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Route 139 Construction Update
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I am posting this thread to keep you in the loop as information is released. I hope it is helpful.

As a side note, if you have additional questions Mayor Healy, the DOT, and I will be at the next Harsimus Cove Association meeting to discuss in detail.

Best regards
Steven Fulop
Councilman Ward E

Posted on: 2006/3/9 18:52
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Re: IMPORTANT FEEDBACK PLEASE ON PARKING - STEVEN FULOP
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Doozer-
Per your request, I will look to get you that information.

However, to further put into perspective what I am asking for help to deal with, I can immediately tell you without much thought of 9,000 units that will be on-line in Ward E alone within the next 4 years. That is a conservative number.

The vast majority of the buildings that will house those units will have parking built in as is the case with the existing buildings. However, as is the case now, many of the new buildings will be entitled to get parking permits.

Whichever way you choose to look at the numbers and the policy, the parking situation will be getting significantly more difficult if not addressed

Steve

Posted on: 2006/2/22 19:17
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Re: IMPORTANT FEEDBACK PLEASE ON PARKING - STEVEN FULOP
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Yes, whereas generally speaking, my conversations on this ordinance at neighborhood meetings in Paulus Hook, Van Vorst Park, Hamilton Park, and Harsimus have been very positive and teh residents overwhelmingly support the change, the Newport Waterfront Association was the exact opposite.

I certainly tried to convey to the Newport group how this will help them as I wholeheartedly believe it will, however, the conversation with a select few of that group became nasty to the point on the Newport Board people were accusing me of having a quid pro quo agreement with the Lefraks for a campaign contribution in exchange for a ordinance change (bribe). If you know me as a person, you would know this is not a possibility but it is hurtful nevertheless because I put everything I have into this job ? and that is an attack on character not policy

Truthfully, my reputation means more to me than forcing a situation on a community that had little support for the ordinance - even if I believe it is best for them. That would just be a lose-lose at the end of the day

Regarding the ordinance, in my eyes, the purpose of the ordinance is to eliminate the competition between on-street and off-street parking. Newport does not have this competition for the reason that there are no buildings without off-street parking in that area. I think the ordinance would have served to force compression on pricing for residents but I can?t have a conversation when it resorts to baseless personal attacks such as I would take a bribe ? even though it made no sense.

I do still think they are missing a positive opportunity but ordinance will still achieve the said goal in the communities that are mixed between larger and smaller buildings without that zone included.

Posted on: 2006/2/22 18:57
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Re: IMPORTANT FEEDBACK PLEASE ON PARKING - STEVEN FULOP
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I really appreciate the feedback, and I will do my best today to take time to respond to each post. Figuring out how to make this work is important and I think it is close...

Doozer-
The disclaimer you mentioned is included in the ordinance. There is a financial penalty on the developer if this disclosure is not provided.


Posted on: 2006/2/22 16:30
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Re: IMPORTANT FEEDBACK PLEASE ON PARKING - STEVEN FULOP
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There is an exemption in the ordinance for affordable housing and Senior Housing. Don't forget, this will effect only the people who will be moving in to the larger buildings, not residents who are here.

Steven Fulop

Posted on: 2006/2/22 15:44
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IMPORTANT FEEDBACK PLEASE ON PARKING - STEVEN FULOP
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Since I have been in this position, one thing I have learned is that people are apprehensive about change regardless of the situation. Since elected, I have taken the approach to try and navigate some contentious issues to what I believe is better for JC even if I recognize there may be some political fallout. With that said, I would like you all to be aware of a significant change to the Parking Ordinance that Councilwoman Richardson and I have proposed that I believe in my heart will benefit buildings with off-street parking, buildings without off-street parking, and visitors.

This has been an interesting situation for me, as I have had some pushback from residents and pushback from developers - which is an interesting mix. It leads me to say I am missing something as these are always competing interests. With that said I will do my best to explain the ordinance, and I do welcome/hope for your feedback and perspective.

-----------Important note----------
There will be no change to anyone reading this. There is a grandfather clause in the ordinance that if you have a permit now you will have one going forward. This will only affect residents who do not yet live in JC (maybe do not know they are moving to JC) and will correct the issue in existing units over time as people move out.

----------The Goal Of the Ordinance--------
The goal is to ease the parking problem. Most large buildings are forced to build off-street parking but the city has made a mistake in the past whereas we have not forced the parking to be linked to the units. In many buildings over half the spots sit vacant as those residents get on-street parking permit. I believe this ordinance will correct this and benefit everyone involved

-----------How It Works---------
Residents in buildings of 30 units or more with off-street would no longer be entitled to on street parking permits until all spaces in that building are filled (this is the basic premise- there are nuances to this) but this the overview

--------The Comments From Critics---------
We are creating a second class of residents that are not entitled to on-street parking - which is not fair. We are forcing these people to buy off street parking at a premium.

-------My Thoughts on How It Will Ultimately Effect Buildings With Off Street parking--------
The argument above is not really true as the ordinance doesn?t affect anyone currently here and the burden of disclosure regarding the parking situation for future residents is very clear before someone signs a lease. Nobody will be blindsided.

On pricing, I think anyone who saw this as an opportunity for price increases from a landlord is mistaken and this is a knee-jerk way to look at the legislation. I will do my best to elaborate and I recognize that I don?t have the best writing skills so I hope the idea is conveyed appropriately.

If we agree that markets are self correcting and efficient over the longer term (which they are) it is difficult to make the argument that this is remotely beneficial for a developer, in actuality I would argue it is the exact apposite. This is based on the reality that the housing market in JC (or anywhere) will only hold what the individuals in the market are willing to pay. The housing market and rental market clearly do not go up indefinitely. I think we would all agree that the Jersey City market will always be at a slight discount to Manhattan, at a premium to markets like Bayonne/Weehawken, and (perhaps) similarly priced to Hoboken.

With that said, lets go with the argument that a developer who previously charged X for rent now will charge new residents X+200 automatically because parking is now included. If this was the pricing scheme it is a self correcting market and people would choose not to live here, because the value add is no longer there versus neighboring municipalities because the market is out of perspective.

The only reason that the current pricing scheme is X for rent and an optional $200 for parking today is because essentially there are currently two Jersey City offerings in those buildings for residents (off-street parking and on-street parking). The only thing that this legislation will do is eliminate the dual offerings because there will only be one way to go. Once again if you believe markets are efficient, if anything it will only decrease the value of the off street parking proposition versus rent because it will correct itself with what people are willing to pay to live in any building in Jersey City.

-----------Why I think it will benefit Residents without Off Street Parking---------
This is clear as over time it will work proactively to take cars off the street and put them in parking spaces that were built to house them

Once again, there are competing interests here that rarely see ?eye to eye? which sends an alarm in my head and your feedback is certainly appreciated. If you had the stamina to make it through this excessively long post for which I apologize, hopefully you are willing to give some perspective as it would certainly be appreciated.

Steven Fulop

Posted on: 2006/2/22 15:28
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Re: Another reason for Troy to resign! Corruption in the police Dept
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DanL-
I certainly don't tolerate corruption. Furthermore, using a position of public service for personal gain is reprehensible. The vote actually went 7-0-2 with only Councilwoman Richardson and I abstaining for the first reading. I felt uncomfortable with it even for a first reading as the ordinance was written by Chief Troy and Comey without input from Police Union leadership which made me suspicious. I am happy that my voting record shows this.
___________________________

There is another article in the jersey Journal today that mentions this. I have copied and pasted the language directly from the article in today's paper below

The introduction passed 7-0-2 with Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop and Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson abstaining.

Fulop, who has called for Troy's resignation due to what he describes as a surge in serious crime, said he wanted to speak with union police leaders before voting for the ordinance.

Richardson said she needed more information about the new system.

Posted on: 2006/2/6 19:17
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Re: Fulop Calls for Resignation of Police Chief Robert Troy
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Ccitizen-
I PMed you on the side with contact detail.

As a note, sometimes I recognize my choice of wording could be better in these posts, but I always only provide information once the police tell that it is clear and it is safe to explain. So in the instances that you ask for specific block information during a month, as is the case here, I will need to circle back with them and get their ok as always.

In the case that you have a future concern, Police Captain McDonough and I are at most community meetings

Have a great weekend
Steven Fulop

Posted on: 2006/2/3 20:32
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Re: Fulop Calls for Resignation of Police Chief Robert Troy
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Alan-

I value your opinion so let?s drill down further. This discussion is not really only about murders. In order to not misconstrue my rationale for this request it was not based solely on the murder increase but it was based on an increase in most of types of violent crime including rape, burglary, robbery, auto theft etc. The FBI crime statistics don?t lie. They show Jersey City with an increase in crime since Chief Troy has taken charge of 11%. When comparing these numbers to other municipalities, Newark had a much smaller increase, while NYC actually showed a decrease of .5% and even Camden showed a decrease in violent crimes. Furthermore, Jersey City has dropped in the widely regarded Morgan Quinto rankings of safest cities. To me our poor performance not only jeopardizes the safety of our residents, it jeopardizes property value, and it jeopardizes our standing in the region. Now, if we agree that there is an increase in crime which I think is fairly difficult to dispute the question that needs to be addressed is WHY?

Personally, I have heard many times the Chief?s rationale for the increase in crime however personally, I can?t subscribe to the theory that the increase is solely based on man power because our police force numbers are relatively the same from the previous two administrations to Chief Troy- if anything he has more but there is still less visibility. Furthermore, I can?t subscribe to the theory that crime is increasing everywhere in NJ because if you look at statistics of our neighboring cities as cited earlier several have shown a decrease.

To me, the issue is based in deployment changes as he has taken many police out of uniform into plain clothes, and the massive promotions the Chief has pushed through the system last year despite tax increases facing the city. As the Jersey Journal has cited we have a very high number of supervisors to officers now. This is a management issue. It is never easy to put pressure on someone?s job but the first priority is too correct a wrong situation.

In the last week since my request, Chief Troy has held more commander meetings. Furthermore, he has returned several walking posts back on the street, he has moved additional police details to night shifts that previously were not, he has shown up at several community meetings, and the police visibility has increased overall in many parts of the city. Although it has only been one week since pressure mounted, I think this is a step in the right direction. We need to address crime aggressively in this city without excuses, and I wholeheartedly believe that mediocre performance in any government department is unacceptable when considering what our taxpayers are asked to pay.

Steven Fulop

Posted on: 2006/2/2 14:45
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Re: Fulop Calls for Resignation of Police Chief Robert Troy
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I am appreciative of all the feedback on this issue on both sides of the conversation.

Three important notes I wanted to point out:

1) I filed the letter I sent to Mayor Healy with the City Clerk so anyone in the city can retrieve it. Anyone who is interested can file an Open Records Request and obtain it.

2) I have been told by many officers that Chief Troy had a meeting with his commanders on Thursday after my request for his resignation and of course was visibly angry. Nevertheless, for the first time he re-established several walking posts on MLK and put some special units out for over night shifts citywide that previously were not.

3) Finally I have included below an editorial in today?s Jersey Journal. I think it does a great job of outlying from the newspaper?s perspective what has transpired in the last week and since the beginning of the current administration. I am including it only because it is not some political letter to the editor, but rather the paper's assessment of happenings on this issue.

Best Regards
Steven M. Fulop


Frank talk about crime is overdue
Monday, January 30, 2006

Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop's call for the head of Police Chief Robert Troy has certainly set off an emotional firestorm in the city.

Residents say they have had enough of the rapes, shooting and murders in the city. They say they live in fear in some neighborhoods and blame drug dealers and youth gangs. These people support Fulop's effort to center on crime as one of the top issues in the city.

Backers of Troy, including many of the politicians who put him in office and officers in the city, call him a professional lawman and say he is doing the best he can. They charge Fulop with grandstanding.

Whatever the motivations, Fulop has created a citywide debate that is long overdue. The administration of Jerramiah Healy came to power with a "get tough on crime" platform. Healy touts his many police hirings while explaining that the Police Department is still very undermanned.

What many residents want to know is where are these police officers. It is obvious that the days of the nightstick-swinging officer "walking" the beat in neighborhoods and knowing everyone by their first names are long gone. Yet, residents still long for a return to the "visible" officer.

Today, police travel in two-man patrol cars. The frustration comes from the belief that the police are a reaction rather than a prevention force.

Residents also are wary of an administration that has promoted a great number of officers. It leads to the question of how many supervisors there are for an "X" number of police officers. Each administration seems to give a variety of answers to that question.

No one ever questions the bravery and dedication of police. Most only want police superiors to make the best use of the manpower available.

There is crime in the streets. This city had 39 murders last year - 21 by gunfire. Remember, every shot fired is a potential fatality. Even the lesser quality-of-life crimes seem to be getting out of hand. We look to our elected leaders and police as the last line of defense against chaos, perceived or not.

Now is not the time for officials to circle the wagons. It is time for them to show us that law enforcement is working. It is a time to listen to concerns of residents. Attending evening sessions with neighborhood groups for question and answer sessions is an ongoing effort, but there has to be a way to reach more residents with information about how they can protect themselves. If need be, it is time to hold people accountable.

Police and residents should not be adversaries. They should be partners in trying to make the city a safer place to live.

Posted on: 2006/1/30 14:00
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Re: Fulop Calls for Resignation of Police Chief Robert Troy
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DanL-

I figured you would post. Thanks for mentioning a gossip column in the Hudson Reporter from earlier last year that had no basis for truth.

More importantly, I have detailed a couple of points for clarity that prompted today?s public request

1) The request today was based on my belief that there is a direct correlation with an increase in crime and this current Police Chief taking charge. No matter what one says, numbers don?t lie and the numbers are trending in the wrong direction even now (posted on my web site). My belief (and many others) is that it is rooted in deployment based on leadership. People can feel an increase in crime on the street. It is bad for safety, it is bad for confidence, it is bad for property value, it is bad for the overall development of the city, and it is downright scary for our seniors.

2) I think we all agree that clearly something isn?t working.with the current situation. It is more than an increase in murder it is an increase in most types of violent crime as well. In the private sector, in any corporation, in any business, there needs to be accountability and that starts at management. If management isn?t performing my expectations are that a change is needed. No excuses we just want to fix it.

3) Of course I recognize that Chief Troy is a close friend of the Mayor but at this point it isn?t about the mayor at all (we had a good conversation today actually). I do believe that the mayor has the best interest of the city at heart. This request is based on accountability in the police department. I tried to give Chief Troy the benefit of the doubt throughout the last year, if I didn?t I would have done this earlier. It is concerning that we have started this year on the same foot we left off last year (just this past weekend there were more than 18 robberies and shootings)

As always, I am more than happy to talk about my views or actions and if you would like further clarity don?t hesitate to reach out. As most of you know I readily give my personal cell phone out (and I will also post the letter I sent the mayor as soon as I get the chance).

Hope this is helpful
Sincerely,
Steven Fulop

Posted on: 2006/1/24 21:47
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Re: Mapping Crime in Ward E - Steven Fulop
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I am glad the feedback was generally positive and I will certainly continue month over month as a tool for downtown. It is important that you use more transparent information to become more vocal in community group settings when the police are present. The more involved and aware you are the safer downtown will be

Per your inquiries/suggestions:

1) Including Time: As I ask for the data going forward I will request detail around time of incident. I think this is a solid suggestion. (I usually get the previous month?s data from the police mid month)

2) Missing Data: If there is data that appears to be missing (for example on Bright Street) I will follow up with the police as to why this was not included in this info. Please e-mail me and point out the incidents. This is the data that is provided to me by the police department and if there are instances that appear to be missing this is obviously concerning. The only data that is deliberately vague is home break-ins. This was done in order to keep the individual?s home anonymous - we mapped it to the block instead of listing the exact individuals home however the number of incidents should be exact

3) The Beacon is not in Ward E. It is on the border but voters in this complex are not part of Ward E

4) Is the site open architecture? Per Pablo who designed the site I believe it is.

5) Police on the beat ?I unfortunately don?t have any say at all over policing schedules, strategies, or rank, and in fairness three months is not enough time to really access trends just yet but we will get there. To me, in honesty, even though relatively speaking we have less crime than the rest of the city it does seem like there has been an increase even for us and it is very concerning. I?ll be looking to discuss what can be done together with Captain McDonough (who is a solid resource) in early January.

Have a happy and safe new years and If you have thoughts or suggestions please don?t hesitate to e-mail me at fulops@jcnj.org

Steve

Posted on: 2005/12/27 14:49
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Re: Mapping Crime in Ward E - Steven Fulop
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JCinsomniac-

You got it right, that is the proper link. It loads slowly at first (which we are working on) but it works well and quickly once it is up.

I am glad you will find it useful
Steve


Posted on: 2005/12/22 10:49
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Mapping Crime in Ward E - Steven Fulop
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Please read crime mapping info for ward e

As one of nine council people I don?t have direct say over policing matters, although I will say that I feel fortunate that we have a hard working team in the east district and Captain McDonough who is very hands on in attending community groups and forthcoming with information.

While I don?t personally have the ability to move police officers or policing activity/schedules I have taken the approach with some help on the technology front from friends to try and use mapping software to make sure that people in ward "e" are fully in the loop as to trouble areas. My personal goal with this is to create more awareness, which in my view will hopefully lead to more safety and help our residents/neighborhood watch groups.

If you find this helpful I will continue to work to have it done for you every month and continue trying to create as much transparency as possible to activities in our ward, to focus on awareness, and hopefully move us forward

Directions
1) www.Stevenfulop.com
2) Click on Ward awareness button on bottom of the screen
3) Click on an number on the right side of page to grid crime map appropriately

I would be remiss if I didn't write a special thanks to Pablo and Jeff for helping with this project

Posted on: 2005/12/22 3:17
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Re: What's this letter from Warren G. Curtin about?
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Unfortunately, I have not been privileged to the letter as of yet but I have been told the gist of it. I can anticipate where this conversation may head without all the background so in the interest of avoiding this issue being spun I would like to clarify where we are up to this point.

Warren Curtin and some on the HPNA board have had a difficult time with the parameters set by the ordinances that govern historic districts. At the time this was brought to my attention, I said that I was not averse to changing the ordinance if it was something that was supported by all the historic communities downtown (I thought a fairly reasonable approach as they would be impacted the most). Subsequently, I set up a meeting in city hall that included me, the Presidents of Harsimus Cove, Van Vorst, Paulus Hook, Hamilton Park, FofHP, and three members of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) - Yost, Gucciardo, Russell.

The end result was that the HPC, and each of the community group presidents with the exception of Hamilton Park and FofHP were adamantly opposed to changing the ordinances as suggested. The rationale to this decision is that the ordinances have been crucial in creating the fabric of the community downtown. It was pointed out with pictures of developments downtown (including one on the western side of Paulus Hook) that were built during the Cucci administration when he loosened the Historic Preservation Ordinances. These are tangible strong examples of the development risk that has happened in the past when these ordinances were loosened. All agreed that while we are certain that the individuals who support the changes to the ordinance at the aforementioned meeting have Jersey City?s best interest at heart and would develop their properties consistent with a historic district, by changing the ordinance loop holes would be opened for developers who don?t care about the best interest of Jersey City. There is clearly a risk and history to show this as a possibility.

Hope that is helpful as background

Steven Fulop
Councilman Ward E

Posted on: 2005/12/7 14:13
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