A celebration for the three winners of the Hoboken Board of Education election on Tuesday turned sour for some supporters of warring mayoral candides Beth Mason and Dawn Zimmer.
Jake Stuiver and Ines Garcia Keim, both staffers for Mason’s campaign, said Wednesday that they were asked to leave the celebration at Maxwell’s by two Zimmer allies who accused them of not being supportive of the victorious “Kids First” school board slate.
According to Stuiver and Keim, two close allies of Zimmer – Michael Lenz and City Council candidate Ravi Bhalla – verbally admonished them for showing up at the campaign celebration without, according to them, doing any of the work to get the school slate elected. Stuiver also said that Lenz announced to the crowd that Stuiver was Mason's campaign manager.
On Wednesday, Lenz admitted to the admonition. “I thought people should know where he was coming from,” Lenz said.
Mason had written a letter to supporters on Monday declining to support either of the two slates in the election.
Lenz also admitted to admonishing Stuiver for material Lenz blamed on the Mason campaign that he said was “damaging” to Kids First. Lenz also claimed Stuiver was circulating disparaging remarks under an internet pseudonym.
Stuiver denies both claims and said that he was supportive of the slate, although he wasn’t a volunteer or a contributor.
Keim said on Wednesday that she was a contributor to the Kids First slate and had in years past hosted fundraisers.
There has been some bad blood between Lenz and Stuiver since they had a falling out during the 2005 mayoral campaign of Carol Marsh, who is now a council candidate on Zimmer’s slate. In fact, last year, Stuiver wrote this letter to the Hoboken Reporter criticizing some of Lenz’s tactics.
Stuiver said many people at the Tuesday night celebration were warm and receptive, including some of the winning candidates and Zimmer ally Peter Cunningham, until Lenz and Bhalla “hijacked the moment.”
Lenz said that other Mason supporters at the celebration like close Mason ally Lane Bajardi “had every right to be there” because they volunteered time to the campaign.
Bhalla was not immediately available for comment.
Mason and Zimmer are both considered to be reform candidates in Hoboken, but the supporters of both sides have been at war with each other since last year over various perceived slights to each other. A few stalwarts of each side appear to have been exchanging nasty barbs against Mason, Zimmer, and each other on internet message boards.
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There will likely be updates to this story later on this week, so check back.
What happened at the celebration party isn't as important, and it's all they said v. they said anyway.
Too bad Mrs. Mason opted out. Asa mom with 2 children in Charter Schools here I find the fact that any Mayoral hopeful would sit this election out a real crime.
I myself saw Mason's signs in Russo's Club Side by side with Raia's signs.
This excuse is pathetic:
"Dear Friends,
"Education is one of the long-lasting gifts we can provide our children. Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 21, your vote can determine the direction our schools will take to offer the best public education possible. It is important to involve yourself in the decisions that affect the future of our children and our city.
"I seek to make decisions I believe are in the best interest of those I represent. The future of our students, teachers, taxpayers and ultimately our country is very important and candidates should stand individually on their involvement, experience and the dedication toward creating a school district that works for all our children.
"I respect the fact that both slates have advocated keeping politics out of school board elections. In a Mayoral election year it is particularly important to keep city politics out of the Board of Education race.
"The focus of the Board of Ed elections should be on what is best for the schools, for the kids who attend them and for the parents and taxpayers who support them, and not on which Mayoral candidate is tied to which slate. Too much politicization of the Board of Ed race has already occurred during this election cycle, and I do not wish to contribute to what, I believe, is an undermining of the Board of Ed’s purpose.
"I encourage everyone to exercise the privilege and responsibility as citizens to vote in tomorrow’s school board election.
"Beth Mason, Councilwoman 2nd Ward"
Lenz isn't a staffer. Stuiver and Ines are OFFICIAL campaign staff of Mason!
Dawn Zimmer worked her A$$ off for better schools where is Mason?
Lenz was wrong but so was Mason sending her pawns
Every Kids First Mom noted this in their victory speech.
Stuiver and Keim had no business showing up. This was Mason's attempt to grab credit after these two paid operatives of the Mason campaign orchestrated a strategy to refuse an endorsement of Kid's First 2009.
Mason's Headquarters refused to post a Kid's First Sign, Mason refused to write a letter and Ines Keim who lives on a highly visible
Hoboken Intersection did not hang a single Kids First sign in one of her many street level windows.
Ines was quoted as telling a Kid's First Volunteer " we won't hang a sign in our headquarters until details of the deal are finalized"
Deal? Guess Ines Keim has fallen victim to the cesspool of political operatives like the Russos who have compromised the ideals of reformers like Mason and Keim.
After all, how could Mason support Kids First Raul Morales' Mother is a VP at Connors School and his Da was supporting Raia.