My pictures, though blurry, tell the story of last night's first Team Bhalla fundraiser: a room jam-packed with Hoboken residents and business owners. That is who filled that room last night. I saw only a smattering of pols: Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro, Assemblyman Raj Muhkerji, and Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, Board of Eduation Trustee Ailene McGuirk, Planning Board Chairman Frank Magaletta, former First Ward Councilwoman Terry Castellano. The story of the night is the turnout from the Hoboken community.
This is a people-powered, grassroots campaign. No mysterious North Bergen "in-kind contributions" or Sacco PR people. This crowd came out in late July for five neighbors. Pure Hoboken. Diverse Hoboken.
GA is proud to support a campaign powered by Hoboken residents and our business community, not developers, their dark money or the Sacco machine which feeds the DeFusco, Giattino, Fisher and Ramos campaign. This Sacco Team is a Trojan Horse for outside interests; to tap our city for contracts, patronage jobs and development. Any outside intrusion into our local elections cannot stand.
If we want to clean up the council, we all have to pitch in one way or another. It's our Mile Square, not a North Bergen annex.
Oh yeah, the fundraiser pulled in "over $60,000." From the people.
 |
| View in front. |
 |
| View behind. |
 |
| MaryBeth and Dan, rocks of Hoboken Reform. |
 |
| 4th Ward Candidate Lisa Sprengle with a supporter |
 |
| 6th Ward candidate Cristin Cricco-Powell speaks! |
 |
| The Koscis posse |
 |
| Jason's nostril: voted Most Likely to Be Fired by the Council Majority |
The room had a great, positive vibe. Thanks, Dave Jaycee for moving away from the dark side and hosting these great candidates.
ReplyDeleteAfter the Mayor spoke, Cristin Cricco-Powell kept it real - and short. Reminding us all of the consequences of elections, and how the outgoing councilmen effed-up so badly on important decisions and we're now scrambling to put out fires they caused by their petty vindictiveness with the current and former administrations. If they were children, you wouldn't let your kid play with them.
It was so packed, you couldn't slip a pre-signed VBM form between any two attendees, and it was so loud, you wouldn't have heard the Grindr pings on your phone.
Representing were lots of respectable, old-guard Hobokenites, newcomers, the candidates' incredible spouses and adult children, and former Councilwoman Castellano & co. supporting Migdalia Pagan-Milano, to insure that the 1st Ward stops slipping into the hands of developers. Even Mr. Anna Quindlen was there!
Hoboken is glad we're moving forward again with this new slate.
Hysterical! Yeah, it was crazy-loud. I believe Marc Bussanich from Hudson County View had to do all his interviews outside.
DeleteGrindr pings? Gay bash much?
DeleteAnon @ 2:14PM- That commenter is gay. What is your problem?
DeleteSure sure...They were taking swipes at DeFusco.. It's clear to anyone with a brain!
DeleteHypocrites
Anon @ 2:19 PM- Wrong. I guess you (and the scarecrow from OZ) need a brain.
DeleteAnon @ 2:14, you're saying DeFusco is on Grindr. Got it.
Delete@4:24 ... this is Anon @ 2:14 and 2:19...
DeleteYeah, maybe I am! What's it to you if DeFusco is on Grindr? It's not illegal!
Just googled it. Kinda creepy.
Delete@ 4:59.... this is Anon @ 2:14, 2:19 & 4:53...
Deletedifferent strokes for different folks.... don't knock it till you've tried it! hubba hubba
Anon @ 2:14 and 2:19, please STOP harassing my gay readers/commenters. Leave them alone. Thank you.
Deletethx anon @ 2:14 this explains all the missed council meetings
DeleteDave Jaycee is a business man, he'd host anyone paying him. Castellano appeared on broom here not so long ago. Ask her how her Ravi love has anything to do with a recent family hiring ?
ReplyDeleteMerit hire? How does one earn merit at the county and transfer it to Hoboken? Serious question. You threw feces at Castellano for years. Now she's reform? Please GA !!! :*
DeleteI get it. You're jealous. I don't blame you. Because your guy needs Nick Sacco, developer's dark money and cheating (using empty apartments for VBM return addresses) to win. He does NOT have the heart and the support of Hoboken residents, like this team.
DeleteThis is a warning: I will not have anyone's CHILDREN- young or adult- smeared on this site. Keep it clean, and you are welcome to post. The person you are referring to is a MERIT hire and has nothing to do with the mayor. At this point, your rhetoric is as meaningless as feces thrown by a caged gorilla.
They are adults. NOT CHILDREN!
DeleteTony (yes, you ARE a public official collecting taxpayer money so USE YOUR REAL NAME HERE),
DeleteTake your Vision Media oppo research and smear away on Roman's dead blog. I am not discussing anybody's CHILD here. I won't play in your dirty sandbox.
Re: Terry, I will answer your question with another question.
I supported you for years, stuck up for you when your pals Roman and Kurt were attacking you over being ZBA Chair and NHSA Commissioner- in fact, got heat for it. MSV attacked me as a "defender of patronage" because I stuck up for YOU. And here YOU are, putting ME on a broomstick, metaphorically. The stuff you continue to write about me under screen names is truly vile. I am not reciprocating, either. In a weird sort of way I still like you, though you've been awful to me, and to others.
No Terry is not Reform, she is Terry. And did a far better job than DeFusco as Councilperson. There is stuff I will "clear up" when the election is over. No hurry.
You are welcome to comment here, but let's not play games. Follow Nicola's good example and use your name. Thanks.
HaHa.
DeleteTony is just pining for that bygone era when a Raia/Yacco VBM operation was frowned upon - like the one Mike Defusco used in his last campaign.
DeleteIf Tony is a supporter of DeFusco, why did he confirm the Grindr thing? I couldn't care less about it. Not sure others will feel the same. With or without this news, I'd be voting for Migdalia anyway.
DeleteAnon @ 10:07 AM-- The legal term for that is an "admission against interest." In the vernacular, it's called "shoving your foot in your mouth." One of Tony's quirks is that his mouth runs faster than his brain.
DeleteSome people should crawl under a rock and just stay there.
ReplyDeleteDuh..Uh...Oh...This is America! Free Speech dude.
DeleteYes, idiots, jackasses and scumbags (you) have the right to say what you wish but that doesn't mean you should actually open your mouth.
DeleteBut thanks for being your consistent scummy self and helping us who we do not want to vote for election cycle after election cycle.
The most important thing is that least Tony isn't a real estate agent - I mean that wouldn't matter on who he is supporting would it???
ReplyDeleteHa - I bet every real estate agent who is active in local politics just sees dollar signs. All they care about is more development so there can be more listings.
DeleteA real estate agent that helps grease the skids for a developer with his or her political connections has good chance of getting their listing.
DeleteWe cannot prevent developers from conspiring with scumbags. All we can do is make sure we do our best to keep the scumbags from having any influence in government by working to make sure their preferred candidates lose.
DeleteHoboken being only around a mile square you would be hard pressed to throw a rock and not hit a real estate agent. That makes a real estate agents reputation here very important. Once they get a bad reputation they would be hard pressed to get it back.
Delete