DeFusco DUMPS Columbian Towers seniors for good times in Colombia!

As reported, in mid-February, First Ward Councilman Michael DeFusco defied the CDC's COVID-19  Level 4 "no travel" Health Advisory to fly to South America. Note, the councilman slinked off without informing constituents of his absence, letting his Facebook page go dark for three weeks: from February 9 to March 1.  

In ordinary times, Councilman DeFusco wouldn't be missed.  Not before, not during, not after his vacation. Not in a box, not with a fox. Not in a house, not with a mouse.  Not here nor there, we would not miss him anywhere.  That's because he is notoriously lazy, steals credit for other people's accomplishments, wields a Hudson County public relations firm to loudly inflate his empty suit, kill unflattering press coverage and attack his critics. 

But these are not ordinary times. 

Councilman DeFusco's failure to act in January, February and now, to pre-register the senior residents of Columbian Towers for their covid-19 vaccine, to provide them with City of Hoboken vaccine information flyers, to coordinate with Hoboken CERT and offer to assist them as needed to get vaccinated is a potentially deadly dereliction of duty.  Councilman DeFusco has literally done NOTHING for his Columbian Towers seniors who are the most at-risk for hospitalization and death from COVID-19.  

Thankfully, the First Ward councilman's leadership vacuum has been filled by others: the City of Hoboken CERT Team, Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, Councilman Phil Cohen, numerous volunteers, under the leadership of Mayor Ravi Bhalla and his administration.  

What's really amazing: DeFusco was completely unaware of the City's senior pre-registration program for the COVID-19 vaccine. The Councilman's tweet of January 21st, asking Councilman Phil Cohen to "share the [COVID-19 vaccine] registration process with Council members so we can do the same for our senior constituents?"  

 

Can you believe this dunce?

Aside from Councilman DeFusco, only the Liberty Mutual ostrich might have been unaware of the City of Hoboken's senior vaccine pre-registration program. The program rolled out like this:

• On January 11, 2021, the City announced it on Nixle, social media, on the City's website, and press release. The same day, the announcement was published on Patch and other local media.  
• On January 12, the City followed up with another Nixle featuring a downloadable poster about vaccine pre-registration addressed to seniors.
• On January 16,  Hoboken CERT members and Phil Cohen helped seniors pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine at the Adams Gardens, Monroe Gardens, and Fox Hill buildings, and placed a flyer beneath each door.
• On January 16, Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, volunteers Migdalia Pagano,  Cristin Cricco-Powell and Raahkee Merchandani helped seniors pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine and flyered at First Ward's Columbian Towers. 

Senior vaccine pre-registration information was everywhere-- more places than I have listed above. Yet, five days after Councilwoman Jabbour and volunteers had pre-registered his senior constituents in Columbian Towers for the COVID-19 vaccine-- or at least informed them about pre-registration with a flyer under their doors, DeFusco didn't have a clue about it; ten days after the program announcement was publicized everywhere, DeFusco asked Phil  to "share the registration process with Council members so we can do the same for our senior constituents."

Even worse than ignorance, DeFusco's failure to aid Columbian Towers seniors (and all seniors in his ward) in getting vaccinated- his failure to contact Hoboken's CERT team to coordinate with them- is unforgivable.  To the senior population, COVID-19 can be a death sentence.  Did DeFusco spend one minute thinking about their health, thinking about what he could do for them to keep them protected from this deadly virus? 

No.     

He literally left the First Ward senior population to their own devices. He literally left Columbia Towers seniors to "figure it out;" the City of Hoboken had figured it out, only DeFusco went AWOL leaving others had to step in to give First Ward seniors urgently needed help.  And DeFusco's senior constituents are still being helped. By others. Meanwhile, their Councilman is fresh off vacation, his public relations firm is back to work.  

How's this for irony:  in mid-February the First Ward councilman abandoned his senior constituents in Columbian Towers for.... Colombia.