Council Prez SILENCES Constituent Services support (including OLG's Father Santora)

26 emails in support of the Office of Constituent Services were not acknowledged  last night

SILENCED: FATHER SANTORA

The Hoboken priest's email was not read nor put in the record

Did you watch last night's City Council meeting?   Many members of the public spoke to support the 26 Hoboken municipal workers who were just laid off.  While we all understand that this is the worst global economic crisis in modern history, hitting municipalities like Hoboken hard as anticipated tax revenue plummets, that did not matter. Fired city workers felt betrayed, their co-workers felt demoralized, and last night they spoke out; the anger and emotion were palpable.  

And whenever speakers excoriated the Mayor and his administration, Mike DeFusco's head bobbed furiously up and down like a deranged bobblehead. The First Ward Bobblehead would later propose a 10% cut to the Council, Mayor and Directors' salaries- a nominal $2,400 reduction per Councilperson- later to be trumped by Jim Doyle's proposal for each Council salary to be reduced by $20K.  Wonderful idea! With one exemption: council members who are unemployed and rely on this income.  Mike Russo, for example, who gave an impassioned speech late in the meeting. 

But I digress.  The job of our elected Council is to allow the public to weigh in on matters of public concern.  Council opinion is irrelevant; the public must be heard. 

Which is why it's shocking that voluminous emails from the public-- invited to submit " a comment, testify, or pose a question" to the Hoboken City Clerk-- were completely ignored last night by City Council President, Jen Giattino.  

click image to read

There were 26 emails supporting Hoboken's Office of Constituent Services sent from members of the public to the City Clerk, and 3 opposed. The 26 emails were sent largely by Hoboken residents, but included a few public figures: Our lady of Grace Priest Father Santora, City Clerk Jimmy Farina, and the HudCo Alliance to End Homelessness.  These were sent in compliance with Hoboken City Council's agenda, but Council President Giattino chose to ignore them. She neither read them aloud nor put them in the public record.  Put it simply, the COuncil President silenced these voices.

Why?  

Perhaps because Council President Giattino voted to abolish the Office of Constituent Services, and the letters were inconsistent with her political agenda.It is a reasonable conclusion. The Council Presdient purposefully hid public opinion which did not align with her own. 

It is reasonable to conclude that Giattino chose to mislead the public that the Office of Constituent Services in unsupported.  To the contrary.  Burying public opinion is some sneaky, dishonest Trumpian sh*t.   Here is a statement from a First Ward resident, silenced by the Council President:

"I was delighted when the mayor created the Office of Constituent Affairs.  I had often found it difficult to navigate the many departments at City Hall and appreciated being able to email or call Caroline with my concerns.  I have found Caroline to be incredibly professional, resourceful, and kind.  She has always responded quickly to my concerns or requests, no matter how big or small.  The first time I met Caroline was after the horrendous fire at 2 Marineview Plaza.  My neighbors and I were sheltering at the W Hotel waiting for news.  I was distraught because I was incredibly worried about the safety and well-being of my pets.  Caroline made it a point to speak with me and each of my neighbors individually to assess our needs and stayed at the hotel until we were given permission to return to our building.  Caroline also advocated for the tenants of Marineview after the fire by organizing meetings between Marineview Management, City Hall representatives, and the Hoboken Fire Department to ensure that each HVAC unit was inspected.  I will always be grateful for the integral role she played in supporting me and my fellow tenants during this time.

I have contacted Caroline many times during the global pandemic to express my concerns about my health and safety as well as the health and safety of my neighbors.  She has always been quick to respond and to offer help in solving any problems that I have brought to her attention.  Caroline has also assisted in coordinating and delivering meals to our Hoboken seniors during this pandemic.  As we all know, we have a long, arduous road ahead of us.  We need to keep our community safe and be sure that all our concerns are considered and addressed when we begin to slowly reopen our city.  The Office of Constituent Affairs and the Chief of Constituent Affairs were never more important than they are today.  I respectfully urge you to vote to maintain this office and position."

Hard to believe, but Giattino ignored (Hoboken City Clerk) Jimmy Farina!

SILENCED: JIMMY FARINA(!) 

The Hoboken City Clerk's letter was ignored

SILENCED: HUDCO ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS

The statement from HudCo Alliance to end Homelessness was ignored

Unacceptable.  Honestly, this is a genuine betrayal of the public trust. We deserve much better than this. Why invite the public to send "a comment, testify, or pose a question" to the Hoboken City Council it the Council President will choose not to read it?     Giattino should step down and let Falco take over as Council President.  

I am asking the Council President to read these emails into the public record at the next public meeting. There is time to hear EVERYONE's voice.