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| Devilishly handsome vegan, Paul Somerville |
GA was touched by this letter from Hoboken born-and-raised resident Paul Somerville, so am publishing it here with his permission. (By the way, Paul owes me a new phone- drool from his dinner posts drowned mine). Paul's the real deal, not some phony, grandstanding, PAC money sucking, corrupt buffoon. Love you, Paul.
I hope the Dem Caucus reads this. Doubt they will.
ReplyDeleteIn any event their careless endorsement of an unexamined complaint goes in the books as nothing more than a failed political hit. Not the first, not the last.
And that’s a very bad thing. Every time someone raises a false bias claim, the bullies take comfort. “See? All these complaints of discrimination are a lot of hooey!” Just read the right of center comments on HCV’s Facebook page. Lots of confirmation bias. A short walk from there to “bullying is free speech.” And isn’t it a shame that young man took his own life.
Mike should know better. But you can always tell when someone is a politician first and a human being second.
The truly sad thing is that Mike does know better and yet continues to make the bad choices.
DeleteI've already reached out to Lauren Albrecht, Chair of the Dem LGBTQ caucus. Monday night. I intend to keep our exchange private, though kept a record in case Mike DeFusco's smear campaign goes further. All I will say is, I found Ms. Albrecht to be genuine, well-intentioned, passionate. If anyone has contact info for her caucus, I would love to find out about their work at the state level, maybe hook them up with local LGBTQ activists. Y'know, feet on the ground.
DeleteYou are absolutely right. This stunt may have unintended consequences.
I would have thought someone from that caucus would have reached out to GA before they decide to put out a press release about her. Seems to me that they may have been complicit in DeFusco's stunt.
DeleteAnon @1:40PM.... ya think?
DeleteWhile I like DeFusco, I think Mr Sommerville's letter puts the issue in perspective. DeFusco should really not be running around shirtless-Barack Obama never did, Mayor Pete never does...While his posts are on his IG account and not his Council page, I think it really makes him look silly. The letter writer above speaks many truths, but lets not forget there are a lot of activists in Hoboken that don't need to say what they did 30 years ago to prove a point now.... Especially when most of all Hoboken's older activists all ended up with themselves or family members hired with multiple public positions and some currently applying. Now is the time to endorse the Mayor's team if there's a job application in limbo- Hey it's Hoboken, the B&R's know the way and now the newcomers are following suit.
ReplyDeleteT-Bone, agree with one exception: MDF's instagram, @mike4hoboken, uses a campaign photo for an avatar. This particular campaign photo has appeared over and over against since 2017 on campaign print materials, social media and his campaign looks website.
DeleteThe other pic, him weightlifting in the gym, was taken off his campaign Facebook page. Trust me, I look at neither-- people email me, text me this stuff.
"Most of all Hoboken's older activists all ended up with themselves or family members hired with multiple public positions and some currently applying." Um, what? Smells like a conspiracy theory. One with very little basis in fact.
DeleteBelieve it or not he still has a lot of support. I have a friend that lives in MVP and he told me a lot of residents are going to vote for him especially after Terry C threw her support behind Mig. Residents don’t trust Terry.
ReplyDeleteNot what I heard. Heard he had trouble collecting signatures from MVP 1 and 2. Residents wouldn't open their doors for him.
DeleteThe segue from the actual issue being discussed into the completely unrelated assertions about long time activists getting "hired" to public positions is beyond strange. If T-bone is trying to imply something about Mr. Somerville to somehow undermine him as a messenger on an issue so personal to him, that would truly be inappropriate and unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteStill, while it has nothing to do with Mr. Somerville, GA or false claims of homophobia - the issue being addressed by Mr. Somerville, I certainly agree with T-bone that"reform activism" is not proof of integrity, and that job seeking by "reformers" has at times raised legitimate questions of integrity.
Remember when Michael Lenz was hired as CFO by Mayor Roberts? Personally, I wasn't troubled by that since Mr. Lenz was highly qualified and far better than the alternative, but the concerns raised by many were certainly worth considering.
Or when Tony Soares was appointed to a paid position on the NHSA when he was already serving as ZBA chair? That is harder to defend since Mr. Soares had no special expertise and it appeared as if an awful appointment to the HHA was traded by Mr. Soares's Council allies to gain the Russo factions support for giving Mr. Soares a second (paying) job. Over the objections of Mayor Zimmer, it's worth noting.
The innuendo about Mayor Bhalla is the kind of nonsense that usually emanates out of the barn rather than on GA, but it certainly is important to remember that participating in public advocacy does not necessarily imply a high level of personal integrity.
My bad, glossed right over that one. Yeah, do not understand the assertion about long-time activists rewarded with public jobs. Off topic, anyway. So back to crass exploitation of the LGBTQ community for political gain....
DeleteAfter crunching on Anon's post a few times I'm still trying to find any innuendo about Bhalla from "T-Bone"head?
DeleteMaybe it is going over your head but it is clear to most.
DeleteConsidering it is MDF's crew who put the last "long time activist" in positions of authority, why would anyone support MDF if they were worried about that?
DeleteA councilman running for office posts wildly inappropriate posts of his naked torso on his council social media and blames GA for pouncing? Gay, straight, who cares. The guy is an ass!
ReplyDelete" wildly inappropriate posts of his naked torso"??? Seriously ? Who knew Mike Pence is posting on here ;)
DeleteMDF did this on purpose because his formula is predictable
Delete1) Post shirtless THOT pictures on FB
2) Bait people into calling him out for being inappropriate
3) Play victim
4) Accuse people of being homophobic
5) Bully the mayor who he lost the election to to denounce people for speaking the truth
Remember after MDF lost the election and he whined and yelled at Ravi in front of everyone as he bullied him into agreeing that MDF was THE victim. Never mind the sikh community.
It's pretty obvious that an elected official posting shirtless selfies on FB is exercising poor judgement as T-bone correctly points out.
ReplyDeleteBut in my opinion what is far worse is Mr. DeFusco trying to innoculate himself from legitimate criticism (and well earned ridicule) for his poor judgement by falsely accusing GA of homophobia and causing an activist group without knowledge of the context to damage its credibility by joining in.
Sexual orientation does not excuse bad judgment, and criticism (and even ridicule) come with the territory. False accusations of homophobia in response to legitimate political discourse trivializes real homophobia and is damaging to the LGBTQ cause.
T-bone acknowledges that he likes DeFusco, so I wish he had addressed that issue - which is the issue Paul so eloquently raised in his letter. Drifting off into non-sequitors about activists, jobs and Mayor Bhalla seems like a weak attempt at"whataboutism"
I'll bet Dawn looks hot in a bikini. How come she never put put a bikini-selfie on the City of Hoboken web site? Please ask her!
DeleteBe careful GA. Calling Dawn hot in a bikini could be twisted into sexism. That would be your third "ism" accusation.
DeleteIt's been said "he who pays the piper calls the tune", and so while looking for something, or anything at all about the New Jersey Democratic LGBTQ Caucus, I stumbled on this post where DeFusco is donating dough to them at a poorly attended Hoboken fundraiser:
ReplyDeletehttps://hudsonreporter.com/2017/04/02/fundraiser-held-for-nj-lgbtq-caucus/ I think most if not all of the guys in the photo apart from MDF are from out of town, which probably means that most gay people in Hoboken don't support him.
In the article, DeFusco claims disappointment that Mayor Zimmer wasn't present, to which her spokesman replied "Mayor Zimmer wasn't invited". Reminds me of the fake debate that no one knew of last week, the same night as the special council meeting he phoned into, where he accused Migdalia of not attending. He really is running out of tricks, though "phoning it in" is his personal political style. First warders deserve better.
But back to the caucus, they appear to be made up of straight elected officials, claiming to be doing good things for the LGBTQ community, though there's no obvious evidence of it. I call BS. I think their organization is just window dressing, to try to garner votes and financial support from gay people and couples, who often don't have kids but usually earn two incomes. Ka-ching ka-ching.
The caucus probably also doesn't know that DeFusco didn't come out publicly until after he was elected. Who cares? but it's really inaccurate for him and others to keep saying he's the first openly gay candidate in Hudson County. In The Reporter article he mentions Hoboken's abysmal score in the Human Rights Campaign Fund's "municipal equality index". He's too out of it to know that the HRCF has lost credibility with the broader gay community. He foisted the HRCF standards on city hall, and then thwarted the city's attempts to comply, seemingly so that he could throw shade on Zimmer.
But it's no wonder the caucus is willing to do MDF's bidding without researching any facts or consulting with GA first. They don't have a lot going on and in a sense, the piper was paid.
Well, well. Thanks Anon. That 3/27/2017 fundraiser netted DeFusco a $500 contribution from the LGBT Dem Caucus plus a $250 in-kind contribution from Dubliners. A bunch of big, juicy checks came in on the same date (3/27/2017). KA-CHING-A-LING! See Michael DeFusco for Hoboken Mayor, April 15, 2017 ELEC.
DeleteThe plot thickens!
Good catch. I remember that stunt.
DeleteFollow the money.
DeletePoints taken. I was not referring to Mr. Sommerville getting a job, as far as I know he's never worked for Hoboken.
DeleteLiking DeFusco is not an endorsement.
I find it curious how Numberscruncher who is pretty much out as a person related to Dawn never wants to confess they were the people who gave us Mike in the first place. Dawn's disdain for Russo and Castellano had them all in for Mike.
T-bone - I'm not "pretty much out" as anybody. I've ignored the speculation about my identity and will continue to do so, but it is flattering that the opinuobs I express in my posts are valuable enough that folks like you think it's important to speculate about who I might be and try so desperately to "out" me.
DeleteIf you weren't referring to Mr. Somerville in your tangent about jobs, then your post is even stranger. Can you connect the dots for us and explain what exactly you you were referring to and how it relates to Mr. Somerville's letter and Mr. DEfusco using a charge of homophobia to deflect legitimate criticism of his lack of maturity and bad judgment?
MDF is crying the victim again. He is so self-centered that he does not see he is bullying the mayor into condemning you. So he is bullying you too.
ReplyDeleteFight the good fight GA!
In MDF's own cheap tag lines, Fight the good fight. Don't buckle to political pressure. be an independent voice to fight the corruption that MDF represents. Don't be silenced. Thank you for bringing your #newenergies and #newideas to Hoboken!!!
You mean on DeFusco's Land of Censorship (Facebook)? He's still trying to light that turd? Attacking bloggers, using them as proxies for the mayor is so 2012. Ask Barracato, who made "denouncing me" the centerpiece of his LOSING BOE campaign. Personal vendettas don't win elections. Every second he whines about me he's not talking about his opponent or his own merits. . So, I guess it's all good for Mig!
DeleteThis isn't offensive ?
ReplyDeleteWhat's not going over ANYONE's head is the slight you are making at Soares we all know that is who Numberscruncher and Anon at 1:53 obviously think T-Bone is.
Does "NumbersCruncher" really think the $5000 Sewer Authority position Bhalla and Zimmer tried to give to Brian Assadourian three times and was rejected and voted down by multiple city councils is considered some sort of high paid job. They act as if its a board seat on a Ukrainian energy company... Speaking of energy companies ;)
Knocking anyone for their appearance is bullying, and as bad as what everyone here complains Roman and Perry do. It's the same thing. Nobody here missed the point you're taking a shot at Numbercrunchers Obsession Soares.
"AnonymousOctober 2, 2019 at 1:53 PM
Maybe it is going over your head but it is clear to most"
MDF is claiming victory over GA on his Facebook page.
ReplyDeleteVictory? Did they have a wrestling match? It's all sooooooo stupid. The 1st Ward contest has become "who is the gay-er" candidate.
DeleteAnon @ 10:55- No, he is not. Just went there. His smear campaign is a big FAIL, and he's desperately trying to light a turd that won't light. The article he posted is 4 days old and he probably hasn't read it since edits the publisher made at my request. Such as adding my statement:
Delete“This fact-challenged, slanted article reads like a DeFusco campaign press release. My blog posts never ‘target gays — utterly libelous. The blog post satirized selfies the councilman posted on his OFFICIAL, not personal, social media accounts, like a shirtless Vladimir Putin or a Christie on the beach,” Pincus said. “No aspersions were made to his sexuality. None. Had Mayor Zimmer posted bikini shots on her OFFICIAL social media account she would have been held up to ridicule by me.”
“Mayor Bhalla is irrelevant to this story. Any association that Bhalla ‘owns’ what I write is a DeFusco campaign talking point. Must be a slow news day,” Pincus said. “Thin-skinned, intolerant to all criticism, DeFusco illegally blocks constituents from commenting on his social media, and now he is trying to silence my voice with this #fakenews smear campaign.”
BTW, did the dimwit forget his opponent is Mig, not me. Dunno why he is fighting with bloggers instead running on his record of accomplishm.... never mind. I see why he's fighting with bloggers!
I think he is an idiot and hope he does not win. Was just stating he is trying to publicize the subject.
DeleteNo prob. I see Lauren Albrecht hopped on the thread; unfortunately Michael DeFusco unconstitutionally blocks persons who don't kiss the ring, so I am unable to reply to her.
DeleteCreate a new fake facebook account
DeleteAnon@12:36- Nope. I have one FB account, one Twitter account, none personal, both for this blog. I look forward to shutting both down in the near future.
DeleteHe blocked me as well after I said he sounded like a raving lunatic when he was talking about the water main crises last summer.
Delete