HOBOKEN--The Hoboken City Council considered choosing a 4th Ward councilperson at their meeting Monday night, to fill the seat left open when Dawn Zimmer ascended to mayor.
Several Zimmer allies, including Michael Lenz and Tony Soares, have expressed their interest in the position. Lenz is a former school board president who later managed former Mayor David Roberts' campaign, became city CFO when Roberts was elected, and then was fired by the Roberts administration. Lenz contended that the firing was unfair and political and won a six-figure settlement. He now works for the county.
Soares is the former 4th Ward councilman and like Lenz is a big Zimmer ally.
At Monday night's meeting, Councilwoman Theresa Castellano complained that some of the council members were pushing for the council to choose a 4th Ward councilperson tonight, even though Castellano has not seen resumes of candidates.
Whoever was chosen would lead the council until a special election can be held in November.
Castellano noted that Zimmer's allies had promised to make City Hall more transparent, and to interview candidates for positions rather than just hiring allies.
But Lenz, when he got up to the microphone, accused critics of trying to hamper the process, saying the same critics were, in the past, "silent when things were done in back rooms and whatever else."
Lenz argued that putting off the vote would mean those people would "try and deprive the 4th Ward" of leadership for another two weeks.
He also spoke about what the ward needs: More youth programs, more progress on the flooding issue. He also said he could help with the city's major budget problems.
He said he had phoned every council person to express his interest in the position. He also said that anyone who was interested in the position should have contacted the council.
But 4th Ward resident Rachel Goldberg spoke next, saying the 4th Ward DOES need good representation, and that it's not a decision that should be taken lightly. She read from the councilpeople's own campaign literature, noting that several of them had promised to make the city more transparent and accessible.
She said that being more transparent about the vote would show that the city is changing the way things are done.
She also noted that she is not running for the office.
Soares spoke later, talking about his work as former 4th Ward councilman, including fighting to bring the light rail to the city's west side.
Stay tuned to this site for more information later.
Giacci is actually caught on tape in a conversation with Steve Kleinman that makes it clear that Mr. Kleinman was complicit in the scheme. The unsavory motives of Mason, Giacci, Russo and Castellano.
Perhaps at the next meeting each City Council member should be asked to write an essay entitled "What does transparency mean as applied to me."
The obstructionists are doing an Alinsky. Holding up Dawn Zimmer and her coalition to their own undefined standard of transparency. As has been noted, the name of the final choice was already completed before even a council meeting previously. Nino Giacchi sits there as a recipient of such back room deals and how he came into being. Irony.
Could this be improved with a public meeting before the CC meeting? Sure. Would it have made a difference. Not likely.
The 4th has representation now for a year. Let's move on. The hospital executives came to visit and made it clear. They will pillage and plunder Hoboken as long as possible. That's the BIG STORY here. Will they be stopped? They have Hoboken right where they want it, in a straitjacket. And they are sucking the blood out of the patient as we speak.
More coverage, live blog analysis, photos and video:
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http://hobokenhorse.blogspot.com
One must always remember that Mrs. Castellano would never be on the City Council if she was not related to digraced former mayor Anthony Russo, father of Michael Russo, who was convicted of corruption charges, fined and jailed.
So now Terri just snipes from the sidelines adding nothing and deperate to protect the shrinking turf of her once poweful political family.
Exactly. SO why preternd it's anything else? It's not tranmsparent or fair, it's political. The Zimmer supporters should not try to pretend they're any better then what came before, if that is the case.
In the future, for anything less, I think they should have some sort of seperate meeting, maybe one of the subcommittees where everyone and their supporters can speak. Make it open to the public. They could then make the voting faster in the regular meeting, start with the informal vote for who gets put up for selection first.
That said what is your explanation for last night? That Roberts did it so it was OK? I thought the idea was to do better then them, not the same.
SHame on anyone who thought the process needed to be rushed through last night.
There were otehrs complaining not just the russos. Who is rachel goldberg? is she a russo person or maybe just a citizen who wanted a fair process?
Nothing is more important to "transparency" than truth. There is something surreal about someone using the screen name "annonymous" on a blog to provide a lecture to others about transparency
Given the manner in which he first obtained his position as 6th ward Councilman, the hypocrisy in Mr. Giacci complaints last night about a "process" far more transparent than has ever been followed by the Hoboken City Council in filling a vacancy in an elected position, is mind boggling.
disagree that last night was transparent.
your contention that the council minority 'should have' known a vote was coming is ridiculous. the notion of transparency is that the council and city government should make it clear that a position is open AND THAT THEY ARE SEEKING PEOPLE FOR IT.
not kind of just let it hang out there and the politically connected people will know it exists.
so far dawn has appointed or pursued only people who have worked on her campaign.
JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE BETTER THEN THE PAST DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE AS GOOD OR OPEN AS THEY CAN BE!!!
The reporter reporter on this site yesterday that lezn would be the choice, before any open discussion in public. how did they know?: how did everyone know?
was there a deal made or not?
these are all worthwhile questions to ask, i dont know the answer, do you know hoboken reformer?
The fact is that anybody who is even remotely involved in what is going on in Hoboken politics had known the names of the candidates for at least a week or two since there were articles listing their names on several local news sites and blogs. Also, at least Lenz, Soares and Stuiver are individuals with extensive histories of public service in Hoboken. So if Mason and Castellano need their resumes to judge their candidacy, then it is clear to me that Castellano and Mason are the ones who are misplaced because they are ill-informed and thus unfit to represent their constituents. What a joke Mason has become over the course of this past year!