There aren't enough Sacco-machine press releases in Hudson County to cover this stink.
First Ward Councilman Michael DeFusco, who collects a whopping $36,763 of Hoboken taxpayer money (including $12,633 in health insurance benefits) was busted campaigning on social media at the August 7, 2019 council meeting-- on the night he sponsored ethics reform to prohibit his own behavior!
It's no secret that when it comes to playing on his cell phone during Council meeting, DeFusco is a serial offender. Let's break down actual taxpayer costs of Mike DeFusco's politicking on the taxpayer's dime.
ANNUAL Taxpayer cost for Councilman Mike DeFusco= $36,763.00
Taxpayer cost for DeFusco per Council meeting (22 scheduled meetings total)= $1,671.04 per meeting
Taxpayer cost for DeFusco per hour (avg. meeting is 4 hours) = $417.76 per hour
Taxpayer cost for DeFusco campaigning on his cell phone = $9 per minute
Yikes! DeFusco has been observed countless numbers of time texting and tapping on his cell phone during council meetings since 2015. When members of the public are speaking, when legislation is being debated; it doesn't matter. DeFusco tap tap taps on his cell phone, eyes averted down. And now, he is flat-busted: campaigning on Facebook on the taxpayer's dime.
How much money we all been forced to pay for DeFusco's social media antics?
A conservative estimate for amount of time that Mike DeFusco spends looking at/typing on his phone during council meetings is 20 minutes. That equals $180 per meeting or $3,960 annually or $15,840 total term- of Hoboken taxpayer money...
That thousands of Hoboken taxpayer dollars squandered by Michael DeFusco, to play on social media when he is supposed to be working on the people's business at the Hoboken City Council.
What is the remedy to prevent this, for a Councilman who disobeys his own ethics reform laws?
DeFusco's cell phone should be taken away during council meetings. And no laptop, either.
Ironically, it was the Councilman himself who declared that his Facebook and Twitter accounts were for political, not municipal purposes. He did this to justify his blocking critics from posting or viewing those accounts. Here is his own letter response to an OPRA request for persons he's blocked on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DeFUSCO'S ETHICS REFORM LAW-BREAKING?
Council members cannot be allowed to break their own ethics rules without accountability.
This council majority is corrupt; utterly incapable of applying rules and consequences to members of their own coalition. What can be done to stop this kind of behavior at public meetings? What can be done to enforce ethics reform?
Those are questions.
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