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| Dictatorships and Banana Republics endorse 365-day political signage- like Hoboken's Mike DeFusco! |
Hello, people. I'm sorta back... GA's been on the mend from a bit of surgery, popping Vicodin like Skittles.
Not much appears to be happening on the surface of our local political scene, like a giant exhale after last month's contested election. But you know, below the surface there has got to be wheeling and dealing and negotiating of the same kind that occurred after 2017's contested election.
Here's a preview of 2020's council landscape...
The "good government trio" that merged with Ruben Ramos and Mike DeFusco in 2017 for a scorched-earth anti-Bhalla voting majority will be a duo in 2020: Jen Giattino and Tiffanie Fisher. The Reform duo of Jim Doyle and Emily Jabbour will become a trio once Phil Cohen is sworn in. Who's left? The Swingers-- so named because their voting record is mixed: Vanessa Falco and Mike Russo, and the Pay-to-Players/VBM Harvest Beneficiaries: Ruben Ramos and Mike DeFusco.
The next variable impacting council alignment is the 2021 mayoral race. Like 2017's, candidates will emerge from the City Council. It's clear Mike DeFusco is one. Anybody else? Since those candidates will be facing off against incumbent Mayor Bhalla, expect that to influence the legislative agenda and council debate.
What does all that tell you? The 2020 council will be comprised of four distinct political factions plus one or more mayoral candidates... oy vey!
So, of course there is wheeling, dealing, horsetrading, etc. going on to consolidate power, confirm alliances, and for some, best position themselves for their 2021 campaigns.
What would I like to see? I'll keep that to myself for now.
With respect to Hoboken's Freeholder, as much as I like Anthony 'Stick' Romano personally, Hoboken's county taxes have gone through the roof on his watch. Yes, they have. Formula, shmormula. That's a lot of bull. Stick will never hold the County's feet to the fire, never demand the kind of SPENDING CUTS that bloat the County budget because, (Sorry, Stick) he is one of them, a machine guy, a vote for the County's patronage bloat. And Romano is running to represent Hoboken again...
Oy.
So, I'm hopeful that the Mayor's office can find someone with brains and balls to kick butt over there for Hoboken, someone who'll fight to lower our taxes by any means necessary, someone who won't accept "the formula" as an excuse for our city's annual screwing. My suggestion is to run Tiffanie Fisher for Freeholder. Yep. Dunno if that is even possible, under the Hatch Act. It may not be. But Fisher has the moxie to put the squeeze on the County spending spree, is nobody's fool, can READ a budget, and will find RELIEF for Hoboken taxpayers. That is my opinion a.k.a. two cents.
On to this week's meeting agenda. On Wednesday, the Hoboken City Council meets again for the last time in 2019...
DEFUSCO YEAR-ROUND POLITICAL SIGNAGE LEGISLATION OFF AGENDA
Not a surprise.. Because DeFusco's ordinance would have to go back to First Reading again anyway in 2020.
The question is will it ever come back? If any of you ever questioned DeFusco's fascist tendencies, like his illegal blocking on Twitter and Facebook, his Dear Leader-style legislation allowing the year-round display of political signage should remove all doubt.
GA heard the hilarious backstory to how this ridiculous ordinance came about- maybe I'll post it.
RUSSO'S POPULIST SANTACON RESOLUTION MISSES THE MARK- HO HO HO
GA likes the idea of forcing Santacon costs on those responsible for creating, hosting and participating in that HO-HO-HOrrorshow: event promoters and participating bars for starters.
But, it seems clear that hordes of costumed drunks "running wild in the streets" hurt more local businesses than the handful (11) bars that profited from ticket and drink sales. Hoboken residents avoid Washington Street when its infested with "inebriated elves."
So then, why make SID pay for hosting this shit-fest? Why not name every bar who participated in it in 2019?
The answer is the City and the HPD and the Council working together to eradicate this annual invasion. How about a big, fat lawsuit against the event promoters who advertised "thousands" of inebriated elves would "running wild through the streets..." ?
Hoboken taxpayers should not be underwriting this annual crimewave in any form, including SID money from our pockets.
That's it for now. Stay tuned.
Hoboken awhile back was able to enforce and limit the visual pollution of political signage that once littered Hoboken before during and after elections. The residents of Hoboken do not want to see that now being allowed year round. I think that the City Council members who are actually in touch with their constituency will understand that and vote down MDF's self serving resolution.
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