Heights Brat I see that you are a Nidia Lopez supporter, thats great! This thread has been missing input from people that support Mrs. Lopez. Could you please say a few words about why you like her, what you feel she has done right in the past and what you think she will do if she is elected? You see, I don't think you can have a decent debate if we don't know what she stands for and I think this would be a great opportunity for Nidia Lopez's message to be heard.ieghts Brat, put aside all the mudslinging you have had to deal with and just tell us something nice about Nidia Lopez!

This thread has been on JC List for a week or so now and I am surprised that I don't see supporters of Nidi Lopez here weighing in and singing her praises. She got well in excess of a thousand votes in the election, presumably out of all those people, SOME of them read JC List? Also I'm equally surprised that Nidi Lopez herself or someone from her campaign hasn't taken this opportunity to say anything about her stewardship of Ward C and what her plans are if she is reelected. Certainly people would debate her about what she has to say, but isn't that what every politician who hopes to be elected must open themselves up to? Isn't that what happens in a democracy?

Since well before the hurricane seven months ago there has been a section of seawall directly in front of the "monument" that has collapsed into the river and its had some traffic cones and yellow tape cordoning it off all this time, looking like crap. Its just a few feet that has caved in, the cement wall is visibly O.K.. They spent how many millions on that project but they didn't shore up the seawall a bit? They built the thing within feet of the river but nobody tested the ground there?

I am so pleased this bridge is in place! Without a bridge, the long route around and the Road Warior short cut were keeping me from visiting the park, I only got into LSP on four or five occasions since the hurricane. Ethel Pesin Liberty Bridge doesn't traipse off the tongue as well as Stinky Bridge though.

I'm just amazed at Nidia Lopez's behavior: ..."three out of four candidates have RSVP?d yes, but not Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Lopez who has scheduled a fundraiser the same night.".... this is the second time she's declined to take part in a debate. I think if you are already skeptical of Lopez this sort of behavior can only cement your negative opinion. If your on the fence and trying to make up your mind, a candidate that won't participate in a debate is not reaching out a hand to you. It makes me wonder what she is fundraising for? Where will she spend money on a campaign that doesn't appear to actually exist? Speaking of not being visible, who has actually SEEN Nidia Lopez in the last six months? Have any of you JClisters actually seen her? Has she appeared before the public anywhere in Jersey City lately?

My fascination with Lopez has moved on past the residency scandal. That scandal was certainly unfortunate but I think it makes more sense to bring the discussion to the present and what is going on here and now. Im more interested in the mystery of how she got so many votes without ever engaging with the public on any level, she had an invisible campaign in which I never saw a single poster with her name on it, I never heard any talking points about her intentions and she failed to show up for the one debate she was asked to attend. The only time she popped up in the news was when she denounced Healy for mentioning hispanic women durring the "front porch scandal". its the only time I have seen her quoted in years. If she had any other sort of public presence during the campaign I missed it. This invisibility is nothing new since during her entire political career I have never heard her speak, I have never been made aware of what she does or intends to do and I have never seen her. Yet seamingly without effort she got 1481 votes against Boggiano's 1686 votes, which is amazing since Boggiano has been working hard at engaging with the community on every level and running a highly visible campaign. I have to assume that Lopez got all those votes either because I have no idea how things are done in ward C OR its due to being on the Fulop ticket. If Team Fulop supports Lopez (and why would they switch gears now?) they should have no trouble explaining to those of us in Ward C why they believe Lopez deserves another term. They could start (and this is what I have been asking for all along) by simply outlining what Lopez has done for the community thus far AND explain her concrete goals for the future. If Team Fulop supported Lopez than surely they had good reason to and will be able to explain why they backed her and why shes good for Ward C. I'm keeping an open mind and I'm even prepared to vote for Lopez IF someone can demonstrate why I should. Why I even need to ask for this sort of information strikes me as odd.

Its going to be too easy to take shots at Lopez although I'm pretty sure she will deserve some of them. But at the same time I hope that people will find an opportunity here to have an actual discussion about the issues. I hope Mrs. Lopez will take the time to inform us what her platform is and lay out some substantive goals- its what I hope any candidate would do. If we keep the level of discourse at a higher level there could be no reason for Mrs. Lopez not to use this opportunity to communicate with her electorate and tell us what she has in mind for us. Or failing that maybe someone else could point us in the direction of where Mrs. Lopez has made substantive information about her candidacy available to the public?

I have been very curious about Mrs Lopez's record as Councilperson in Ward C. I did a google search and there isn't much. She has a wikipedia page and there is a bio for her on the Fulop website. Here is the only text from the Fulop site that has anything to say about Lopez's record:....:"Nidia has been actively involved in the community, serving on several boards and committees and working with various associations. Before and after becoming a Councilwoman, she has been an outspoken advocate for women?s issues, the homeless and expanded youth recreation in Ward C. ".... which is rather thin on details. Her wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidia_Rivera_Lopez gives a bio and notes that her husband was once a councilperson and that Lopez got elected on the Healy ticket so I wonder what caused her to shift over to Fulop for the last election? It also mentions the scandal Nidia had to endure when her status as a Jersey City tax paying citizen was called into question. I would love to hear the bottom line on that scandal since my recollection was that she was not paying taxes in Jersey City and registered in Florida? I could be wrong about that though and I hope someone will write in and provide the facts. Nidia lopez has her own web presence at http://www.nidialopez.com/ but on examination it looks like its a Fulop website. You would expect that on a website called nidialopez.com you would be able to learn more about her track record and her intentions for the future of her stewardship of the Ward, but there is only fluff ( poorly proof read fluff) and the odd admission that "I may not be able to do everything, but I can do something" which to me sounds like a poor choice of a slogan and in my opinion does not inspire confidence. I'm glad though that this topic is here for people to weigh in on and I look forward to reading what people have to say.

Wow there is some annoying behavior going on in this thread. I wonder if it wouldn't make more sense to simply start a new thread with a title like "What has Nidia Lopez accomplished in Ward C"? And then her supporters could step up and articulate exactly what she has done or in which ways her policies had made a difference. And wouldn't it be better for the upcoming runoff election if we knew what Mrs. Lopez intends to do if elected? I myself could never imagine WANTING to be an elected representative of the people, but if I did I can't help feeling I would be out there doing my best to explain myself.

JC Cheerleader I'm just going to cut and paste the important point in my earlier post in which I say ..." I think the burden is on Lopez and her supporters to point out what things she claims to have accomplished in ward C on her watch, and what goals she will set for herself in the future, should she win.".... Are you really suggesting the burden is on the voter to go and ask a candidate these questions during a campaign? You yourself say Lopez "really helped you out" in an earlier post so you should have no trouble explaining how she was helpful. Your clearly cheerleading for her so why not simply name her accomplishments and goals, if she has any.

I think the burden is on Lopez and her supporters to point out what things she claims to have accomplished in ward C on her watch, and what goals she will set for herself in the future, should she win. I have lived here the entire time she has held her post and can't think of a single thing that bears the stamp of her involvement. Her campaign was entirely below the radar, I didn't hear a single talking point from her campaign, just her playing that opportunistic race card in the peppers in the lead up to the election. I expect more from someone who wishes to represent me. Frankly I'm astonished she got as many votes as she did but if she wants to win the runoff she will have to do much more than ride someone else's coat tails. As things stand I honestly have no idea what she stands for or what direction she plans to move in.

Our new mayor was shaking hands at the top of the escalators at Grove Street, he just won the election two days ago. NJ.com ran this story http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... tys_mayor-elect_says.html this last few sentences at the end of the article: ..."After taking questions from the media, Fulop stood at the top of the escalator at the PATH station to greet commuters and thank them for their support.

After about 15 minutes, a Port Authority police officer told Fulop he was standing too close to the escalator and needed to move farther away."........

I have always found the story of the photo interesting, but nobody I know has ever seen the photo, for all that it is endlessly discussed. Speaking of invisible, what prompted me to write in here isn't Healy, its citycouncilperson Lopez. She's up for election too but has been completely invisible until I read her name in the recent Jersey Journal article, where she is identified as the "outraged Hispanic Councilwoman". I find it really odd that the ward C City Council Seat is being contested by several contenders but Lopez has no visible campaign that I can see here in ward C. I have not seen a single poster nor seen her name in print ANYWHERE. Which is odd isn't it?

..."The long running case is now over.".... Don't count on it, this story "ended" a few times and the crazy pet lady and her huge dog(s) continued to pop up in the news long after earlier parts of the saga apparently came to a close. Frankly its been one of my favorite stories to follow here on JC List and I will miss it if it truly is over. If someone is writing a book about Jersey City I hope this story makes it in.

Regarding the break cables of an earlier post, It IS spring time and I am sure they are overloaded with work. On the other hand replacing the break cables on a bike can probably be done by an expert faster than you or I can type and read this note I'm posting. I went in once for a broken spoke and I was amazed when they told me it would be about a week. Its nice to have a local place to go for repairs but I wish they would prioritize simple repairs like a spoke or a set of cables. There is no reason those sorts of repairs should take very long.

Annnnnd its gone.

Funding for the arts is important and I hate to see another example of a cultural place getting left out in the cold. What other cultural projects are receiving city money, and which of them are anywhere near the oft overlooked Journal Square?
The management at loews has proven it can deliver cultural resources to the community, they have been doing it since their feet hit the ground back when they saved the building from destruction many years ago. What other cultural resources in the city have such a proven track record? Most of you will remember the debacle of the ?Jersey City Museum? which failed spectacularly, had zero transparency and sucked up Millions of city dollars. Loews Jersey apparently uses a tiny fraction of that sort of city funding and has been consistently delivering culture and quality of life in a neighborhood which appears to have very little else in the way of city sponsored ANYTHING. If the Loews Jersey is shuttered what cultural stuff will remain in the area?

Could be they are only repairing the coastline that was scoured away pretty heavily by the hurricane? If thats true though it makes me wonder who is acting to repair it and why. My understanding is that the clock sits on land that can't be developed, that the clock is landmarked and can't be moved. So who pays to maintain the clock and the land it sits on, anyone know?

I wonder if anyone can explain what has actually changed for artists as a result of this? If your an artist not within the "overlay", what are you missing out on? If your in the "overlay", what has changed? Maybe the news article linked here fails to mention something?

Its now being called the "Biggest Credit Card Fraud Case in U.S. History"! Here is the F.B.I. website link:http://www.fbi.gov/newark/press-relea ... on-credit-card-fraud-scam

Where you can find such GEMS ( see what I did there?) as this quote:...."Records of the New York and New Jersey Departments of Labor reveal that many of the defendants have no reported legitimate employment in the last five years. Nonetheless, the defendants used the proceeds of the criminal enterprise to buy luxury automobiles, electronics, spa treatments, expensive clothing, and millions of dollars in gold. They also stockpiled large sums of cash. Law enforcement discovered approximately $70,000 in cash in the oven of one defendant.".....

Wow the Soup Swap is here, its happening this Sunday! I encourage you to attend even if you are not a fancy soup chef. Half of life is just showing up for stuff.

Oh! I am so happy the Soup Swap will take place this year after all. When I heard Made With Love had gone out of business I wondered if it would happen this year. Thanks so much to the people who are organizing it this year. Oftentimes when people put in volunteer time on some worthwhile project two things happen: you get a LOT of criticism when things aren't absolutely perfect. And two, you never get enough thanks or congratulation when things go right. So I want to thank you in advance! I wish there were more people like you, whoever you are.

I have a question for Dan L, or anyone else who was at the meeting: During the meeting was a name for the bridge discussed? Did the old bridge even HAVE a name? I know it may be putting the cart before the horse but I am in favor of the name The Stinky Bridge if anyone is asking.

Its not a trash train, its a recycling train. Those large blue bins, two to a train car that are chained shut are, I believe, heading to or coming from a recycling center. Why they allow them to sit on that siding under the street alongside the Journal Square PATH station speaks volumes of the lack of concern the PATH bureaucracy has for the PATH riders AND the community as a whole. I can sometimes smell that train over on Newark street since the tracks are just to the South of that Indian business district. With miles and miles of track out on the meadowlands- effectively the middle of nowhere just one mile away- WHY can't they park that train out there? The city council should intervene on behalf of the residents.

A point from the start of this thread which has been buried is that the Hoboken trains are less crowded than the Jersey City trains. Weather or not this is due to institutional racism I can not say but I will say that any neutral observer watching the N.J. bound trains in New York would note that the Jersey City trains are always crowded and that the Hoboken trains are seldom crowded. We have all seen nearly empty Hoboken trains pull into a station with thirty empty seats in each car and it may have caused us to hope that the next train, a Jersey City train, would also have empty seats but this is never the case and the Jersey City trains always seam to pull into the station with barely any standing room, or none at all. Some people on this thread are claiming there are too many people destined for Jersey City due to development. They ignore the fact of the empty seats on the Hoboken trains. Why PATH wont reshuffle the destinations when there is a clear disparity in ridership is an issue I would like to see them explain, perhaps then they will also address the racism accusation.

I mailed my Holliday cards off to all my friends and loved ones and this year I mailed them off in two batches in the week before christmas. The first batch I dropped in the slot at the Main Post Office in Manhattan across from Madison Square Garden and I learned that people in Manhattan got their cards in the mail within a day and a half. Pretty Good! Sadly, I put the other batch into the slot at my local Journal Square Post Office branch. I learned today ( January 8th) that one of my cards had just yesterday arrived in Brooklyn. I made mention of it on facebook and one of my Jersey City friends said HE WAS STILL WAITING FOR HIS. What gives Jersey City Post Office? How come you can?t deliver mail? Is it too much of a challenge for you to??deliver mail?

Is anyone else concerned with the anti-Indian sentiment being expressed here? I would like to apologize to any Indians reading this thread, I'm mortified to see this offensive content. Someone recently was complaining that they see "two and three indian parents with baby strollers" in some neighborhood, like its a crime for parents to have kids, or to have an ethnicity? I live in an Indian part of town near Journal Square and I see the Indian community as one of the nice aspects of this area. Retail in this part of the town would suffer greatly if you took the Indian businesses out of the picture. The shops and restaurants on Newark are an asset that adds greatly to Jersey Cities character. Need I mention that Indians have as much a right to live here as anyone?

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... y_woman_takes_plea_d.html

I don't know the person or the circumstances beyond what I just read but this seams way too harsh a sentence for shoplifting. The basics from the article: 47 year old woman caught stealing at a Union City CVS and has been awaiting sentencing since June 7th. She had pleaded guilty to shoplifting and the judge gave her four years! One year less than the maximum. This for $500 worth of crap? What has it cost the State to keep her in lock up since June? What are four years going to cost? Wouldn't it serve the community better if she had to do community service? This is every kind of wrong.

I'm pleased mana Contemporary is on board to play this important part in doing the survey, they are a very impressive outfit and they are local too. But I have to say its astonishing that the survey of the collection had never existed in the first place. People patting themselves on the back for all the great work they did at the museum over the years need a reality check. How could they even call themselves a museum when they never bothered to make an actual list of what they had in the collection? Why wasn't that the first priority back in 2001 when they spent all that money on their new building on Montgomery? They burned through hundreds of thousands of dollars and went bankrupt but they never made a list of what they were mismanaging. Amazing.