Councilman Michael Lenz and his challenger Tim Occhipinti have faced off in public debates, worked the streets of the 4th Ward, lobbed press releases, broadcasted their positions and their endorsements, and now face one last week of hard campaigning before the residents of their ward decide who will represent them on the City Council, and whether Mayor Dawn Zimmer will hold on to her slim one-vote majority on the governing body.
‘Spirits are high’
Occhipinti is cashing in vacation days from his job as a financial analyst for a Manhattan firm to campaign full time. Meanwhile, Lenz, a Hudson County employee who is the unit chief of the Meadowview Complex in Secaucus, has hit the streets, greeting parents and children in the morning on their way to school. He also holds office hours during the evenings at his headquarters.
“Still, even now, a lot of people aren’t tuned in to the election,” said one Occhipinti campaign official, stressing the importance of the final week.
The outcome Nov. 2 will determine who speaks for the 4th Ward on the council and whether mayor’s majority will hold.
________
Less than two blocks away, on the corner of Observer Highway and Monroe Street, the Occhipinti campaign headquarters had a countdown to victory on their whiteboard as workers also prepared for the 5 p.m. expected rush of 4th Ward residents on their way home from work. The Occhipinti campaign said “spirits are high” after a week that saw an endorsement from Councilman Ronald Rice Jr. of Newark, and the City Council echo concerns brought initially at a meeting held by Occhipinti about the Jersey City natural gas pipeline.
“We’re feeling pretty good,” the Occhipinti campaign official said. “We have a lot of momentum building. It has been that way for the last two weeks, and we feel really energized.”
The Lenz campaign knows the challenges they face.
“Tim has a sizable ‘locked in’ vote, many already turned in on hand-delivered Vote by Mail Ballots, and no matter how anyone looks at it, this is going to be a close election,” a Lenz official said.
Press release wars
On the Lenz side, a campaign official said “voter turnout is the biggest concern.”
“We have already identified enough supporters in the ward to win on Tuesday,” the official said. “Now it’s the work to make sure those people get to the polls.”
Occhipinti held a meeting on Thursday night to address concerns about the Monroe Street and Observer Highway intersection.
The week consisted of almost daily press releases from the Occhipinti campaign, and not much of a response from the Lenz campaign.
Lenz chimed in on many of the issues during the City Council meeting on Wednesday evening, and made sure he had his say. He promoted the tax decrease as chairman of the finance committee; Wednesday’s resolution regarding the southwest plan, which he said will promote the creation of a park; and the importance of cuts in spending to continue to lower taxes.
The press release war seems to have been won by the Occhipinti camp, and it remains to be seen if that translates into victory on Election Day. One source from the Lenz campaign said their time has been devoted to calls, knocking on doors, and shaking hands, rather than sending out press releases.
Occhipinti addressed the southwest park plan, and questioned why more wasn’t done by Lenz.
“Where has the 4th Ward councilman been?” Occhipinti said in a release.
In another release, Occhipinti called for a traffic cop at the corner of Monroe Street and Observer Highway, which is the same corner as Occhipinti’s headquarters.
Finally, Occhipinti asked Lenz to return money he receives in incentives “for opting out of the county health plan and having Hoboken taxpayers pay for his health benefits.”
Lenz did release a flyer that displayed Lenz’s stance on “the real issues” in the city.
The flyer said Lenz “led the council in making a 5 percent tax cut” with a promise for more cuts in the near future. It also said Lenz “fought to build the 4th Ward pump first” and supported EmNet technology that would “help solve the flooding problem for good.” On development, the flyer indicates that Lenz supports “Hoboken-friendly development.”
On the top of the flyer, Lenz and Mayor Dawn Zimmer are smiling together, while the serious faces of Councilman Mike Russo and Tim Occhipinti are paired on the right.
Ray Smith can be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com.
Is that because the paper is afraid the letter exposes Timmy's ignorance? You be the judge:
http://hobokenhorse.blogspot.com/2010/10/hudson-reports-snubs-mayor-zimmers.html
Dear Editor,
Tim Occhipinti’s letter published last week provides the strongest possible argument for supporting his opponent, 4th Ward Councilman Mike Lenz. While I have no reason to believe Mr. Occhipinti is not himself well meaning, his letter, and his performance in the debates last week, make clear that he lacks the requisite understanding of important issues to be able to properly represent my neighborhood - the 4th Ward.
For years, 4th Ward candidates, including me, have promised to move forward on flooding solutions. All 4th Ward residents know that a solution is not (as Mr. Occhipinti said to the City Council), is not merely something we we want, it is something we desperately need. During my short time as Mayor, we have finally, for the first time, made real strides toward solutions. The wet weather pump on Observer Highway is the most important pump and the one which by far will have the most impact on 4th Ward flooding. I fought hard to make certain that this crucial pump was built FIRST not LAST, as originally proposed by Councilman Ramos and others. Under the original Roberts/Ramos plan the first pump built would have been uptown on 15th street and would have done absolutely NOTHING to reduce flooding in the 4th Ward. The new 4th Ward pump should be operational in time for next spring’s flooding season, providing enormous relief to the 4th Ward. Mr. Occhipinti seems not to know that this pump was scheduled to be built last, or else finds it politically inconvenient to acknowledge this fact.
The three additional pumps recommended by the North Hudson Sewerage plan will cost at least $36 million not one penny of which will be paid for by the Sewerage Authority. It is the Hoboken taxpayer who is expected to pay this enormous cost. By a 9-0 vote, the City Council approved the use of Emnet Sensor technology which could help Hoboken craft more effective and less expensive solutions, potentially saving the taxpayer millions. In the only example of independence he has shown from the Russo obstructionist agenda, Tim Occhipinti has opposed Hoboken’s investment in this technology, making him the only candidate in the history of the 4th Ward to run AGAINST a flooding solution.
Mr. Occhipinti blames various blogs for publicizing his ties to his political patrons who are the same people who misled Hoboken about Peter Cammarano and who have worked on the City Council to obstruct positive change. Mike Lenz and I don’t always agree, but we are proud to be on the same team. Mr. Occhipinti is on a team too, but instead of proudly acknowledging it he denies it and blames others for letting people know. The voters of the 4th Ward have a right to know who the major backers of each candidate are so they can cast an informed vote on Election day.
Mike Lenz and the rest of the Zimmer Team have started to deliver real positive change to our City, after years of corruption, irresponsibility and neglect. Please support Mike Lenz on November 2nd to enable us to complete the job.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer