Register now !    Login  
Main Menu
Who's Online
153 user(s) are online (125 user(s) are browsing Message Forum)

Members: 0
Guests: 153

more...


Forum Index


Board index » All Posts (Althea)




Re: Jersey City election 2013: Mayor Bloomberg endorses Mayor Healy
#61
Home away from home
Home away from home


I could be way off base, but with the Freedom Tower nearing completion it will be interesting to see what big businesses JC loses to incentives by the Bloomberg administration. Hopefully that will be off set by some of those employees choosing to live in JC, but looks like Bloomberg is ahead of the curve with providing micro units.

Sorry to get sarcastic here, but you have to wonder sometimes if JC is being sold off for a bunch of beads.

Posted on: 2013/2/22 17:37
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: corporate takeover of jc youtube video
#62
Home away from home
Home away from home


Actually i got this on a Google alert awhile back and maybe watched it about 3/4 through before I gave up. The statements are damning, but all the back up video to support the statements make Fulop look really good and don't support the statement at all.

I'm already going to vote for Fulop so I don't need to watch a super long video that seems to show a really strong leader doing everything right. I did like seeing some of the other strong speakers in the video though like Josephine. Very cool to put an image and voice to the name.

I just think it is sad that the people who made this video were out to prove a connection that the video clearly shows does not exist. Having a real dialogue with all of these people in one room would be a much better way of getting to the bottom of this and by dialogue I don't mean getting screamed at and drowned out by the conspiracy theorists that don't want anyone with a different opinion to speak.

Posted on: 2013/2/22 17:28
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: We seek a unified Jersey City, not a divided one
#63
Home away from home
Home away from home


The improvement to the City is definitely the newcomers. It's the old timers that made it great and it is the newcomers that have increased what the old timers already knew. With change comes a bit of adjustment, that is all.

Whether you are a new timer or an old timer or an in-between-timer, if you care even a little bit you know that the method of divide and conquer is pretty old tactic.

The old timers are not dumb by any stretch of the imagination and they can definitely see the divide and conquer method for what it is. What you are seeing here seems to be a "throw anything and everything up against the wall and see what sticks". They must have Gerry McCann as one of their strategists at this point because this is one of his great strategies. However, it seems that the Healy team is losing the old timers left and right because the fact is Steven Fulop does go and talk to them to hear whatever they have to say across the City and they like it. They aren't fooled by someone telling them that everything is better when they walk out of their homes and see it clearly isn't. They like that someone is not only listening to them, but taking their best advice and crafting it into a long term policy with clear bench marks.

Healy came into power during a golden era of JC and he squandered it. There was nothing put aside for the future and no strategy what-so-ever for the crumbling infrastructure.

I'm not at all offended by Healy's comments because I couldn't care less what he has to say. I see no planning for the future other than living hand to mouth. The people who want change know that this is no way to live and they know that the Healy people will be the first to cut and run when they've run the ship into the ground. They don't seem to care that the tax payers will have to deal with the ship wreck. Ex-BA Brian O'Reilly saw the writing on the wall.

The culture of Jersey City has changed. The newcomers have learned the wisdom of the old timers and they are banding together to create change and empower their communities. Good for them. The fact that this threatens the current administration says it all.

Posted on: 2013/2/20 21:21
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: What Sandy victims need to know about new height rules for their homes
#64
Home away from home
Home away from home


My understanding is the City is having meetings and trying to figure out exactly what the new guidelines will be. There seem to also be a few developments on hold to find out exactly what the requirements will be.

18 Park was already approved and if I am not mistaken, already broken ground. They chose to raise their base 7 feet in anticipation of the new requirements.

The requirements will also change for commercial/retail space. They will be allowed to utilize dry and wet flood proofing instead of raising their retail above the pedestrian's gaze.

I have friends who lost most of their living space that are choosing to build up instead of recreate their ground floor. In addition, the BPU is reviewing (and will be holding public meetings) the role of the utility companies in storms using models where they lose power to 75% of their customers.

Posted on: 2013/2/19 0:49
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: We seek a unified Jersey City, not a divided one
#65
Home away from home
Home away from home


This is truly sad and a gross generalization that does a disservice to us all. There is so much diversity in downtown of incomes, languages, living conditions, and education that you can't possibly just dismiss such a large area. You can't possibly be sincere in any of your posts.

I have lived here for 13 years and have been deeply involved in my neighborhood and in the downtown area.

Healy considers me a newcomer and an interloper because I want to take part in my democracy? Really?

Healy is exploiting a natural divide that happens throughout the City, not just downtown between the older residents and the newer. I have seen that conversation pop up in my neighborhood and us community leaders won't have any of it. It's a superficial argument at best to make sure nothing gets accomplished and once every one realizes they all count then it ceases to be an us versus them argument.

As far as Healy and "friends" are concerned they are more than happy to accept the newcomers and interlopers money, they just don't want them to have a say as a resident about how the tax dollars are spent. Team Healy has no problem bending over backwards to any developer that comes along and wants a tax abatement. I even watched horrified as Healy's cheif of staff bent over backwards to Goldman Sachs and put a stop to a solution to the Van Vorst Park and Paulus Hook flooding problem because they did not want to upset Goldman Sachs!!! They wanted to put a flooding solution on HOLD after these people in Bergen/Laffayette and downtown had their homes devastated by Irene and then Sandy.

Make no mistake, as offensive as the comments are he and his team have no intention of catering to any of us low life tax payers no matter how long or little we have lived here. They will undermine any attempt to actually improve the infrastructure, to safe guard our homes (not real estate).

You sir are full of crap. Use your real name if you truly mean what you say.

Quote:

crazyforjc wrote:
Truth be told...downtowners want to turn all of jc into newport. They do not want to tolerate low to middle class peiple and their neigjborhoods. That is why people wanted to secede. They feel as if low to middle class neighborhoods devalue their lives.

Jersey city has long been a melting pot. Long before downtowners drank the newport kool aid. If fulop wins our schools will become for profit institutions for out of town investors, we will have wal mart which will crush small business. We will lose the identity of a city where people of all classes could survive. Look at the elec reports, its clear that fulops team is poised for a corporate takeover. Sad

Posted on: 2013/2/17 20:53
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Steve Fulop candidate for Jersey City Mayor announces anti-crime plan
#66
Home away from home
Home away from home


I imagine this is as detailed as you are going to get during an election campaign. However, I agree that the radio room people often suck. I've had horrible experiences with them. There should at least be some kind of reporting system where by the public can give their experience and an officer can review to weed out the terrible operators.

I doubt very much though that this plan was created in a vacuum. This was probably created with officers on the inside or retired officers that have a lot of knowledge and experience. I felt horrible for the West side police that looked at me sadly and told me the story about a man coming in and shooting up the place and that the broken safety glass (just bullet holes, not shattered) hadn't been replaced in years. They felt like the City just didn't care that they put their lives on the line. So there are the officers with their boots on the ground that feel the top heavy JCPD doesn't offer them much support in an ever decreasing PD force.

I hope whatever happens in this election that there is a change for the better for those who risk their lives and for those that feel they live in unsafe neighborhoods. I think the two go hand in hand.

The argument I have heard against foot patrols is that it lengthens the time for a police officer to get back to their patrol car in the case they have to respond to an emergency call.

I would hope that whatever plan is implemented that it is done with a lot of the buy in from our police department. Fire and Police are the lion's share of the budget so even if you can't reduce the ballooning costs hopefully you can get efficient and lean departments that improve the safety of the officers/fighters and increase the quality of life for the residents. Way too top heavy.

Quote:

JPhurst wrote:
More details are needed. What functions will be turned over to civilians? I remember back in the Schundler administration there was a lot of controversy over the civilianization of the radio room. Schundler insisted that these were not law enforcement jobs and that civilians could perform the work, while cops insisted that at least some law enforcement personnel with proper training and familiarity needed to be there to oversee dispatch. Saying "get cops out of desk jobs" sounds good, but figuring out what constitutes a desk job isn't as easy as it sounds.

Posted on: 2013/2/15 16:00
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City council denies Filipino Chief Judge post
#67
Home away from home
Home away from home


I'm not disagreeing with you Dan, but the branches are a check and balance system, to just accept something because it would be seen as disrespectful to the court system isn't exactly a sound argument either.

I know that a few years back that several judges were ousted because they were not honest and were fixing tickets. I do think that appointments this close to the election seems a little suspicious. If Healy wins, I wonder if his picks might be different.

I have absolutely no trust in Velasquez. I've seen his rubber stamp votes and his drunken attack on Pam Andes at a fund raiser for absolutely no reason make me think twice about this guy as a judge. Seriously scary.

Posted on: 2013/2/15 15:39
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: What used to be at Grove Pointe
#68
Home away from home
Home away from home


The RENT-ALL video store was open super duper late on the weekends (new extended hours from (:30 to 10 pm!!!!!) and required you give them proof of your social security number to rent there.

The street going through was only for buses.

I remember a guy getting shot there.

It was a pretty grim looking place.


Quote:

Clifton_Hanger wrote:
I remember (maybe 97?) when Video Rent All (formerly of Railroad/Columbus - now Red Feast Liquor Store) used to be over where the main door of Grove Point is. That place was reminded of the adult stores in and around Times Sq with the people "hanging out" there...minus the live entertainment. I believe there was some sort of always closed Italian or Portuguese restaurant next door...


That area is a hell of a lot better than it was in the mid to late 90's. The few Images of America books on Jersey City provide really interesting photos of all of JC (specifically downtown) and are worth checking out.

Posted on: 2013/2/13 1:25
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City election 2013: where the race stands
#69
Home away from home
Home away from home


You sound like you are campaigning for Rich Boggiano and if you are then you are laying it on thick.

Robinhood was not as cut and dry as you might think and in the end a lot of people supported it even if half the immediate neighborhood did not.

I was at the court house for the residency thing and know the lawyer for Norrice Raymaker. Again, not so cut and dry as you try and make it out to be.

If you are rooting for Richie, a dear friend of mine and a real neighborhood fighter, then you are doing him a complete disservice here.


Quote:

jetsfanwink wrote:
So what you are saying is that it's ok for Nidia Lopez to cheat on her taxes because 99% of people cheat on something. It's especially ok to be corrupt when that person is part of Fulop's team.

Also, Lopez voted for robinhood. So much for her great voting record for the residents of ward C.

So do you support Dan Levin even though he's on Healy's ticket? If not then maybe you should change your name to LimpiarElAnyoneNotOnWunderkindFulop'sTeam

Posted on: 2013/2/10 21:59
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City election 2013: where the race stands
#70
Home away from home
Home away from home


Traditionally I have been anti-term limits. I think the voters should choose. I would say that 3 term limit would be better than two. The arguments for and against limits are both compelling.

A recent discussion though has me almost willing to change my anti-term limit stance. For me you might very well be losing the knowledge and experience of a good elected official.
However, if incumbents benefit from lower voter turn out then we are creating a culture where career politicians want to create apathy and don't want to engage the community. This is a story that seems to ring true in jersey city.

If pledging to limit your terms even if it can't be legally enforced is coupled with an active culture of helping younger/newer leaders to get ready to run is what will encourage more voter participation then I see this as something that is very positive in JC and I can get behind.

All you Fulop supporters, don't faint, I am not so staunch that I can't sometimes change my position.

Posted on: 2013/1/30 17:33
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City election 2013: where the race stands
#71
Home away from home
Home away from home


There's a Chancery Court decision from Bayonne that ruled the Faulkner Act preempts any local effort to enact an ordinance limiting terms.

Posted on: 2013/1/29 22:54
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City measure restricting campaign cash from developers is vetoed by mayor
#72
Home away from home
Home away from home


Yes, I understand about calling out bullshit, severability and all. I can definitely appreciate that.

Posted on: 2013/1/26 23:29
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City measure restricting campaign cash from developers is vetoed by mayor
#73
Home away from home
Home away from home


I get that you use the terms broadly, but when you are a lawyer dealing with these laws they have specific connotations. Using the broad terms to refer to something as being illegal or perceived as shady if not illegal is a way of misrepresenting the situation to the public for a political purpose.

Dan is saying that campaign finance laws are being circumvented and then not saying anything about which laws. In the good government community, NJ Appleseed, ACLU (yes was lucky enough to be at the National HQ when campaign finance was all the buzz), refer to the public funding of campaigns as campaign finance laws. They refer to the giving of redevelopment privileges or city contracts to those donating to a elected official or candidate as Pay to Play. The suggestion that a candidate giving to another candidate as pay to play makes no sense and to try and restrict that would have first amendment issues.

I get that you like to play the devils advocate, but when you are standing for a good government guy, being as clear and specific as possible is a good policy. I say this believing it applies to everyone, Fulop, Levin, all of the activists.

Nice try in trying to make me out to be campaigning and trying to smear someone on behalf of another. I did not see you at the table or helping to reform pay to play, you've jumped in to defend a friend. How admirable of you, but clearly you speak in broad strokes with no specifics and I'm sorry you feel smearing someone is calling them out on their misrepresentations. I'm sorry you feel it is alright to say, hey how about the severability clause when it's already in there. It shows you have no desire to actually find out the facts, just to attack an ordinance to help out a friend who is misleading the public.

Fact is that you and Levin don't like that I've been involved and I talk on a regular basis with Heather of Citizen's Campaign and Diana Jeffrey of NJ Appleseed to make sure I actually have my fact straight. Doing pro bono work and being good friends with the candidate does not make you a more independent and reliable source of information than someone that has worked for the ACLU and actually been in on the talks and crafting of the legislation that passed.

While I'm not really a part of Steven Fulop's campaign, I do work very very closely (just as closely as when I was a paid aide) with Steven Fulop. I'm glad to have a responsive elected official that supports me in my efforts to fix the downtown flooding situation and help craft legislation that will make the City a better place. The municipal code is a horrible mess that often contradicts itself. I was an activist before I met Steve and I am an activist still just as much as Dan. My criticism is of his statements and yes sometimes his character for making those statements.

Sorry that pisses you off so much that I might actually have credibility. I will continue to question anyone that tries to bullshit the public be that Levin or Fulop.

Start reading the actual legislation and working with the good government groups and then lets's talk about the legislation and it's flaws. No one is stopping you from being a part of the process.

Posted on: 2013/1/26 22:36
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City measure restricting campaign cash from developers is vetoed by mayor
#74
Home away from home
Home away from home


Dan,

Um, please let your audience know where the circumventing "pay to play" reform laws is happening? Campaign Finance is the term used for the public funding of campaigns. Since we don't have campaign finance in Jersey City I'm not really sure what laws to which you are referring.

I'm also not sure why when you post here or on the JCI I'm then supposed to email you privately to get answers? I'm pretty sure that if you can email me answers then you can also post them here in public since you/OneJC started and continue to post in this thread.

I have no issue with you running for Council person. It makes a lot of sense and anyone who puts themselves out there should be commended. I supported you for at-large whole-heartedly. I think of you as a very good person (not turned evil) and my basis for this actually goes back to some of the things I saw of your personal character back in 2006.

Yes there are penalties for violating P2P laws and they are being followed up on. You probably want to follow up on them as well since you are tied into this ticket and will inevitably be tied to any wrong doing. At the very least you should be reviewing the ELECs. This is what good government people do. They look at everyone.

You and Steve do not get along. You never have even if you claim to be cordial now. This is not something you can deny. You have often been scathing in your criticism of him not realizing the work you are putting down is that of other activists as well. You forget we have friends in common who will corroborate what I am saying.

I'm sorry you feel that I am dragging you through the mud and not allowed to question and enlighten people to the misinformation you put out there. I would think that when you post that you are making your views public. You are running for elected office, you deserve to have your statements scrutinized like anyone else.

I would understand if there was a difference in opinion or approach, but you label yourself as the good government guy whose principals have not been compromised by joining the Healy ticket. Yet, you defend the questionable stuff and misrepresent the passed ordinances in a way that the independent Dan wouldn't.

I have not seen you do much, but many of those I trust and respect that live in the Harsimus Cove/Hamilton Park area will vouch for much that you have done and done well. Many of them no longer support you now that you have joined the Healy ticket because it means you are bringing in votes for someone with a belief system and a way of doing business that is counter to what you say you represent.

I'm only speaking of the Pay to Play reform issues because it is one issue, that like the animal and flooding issues, in which I have been intimately involved. If Steven Fulop were making the comments that you are I would probably be twice as harsh.

The means to an end was not running for council, it was joining the Healy ticket and unfortunately I think you handed Fulop/Osbourne a win here because you would have made a much more formidable independent candidate. Now I often see you as being mute when it comes to the Healy stuff and misrepresenting the situation to suit Team Healy.

As for the severability clause... uuummmm it may be a little confusing because in the ordinances they only listed the parts that would be changed and then listed the sections that would be untouched, but the severability clauses weren't removed. Go ahead, check. You will not see the severability clauses struck out or both NJ Appleseed and Citizen's Campaign as well as Civic JC would have a lot to say about that. I know that this issue was very important to both you and Aaron Morrill. Why not check with campaign manager/corporation counsel on this? Why not raise this concern with your teammates if you thought it has been removed? Or why not call up Citizen's Campaign?

So again, it astounds me that you and Josh sound like you know what you are talking about yet don't bother to actually educate yourselves. Very troubling.

Posted on: 2013/1/26 21:35
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City withdraws request to reappoint mayor's allies to MUA board
#75
Home away from home
Home away from home


Actually Brewster is right on target. The JCMUA is building pump stations, not unlike Hoboken, but hopefully better.

One was created for Country Village, another for Pine Street. Now there is one planned for Essex Street to cover the Paulus Hook and Van Vorst area. These all deal with flood waters, not sewage back up.

The EPA used to frown on this, but both the NJDEP and the EPA are signing off on trial periods of this and will more than likely sign off on them as a permanent solution. There have been really great results so far. The issue with the downtown area is finding space for what becomes a large area for a control panel (and possibly transformer) since the real estate along the downtown water front is far more at a premium than Ward F and A.

I'd say that the current people on the JCMUA Board have a lot of institutional knowledge which I wouldn't just through out. Dominick Pandolpho makes a lot of sense as an alternate and working in the BA's office. He's smart and he was under water. I've seen some appointed to the board that know NOTHING.... "there's a flooding issue downtown?" Others are like, "oh yeah, I remember that was an issue in 1931. We had to wade across Grove street!"

This is an issue where I think Dan Levin has always been ahead of the curve and could really use a larger gene pool to pick from. The only really bad thing is when the autonomous agencies bond and the tax payer has no representation yet has to shoulder the financial implications of borrowing.

Quote:

brewster wrote:
I know how bad the situation is, personally I think we need to build pump stations like Hoboken did since rebuilding the sewers from scratch seems impossible. And yes, I know the EPA is not in favor of that.

When I suggested Tom I didn't even know he had an interest in this issue! I just thought of him as another case of JC ignoring the impressive and talented people who step forward here, in favor of the usual suspects.

Quote:

BrightMoment wrote:
Brewster, don't hold your breath on "...sewers that don't overflow into our basements with every rain". Tom Wilen spoke at a HCA mtg some years ago and related how the MUA said it would take "over $150+ MM" to improve our downtown infrastructure of pipes to improve the sewage overflow into basements.

Not only that but the then 17k+ condos scheduled to be built (pre 2008 collapse)placed the proverbial "two pounds of s**t in a one pound bag" due to PILOTs and abatements instead of seeking premiums to build downtown with such a poor pipe infrastructure.

Quote:

brewster wrote:
Could that be clouds parting in JC? Unqualified hacks NOT being reappointed? Imagine a real professional board riding watch over the MUA! What might they discover? Could we actually get sewers that don't overflow into our basements with every rain?

I wonder what happened to Tom Wilen, the ex-Chief Operating Officer at Jim Beam Brands who ran for school board a few years back. I bet he'd be a great board chair, someone who knows how to read a fiscal report and spot the BS.

Posted on: 2013/1/26 20:32
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City measure restricting campaign cash from developers is vetoed by mayor
#76
Home away from home
Home away from home


"Wheeling allows deep-pocketed donors ? developers, engineers and other professionals who feed off lucrative government contracts ? to ignore a canon of law aimed at curtailing New Jersey's notorious "pay to play" culture."

Dan is either ignorant or trying to purposefully mislead readers into think there is something corrupt when there is not. Not exactly a trait you want in a public official or community leader.

Wheeling is when person X wants a contract with the city and is willing to "pay to play", but is unable to give directly to Mayor K due to P2P reform laws. So instead he gives to Mayor K's good friend State Assemblyman W's campaign or to dummy PAC "We are good government" which then "wheels" the contractor money right back into Mayor K's campaign fund.


Posted on: 2013/1/25 22:59
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan is still Dan
#77
Home away from home
Home away from home


Wheeling is when someone doing business with the City gives to another candidate who then wheels that back to the city candidate. In this picture who has a contract or a redevelopment deal?

There isn't even an appearance of and you should probably educate yourself on what Pay to Play means.

What you are objecting to is the idea that any candidate anywhere will accept money from an organization whose ideals you disagree with. This has everything to do with your own principals and nothing to do with Pay to Play.

I agree with the flame war thing, but I am asking very valid questions in which Dan is staking his platform on. He could very easily post an actual statement telling where he stands and why he has taken certain stands. If he had any substance he could post these which would make him look good and have an opposite, but equally valuable view whether you disagree with it or not. However, it looks like he can get two people to vote for him and he doesn't actually have to defend his position. I mean why bother posting at all then.


Quote:

JPhurst wrote:
Speaking of pay to play. Why has the Fulop campaign accepted a large donation from Assemblyman Troy Singleton's account? Singleton was a large recipient of money from B4K *. If no wheeling, how about the appearance thereof?




*The group which is not for vouchers except when it's for vouchers but there's so much misinformation how could you even think we are for vouchers just because the entire two person operation have both aggressively spoken for vouchers why would you possibly think B4K was for vouchers just because we gave money to tea party backed candidates due to her stance on vouchers who was running against an actual teacher who was against vouchers. And would you like a free backpack and Target giftcard? It's all for the kids, after all.

-Head Explodes-

Posted on: 2013/1/24 21:07
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan is still Dan
#78
Home away from home
Home away from home


Maybe Charles and Annie would be willing to tell us why you are willing to lie about the Pay to Play reform initiatives and allow the City's general Counselor to play the dual role of supposedly equally representing the City Council and the Mayor while running the mayor's re-election campaign? Maybe they can tell us why you are supporting a mayor that does not listen to nor value the very good government groups that you have touted in the past? Maybe they can say why you misrepresented CivicJC's position to the press?

You certainly are unwilling to actually answer the tough and very real questions and you certainly have done nothing to show you are independent. Everything points to you willing to keep your mouth shut ever since you joined the ticket, which is incredibly sad.

So you can post that two people still support you, but have you also lied to them about your recent change in positions to support false claims by the mayor just so he can keep taking contractor and developer money? Really?


Quote:

OneJC wrote:
http://onejerseycity.org/?p=1672

Levin is more than any ticket

Some friends have asked us if we still support Daniel Levin for the Ward E City Council position, now that he has chosen to run on Mayor Healy?s ticket. The answer is an emphatic yes. In fact, before joining the ticket, Daniel asked our opinion and the opinion of other people who had supported him in the past. We encouraged him to go for it.

We?ve known Daniel for many years as an activist in our neighborhood, and we?re confident he will remain an independent, strong voice for good government in Jersey City no matter who wins the mayoral election.

In issues such as the Grove Plaza, the Embankment, PAD, and the 9/11 memorial, Daniel has always stood firmly on the side of the people, and he doesn?t give up. We believe he would be an excellent addition to the City Council.

Charles and Annie Kessler
Jersey City

Posted on: 2013/1/23 11:22
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Jersey City measure restricting campaign cash from developers is vetoed by mayor
#79
Home away from home
Home away from home


Yet all three good government groups Healy cites in his reason to veto the ordinances will tell you that the mayor never once reached out to get their opinion and they do in fact believe it can withstand a legal challenge.

The writing on the wall is clear especially when the legal counsel that is supposed to be equally representing the mayor and the Council members is running your re-election campaign and claims not to have an opinion on these ordinances (ie. not doing his job).

Very sad, apparently this is a town that does not punish elected officials for blatantly lying. Not even the good government people on their ticket will actually hold them accountable for lying and not doing their job.

Posted on: 2013/1/23 11:11
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan is still Dan
#80
Home away from home
Home away from home


This should be discussed. This is an important topic. There should be a dialogue on this thread. Not just posts of a wishlist.

My reply:


Dan - Both are about contracting pay-to-play and neither "reaches into campaign finance reform". You either are misinformed or wish to misinform the public which is very sad and at this point shows that you are now just a shill for the Healy team.

The passed ordinance does three main things: (1) expands the definition of political action committee or PAC to prevent candidates from setting up dummy or sham PACs for the sole purpose of being able to accept
contributions from contractors that the candidates cannot accept under P2P; (2) prohibits the practice of contractors donating to a state assembly or senate candidate or board of ed candidate who then transfers
or wheels the contribution back to local candidate in an effort to avoid P2P; and (3) lowers the contribution limit from $300 to $200.

Contractors and local politicians are constantly finding new ways to circumvent P2P. The passed ordinance takes direct aim at some of the methods already being used in other counties (like Middlsex for example) to prevent them so they can't be implemented here in Hudson County.

The tabled ordinance does little to really attack P2P violations. It does include bidded contracts. However the whole point of P2P is to stop the quid-pro-quo when contractors who make contributions are hand-picked for unbidded contracts regardless of qualifications to reward them for the politican contribution. The bidding process by law means sealed bids are submitted and only the lowest bidder gets the contract, regardless of whether he has made political contributions.

The tabled ordinance also does little to addresses the practice of wheeling involving state senate and assembly candidates. It states that if a contractor is involved in wheeling, the contractor will only be penalized if it can be proven in a court of law that the contractor intended to violate P2P when he made the contribution. Proven someone's intention is virtually impossible unless you have a bidden wire. The tabled ordinance is pretty much unenforceable. It has no teeth.

The tabled ordinance also does not do anything to stop contractors from donating to a sham PAC set up by a candidate to accept contributions and engage in electioneering, in an effort to side-step P2P restrictions.

Your unwillingness to admit that the passed ordinance is the right ordinance for any good government organization or activist to pass (all three good government groups agree) shows that if "Dan is still Dan" that you never stood for anything concrete.

The rest of us activists will continue to push for stricter legislation any chance we get. Good luck working with the Healy team.

Posted on: 2013/1/16 22:17
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan is still Dan
#81
Home away from home
Home away from home


I'm going to post here Dan's comments and my response to his post on the JCI site regarding P2P reform. I think this is important because while he doesn't respond here, he certainly gives his opinion on another site and I would like to address the misinformation and inaccuracies that he perpetuates so the viewers here can decide what Dan really stands for.

Sorry, but purposely misleading people is really not ok, especially when you have a lot of activists supporting these efforts you seek to undermine.

Dan's comments:



one ordinance is NOT tougher or stronger than the other, they are different. the tabled ordinance is about contracting pay-to-play and the passed ordinance reaches into campaign finance reform.

the passed ordinance includes state senate and assembly candidates committees.

the tabled ordinance added bid contracts (current ordinance only covers no bid contracts) and would have taken effect after the municipal election. the tabled ordinance was based on recommendations from Citizen's Campaign and Civic JC.

what may be missed is that the mayor and parts of the council were willing to support Citizens Campaign and Civic JC's recommendations.

Civic JC appears that they ultimately decided to support the passed ordinance.

The tabled ordinance would have expanded and tightened contracting pay-to-play reform.

The passed ordinance is an exercise in power (and a fishing expedition).

Posted on: 2013/1/16 22:15
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Expanders and braces - for an 8-year old?
#82
Home away from home
Home away from home


We use Bogdan Orthodontics in Bayonne for our 8 year old. http://www.bracesfornj.com/

His teeth are really bad though so he needs the braces now or things will get much worse. They widen the jaw.

Phase 1 is costing us $2,880. $4,500 seems very high.

I'm glad he is getting this done now so that when he hits puberty he can hopefully be at the tail end of this. I'm assuming that high school already causes enough stress to which braces don't need to be added. Straightening out the baby teeth helps the adult teeth grow in straight with plenty of room. Fungers crossed.

Posted on: 2013/1/8 17:01
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan is still Dan
#83
Home away from home
Home away from home


I'm not sure who "we" is, but my question about the Commission is have you gotten Healy on board with this idea? Where is this idea at?

The Council has no power to create a commission. By law there is a separation of legislative and administrative powers. Only the mayor is legally allowed to form a commission unless it is one that already exists at a state level. Does the State already have a Budget Commission (I could not find one)? If not, has Healy agreed to create one because if this is one of your election promises and you are able to work well with the mayor to institute these reforms, can you get Healy to publicly agree to this so as to get the ball rolling in good faith?

This isn't a challenge to you or your character, just advice. I don't think the Council is as strong as you may think and that power over the municipality is actually concentrated with the mayor and her/his administration in our form of municipal government. Many don't realize this. The council is only able to form a short term investigatory committee with a specific and narrow focus and timeline.

My advice is to not wait until getting elected. Right now, being on the ticket you have the most power to influence these things. Strike now while the iron is hot. My prediction is that Healy is not into any real change, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try since once you become a council person you might find yourself marginalized should Healy win. How bad would it look if he lost you from his ticket now? If Dan is still Dan then don't wait. Either you will get something concrete started or you will see you are just being used.


Quote:

OneJC wrote:
http://onejerseycity.org/?p=868

Cut Costs, Generate Revenue, Protect Services

Failing significant action by local government, we will face unacceptable property tax increases that will destabilize our local economy and the long term health and well-being of our city.

We demand (1) immediate rigorous cost-cutting initiatives that do not reduce services to the Jersey City public and do not have negative long-term financial repercussions; and (2) the establishment of a public budget commission charged with annual budget review and creation/maintenance of a five-year financial master plan.

...

Municipal Budget Commission

A public budget commission should be established. Its members should be from equal parts government, business, and the general public and supported by relevant municipal departments. The commission will perform three primary functions: (1) oversee public review of the budget (2) provide recommendations for the current-year proposed budget and (3) prepare and maintain a five-year financial master plan matching revenues to expenses.

The commission will both review and project revenue streams and analyze and evaluate expenditures. All property tax abatement agreements greater than five years in term will go before the commission for review and recommendation. The commission will also be charged with review and evaluation of the budgets for the semi-autonomous agencies, with the aims of cost control and increasing revenue to the city. An initial commission project will be to study and recommend the need for an independently elected city comptroller.

Posted on: 2013/1/8 16:54
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: 42-story residential tower on tap for Journal Square
#84
Home away from home
Home away from home


The reason you have high density at a transportation hub is to cut down on traffic as people that live in those buildings will walk to mass transportation. You build it further away and people will then drive to the transportation center.

This is an excellent project. Tax abatements where they are appropriate to create an incentive for development are not the problem. The problem is how the money from the PILOTs (the City brings in more money than traditional taxes on these projects) is used/squandered.

Jersey City needs a growing tax base so that fewer of us don't shoulder the tax burden. The City also needs an intelligent and sustainable budget plan.

Posted on: 2013/1/5 14:37
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan is still Dan
#85
Home away from home
Home away from home


On a serious note Dan, how do you feel about the current administration not supporting the insurance contracting measure?

I don't think people have so much a problem with you as a reformer turned to the dark side just because you are on a ticket for people that will actively seek to undermine any reforms that you put forth. Most think you will ineffectively put forward reforms under an administration that you helped to get elected. I think what is repugnant is that you will be actively seeking votes for Healy to become mayor. That's what is so hard for so many to accept. You are helping the enemy of your enemy. And let's be honest here, you have never liked Fulop. Like Healy, you would have only joined his ticket as a means to an end. It's a rock and a hard place.

Your only chance of getting real reform passed is if Fulop wins the election so it is odd that you are bringing in votes for Healy who will undermine you at every turn and offer up less legally sound ordinances that are weak both in spirit and legality. I know the propaganda was to make one ordinance sound more legally grounded, but we all know that the Healy version of the ordinance was not as sound. This will come out and you won't look so good government when it does.

Posted on: 2013/1/4 14:10
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: WE WANT THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR SEWERS & STORM DRAINS MR. MAYOR
#86
Home away from home
Home away from home


Rich Boggiano made the administration send a patrol car around the Hilltop neighborhood making announcements. People flocked out to the streets to ask the police officer to repeat what she was saying. But the information was bare bones and there were no hand outs.

Handing out information before hand and alerting people to public places where information will regularly be updated such as city buildings, churches, and libraries, etc. with updates to be provided daily at something like 10 am and 4 pm would be better then people can go to those places and look at the information on the bulletin board when it is convenient for them.

There are many solutions... none of them will be implemented.

The email alerts from the East District Police Captain was incredibly useful and timely. That was great. The administration could learn a lot from their very own employees.

Posted on: 2012/12/27 0:54
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: WE WANT THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR SEWERS & STORM DRAINS MR. MAYOR
#87
Home away from home
Home away from home


Actually the models did predict this. One of the worst things was their insistence on looking at the flood insurance maps... they even posted those on the City's web site. They don't even think about surge nor was this administration involved in any meaningful way in the severe flooding situation only a block away from them or they may have been clued in. Everyone just hopes that the storm will turn away at the last minute. City Hall had 5 feet of water and no one thought to move the records on the basement level to higher ground so it wasn't just vehicles... office equipment, mail room, tax records, tax maps, etc. etc.

Very disturbing that you have a JC OEM office and quotes of "lessons learned" after Irene passed, but yet they did nothing to even protect City Hall.

Put your head between your legs and pray people!!!





Quote:

brewster wrote:
Quote:

mfadam wrote:
They trot out the usual weak excuses "models didn't predict this much water" etc. They lost 70 vehicles? How hard is it to park them on higher ground? This is storm prep 101 and these guys somehow are always "surprised".


Yeah, but thousands of people in JC & Hoboken didn't move theirs to high ground either. It boggles my mind not to protect a mobile asset even if you can't protect the immobile ones. Not only did I move the cars, but carried out of the basement anything worth more than $75-100 & under 50 lbs.

I'd like to find a lab that'll scan samples from ALL our basements for E Coli in the next sewer overcharge incident. That might get the MUA and the EPA's attention to the crumbling sewer problem and not just on the CSO issue.

Posted on: 2012/12/26 23:12
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan Levin in talks to run with Healy
#88
Home away from home
Home away from home


Yeah, that's not what I was saying.

Dan doesn't have to work with. I was offering a counter point to Yvonne's. Neither is any less valid. It's how you look at the situation and what you priorities are.

I think flooding issues are very important to ward E and that you don't have to be a council person to be involved. Dan doesn't have to come to me, but I also don't hear him on the issue nor at the meetings.

Yvonne sees Dan as consistently being at meetings and being outspoken. Where as she will tell you she has seen Candice at any.

But yeah, it would have been nice to see Dan reach out although it is not required. If you didn't notice, I fully endorsed Dan for Council in the last election very publicly and I'd like to think I got him some new votes here and there. I reached out to him to say we should talk, I think he definitely should consult with me as a leader of the Hilltop Neighborhood when he makes remarks without merit (outright bashing the current administration about two months ago) about my neighborhood without knowing the facts.. yeah that's going to rub me the wrong way.

There are times I support the current administration for things they do very right. The fact is there are a lot of very hard working and passionate people that work for the City.

My issue on this thread is the justification of why Dan says he is running on the Healy ticket. I'm not worried about people voting for either Candice or Dan... vote for who you think is going to represent your best interests and priorities. I just think that Dan shot himself in the foot by joining the Healy ticket and I find his justifications painful and strange.

Proudly stating you bucked the views of downtown... address that Josh. If you want a community to vote for you you don't tell them you will represent them by bucking their views. That must be a political strategy to buck all political strategies. I didn't state Dan doesn't listen to the community, he did! Does that mean Dan is his own Franklin Walker fanatic? Read his letter Josh, it's there... his words, not mine.

I'm still voting for you Josh. You make me roll on the floor laughing.


Quote:

JPhurst wrote:
Dan was a supporter of Carol Lester (individually) in 2010 and supported Vidya in 2011, along with several other parents. It is fair to say that Fulop's turnout operation (oh, excuse me, "community support") is what probably got them elected.

Dan was not the only supporter of Vidya in 2011, and many people who supported her felt that the "community group" jumped the gun on endorsements in 2011, although to be fair Vidya entered the race late. And although this was not enough to get her elected in 2011 I believe it did influence the panel when she was selected by Parents for Progress in 2012.

But Candice is the team player, not Dan, because Candice (a declared Fulop organizer and supporter), consults with Althea (a former Fulop staffer and continued supporter), while Dan doesn't consult with Fulop's former staffer. Riiiiiiiiight.

The people attacking Dan on the grounds that he's now a team player eerily remind me of the people who were attacking the Superintendent search and demanding the appointment of Franklin Walker. "You haven't listened to the community" is really more "You haven't listened to me."

Posted on: 2012/10/17 18:41
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan Levin in talks to run with Healy
#89
Home away from home
Home away from home


I'm voting for you Mr. JPhurst. It's because of the hat. However, I can't guarantee my vote, should say someone with balloons comes along. I mean they're balloons, who doesn't love balloons?

Posted on: 2012/10/17 17:02
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 


Re: Dan Levin in talks to run with Healy
#90
Home away from home
Home away from home


RIght, that's the point T-bird is making. Dan Levin didn't get a win for Vidya, a strong community group and the endorsement of Fulop got Vidya the win. I think the objection is that Dan is trying to show that his effort is what got Vidya in place. It didn't.

The part of the email that confuses me is the "We bucked the mindset of the downtown community" part. You want to represent downtown but at the same time you are willing to say I will go against what the community wants because I know what is best? Honestly he sounds like Mariano Vega.

I get that he is trying to show he had vision and is a team member, but I think this statement is a little off putting if you are claiming to run for an office that represents the area.

Vidya won on her own merits and as part of a team that Dan only joined later. Further more, he is equating Vidya and other grassroots community activists and efforts with Healy. He's "bucking" the system once again by getting votes from Healy rather than the community? He's even parroting some of the lines Guy Catrillo used when running against Steve in 2009... Steve isn't a team player, I am.

Sorry, it's creepy and I don't buy it. Absolutely fascinating to watch though.


Quote:

tern wrote:
T-Bird wrote:
> As for Vidya, she ran with you in 2011 and lost. She ran
> with the support of Parents for Progress in 2012 and
> won, roughly tripling her vote total in the process (1,485
> in 2011; 4,220 in 2012.)

Which just goes to show the importance of running on a strong slate in local elections.

Vidya was the same person in 2012 as 2011, she presumably didn't change any of her views, she just joined a slate that helped her get elected.

Robin.

Posted on: 2012/10/17 14:57
soshin: Mention guns and bd pops up through a hole in the ground like a heavily armed meercat
 Top 



TopTop
« 1 2 (3) 4 5 6 ... 13 »






Login
Username:

Password:

Remember me



Lost Password?

Register now!



LicenseInformation | AboutUs | PrivacyPolicy | Faq | Contact


JERSEY CITY LIST - News & Reviews - Jersey City, NJ - Copyright 2004 - 2017