UPDATE: Fisher responds re:"Councilwoman Fisher successfully negotiated" $0.35 per ride..."

UPDATE:
For the record, Councilwoman Fisher contacted me offline to disagree on the premise of this post.

Councilwoman Fisher: "FYI- I negotiated with the City for them to get that provision."

Me: "You lobbied the City, which is what you ought to do.  You did not negotiate the contract."

Some back and forth.

Me: "Any reading of your press release is misleading. You should issue a clarification and not shoot the messenger. Clarify and I will update."

Councilwoman Fisher: "I don't agree it's misleading. You are just giving it that meaning."

Me: "It certainly is. Subject: the new agreement. You do not "negotiate" with Hoboken-- you ARE Hoboken. You work collaboratively WITH others on the Hoboken side in the interest of the City. "Negotiations" are between Hoboken and the vendors to reach "the new agreement."  Your paragraph:

"As part of the new agreement, the city will collect an additional $.35 from Lime per ride taken in Hoboken. Councilwoman Fisher successfully negotiated that the full $.35 cannot be immediately tacked on to the fare cost and revenue will be used directly for traffic safety and enforcement."

Councilwoman Fisher: "I just disagree Nancy. You often give your own meaning to things and this seems to be one of them. "

I replied. Simply reiterated my point- Hoboken doesn't "negotiate" with itself-- but I will let the Councilwoman have the last word.

A simple clarification to that paragraph would be:

"As part of the new agreement, the city will collect an additional $.35 from Lime per ride taken in Hoboken. Councilwoman Fisher had suggested that the City negotiate successfully negotiated that  for the full $.35 to be cannot bes immediately tacked on to the fare cost and revenue  will  would be used directly for traffic safety and enforcement, which the City incorporated into the new agreement.

______________ 

COUNCIL VOTES ON CONTRACTS, DOES NOT NEGOTIATE THEM.

If your councilman/woman lies to you about the basic functions of your own government in order to manipulate your opinion, think twice about re-electing him or her.   Yesterday, Fisher issued a press release glomming credit for negotiating the proposed e-scooter contract with vendors LIME and Ojo, which included it's new profitability ($0.35 per ride).   Here is Councilwoman Fisher's misleading statement verbatim:

Councilwoman Fisher successfully negotiated that the full $.35 cannot be immediately tacked on to the fare cost and revenue will be used directly for traffic safety and enforcement. 

Now, Fisher appears to have been active, some might say vigilant, in her concerns about e-scooter safety. Those are actions for which she may rightfully claim credit.  No one would argue with that. 

But, instead of sticking with the truth, Fisher chose to trick the public into believing that she "successfully negotiated" the proposed contract.  Huh? Hoboken Government 101: Hoboken's legislative body may lobby on policy, but they do not negotiate contracts, they vote up or down on them; contract negotiation is the purview of the administrative branch. 

An honest Councilwoman would not have made such a claim. More absurd is the fact that she has bragging rights with the truth. 

“When people show you who they are, believe them.”- Dr. Maya Angelou

The line between truth and manipulation is easily crossed.  Understandably, a hot air balloon like Councilman DeFusco with few legislative achievements must rely on the "dark side" of  public communications. DeFusco washed onto the Council on undelivered promises.  In 2015, candidate DeFusco  told the New York Observer:

"Lackawanna Plaza can not only become part of the storm water prevention plan but outdoor café and event space. I want to train station to be become multipurpose, similar to Chelsea Market in New York."

When all you serve is balogna, you need a team to tell the public it's Kobe Beef.  

Like DeFusco, Fisher has chosen manipulation and fabrication-- when she could campaign honestly. Will this communications strategy work with the 2nd Ward's highly educated electorate?   

Let's hope not. It won't work in my ward. 

The full press release is available on a local Alt-Right web site, if you can stand going there.