This November 7th hMag Op-Ed is getting attention in Hoboken political circles: "HOBOKEN HUBRIS: Mopping Up After #TeamBhalla’s Tough Tuesday." I hadn't read it until a non-partisan observer texted me the link with this:
"Chris Halleron really shit on Ravi over the losses in his latest. it's clear its his opinion but it's also clear it's not an informed opinion."
I'll say.
In a nutshell, the hMag OpEd excoriates the "hubris" of Hoboken Mayor Bhalla for running a slate of candidates, finger points that "confrontation has been a hallmark for the Bhalla administration" as though the mayor is the bully in the sandbox, indicts him as an attention-whore who has "spent an inordinate amount of time in the spotlight..." and concludes "if you take election results as any indication, it means that Hoboken doesn’t want a rubber stamp. Hoboken doesn’t want an agenda. Hoboken doesn’t want a cult of personality. Hoboken doesn’t want a squeaky-wheel republic where policies are crafted to placate an antagonistic political minority."
Hey, it's an Op-Ed. But the unusually vitriolic tone is predicated on ignorance.
hMag singled out Mayor Bhalla's 'hubris" for running a slate of ward candidates. What about Mayors Zimmer, Roberts, Russo, and Capiello who did the same? Every Hoboken mayor in memory has ran a slate of ward candidates. Contentious relationships between City Hall and City Council are a fact of Hoboken governance, not invented by the guy with the turban. Oh, but how dare Mayor Bhalla "cite a need" for council members who do not antagonize his administration via press release 3 days a week. hMag writes:
"The Mayoral election was in 2017, and Ravi Bhalla won. His job is to work with the Council and run the City of Hoboken. Nevertheless, the Mayor, citing a need for “new leadership” and “fresh perspective” in the Council, introduced #TeamBhalla last May."Yeah? Right, he did that.
It's every mayor's "job" to work with their City Council, even a council that churns out bad faith legislation, antagonistic press releases and disagrees with him on major legislative decisions like bringing back run-off elections or shrinking the Hoboken 'donut hole'. It's every council persons "job" to do their "job" and not spend inordinate amounts of time legislating appointment powers from the mayor in order to slide in political cronies. This is the council that denied Father Warren Hall, a mayoral appointment to Hoboken's Rent Leveling Board, an up or down vote; they shit-canned a priest.
The council majority falsely and maliciously accused Bhalla's outgoing communications director of "theft of services."
They crossed off a line item for coffee and croissants served at a public meeting in $4.4M Claims.
The council majority falsely and maliciously accused Bhalla's outgoing communications director of "theft of services."
They crossed off a line item for coffee and croissants served at a public meeting in $4.4M Claims.
So, if the hMag Editor is mayor of Hoboken, and his council won't even vote on his appointments to a municipal board, then tries to change the City Ordinance to legislate appointment powers away from him in order to slide a political crony into that seat, is the City Council doing their "job"? Is it unreasonable after two years of such lack of cooperation to want "new leadership"?
It's a matter of opinion, hence the Op-Ed.
It is also a matter of opinion that Bhalla has spent an "inordinate amount of time in the spotlight." Yes, the 2017 "terror flier" was an international story. What else?
If Bhalla is being singled out for "time in the spotlight" compared to previous mayors, I suppose hMag was asleep during the Zimmer Administration, post-Sandy, when the mayor made national news, was featured on CBS 60 Minutes, interviewed on major cable networks CNN and MSNBC, was named to President Obama's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience...
"Her work was also recognized by FEMA and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance who named her “Hero of the harbor” and said her work, “[made] her city a national model for preparedness, meeting with FEMA and state officials, urban planners, scientists and many others to created an integrated solution."
...and featured as "one of nine power females" in Glamour Magazine's "How to Get Sh*t Done." In fact, Zimmer got so much "time in the spotlight" this blog satirized her as a "Glamoor" cover girl.
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| poking fun at the Zimster in 2013 |
Any other mayors "in the spotlight"? Oh yeah, Hoboken had one mayor with a professional acting resume- a side gig concurrent with his mayoral service. Mayor Anthony Russo. In 1999, during his second term, Hoboken's Mayor Russo played a Mafia bodyguard in Robert DeNiro's "Analyze This."
I am sure there's more, but this is what comes to mind.
I am sure there's more, but this is what comes to mind.
As for the election results meaning the public rejecting a "rubber stamp"... Sure, that's opinion. I have anecdotal experience for mine. I canvassed in my ward a couple of times. Some folks (on the "registerd voters" list) were not aware of the election (in spite of the mailers) and couldn't name their councilwoman. The indifference and lack of information among registered voters was depressing. This was a base election favoring incumbents, all about GOTV, the power of incumbency, and in my opinion not a grand referendum on the mayor.
What else?
What else?
What a load of ignorant crap. The Fifth ward was NEVER "Cohen's to lose." Cunningham's supporters were not "with" Phil. Thousands of 5th Ward residents did not know Phil from a hole in the wall. But they did eventually, because Phil worked his ASS OFF. He knocked on every door in his ward THREE times. That is not "presumptive possession," that is work, a lot of listening, and people LIKING Phil.
So, really... opinion is what it is, opinion.
The vitriol and bias and ignorance of this particular OpEd is what folks are talking about. Not just partisans like me.
For reasons that have always been unclear to me, Chris Halloran and HMag have always provided a very much DeFusco friendly perspective.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the bias has been more subtle, sometimes more overt (as here), but it has always been there.
This piece reads like it was very skillfully written by the DeFusco political shop. And my guess is that it was.
Halloran is always looking for others to write his content, so your guess is probably correct.
DeleteHis political track record in Hoboken has never been good. Glossy covers for glossy people.
ReplyDeleteHalloran has always had a clearly pro DeFusco, anti-Bhalla bias.
ReplyDelete.
His magazine is selling vibrant and superficial. They're a good match.
DeleteThis is the sort of crap publication that goes straight into the recycling bin
ReplyDeleteThere has not been an actual hMag published in years.
DeleteHalleron took over an already dying magazine tried to resuscitate it and failed.
hmm, I just toss the crap out. I usually don't bother to read the contents of the crap. to me it was always crap so if I happened to see one lying about, in the recycling bin it went. same goes for those annoying envelopes full of ads and coupons and the takeout menus I see in the hall in front of my door every other morning.
DeleteAs our team disbands, we just wanted to take this opportunity to speak to Jen and Tiffanie.
ReplyDeleteThat time between the moment the polls closed Tuesday and when we dumped you at the first possible opportunity Wednesday -- it was special. Real special. We'll always remember your kind thoughts, your warm smiles, and your incredible gullibility. Mostly the last one.
Please note that our new word for people thinking they know what's right is "hubris." So please do not let your hubris get the better of you by opposing our inevitability. Go quietly, ladies, and thank you for your service.
The hRag piece came from Vision Media, no doubt, though it's not inconsistent with the editor's views, to be sure.
ReplyDeleteThe challengers lost for a variety of reasons, but Nora Martinez DeBenedetto & Cristin Cricco Powell came very close to ousting Fisher and Giattino, who could not have won but for their willingness to cast their lot with those who play fast and loose with the law.
Throughout the city, people were saying they were afraid to put up posters for the challengers because they know how spiteful and vindictive the incumbents could be if they were to win their seats again.
But as has been pointed out, DeFusco and Russo aren't wasting time on selling out the city as we saw at Wednesday's council meeting, when they basically ignored the Open Public Meetings Act.
Next up: scheduling important zoning and planning issue meetings days before a holiday - Jewish holidays not included.
Apathy also played a major role in this election. Fewer than 8,000 people came out to vote, and there would have been fewer still, had there been any runoffs. Hoboken has approximately 55,000 people, and about 3,500 are under 18. So in a city with almost 50,000 eligible voters, most could not be bothered, but they will have no problem complaining about anything and everything, including the obscenely huge development mistakes the council clowns will be making in short order.
DeleteDemocracy is not a spectator sport. People are still dying for the right to vote, and doing so is the least one can do for a democracy to function. It should be mandatory, as it is in Australia.
We get the government we deserve.
I have to respectively disagree. First of all, 9,073 people voted - not less than 8,000, and in Hoboken historical terms that's a pretty good turnout for a ward election with nothing else on the ballot to bring people out to the polls. In fact, it's probably a record. About 15% more people voted than in the hotly contested 2015 Ward races.
DeleteThere is also no real reason to believe that had more people voted, they would have voted against the incumbents. To the contrary, due to higher name recognition, lower information voters less frequent voters were more likely to support the better known incumbents.
The fact is that happy voters are more likely to vote for the status quo or stay home. Hoboken voters are largely happy with the direction of the City.
Ironically, Ravi's political opposition won in large part because Hoboken voters are happy with the job the Mayor, and by extension the Council, is doing. The Mayor was not on the ballot and running a ticket didn't make this election about him to voters. I doubt more than a handful of those who cast votes for incumbents saw themselves as casting votes against the Mayor, notwithstanding the DeFusco spin reflected in Halloran's op-ed.
Under the circumstances, with the benefit of some disappointed hindsight, it's truly remarkable how strongly Cristin and Nora ran, even though they fell short in the end.
Blaming voters (or non voters) for election results we don't like is not IMHO productive. Understanding why they voted the way they did (or why they didn't vote) is far more helpful.
If I were Tiffanie and Jen, I'd look at how close the challengers came and consider a course correction toward the independent path they ran on, and away from the GiaFusco alliance that serves no purpose beyond furthering Mike DeFusco's ambitions.
Numberscruncher - my totals came from before VBM's and provisionals were counted. My bad. And yes, it's true, that more voters may not have changed the outcome, but the apathy is appalling.
DeleteEven if one is ignorant enough to accept that the incumbents were worth keeping around, there were still ballot questions and school board candidates to vote for.
I hope Fisher and Giattino do nothing differently so that with another four years of nothing to show, they may finally be replaced. In the meanwhile, they'll be caught in the crosshairs of DeFusco and Ramos's attempts to become mayor, but they'll probably be indicted first, though that's not a deal-breaker for the people who support them. Hell, it's a right of passage for them!
Numberscruncher, this was a referendum on Bhalla. He lost. PERIOD
DeleteAnon @ 10:52- That's your opinion, an opinion that only matters among a handful of hyper-partisan political operatives backing Ruben or Defusco or Fisher for Mayor in 2021. It was an incumbents race to lose. Good news (not for you) is that results indicate the public is happy with the way things are going, which favors the incumbent mayor, too. Didn't think of that, huh?
DeleteTake note: the candidates backed by Defusco and Cunningham in the only race without an incumbent LOST. And the school board candidate backed by Cunningham and the Giattino crowd lost big- last place behind Patty Waiters. Spin all you want that results were a referendum on the mayor. That and bus fare will take you to Newport Mall.
can you imagine the screeching & horse manure if Ravi took an acting gig same as Anthony Russo.... nobody cared in those days.... maybe its the TURBAN difference.
ReplyDeleteStop with the faux bigotry pinned on his opposition, he's been milking it for years!
DeleteHis team lost big, no excuses. People like an objective council. Let's face it, Other than Nora, Russo and Phil the rest were unprepared at the debates. The First ward candidate was totally ignorant of any current issue. Rather than go after Ward wide issues she fought over who had the best cake and coffee at Marine View. Her alliance with Terry "it was cleared up " Castellano was proof she would have been a "mistake".
All Ravi wanted was to have an LGBT opposition against Mike- that everyone saw as offensive. Imagine if someone put up an unknown Sikh against Ravi? You would all be going nuts!
Sore losers....
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMayor Bhalla has been very effective in getting his agenda enacted over the last two years despite the constant hectoring and knee jerk opposition from some members of the City Council. Now with an additional friendly vote on City Council and the apparent splintering of his City Council opposition, I expect he continue to get things done.
True.
DeleteRavi may have lost a few battles along the way but he appears to be wining the war.
And you are just lame.
DeleteYou're beyond a hypocrite. You took down my comment again! Guess you cannot stomach the truth. #truthhurtshoboken. Guess you and DangCarFish lead a comfy life being the bloggers for the poor mayor. You're just like Fox News, no room for honest opposing view points. What a load of crap...
ReplyDeleteDid someone leave the barn door open ?
DeleteAnon @8:39 is pushing the same false narrative that came out of Lack-of-Vision Exscredia. Their candidates cannot win legitimately, and so much use VBMs, violate ELEC laws, and sell-out to PACS. They lie, cheat and spin. On election day, unlike the challengers, all their workers were paid. They lied about their opponents, and would never retract those lies when they were called out. Is this "winning"?
ReplyDeleteNora and Cristin came pretty close to ousting the shrews, Giattino and Fisher, whose fawning female fan club is largely made up of unemployed women who were pissed at Zimmer for not choosing the incompetent Giattino. They carried that corrosive anger and will use it against Bhalla and anyone he supports.
They also mistake Mayor Bhalla's calm demeanor for weakness, preferring the lunacy and rantings of the rabid chihuahua, DeFusco. Everyone admits: he works hard for the money, but not the people, and he's already auditioning for mayor, and if elected, he'll be working for his highest bidder.
He gives whores a bad name.
The moderator deleted my original comment because #truthhurtshoboken.
ReplyDeleteRepost my original comment from last night. I have met the mayor and former mayor. The former mayor is a nice person. The current mayor isn't. The former mayor rode her bike or walked to city hall. The current mayor has a police escort in the $60,000 SUV the police department had to buy for him for a job that pays around $120,000. If MDF would have won, he would have walked or biked to city hall. Both mayors strongly supported and campaigned for MDF in 2015. But he told them he would not be a rubber stamp for the Zimmer admin. So, when he was true to his word, they tried to orchestrate his removal. They tried again, and even enlisted the councilwoman he defeated in 2015, and were crushed. I get that this moderator and the mayor want him gone but after the runoff resounding loss and this resounding loss, it's the mayor who should be worried. The council approves over 80% of his agenda. But, he wants 100% or he cries the council will not work with him. Hoboken said no to a rubber stamp council, the mayor should heed that mandate and maybe change his rhetoric.
Wrong. The moderator took down your comment because you're a TROLL and this blog has a zero tolerance policy for TROLLS. All opinions welcome, trolling not. My zero tolerance policy is why my comments section is not a steaming, toxic sewer, a playground for misanthropes and psychos like HCV. But, since you are crying like a bitch because your drivel was scrubbed I will leave this fairytale of yours up for all to see. Listen, political operative or fan boy, it doesn't matter. Since your hero never met a local p2p law he didn't break, or a back he didn't stab, you can have him. Nothing personal, but I am not a Troll babysitter. Now that you've excreted here, run along.
DeleteThe troll needs to get a job and a life.
Delete