. Later, I found out that Giattino's freebie came from a close ally of Hudson County Boss Nick Sacco.
Why would Sacco's lawyer be gifting Bhalla's council antagonists to legislate power from the mayor? Efforts to get information about this free legal service went nowhere.
Well, fast forward to now. The "free legal opinion" from a Sacco ally was in fact, buried on a back-dated April 2018 ELEC filed on November 2018 in her 2015 campaign account. Giattino, who is the Treasurer on that account, reported the legal services as an in-kind political contribution valued at $1,250.
I wrote it up this Monday. And for the past three days, anonymous threats, personal insults and efforts to intimidate this blog into silence can be found here. That is not how Reform rolls. This is some serious Dark Side shit. As a footnote, Giattino's been using the same PR firm representing Mike DeFusco and Ruben Ramos.
So, to better understand this evolution of a "freebie" to a Councilwoman into an in-kind political contribution, a timeline is below. Maybe someone out there knows the legal and ethical implications of a legislator using an in-kind contribution to her political campaign for the purpose of changing Hoboken municipal law (giving herself board appointment powers.)
MARCH 6, 2018
LEGAL OPINION ISSUED FROM CITY CONCLUDES THE MAYOR HAS THE POWER TO APPOINT MEMBERS OF HOBOKEN'S RENT LEVELING BOARD
In response to an ordinance proposed by the Hoboken City Council majority which would remove appointment power for the Hoboken Rent Leveling Board from the mayors office to themselves, Assistant Corporation Counsel Alyssa Buongiovanni issued a 6-page opinion. The legal question put to the City of Hoboken Attorney was: in a municipality organized pursuant to the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council Plan), who has the power to appoint members to the Rent Control Board? Corporation Counsel's short answer was: The Mayor with the advice and consent of the council.
MARCH 15, 2018
GIATTINO PRODUCES "FREE" LEGAL OPINION TO CONTRADICT HOBOKEN CORPORATION COUNCIL
Rather that accept the opinion of Hoboken's legal department, when Hoboken City Council met on March 15, 2018, Giattino produced a legal opinion contradicting the City's position, presenting it as a counterweight to the legal advice of the City. Hudson County View reported:
"Giattino also introduced a legal opinion from Jason Ryglicki, a partner at the North Bergen law firm Ryglicki & Gillman, P.C., that said the council had the ability to usurp rent control appointment power from the mayor."Councilwoman Giattino did not say how she knew this attorney. She did not identify him as her political donor. She did not say that the legal opinion was in fact an in-kind contribution to her. She did not volunteer any information on how the opinion was procured, and who paid. When pushed by Councilwoman Jabbour, Giattino interjected:
Based upon Giattino's "free" legal opinion, the ordinance passes 6-3. Opposing: Doyle, Jabbour and Falco.
MARCH 19, 2018
GA REPORTS RYGLICKI IS A CLOSE SACCO FRIEND/POLITICAL ALLYhttps://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2018/03/giattino-accepts-political-favor.html
MARCH 23, 2018
MAYOR BHALLA VETOES https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2018/03/veto-ordinance-is-improper-attempt-to.html
Having passed on the legal advice of Giattino's "free" Ryglicki opinion, Mayor Bhalla refused to sign the ordinance stripping him of rent leveling Board appointment powers. Along with another legal opinion from the City of Hoboken, the mayor's veto statement concluded:
"[the council's] conduct was driven by politics not good government."
APRIL 11, 2018
GA REPORTS AN OPRA (NOT MINE) FOR EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE WITH RYGLICKI WAS REFUSED BY GIATTINO BASED ON "ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE"https://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2018/04/giattino-denies-opra-request-claims.html
APRIL 13, 2018
GA FILES OPRA REQUEST FOR GIATTINO'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH RYGLICKIhttps://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2018/04/opra-is-2nd-time-charm.html
APRIL 20, 2018
GIATTINO CLAIMS "ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE" 
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
JEN GIATTINO REPORTS RYGLICKI OPINION AS AN IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION IN HER 2015 COUNCIL CAMPAIGN ACCOUNTThis report was back-dated to April 2018, but filed in November.
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| ELEC REPORT: Jen Giattino for City Council, Election date November 3, 2015 |
It's clear that Jen G took an illegal gift from Nick Sacco, got caught, laundered it on her ELEC. Now who's paying Sacco's PR people?
ReplyDeleteDon't know if Heinis will ask, but he's likely the only honest person they'd agree to speak with.
DeleteHugely disappointed that Giattino has fallen to this. Being angry after a bruising campaign is one thing. Cozying up to and accepting favors from the most stereotypical machine boss in the state is another. She needs to start listening to her inner Republican again and remember that healthy disdain for party bosses, especially allegedly democratic ones.
This does not end well for anyone.