Funny anecdote or cautionary tale- you decide.
When I heard this story last month, I thought it amusing and maybe worth recounting, then forgot about it. Now that a voting seat on Hoboken's Zoning Board of Adjustments is being dealt to a person who ostensibly has no particular affinity for the subject but is mentored by the Council's Cammarano 2.0, the story seems worth mentioning.
The story takes place on Monday, November 4th, the day before Election Day. If any of the details are wrong, I'll correct- this is from memory.
Phil Cohen, possibly the hardest working candidate in modern Hoboken history, was out and about canvassing that Monday morning. Cohen was walking by Fox Hill Gardens, when who did he run into? Nicola Maganuco, one of his opponents for the 5th Ward Council seat. Nicola was stationed in front of Fox Hills Gardens with campaign literature.
As the story goes, Phil chatted up Nicola when all of a sudden, the most tricked-out, top-of-the-line, Academy bus pulled up where they stood! That's when Phil found out that Academy was shuttling Fox Hill Gardens seniors to Walmart! In plush style. Apparently, Academy's bus trip had been promoted on posters festooned with patriotic red, white and blue stripes and stars- cause everyone knows that a trip to Walmart is an act of fidelity to America!
God Bless America and Walmart!
So what happened next? That's the funny part. Phil happened upon what appeared to be a bit of an opponent's campaign choreography... so did he go away quietly?
NO!
Phil got on the bus and went to Walmart! GA hears Cohen had a blast chatting up the seniors, introducing himself, asking for input on personal gifts for family members. By the time the trip was over, the Academy bus was covered with Cohen's campaign literature and cupcake crumbs (that Phil had bought for the bus ride home.)
Of course, the unexpected sojourn to Walmart on that tricked-out Academy bus threw off Phil's campaigning schedule, but I hear he had no regrets. Because he got to go to Walmart with a fine group of Fox Hill Gardens seniors!
Funny story, right? Phil hijacking an Academy bus trip replete with a candidate-greeter! Unless that was sheer coincidence.
Anyway, be advised that a First Alternate on the Zoning Board votes more often than not.
Manchild's puppet masters Ramos and DeFusco have long established ties to Academy Bus. Academy has huge real estate holdings in both the North West and South West Hoboken and with a few friendly decisions of the Hoboken Zoning Board could really improve their profit margins by many millions of dollars. In my opinion any City Council member who would vote to put this guy on the Zoning Board has lost any pretense of being for good government.
ReplyDeletePretty sure a few of those people lost any pretense of being for good government years ago when they put their own political interests ahead of everything else a couple election cycles ago.
DeleteA ZBA Commissioner Maganuco will have to recuse on any applications tied to Academy, based upon the appearance of impropriety.
DeleteRamos, DeFusco and Falco (DeFusco's ticket mate) are most certainly going to back the move. I would guess Cunningham, Doyle, Jabbour will not. The question is then will Fisher and Giattino who have obviously had a very apparent falling out with Ramos and DeFusco over Manganuco in the last election will give them the win and possibly an advantage if one of them runs for mayor next time. Russo as always will full exploit his tie breaker status.
DeleteI don't remember that even with a very real appearance of impropriety involving Academy Bus has ever deterred either Councilmen Ramos or DeFusco in the past and would probably not deter their surrogate for the ZBA.
DeleteThe whole point of DeFusco and Ramos propping up this chooch is to have him be their rubber stamp for Academy, Dell Aquilla and other projects. Recusal is not in their vocabulary, otherwise Giattino, who's a real estate agent, would not be involved in passing any development ordinances. It wouldn't occur to her to recuse herself because like the others, she's as dumb as they are corrupt. Giattino even got her vocal, fawning supporter a gig as an agent, even though she's on the rent levelling board, supposedly advocating for tenants' rights against the property owners who would be her clients. You can't make this shit up.
DeleteNo, conflicts of interest, appearances of impropriety, self-dealing and self-recusal are nowhere on their radar, but corporation counsel and the attorneys for the ZBA and planning board can call them out on their bullshit and Hoboken would be well served if the Bhalla administration would instruct them to do so.
Well played by Phil Cohen! Moving to a part of town that’s underserved by public transportation and then complaining about it as a campaign platform shows a lack of due diligence. Extra idiot points for his thinking Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was his congresswoman. But the council members who will vote him in have done the impossible; they’ve found someone less intelligent and even more politically tone deaf than they are. It will take him awhile to catch up with some of their levels of corruption and self dealing.
ReplyDeleteNicola was overheard saying he had the backing from MDF, TF, JG, RR and maybe VF for Zoning Commissioner.
ReplyDeleteFisher and Giattino usually prattle on about being against over development in Hoboken and voting for a high rise, high density, overdevelopment candidate for the ZBA would go against their previously stated positions. Installing Manganuco would be hypocritical at the very least.
DeleteDon't worry John Branciforte votes NO on everything, he's gonna get the 1 full member seat so Nicolo and Marsh won't get to vote much. Branciforte's treatment of the applicants /public at ZBA meetings is dreadful. Plus he's been on that board for over a decade. NEW blood please
DeleteIf your a resident of Hoboken who loves our City wants to keep it livable Branciforte is doing a fantastic job. If on the other hand you are a real-estate developer who cares little about quality of life and only about making the largest profit you can before you collapse you LLC and move on then I understand why you are attempting slandering a good person. The political backdoor games being played behind putting this totally unqualified candidate into an important position has more then a whiff of corruption about it.
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DeleteHappy New Year! 🎉🎊🥂
DeleteI served on the ZBA with John B. and he is as ethical as they come. I realize that is a problem for some City Council members and their friends.
ReplyDeleteIn my time, not a single ZBA member, including yours truly, went to any developer- hosted functions or functions to network with developers and politicians-- except for Mike DeFusco. Even Political Insider's Augie Torres took note in a 2011 column:
My dinner with the postmaster: Political Insider
"Hoboken's latest zoning board member Michael DeFusco walked in and immediately looked like "a deer in the headlights," as one attendee observed, when developers surrounded DeFusco in a bid to get to know him."
I repeat, no one on the ZBA took up invitations to schmooze with developers and the politically connected, except for THAT one. City Council members who purport to support clean government should think long and hard about who they are putting on powerful municipal boards, and the consequences of making a political decision rather than what is best for the City. As for the nominees, the APPEARANCE of one nominee's political campaign receiving a benefit from a powerful developer should be at a minimum explored publicly prior to any vote on his nomination. If any Council members believe that is a disqualifier, then they should vote accordingly.
You know that the people on the CC who only care about their own political aspirations would happily sell the whole town to the highest bidder at the drop of a hat. They do not care about anything about how they can leverage their votes for their own personal benefit.
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