Hoboken City Council Meeting Preview- January 17, 2018 7pm

Tonight's Hoboken City Council meeting starts off with two closed session items:

1) Hoboken City Hall Security Measures:

Hoboken’s Chief of Police Kenneth F. Ferrante wishes to brief the City Council and Administration on safety and security matters, specifically new security measures at City Hall. One of the reasons to go into closed session is to discuss tactics and techniques utilized in protecting the safety and property of the public, disclosure of which could impair that protection. The City Council wishes to receive the safety and security briefing from Chief Ferrante, which will include discussion of tactics and techniques utilized in protecting the citizens of Hoboken, disclosure of which could impair said protection.

It is unknown whether these measures are related to any specific security threats made towards the Mayor or City Hall generally but some level of security strengthening in these times is likely warranted.

2) Personnel Matters:

This is likely a discussion of the new Deputy Chief of Staff created by new Mayor Ravi Bhalla. Under Mayor Zimmer there was a singular Chief of Staff position in her efforts to reduce the overhead for the Mayor's office and save the taxpayers money as part of her campaign promises. By creating this new position Ravi is asking for an additional slot on the table of organization that requires City Council approval. the discussion will likely revolve around the justification for this new position when in the past just one position seemed to foot the bill.

The two major ordinances for final vote are:

1) Schedule of Classifications for City employees (Table of Organization)

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A SCHEDULE OF CLASSIFICATIONS AND ALLOCATIONS OF TITLE FOR THE HERIN MENTIONED POSITIONS IN THE CITY OF HOBOKEN (sponsored by Councilman Cunningham and Councilwoman Giattino) (Z-539)

2) Authorization Ballot for reinstating run off elections. Mayor Zimmer vetoed this in one of her final acts as Mayor. The question is WWBD (What will Bhalla do)? It is likely the City Council will have enough votes to override anyway and let the people decide this November at the ballot box.

AN ORDINANCE TO SUBMIT THE PROPOSITION TO THE VOTERS AT THE NOVEMBER 6, 2018 GENERAL ELECTION THAT THE CITY OF HOBOKEN ADOPT THE HOLDING OF RUN-OFF ELECTIONS AS PERMITTED BY THE UNIFORM NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS LAW (sponsored by Councilman DeFusco and Councilman Ramos) (Z-541)

Two Council resolutions have some significance: 

1) Make Warrington Plaza an open market. This was a Mike Defusco campaign promise. It is unclear to me what jurisdiction Hoboken has and that this could just be a wish list request to NJ Transit.

CL3.* RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE BHALLA ADMINISTRATION TO PURSUE THE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED “OUTDOOR MARKET PROPOSAL” WHICH WOULD ACTIVATE WARRINGTON PLAZA AND CREATE AN INTERCONNECTED WATERFRONT IN 2018 (sponsored by Councilman DeFusco and Councilman Ramos, Jr.)

2) Instant runoff option for elections. NJ has to pass legislation to allow municipal elections to have this option but it has merits vs. winner take all or a separate runoff election.

CL4.* RESOLUTION URGING THE STATE TO PERMIT INSTANT RUN-OFFS IN HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY (sponsored by Councilwoman Jabbour

And this ordinance on first reading: 

Bar Crowd Control Ordinance - requiring minimum security personnel based on capacity for special events like Santa-con. 

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 68 ENTITLED “ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES” AT § 68-14 “RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING LICENSES” TO REQUIRE PLENARY RETAIL CONSUMPTION LICENSE HOLDERS TO EMPLOY CROWD CONTROL AND SECURITY MEASURES

Here is an example of one aspect of this legislation. I spoke to several bar restaurant owners and they claim they were not consulted on this before this was put up for first reading. There is the potential I see that these regulations may be onerous for restaurants and bars that do not participate in events like Santa-Con.

A. Security regulations and Crowd Control.
1. Each licensee shall be responsible for operating the licensed premises in a safe and orderly manner. The minimum number and type of security personnel on duty shall be determined by the occupant load of the licensed premises pursuant to the Certificate of Occupancy, Uniform Construction Code, and/or International Fire Code, subject to the following:
a. 100 occupants or less: At a minimum, one door person and one security person. The security person may also serve as the manager to the licensed premises.
b. 101 to 200 occupants: At a minimum, one door person and two security persons. One of the security persons may be a manager.
c. 201 to 300 occupants: At a minimum, one door person and three security persons. One of the security persons may be a manager.
d. 301 to 400 occupants: At a minimum, one door person and four security persons including a security supervisor who may be one of the four security persons. One of the security persons may be a manager.
e. 401 to 500 occupants: At a minimum, one door person and five security persons including a security supervisor who may be one of the five security persons. One of the security persons may be a manager.
f. 501 to 600 occupants: At a minimum, one door person and six security persons including a security supervisor who may be one of the six security persons. One of the security persons may be a manager.
g. 601 to 700 occupants: At a minimum, one door person and seven security persons including a security supervisor who may be one of the seven security persons. One of the security persons may be a manager.
h. 701 to 800 occupants: At a minimum, one door person and eight security persons including a security supervisor who may be one of the eight security persons. One of the security persons may be a manager.
i. 801 occupants and above: At a minimum, one door person and one security person for every one hundred persons as allowed by the occupant load for the licensed premises and one security supervisor for every four security persons. Security supervisors may also be security persons required under this subsection. One of the security persons may be a manager.

Agenda: http://www.hobokennj.org/docs/council/agenda18/1-17-18-revised-ccm.pdf
Resolutions: http://www.hobokennj.org/docs/council/respack18/1.17.18.revised.respac.pdf

Hoboken Resistance Rebranded to Hoboken Resistance and Advocate

Double Your Fun with two URLs instead of one

The Hoboken Resistance was born out of a desire to keep the big outside dollars from totally influencing Hoboken's future in the aftermath of the November 7th election. The top two candidates approached $500k or more in fundraising and literally drowned out anyone else from a chance of even having a real voice in the last two weeks given the constant TV ads and the free media from the nationally reported flier-gate incident. Grass roots reform is dead as we know it. Future mayoral candidates will have to pony up and raise at least $400k- $500k in funds to be able to compete for the low information voters it will take to get over the top. Until Citizen's United is repealed this will be the unfortunate state of Hoboken when it comes to electing a new mayor in the foreseeable future.

The goal of this website is to report on the issues as they come up with a focus on what is best for Hoboken residents and not political office holders, candidates or outside interests. Unlike to the unabashed propaganda over at Grafix Avenger where talk of revenge still rages on for the so-called winners of this election, the website endeavors to keep it policy focused. From time to time I as editor will call out propaganda when it is at its most egregious and as always I reserve that right under the First Amendment.

Based on my small informal focus group there was ironically some resistance to the name Hoboken Resistance. Although my focus group has no where near the funding of Stronger Foundations, The Super Developer PAC that funneled at least $50k in advertising to help Ravi Bhalla get elected, they made a few suggestions for alternative names. Keep in mind there used to be a far more menacing sounding group that was called Hoboken Revolt. Their purpose was to protest and advocate during the Robert's Administration fiscal mismanagement that could have nearly doubled our taxes with larger deficits and the bankruptcy of the HUMC.

For those that do not remember or were not here, a trip down memory lane:

No pitchforks, but angry protesters storm Hoboken City Hall

My solution is a compromise and the new name is Hoboken Resistance and Advocate. Depending on your mood or issue you access this blog-site in one of two ways:

http://hobokenresistance.com or http://hobokenadvocate.com

Take your pick. I have decided to give you two different flavors of the same brand. Two links are better then one. Double Your Pleasure. Double Your Fun.

City Council Candidate John Allen Named Chief of Staff by Mayor Zimmer and Mayor Elect Bhalla

Mayor Zimmer and Mayor-Elect Bhalla Announce New Chief of Staff:

Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced today that she will appoint John Allen to serve as Chief of Staff effective December 4, 2017.

“In consultation with Mayor-Elect Bhalla, I am appointing John Allen as Chief of Staff,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

John Allen New Chief of Staff for Mayor Zimmer and
Mayor Elect Ravi Bhalla - photo via Facebook

“John will help ensure that there is a smooth transition between administrations and will be a tremendous asset to Mayor Bhalla and the City of Hoboken.” "John has all the right qualities and experience to take on this important role in City Hall,” said Mayor-Elect Ravinder S. Bhalla. 

“I look forward to working with John as my Chief of Staff in 2018.” Mr. Allen is an attorney who specializes in the representation of governmental bodies, including boards of education and municipalities. He serves on the Board of Directors of Easterseals New Jersey, one of the state’s oldest and largest charitable organizations dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and earned his law degree at Rutgers School of Law. 

Editor's Note: 

There had been some speculation that perhaps former Zimmer Chief of Staff Vijay Chaudhuri would be appointed to be Ravi Bhalla's Chief of Staff but it looks like he is forging ahead with other opportunities. Vijay had previously resigned mid-week to join the Bhalla campaign as manager in late August.

As for John Allen, this is an interesting move for a full time lawyer in an established firm that actually brought in more in government contracts in the prior year than Ravi Bhalla's law firm according to the Michael Defusco campaign. Michael's prior assertions are referenced here with the following link:

In Hoboken DeFusco goes after Bhalla for adding political establishment attorney

We will have to see how this plays out but these appointments usually go to someone more junior and more familiar with the local political landscape then John has exhibited to date at least publicly.

Additional comments from Michael Defusco appear on Hudson County View's latest piece on the hire:

http://hudsoncountyview.com/hobokens-bhalla-selects-recent-running-mate-lawyer-as-his-chief-of-staff/

Hoboken Mayor Elect Ravi Bhalla Unveils His Transition Team

Hoboken Mayor Elect Ravi Bhalla - Credit MSV 

From the Ravi Bhalla Campaign/Transition team:

Mayor-elect of Hoboken Ravi S. Bhalla has unveiled the leadership of his Transition Team. Chaired by Phil Cohen, the transition leadership includes 4 of the other candidates in this year’s mayoral election and two new Council Members, who will serve as chairs of key policy committees, along with other people with expertise in Hoboken government and civic affairs selected for these important transition roles.

Each Committee Chair is charged with preparing at least 3 substantive recommendations for implementation in 2018. Mayor-elect Bhalla encourages any Hoboken residents that are interested in joining the Transition Team and serving on one of the transition committees to send an email to Cohen identifying their area of interest and the committee on which they are interested in serving, which will be provided to the relevant Committee Chairs or Co-Chairs. His email address is philiphcohen@gmail.com.

Based on the recommendations of the Committee Chairs, the Transition Team will assemble a report to be considered by Mayor-elect Bhalla and the members of his Administration. Mayor-elect Bhalla said, “One of the largest untapped assets of Hoboken is the intellectual capital of its residents. I encourage interested residents to participate in this process so our Transition Team can provide the kind of quality recommendations that will better enable us to hit the ground running.”

Bhalla went on to say, “I appreciate the participation of so many of my fellow mayoral candidates. This demonstrates unity in our common interests as a community, and promotes effective governance.”

Phil Cohen - Chairman of Ravi Bhalla Transition Team

Transition Team Chair Phil Cohen has a long history of active involvement in local civic affairs. He currently serves on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and has served on the Planning Board. He is the First Vice Chair of the Hoboken Democratic Party and is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the United Synagogue of Hoboken, the past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Stevens Cooperative School, and the recipient of the Corporate Leadership Award from the Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation.

The Committees with their respective Chairs are listed below. Biographical information is available upon request:

• Affordable Housing - Councilwoman-elect Vanessa Falco  
• Arts, Music & Culture - Chris O'Connor & Liz Ndoye  
• Constituent Service – Assemblywoman Annette Chapparo 
• Drug Abuse Prevention – Angelo Valente 
• Economic Development - Councilman Michael DeFusco 
• Education - Councilwoman-elect Emily Jabbour
• Infrastructure – Jon Otto & Stewart Mader
• Public Safety - Freeholder Anthony Romano
• Quality of Life - Mayor David Roberts
• Small Business Development - Karen Nason
• Transportation and Parking - Ron Bautista

The Hoboken Resistance Continues

In 2015 we had a Mayor in Hoboken Dawn Zimmer that was considered a reformer with a long list of accomplishments and had on paper and in practice a 7-2 City Council majority. Things looked bright for Hoboken’s future.

Remember, Remember the 7th of November

Fast forward to 2017 and we have a new Mayor of Hoboken handpicked by Mayor Zimmer that was propelled into office in a highly negative campaign. As a result we now have a 4-3-2 City Council or even a 2-7 split depending on the issue. The Mayor elect Ravi Bhalla, thanks to his negative campaigning and Dawn Zimmer’s botched baton toss has seen a split in reform due to poor decisions and flat out arrogance. Despite abandoning the principles of reform of running positive campaigns, resisting outside PAC money, and showing a lack of transparency at the end of her 2nd term Dawn Zimmer was able to elect her man. However, from where I sit it is a Pyrrhic victory with only a 2-7 City Council to start and so came at a great cost. Ravi Bhalla's biggest challenge will be to build a 5-4 coalition on the City Council but the 6 votes for bonding may turn out elusive. Simply ramming legislation down the City Council's throat will no longer suffice as Zimmer did since 2015. The role of the citizen advocate will be important as well to speak out and ensure good decisions happen going forward.

The reform movement as I once knew it is now dead but the Hoboken Resistance Movement is being reborn and I am assuming the mantle of leadership to just kickstart the new post reform era from those on the outside. I look forward to growing a collaborative group and sharing in the leadership with others who want to ensure Hoboken continues down the right path. 

This site is inspired by the role I once played in Hoboken pre-2009 when government was not working for the citizens of Hoboken. Finances were being improperly handled, PILOTS were being abused, bad hiring decisions were being done in form of patronage and infrastructure was being ignored. 

Join the Hoboken Resistance now and hold our elected officials accountable once again. Please retweet any posts you like from this with the hashtag #HobokenResistance. We must remain vigilant to ensure the progress we have made in the last 8 years does not succumb to fiscal mismanagement and big developer greed or horse trading for political advancement. Hoboken can be great only if our citizenry is informed and engaged.