That's it!
GA invited all three 5th Ward candidates to provide a quote about last night's debate. So far.... chirp chirp chirp.
I did hear from a third party who told me that "Phil was on point and Nicola attacked the whole time."
That is surprising, if true. I had hoped for a civil exchange.
Well, as soon as debate host Peter Biancamano makes the full, uncut debate video available, you can watch it right here. Stay tuned.
UPDATE #1
Crickets, no more! GA just got this in:
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m very happy with last night. I’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback on a strong debate performance. I felt as though I spoke to the issues best and was able to bring my points across well. Can’t wait for you to watch! Thanks again 🙂
UPDATE #1
Crickets, no more! GA just got this in:
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m very happy with last night. I’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback on a strong debate performance. I felt as though I spoke to the issues best and was able to bring my points across well. Can’t wait for you to watch! Thanks again 🙂
Thank you, Nicola! I look forward to watching... the 5th ward 3-way is an exciting race.
UPDATE #2
Just in!
Nancy,
Thank you so much for reaching out. Last night was my first debate ever so there is certainly room for improvement. But I thought it was constructive overall. I am looking forward to the next one.
I stated last night that I think development will be the issue that will frame the quality of life here in Hoboken for the next 100 years and I really believe that.
Thanks so much,
Tim
You are welcome, Tim! And thank you! I feel your pain... being on the debate stage for the first time has got to be rough. Think of it as warm-up for the next one!
Nicola is a twit - but a twit who knows exactly what his purpose in the race is, to make it go to a runoff. I look forward to the video but don't expect to learn anything except further confirmation of why Phil's opponents must lose big time.
ReplyDeleteI disagree Ojo. Nicola's job is not to force a run-off it's to be in the run-off.
DeleteTim Crowley is the "spoiler" here, though I'm sure he is well intentioned and doesn't realize that he has been set up to serve in that role.
He probably genuinely buys the Jen, Peter and Tiff world view re Ravi and Phil, and believes incorrectly that Peter, Jen and Tiff can deliver enough votes to give him a chance to really compete.
I think he will be surprised to learn how few votes that trio are actually able to deliver.
Nicola, on the other hand, has a real base given his support from Ramos and Belfiore who control a large number of 5th ward votes. If there's a runoff he will be in it, and we should not underestimate his chances to ultimately win the ward.
Gawd I hope not. He is so painfully and obviously an idiot that makes Mike look smart - which makes him the perfect useful idiot to that cast of disreputable characters who are almost always up to no good.
DeleteTim was set up to be the spoiler in the race and I think he actually knows it.
DeletePerry and Ruben have been playing this game for a long time, know how to court the old ladies and play their B&R ethnic cards..
They know that their chances of succeding increses in a run off in an off year election
Low info, big ego Nicola is their perfect puppet.
I doubt Tim knows he's being used, but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. A vote for him will basically be a vote for Nicola/DeFusco just like a vote for Jen for mayor in 2017 was effectively a vote for DeFusco.
DeleteJen didn't understand that in 2017 (despite it being obvious given that she was a republican running without Mayor Zimmer's support). She was drinking too much echo chamber kool-aid. But had she understood she wouldn't have cared. If she couldn't be Mayor she wanted anyone but Ravi.
Maybe that's the case with Tim Crowley as well, but since I don't know him I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Nobody ever accused Jen of having 2 brain cells to rub together. Like DeFusco, her appeal was never anything but that she wasn't her opponent. Once Nino lost, she actually had to do something to prove she was worthy of her position. Like DeFusco, she has proven to be an absolute disaster. So I am not surprised Jen never understood she was being used. And the simple fact that she has basically done everything possible to sabotage the current mayor out of spite is more than reason enough to vote against her just like it is more than reason to vote against DeFusco and vote against the people running against all of the mayor's slate.
DeleteI thought the candidates were class acts last night (and surprisingly, as were the moderators). They represent 3 different demographics - the long-time Hoboken resident and civic participant; a young family man; and a young working professional. All their insights were valuable but Phil Cohen was really a head above on most issues. Unlike Tim and Nicola, Phil could draw from his experience of serving on the Zoning Board to talk about development; and the Hoboken Democratic Committee to talk about working with the County to argue for more services on par with the tax revenue drawn from Hoboken. Phil's major focus is on Rebuild by Design and by living through Sandy in Hoboken and serving on the Committee finding ways to make Hoboken less prone to flooding, Phil shows that he's engaged in civic life and serious about public service.
ReplyDeleteNicola has moxie. He was more prepared than Tim and even came out attacking Phil like a puppy attacks a butterfly. His biggest weakness is his "public cause." For someone advocating for commuter issues, he did not seem to have a realistic grasp on the complexities of the limitations facing NJ Transit. Complaining is not advocacy. Having productive conversations with all the players and researching how other cities address public transit crunches is better advocacy. Constantly attacking the Mayor also distracts from his cause.
Tim, to put it nicely, is nothing but an armchair politician. He was prepared but only so much. He didn't seem to have a clear focus on any issue and mostly echoed the others. He is a very affable guy but using your personal experiences as a basis for policy analysis is... lazy.
If Nicola and Tim are serious about public service, I'd like to see them get more involved in the community.
There are pros and cons to having civic service experience.
DeleteLongevity does not equal "deserving."
Cohen's zoning board variances--such as block 112 at 1300 Jeff--are significant cause for concern for the 5th Ward's north end.
It takes time for people who raise their hand to serve the community to find their gravitas.
Maganuco clearly had good, maybe professional, coaching b/c his performance was notably improved than when he knocked on door in August.
Tim, who seems to be learning more organically, will get there.
Certainly having been involved in Hoboken politics for a long time does not equal deserving - if it did, people like Perry Belfiore would be deserving of serious consideration as candidates.
DeleteLike Joe Biden, Phil has a long record with plusses and minuses. It's fair game to ask him to explain his philosophy on development and to explain how that philosophy informed his ZBA voting record.
Voting for bad applications is wrong. So is voting against good applications. Nobody who thinks the job of the ZBA is to just blindly say no belongs the on ZBA, any more than someone who thinks the job of the ZBA is to say yes.
Knowing what kind of projects a candidate will say yes to is far more instructive than grandstanding about what they claim they would have opposed.