Quote:

Sadly, sometimes you need something bad to happen in order to make the grey areas go away.

I'm sure there will be some answers soon, this is now 100% in the hands of the H.C.P.O and they take full jurisdication whenever a death is involved.
(H.C.P.O = Hudson County Prosecutors Office.)

I hope you are right, but with all the legislation that we have in place there always seems to be gray areas - they are either not adhered to or enforced as it was legislated.

I still can't get over the fact that he remained a cop after his first DWI conviction - he wasn't some 'superman' cop, with outstanding arrest records or commendations of valor.

All he was, is a cop who got caught for drink driving more then once, was suspended, then reinstated and a cousin (1st or 2nd doesn't matter) of the Mayor.

I'd love to see anyone involved with law enforcement of any kind including cops, be made to take a breath test before they start work or shift - I'd also like to see all City Hall employees do the same, starting with the Mayor.

If they don't have .00 reading, then they are sent home without pay and not allowed to make any decision relating to their authority. This would eliminate any drinking lunches that council persons might have. They would have to be re-tested after meetings and lunches.

The 3 strikes apply, before they are saked.

Quote:

The article pointed out that

Quote:

I took it to mean that this new office tower would consolidate a lot of Merrill Lynch either here or in Manhattan, since half their leases are scheduled to expire.

But I'm no expert -- I am sure others on here know much more.

Quote:

FAB, he broke a law that is a statute, the pension and Merit board is governed by the state not the local municipality.

He will loose his job and with that goes his pension. You must have a min of 20 years (unless injured or killed in the line of duty) in order to collect.

The punishment for 2nd and 3rd time DWI is not lenient. Look up the laws in our state pertaining to DWI and also cross check how it affects any government employee in uniform. He has not had his hearing yet to permanently fire him, following union guidelines this situation has him suspended WITHOUT pay pending the review board hearing. There is no grey area here.

I'm not so sure about this. I met a couple second cousins at my father's family's farm in Ireland and wouldn't have known them from anyone if I saw them on the street. I have over 50 first cousins and keeping them straight is hard enough. I've given up on knowing first cousins once removed (their children). A second cousin has a grandparent's sibling as one's common ancestor and is their grandchild. Families do talk but I have at least dozens and probably hundreds of second cousins and know none of them. Back in the day the Irish didn't have 2.1 kids...

Now I'm not saying that Healy's second cousin or someone else didn't remind him of their relationship (or that he didn't know it) but the possibility that he was just a bad cop hired by a city where being a cop is a tough gig (normally cops transfer out of places like JC/NYC, not into them) seems at least as likely. Also, it's not really fair to describe the cop as a "cousin", when most people understand that to mean first cousin.

For others who find cousins confusing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin

Quote:

No, he can't ...the most he can do is get the actual $$$ amt he put into the pension back. He broke the law (DWI) that caused 1 death, and there is no exceptions. He legal fees if he is dumb enough to plead not guilty, will be over 100 grand. He will get no assistance from either the FOP or the PBA.

There is no pity party coming from any person I've spoke with from City Hall and uniform for anyone but the family that he hit.

As for me, I have zero tolerance for anyone who drinks and gets behind a wheel.

Of course he was sick - being DRUNK would be considered sick. Alcoholism is a sickness - this dude keeps his pension.

Don't get me wrong pinko, I hope this BUM gets what should be coming his way like it would for you or me as 'Joe Citizen'.

Quote:

I feel so sick hearing about the death of this child. I have been thinking about this family all weekend, just so sad and senseless.

If I'm not mistaken, ordinarily the JCPD would not suspend or revoke this cop's pension if this occurred while he was off duty, though they'd probably give him some kind of desk job given the nature of the circumstance.

But, the article above said that Freibott called in sick that day which changes the tone. My understanding is that JC has a very strict policy on sick days... if you call in sick, you had better be sick.

Maybe that is how he would lose his pension, hopefully.

Freibott is a walking crime wave.

Quote:

He does not enough years for the pension and the merit board only makes exceptions for injury/death for those hurt in the line of duty.

Quote:

He will keep his pension and benefits, lose his job and license and his verdict will be 3 years good behavior because he will be remorseful, have recommendation letters from the Mayor, a Priest and Chief of Police.
He will have a letter from a psychiatrist stating he is still suffering from the death of his son, which makes him drink and recommend a compulsory rehab program that Healy will personally see completed.

Healy will then donated some funds from the City Mayor Charity Fund Program to the injured family - which will make him a nice guy in some peoples eyes and 'that's all folks'

End of issue!

AND IF THIS BECOMES FACT, I"LL GET A DOG AND TRAIN IT TO PEE ON EVERY CITY HALL AND POLICE VEHICLE IN THE JC.

I'm curious why the author claims that the very generous BEIP program and abatements "are dwarfed by the power its peer across the river can wield". My understanding is that NYC incentives at best make a bad economic case for location less bad; not better than NJ. Also, Merrill has a huge site in suburban NJ and it's much easier to get to/from there to JC than Manhattan so for once geography may benefit JC.

The idea that a potential train link to PA is for people to get to PA doesn't lend confidence in the author's knowledge. Many people who have been priced out of the NYC region live in the Poconos and commute to Manhattan. Spending 4 hours a day on a bus seems miserable but owning a big house in a safe area for less than $200K while making a NYC salary is why people do it.

For what it' worth, the 2 counties out there are the only places in the northeast that have net domestic in-migration outside of New Hampshire. In both cases the people are moving to lower cost (and generally more free) places that are (barely) commutable to high paying jobs.

Quote:

This reporter needs to dig a little deeper, there is a good news story here.

It is really sad!

Ricardo Kaulessar also had a new article in the Hudson Reporter today -- not much new info in it.

=============================

Sadness follows cop's tragic mistake -- Mayor's cousin allegedly drove while intoxicated, mother and son still in critical condition

Ricardo Kaulessar - Hudson Reporter - Jan 28

There was still shock and sadness last week after a Tuesday night accident on the Pulaski Skyway that led to a Jersey City police officer being charged with driving while intoxicated and assault with an automobile, leaving a woman and her 2-year-old son in critical condition.

Police Officer Kevin Freibott, who is a second cousin of Mayor Jerremiah Healy, was charged with DWI on Tuesday night after crashing into a Pontiac Trans Am that was coming onto the Skyway from Jersey City. He was off-duty at the time.

Two of the passengers in the car, Ruth Zelaya, 37, and her 2-year-old son, Jose Carlos Zelaya, sustained severe head trauma, said Police Chief Thomas Comey at a press conference on Wednesday in front of Police Headquarters on Erie Street. Both were visiting from Honduras.

The mother was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center while her son was transported to the University Hospital in Newark.

The driver of the Trans Am they were in, Raul Posas-Pineda, and his front seat passenger Carlos Zelaya, husband of Ruth, both suffered minor injuries.

Freibott, who also suffered minor injuries, was suspended without pay pending further inevestigation.

According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward J. DeFazio, whose office is working with the Jersey City Police on the investigation, Freibott could face five years in prison for assault by auto and at least 10 years or more if the mother or son passes away.

But this accident has brought about a number of questions.

Who is Freibott?

On Wednesday, information was already coming out that Freibott was a second cousin of Mayor Jerramiah Healy. Freibott also has had other motor vehicle problems.

A City Hall source said that while Freibott is a cousin of Healy, Healy did not have a close relationship with Friebott.

Healy issued a statement on the accident last week.

"This is a terrible accident," said Healy. "Regardless of my relationship with Police Officer Freibott, the Jersey City Police Department has quickly taken the appropriate action and he has been charged in this matter. Our main concern right now is the welfare of the Zelaya family, namely mother and child."

Healy's spokesperson Maria Pignataro said Healy was making plans to visit the mother and her son on Thursday.

Freibott was a nine-year veteran of the Middletown Police Department until he was transferred to the Jersey City Police Department. According to press reports, Freibott had requested a lateral transfer, which is a process that allows police officers to move from one town's police department to another without losing their time in the state's pension and civil service programs.

Another City Hall source said there was no influence on Healy's part to get Freibott onto the police force.

Friebott also has had problems in the past when in the driver's seat.

Fired and reinstated

An August 22, 2001 article in the Independent, a newspaper based in Holmdel, reported that Freibott was involved in an accident in February of that year in the parking lot of a restaurant in Atlantic Highlands and was later found to have been without a valid license and expired registration at the time. The article went on to report that Freibott in August 2001 was fired from his job.

He would be reinstated by the state's Merit System Board in 2002.

It was also reported last week that Freibott has also had a number of blemishes on his driving record dating to 1986.

Followup calls to the Jersey City Police Department were not returned before this article went to press.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

My prayers are with that family.

Boy Dies from Crash Involving Off-duty JC Cop

NEWARK, N.J. -- A 2-year-old boy has died from injuries suffered in a crash involving an off-duty Jersey City police officer whom authorities say was intoxicated.

Juan Carlos Zelaya was pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m. Saturday at University Hospital, authorities told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Sunday newspapers.

The boy and with his 37-year-old mother, Ruth Zelaya, were in a Pontiac Grand Am that was struck from behind on the Pulaski Skyway Tuesday night by a Jeep Cherokee driven by Officer Kevin Freibott.

Blood alcohol tests showed Freibott's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

Ruth Zelaya's condition had been upgraded from critical to stable by Friday at Jersey City Medical Center. Hospital officials did not immediately return calls Sunday on her condition.

Freibott was suspended without pay and charged with driving while intoxicated and assault by auto. Authorities have said Freibott could face additional disciplinary charges because the accident occurred on a day when he was out sick.

A spokesman for Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio did not immediately return calls Sunday on whether Freibott would face additional criminal charges.

City Council votes down reform ordinance
More than 200 come out for meeting

Ricardo Kaulessar - Hudson Reporter - Jan 23

Over 200 people packed into the City Council Chambers Wednesday night to watch a vote on a proposal to ban political contributions from developers who hope to do business with the city.

The ordinance, proposed by Councilman Steven Fulop, would not allow developers to contribute to city officials' campaigns if they want to enter a redevelopment agreement within the next year. If a developer is found to have violated the ordinance, the penalty is disqualification for four years from being designated as a developer by the agency.

The vote was 6-2 against the ordinance. City councilmen Michael Sottolano, Peter Brennan, Bill Gaughan, Mary Spinello, Willie Flood, and Steve Lipski voted against it. City Councilwoman Viola Richardson voted with Fulop, and there was an abstention from City Council President Mariano Vega.

The ordinance was meant to deal with the issue of "pay to play," the practice where people contribute to public officials in hopes of getting contracts. The correlation may be difficult to prove, but can be curtailed if there are laws in place to cut contributions.

Fulop's reform ordinance had won the enthusiasm of many of those in the audience on Wednesday, who felt it would help stem the influence of developers upon city government. But Fulop's colleagues on the council were anything but enthusiastic.

They took issue with how Fulop for reasons related to the wording of the ordinance and his motives.

"In my own personal opinion, if you feel that that the developers contributed to any fundraising that I've had or will have in the immediate future affects my vote, that's for the voters to tell me to move on," said Sottolano.

However, this issue may not be over. Mayor Jerramiah Healy had mentioned in a recent letter sent to local newspapers that he was planning to draft an ordinance requiring developers to disclose their contributions, while he wouldn't ban them.

Challenging Fulop's motives

Advertisement

There were clues ahead of the council meeting Wednesday that the matter might be voted down. In a letter to the editor that has been published in local newspapers, Lipski cited Fulop's ordinance as "self-serving" since he did not make an effort to consult with his colleagues on the City Council when putting it together. Lipski also said that Fulop did not consult with the director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, Robert Antonicello.

"To raise this matter to the extent Councilman Fulop has without himself having fully researched it is not only irresponsible but also unscrupulous, in that it fosters those same negative perceptions he is trying to rid about our city," said Lipski in the letter.

Vega also took Fulop to task, saying that his "reform" would allow for only those making a large income to run for office.

Other council members had chided for using the ordinance as a platform for future political aspirations such as a run for Mayor in 2009.

Fulop slammed back during Monday's council caucus and said that there were 14 other NJ municipalities that had adopted a similar ordinance to what he was proposing.

But what may have even more damning to Fulop's pursuit was a legal opinion issued by the city's Law Department that the Redevelopment Agency is a "separate and independent entity ... It is not legally subordinate to the municipal council. Its powers are derived directly from state law."

However, Fulop received a legal opinion from a Metuchen law firm rebutting the Law Department's stance.

Some of the rancor continued from Monday's meeting to Wednesday, but this time Fulop had a cheering gallery.

Roused up for reform

Supporters of the ordinance held signs saying "Do the Right Thing" and "Stop Pay to Play."

Fulop acknowledged the audience early in the meeting saying the "numbers that showed up today speaks volumes."

Then he went on to defend the ordinance again, saying that it was not "outlandish and out-of-balance" and that the four-year penalty "would go a long way to sending a message as far as Jersey City being a standard as far as ethics reform."

Richardson said before she voted for introduction there were items in the ordinance that could be "tweaked" but said she had "no problem with how I vote."

Since this was an ordinance being introduced on a first reading in the City Council, the public couldn't comment directly on the ordinance but could speak later in the meeting in a general public speaking session.

Dan Levin, one of the founders of the local good government group Civic JC, had come in front of the City Council last year proposing a similar ordinance.

"It's time to make a clean break with the past and to state loud and clearly that Jersey City has changed, that it will no longer be known as a backwater of patronage and back room deals," said Levin.

Many left after the ordinance upset. One of the attendees, Hugh Hales-Tooke, made his feelings known after the meeting in an e-mail to this newspaper.

"Stopping 'pay to play' would have been a step towards reducing corruption in city government," he said. "It's just the same old corrupt Hudson County politics, only in the current era, it is funded by developer dollars."

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

High demand, low vacancy push rents up

KATHLEEN LYNN - The Record - Jan 28

North Jersey apartment rents -- already among the highest in the nation -- are expected to rise about 3 percent this year, a real estate brokerage says.

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Co.'s annual apartment report estimates that rents in the region will reach an average of just under $1,400. And vacancy rates will remain low, below 4 percent.

Apartments in North Jersey are in demand because of the area's "proximity to the great employment hub of Manhattan," said Michael Fasano, regional manager of Marcus & Millichap's New Jersey operations.

Demand for apartments declined a few years ago, as low mortgage rates lured tenants into buying homes. But purchase prices have risen so fast that more tenants are now staying in the rental market, according to Jose Cruz, senior director of Cushman & Wakefield's metropolitan area capital markets group in East Rutherford.

In North Jersey, the percentage of people who rent varies widely by county. According to the Census Bureau, about one-third of Bergen County residents rent. In Passaic County, the percentage is 47 percent; in Hudson, 66 percent, and Morris, 22 percent. The numbers are from 2002, the most recent available.

The demand for rentals, coupled with the difficulty of building apartments in an area with little available land, has pushed up the prices that investors will pay for apartment buildings, according to Ken Uranowitz, managing director of Gebroe-Hammer Associates, a Livingston commercial real estate brokerage. He pointed to several recent apartment building deals: The $6.5 million sale of a mid-rise apartment house at 263 Franklin Ave., Ridgewood; the $11.5 million sale of 345 Prospect Ave., Hackensack; and the $7.5 million sale of 390 Prospect in Hackensack.

Because land is so scarce, much of the apartment construction is redevelopment of old industrial sites, especially along the Hudson River waterfront. Developers will add 1,800 rental units to the area this year, with more than 800 apartments located in Hudson County, Marcus & Millichap said.

Cruz pointed to four large projects close to completion in Hudson County: Riverwalk at Port Imperial in West New York, which includes 700 apartment units; and Grove Point (458 units), The Columbus Tower (392 units) and Liberty Harbor North (134 units) in Jersey City.

Also among the new rentals in the area are two large projects in Englewood -- the Towne Centre in the downtown shopping area and the Brownstones at Englewood South, just off Route 4. Like much of the new development in the region, both of these buildings are luxury projects; rents at the Brownstones start at $1,768 for one-bedrooms.

In older complexes, apartments are less expensive. At the Brookchester garden apartments in New Milford, for example, one-bedrooms go for $1,000. Vacancy rates at the Brookchester are just above 1 percent, according to leasing manager Doreen Ercolano.

A wave of renovation is under way at the Brookchester and other older apartment complexes, because today's tenants expect nicer surroundings. The Brookchester and other large North Jersey garden complexes were built to house soldiers returning from World War II and their families, said Alan Hammer, head of Westminster Management, the apartment-house division of Florham Park-based Kushner Companies. That means they're about 60 years old and need updating.

"These buildings were built before air conditioning, before dishwashers," Hammer said.

Many North Jersey communities have rent control laws that limit yearly increases, often to the inflation rate or less, although in many towns, landlords can raise rates to market levels when a tenant leaves. But even with rent control, the region's rents are a strain for low- and middle-income people. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition recently reported that a tenant needs to make $22.37 an hour to afford the typical two-bedroom apartment in the area.

That's more than three times the state's minimum wage of $7.15 an hour. And it makes the Bergen-Passaic region one of the most expensive rental markets in the nation, according to the annual "Out of Reach" report by the coalition.

Arnold Cohen, head of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, said the state needs to do more to encourage the construction of affordable units. Now, because of the high cost of land, developers build mostly higher-priced units.

He said the state could offer tax incentives to builders for putting up affordable apartments, and it could pressure towns to allow affordable development. Now, developers focus on building large, expensive single-family homes and communities for 55-and-up residents. Towns like the age-restricted development because it doesn't add schoolchildren to the schools, which are financed by property taxes.

E-mail: lynn@northjersey.com

New ideas for eyesores
City moves to identify abandoned properties

Ricardo Kaulessar -- Hudson Reporter -- Jan 28

If an abandoned three-story apartment building has become an eyesore for all the neighbors, can the city do anything if it's privately owned?

Jersey City is looking to fix that problem with its recent establishment of an "abandoned property list" and an officer with the responsibility of identifying all abandoned properties.

The purpose of the list is to identify abandoned properties, then get control for rehabilitation and reuse if the owners aren't able to do so.

City Housing Code Enforcement Officer Ed Coleman was designated as the officer in charge of creating the list, which will include block and lot numbers, the street address, owner of property, and reason for designating property as abandoned.

Coleman reports directly to the director of Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce (HEDC), Barbara Netchert every six months about the status of the properties listed. Netchert in turn will report directly to Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

"This is a mechanism that cities can use to get these buildings back into contributing to their cities," said Netchert. "[The properties will be] back on the tax rolls, back as homes for people who need places to live, which improve their neighborhoods."

State law was signed

In January of 2004, Gov. James McGreevey signed into law the "Abandoned Properties Rehabilitation Act," helping municipalities to gain control of abandoned properties to get productive use of them.

The act sets down criteria on how municipalities should define abandoned properties.

The building must have been vacant for 6 months. It also must meet one other condition such as: The need for rehabilitation; possessing nuisance conditions; or having tax delinquency. It applies to both buildings and vacant lots.

It also calls for various means by which municipalities can take hold of abandoned buildings such as special tax sales, accelerated foreclosures, and the ability to petition the court for possession.

Owners get a chance first

But before a city or town can get control of an abandoned building, the court has to give the opportunity to the owner and any holders of tax liens on the property to demonstrate they will carry out renovation in a timely fashion.

If the owners aren't able to do the renovations, then the municipality can seek compensation from the owner and embark on renovations.

According to Netchert, the HEDC was hoping to get the list started late last year after the City Council approved the concept in November. But with the holiday season and other business, it was only this month that work began.

Netchert said getting this list done is a "priority" set down by Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Netchert said that abandoned properties can be sold at auction to developers, but also to non-profit groups for possible affordable and low-income housing.

Healy offered comment by e-mail through his spokesperson, Maria Pignataro, stating the goal of rehabbing abandoned buildings is to "ameliorate the multiple negative effects that abandoned properties have on the areas surrounding them, and restore the properties to productive use."

Pignataro also said that research provided to the mayor's office done about a little over a year ago found that "at least 140 abandoned properties" exist in Jersey City.

She said the majority are located in an area bounded by Communipaw, McAdoo, Garfield, and Bergen avenues.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

Is that all for Victory Hall?
Arts venue will be school instead

Ricardo Kaulessar -- Hudson Reporter -- Jan 28

The 103-year-old Victory Hall building on Grand Street, a venue for arts events in Downtown Jersey City, will morph this coming fall into a preschool affiliated with nearby Our Lady of Czestochowa (OLC) School on Luis Marin Boulevard.

Father Tom Iwanowski is the pastor of the OLC Church on Sussex Street whose parish includes the school and Victory Hall. Iwanowski said the school's preschool program, known as Little Harbor Academy, has seen tremendous enrollment growth in recent years projected to increase in the 2007-2008 school year. Victory Hall will be renamed Little Harbor Academy for the new school year.

"There will be some sadness to see Victory Hall no longer have the kinds of interesting arts and community-oriented events, but I think people understand that it's not be torn down for condos but will be for educational purposes," said Iwanowski.

The pastor said he broke the news around December to board members of Victory Hall, Inc., the non-profit organization formed in 2002 to organize and oversee the events in the building under a lease agreement with OLC.

Victory Hall Inc.'s lease runs out on Nov. 30 of this year, and the slate of classes and special events lasts until late June.

Last week board members and others who have enjoyed the use of the building also weighed in with sadness, yet understanding.

But the board members will be allowed to use the name "Victory Hall" for any future site they move into or build.

History of the building

Advertisement

Victory Hall was built in 1904 as a social hall for the Elks Club, whose headquarters was on the corner of York Street and Marin Boulevard, where currently the OLC School is located.

In 1919, the OLC Parish bought the Elks headquarters and Victory Hall. In 1929, the Elks building was replaced by the present school and later, Victory Hall was remodeled and became a center for parish social events.

Iwanowski said last week that the first two floors of Victory Hall are already used for Little Harbor Academy's classes, but the third floor was designated for Victory Hall, Inc.'s use.

But the jump in the preschool's enrollment over the past two years has created the demand for more space.

"You have all this development here in Downtown Jersey City with new families moving in, which is a blessing for OLC," said Iwanowski. "But it's interesting since the reason Victory Hall became the community center that we now know is because there was less use when the parish's population decreased."

In 1998, residents living near OLC who were involved in the arts approached the parish on making Victory Hall a place for cultural and artistic events. Renovation work was done on the neglected hall. By 2000, Victory Hall, Inc. was formed and by 2002, it started gaining a reputation as a cultural center that hosted a wide variety of events.

Iwanowski helped to get the 501c 3 started and he still serves on their board. He said Victory Hall welcomed those without deep pockets to hold their events.

"Some people may not know this, but we only charged a nominal fee because of all various groups who have come to us to hold events in Victory Hall," said Iwanowski.

A victory to be found by all

K.K. Sexton has been on the board for the past four years at Victory Hall and served most recently as the curator of the exhibit "American Diaspora: Transformations in an Age of Uncertainty" held there last fall.

She sees the change in the building's use as positive.

"We are sort of looking at this as an opportunity for the board," said Sexton. "This lights a fire under us and it makes us even think on a bigger level."

Sexton said meetings to discuss finding a new space comparable to Victory Hall are forthcoming.

Andrew Hubsch, another member of the Victory Hall, Inc. Board said he is also enthusiastic about a new Victory Hall site.

"Because of our good reputation, we have been progressing on discussions with City Councilmen Steven Fulop and Mariano Vega and [City Planner] Bob Cotter on where we are going," said Hubsch.

Vega said he looks forward to helping the Victory Hall Board in any way to find a new locale.

"They have done great work in the last couple of years in promoting the arts in Jersey City and I want to see that continue," said Vega.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

Sounds good. Tired of lugging food from Whole foods in NYC with no car.

Click link twice for High resolution photo.

Althea-
The block grants have nothing to do with the contributions that they mentioned or the municipal government budget. The city's role is only to distribute the funding

Steve

Hey, I think I see my hair in that picture!

As for Lipski, he voted a straight no on the ordinance because he knew this was a super heated issue and every council person was on edge. He told us later he didn\'t want to fuel the fire by explaining his no. I thought a simple no was the best response he could have given.

He went out of his way to talk to me after the council meeting. To be fair, I wasn\'t very nice to him, because I was tired and snippy. He took it in stride and explained that his no was not meant to be a no to an ordinance like this, but that he feels he hasn?t had enough time to digest this and talk to other government bodies and agencies. He said he was willing to work with us.

Do I believe him? Is he sincere? It?s irrelevant. The point is that I will hold him to his word or vote at the next election accordingly.

As to whether having people present has any effect on the council, I do believe it has a huge effect. I watched the other votes on ordinances and resolutions, at this meeting and others. When there is a strong community presence the council tends to vote in the community\'s favor. When there is barely a presence, council people will usually verbalize that and either abstain or vote the motion down. This seems to be doubly so at Planning Board meetings.

However, this ordinance seems to feel like a specific attack on each council member and seeing the room packed with Fulop\'s ward probably added to that. I?m sorry that they feel so attacked. They can\'t possibly think this will go away though.

What is strange is that right after the voting of the ordinances came the pleas from various organizations for block grants (groveling for money). So when Sottolano said that he saw a lot of us with our \"pet\" projects that we would be asking him money for, I thought that was odd... since the grant hearings were going to be held at the same meeting. Was that planned?

How many employees (before the cut) does the JCHA employ?
I was a bit surprised by the number of people, 50, but what % is this?

Also, they oversee 2600 homes in JC? What is an adequate house-employee ratio?

It would be nice to see some other cuts in government across the board and not just this division. If a company is loosing money it must cut costs, see Ford.

Maria Maio gets a federal salary of $150,000.00 plus a government car and other benefits to be the Director of the Housing Authority.

A few non paid volunteers on her board of directors demanded that she take a pay cut due to the federal housing budget cut but she refused, they are trying to find a way to get her fired.

Important votes/decisions by the council are decided well in advance, like pro wrestling matches. It is rare when they change their intentions based on what they hear, or bend to pressure from the public, but it does happen, so for that reason you still have to try. Mariano Vega played it safe and abstained, gave a response meant to assuage the audience. Steve Lipski, at least to me, seemed to be very uncomfortable, waiting the clock to run out - for the ordinance supporters would leave. He was twiddling his pen, waiting for all this to go away. When he voted no, he did not give the audience the courtesy of explaining why he voted against the ordinance.


Quote:

Walk to Guantanamo: Activist takes steps for justice

DAVID YONKE -- TOLEDO BLADE - JAN 27

Anna J. Brown did not visit Cuba to be a tourist. She traveled to the tropical island nation in December, 2005, as one of 25 peace activists seeking to raise awareness of how prisoners are treated at the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

The trip was a step of faith for Ms. Brown, a New Jersey political science professor and peace activist who will give a talk and lead a workshop in Tiffin next weekend.

"When we were out there, we never knew where we would sleep at night," she said in an interview this week. "We were unsure of where or when we would be able to get food. We were really walking in unknown territory on many levels - politically, spiritually, even psychologically and emotionally."

Ms. Brown was participating in the protest as a member of the Kairos Community, a religious group whose mission is to follow the teachings of Jesus and to assert the sacredness of all lives, and the Catholic Worker Movement, which seeks to promote the dignity of every human being.

She and the other walkers were motivated by their concerns over reports from Guantanamo detainees who had been released and from U.S. attorneys representing those still imprisoned at the base, which was opened in 2002 to hold suspected terrorists.

Ms. Brown said most of the 500 detainees are being held without charges and do not have trials scheduled. Many were turned in as terror suspects for bounties, she said, and the prisoners' terrorist links are tenuous or nonexistent.

"It's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said.

U.S. officials say the prisoners are being held for national security reasons - to prevent terrorist attacks - and that the inmates will someday get their say in court.

"The war on terrorism is indefinite and some of the detainees are there indefinitely," Ms. Brown said. "Some of them say they were told by their interrogators that they will be there for life. They've already been away from family and friends for five years now, and under those circumstances who's to say their lives haven't been destroyed already?"

She said the group went to Cuba without informing the U.S. or Cuban governments of their full intent.

"We wanted to be as transparent as we can to do this. We did not want to alert Cuban or U.S. governments about our plans so that we could not be held captive by the government's agendas," Ms. Brown said. "We wanted to go there for human-to-human interaction. We didn't want to be pawns of the governments."

During the walk, which lasted seven days, activists held daily Mass, carried rosary beads, and prayed regularly, she said.

"Many found daily Mass sustaining," she said.

The rosary and the prayer discipline also proved to be sources of strength, she said.

"Many younger people have moved away from the rosary, much to our detriment," the 42-year-old peace activist said.

Each day, the walkers read stories of the men who have been detained at Guantanamo, then the protesters would separate to meditate and reflect in silence.

"We really let the stories sink in. We were in a tricky position because Cuba is astonishingly beautiful and you have to keep reminding yourself that you're not there as a tourist," Ms. Brown said.

"The reason you're there is because some people have never gotten a glimpse of that land, many people have been held there five years now without charge or trial and have endured stressful if not torture-like conditions, separated from family and friends," she said. "Reading their stories and spending time in silence put that in the forefront of one's mind."

The protesters had two specific goals, she said.

"One was to protest their illegal detention and the use of torture, and the other was coming from a Catholic Worker basis, in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, to incorporate the works of mercy." That Scripture says, in part, "I was in prison and you visited me."

The activists had hoped to meet with prisoners but could go only as far as the first gate, about five miles from where the prisoners are kept, she said.

"We set up camp outside the checkpoint and fasted and held a prayer vigil for four days," she said.

Ms. Brown teaches political science at St. Peter's College in Jersey City, N.J., and directs the college's Peace and Justice Studies program.

On Jan. 11, she was among hundreds who protested in Washington on the fifth anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo. They marched from the Capitol Building to the U.S. Supreme Court to the U.S. Federal District Court House and Ms. Brown was one of 90 people arrested.

She said she hopes to continue raising public awareness of the conditions at Guantanamo and to encourage Americans to take action, whether it is writing or calling elected officials or praying and fasting.

"Most Americans are not aware [of Guantanamo], or feel it is an aberration," she said. "You first have to be aware. There's no need to protest if you don't know what's going on."

Anna J. Brown will discuss her walk to Guantanamo in a free lecture at 7 p.m. Friday in Elizabeth Schaeffer Auditorium, St. Francis Convent, 200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin. She also will lead a workshop on "Nonviolence: Rooting Ourselves in Its Risks and Richness," 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 at the St. Francis Spirituality Center, 200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin. The cost of the workshop is $25 and includes a mid-day meal. Information and registration is available online at www.tiffinpaxchristi.org or by calling Josie Setzler, 419-332-2318.

Seems like that they have used City Hall's management and human relations style as a role model to conduct business and planning.

Quote:

Guess who'll benefit from the 'disinvestment in public housing'? I really need to get a cheque account and make some donations!