It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer swims in the East River.

It would be nice to know what the cost is for the city, county, and state for servicing these new towers and use that as a basis for determining whether the tax abatements make sense or not.

For example, how much will it cost in additional fire and police coverage for those new residents? How many seats in classrooms will be taken up by children from those buildings? Impact on roads? Trash collection? Water? Traffic? Sewer?

Then compare that against the revenue generated from the abated property taxes, sales tax of residents, dollars spent on economic activity in the city, etc.

I doubt that this kind of analysis happens with these kinds of abatements, but if it did it would help determine whether this development (or any development) was a benefit or burden to the city.

I'm having trouble understanding the thought process here. Fulop adds machine players like Connors and Lopez and Valentin to his ticket but gets a free pass because he needs to make some compromises to win (i.e. the ends justify the means). Dan Levin does the same exact thing and you won't vote for him ever again?

Here are some things I'd like to know from this plan.

- What is the savings for a special versus a regular cop? If the city is not going to give them benefits, is this a violation of the Affordable Care Act that mandates health coverage?
- How many specials will be hired?
- Will fewer non-special police be hired because more specials will be available? If not, what is the increase in the police budget to pay for them? Where will that money come from?
- The plan makes this statement, "By reducing various layers of bureaucracy, we will save millions of taxpayer dollars ? money that can be used to hire additional police officers." What layers will be reduced? The Fulop team already knows the structure of the JCPD so why hasn't it said exactly what will be cut or restructured?
- What incentives will be made to police officers to work different shifts? Where will the money come from for these incentives?

I had a number of other questions as I read through the plan because it was limited on substance. Again, it's nice high level fluffy stuff, but the devil is always in the details.

This "plan" is a pretty vague. Better than nothing but it's full of generalizations and almost no specifics, especially when it comes to cost (or savings).

Ciolko ran in the 2011 special election, so if he's been faking the funk on residency then he's been at it for a while.

If there's anything about Jersey City that makes it special it's that rules don't really matter. Being a law abiding citizen is not a requirement to run for office, get elected, or get re-elected in JC.

Yes if you just keep saying that Nidia Lopez isn't a tax cheat then it must become true eventually, right?

She paid thousands of dollars in PENALTIES for cheating on her taxes - last I checked they don't make people pay penalties for doing the right thing. She only filed "income taxes" in Florida even though she spent 90% of her time in NJ and 10% of her time in FL. Florida doesn't have an income tax, which means that she didn't pay any income taxes there, so it's not like she paying taxes only they went to the wrong place. Cut through the fluff and it turns out she lied so that she could pay no income tax to Florida or New Jersey. Florida does collect property tax, however, but rather than pay her fair share for her home there she went ahead and lied on that one too so she could get a deduction as if that was her primary residence. She also lied multiple times that her home in Florida was her primary residence to get preferential interest rates on her mortgage. Oh, and she voted by absentee ballot in a Florida election two years after moving to New Jersey and voting in local elections in Jersey City.

If it is was any one thing I could write it off as an honest mistake. She cheated on NJ taxes 2001-2009 (9 mistakes), cheated on her Florida property tax 2001-2009 (9 more mistakes), lied on four mortgage refinancings (4 more mistakes), and voted in an election in Florida two years after moving to NJ and voting in Jersey City elections (1 more mistake). 23 mistakes over the course of a decade? Either she's a complete idiot with no business getting elected or a fraud. What if she is doing the same now and we find out just after Mayor Fulop has been sworn into office? Is that really a risk you want him taking? Not me.

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

This has EVERYTHING to do with corruption.

cor?rup?tion
/k??r?pSH?n/
Noun
1. Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
2. The action of making someone or something morally depraved or the state of being so.
3. Nidia "I go to Florida on vacation a few times a year so I'll just stop paying taxes for a decade until I get caught" Lopez.

I have to admit that all of the Fulop zombies are one of the reasons I am afraid to see him win. I'm pretty sure the last thing Jersey City needs is a bunch of elitists who think their Wunderkind is infallible, but I'm guessing most of you don't remember Gerry McCann.

And again, I'm probably going to vote for Fulop, but maybe if you look down your nose and call me stupid some more that will lock in my vote for him!

If the last decade of a person's existence is a decent indicator of character are you going to vote for Nidia Lopez?

1. Tax cheat - She didn't pay NJ income tax 2001-2009. Nice to know my taxes are a little higher so I could pay for a free loader like her.
2. Voter fraud - Voted in a FL election via absentee ballot in 2003 while a NJ resident. Maybe she should change her motto to "Vote early, vote often."
3. Mortgage fraud - Refinanced her mortgage four times claiming her Florida residence was her primary residence to get a lower rate even though she was living in NJ.

These are facts testified to by her under oath.

I never said I was a Healy supporter. I did say I will probably vote for Fulop, although I'm still calling myself undecided because a lot can happen in three months. Can you say with a straight face that Fulop made a good move adding her to his ticket with the facts above? Makes him come off as a sell-out and maybe even desperate. Why else would a guy so confident of winning add such a loser to his ticket? Sorry if that hurts your feelings but he screwed up. The "pledge" nonsense was only insult to injury. It's like a little kid promising she'll clean her room in eight years if you just let her eat candy today.

From the judge's ruling on Nidia Lopez's residency in Jersey City. The issue isn't her residency but that she is either a habitual liar (again, I don't put much stock in her "pledge") or she is serially incompetent. I'll probably hold my nose and vote for Fulop (lesser evil) but I can't understand how someone committed to integrity can have a person like this on his ticket:

"Whether intentionally or otherwise, Lopez did not pay New Jersey taxes, either personal or business, between 2001-2009. She did not reinstate her corporation in New Jersey after her return in 2001. She did not apply for a New Jersey drivers' license. She may or may not have voted by absentee ballot in a Florida election after she moved back to New Jersey in 2001. She represented her Florida house to be her permanent home for the purpose of multiple refinancing and to obtain yearly homestead exemptions. None of these actions, whatever the motivation for them, is excused or condoned by this decision."

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/files/lopez120409.pdf

I'm sorry I just can't equate Nidia Lopez with a change in the status quo. 4 years ago she was on Healy's ticket (a lot of Fulop zombies didn't think she was so upstanding then). She fibbed about her residency and cheated on her taxes.

Try to sugar coat it however you want, but Nidia Lopez cheated on her taxes. She was a resident of NJ but didn't pay NJ income taxes - that's cheating. She only paid after she got caught. When she did pay she had to pay a penalty and interest - because she cheated. Here is the JJ from 2009:

Embattled Jersey City Councilwoman Nidia Lopez hasn't filed taxes in New Jersey for the last three years.

Instead, according to the transcript of a deposition provided to The Jersey Journal last night, Lopez filed federal taxes as a Florida resident in 2006 and 2007 and filed there for an extension for filing her 2008 federal taxes.


Criticizing Fulop does not mean Healy isn't a crook. The difference is that Healy has not based his entire existence on sunshine and transparency, so when Fulop puts a tax cheat on his ticket it says he's willing to forsake his principles to win.

This matters for term limits because a "pledge" is only as good as the person making it. Do you really think Lopez, Fulop, or any of the others on that ticket will actually honor their word 4 or 8 years from now if it's not convenient? If you believe that I've got a bridge to sell you.

Yes, because I'm irritated that Steve "anti-corruption" Fulop just added a tax cheat (Nidia Lopez) to his ticket then I must be a Healy supporter. Is this the start of all of the Fulop zombies doing back flips to morally justify to themselves what just happened?

I'm not surprised Fulop added Lopez to his ticket in Ward C but it's hard for him to hold the moral high ground since this is the same woman who cheated on her taxes for so many years until she got caught. Fulop can dress that up however he wants but he's no better than the rest of the slime running the city in my book. The two term limit pledge gimmick is just that - imagine where he'll be 8 years from now if it was only 4 years ago he was calling for Lopez's head after her tax scandal.

I'm not a Healy hack either so don't get me wrong here. Nice guy but we'd be better off with a sack of potatoes in charge of the city. Too bad my choices for mayor come down to the lesser of three evils.

Disclaimer: I am voting for Rich Boggiano in Ward C. Happy he's running and glad to see he is an independent. At least his moral compass doesn't flap in the wind like Wunderkind Fulop.

Voters going to P.S. 6 on Hopkins Avenue have reportedly been handed fliers supporting At-Large Council Candidates Kalimah Ahmad and Ray Velazquez as close as 10-feet to the polling place. By election law, candidates must remain at least 100-feet from a polling place.

When reached for comment, campaign spokesperson Philip Swibinski said, ?All of our campaign workers are instructed to remain the required distance away from polling places. This is the first I?ve heard of this so I can?t comment further.?

A resident who confronted the employees said the campaign workers claimed they were given permission to be at that distance from the polling place even though it was evident that they were well-within the 100-feet restriction. Later, the employees had left the area.

Sean Caddle, campaign manager for Sue Mack, was unconvinced by the supposed innocence of the mistake, calling the charge of electioneering unsurprising.

?Classic tactics by a group looking to influence the election in an improper manner. Everyone know the rule is 100 feet,? he said.

Caddle continued, ?The party powers that be have been doing this for years and for the most part get away with it. But the truth is when you look at who is behind their campaign strategy this is not a shock.?

Gerald Reiner, Jr., Omar Perez?s campaign manager and bracketing partner with Mack, added, ?Unfortunately with the number of candidates running the organization feels they need to resort to the lowest of the low types of campaign trickery. The Laws exist for a reason to protect each voter from being harassed about their constitutionally protected right to vote for the candidates they support.?

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... -p-s-6-on-hopkins-avenue/

Sue is alright, but I'm still voting for Richie Boggiano: http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... p?topic_id=25422&forum=11

I don't think Jersey City's problems are the fault of the unions - look at the corruption and total lack of accountability within the non-union parts of the city government. Richie does what's right - regardless of whose toes he has to step on. He was the only one who stood up to the developers trying to redo journal square because there was little in it for the surrounding neighborhoods except for more flooded basements from overloading the sewer system even further than it already is.

Rich Boggiano is running for one of the at large city council spots this November on a platform of increased government transparency and efficiency. Richie has always been an outsider fighting for the rest of us. It's nice to have someone I look forward to voting for for a change. Here is his bio from his website www.jcboggiano.com


Rich Boggiano has been a resident of Jersey City for over 40 years. During that time, he served on the Jersey City Police Department for 37 years until his retirement in 2008. He is also the longtime President of the Hilltop Neighborhood Organization, former commissioner of Jersey City?s Historic Commission, and current liaison between West Point and Jersey City?s many ethnic groups as part of the Winning the Peace program.

As the President of the Hilltop Neighborhood Organization for the last 30 years, Rich is the voice for residents of the Journal Square and Heights neighborhoods. Never afraid to stand up for what is right, he is a fierce advocate for transparency in city and county operations and has stood up to a number of corrupt politicians willing to put their financial gain ahead of what is best for the people of Jersey City.

Rich is also the former commissioner of Jersey City?s Historic Commission. In this role he was responsible for balancing the need for protecting much of Jersey City?s 400 years of historic and natural treasures with the revitalization that has come to Hudson County in the past 20 years.

More recently, Rich has acted as a liaison between the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the State Department, the Jersey City Police Department, and various ethic groups in the city for the Winning the Peace program. For the last seven years, Rich has made arrangements for West Point to send cadets to Jersey City for cultural immersion with the Arabic, Indian, Coptic Christian, Pakistani, Jewish, and African American communities.

Prior to becoming a Jersey City Police Officer, Rich was enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1963-1969. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and holds a Master of Arts from New Jersey City State University in Criminal Justice.

As a 20 year city employee, I can't think of a time I've ever been more disgusted with our city government than the past few years. I plan on voting for Richie Boggiano during this election. Richie actually lives in the city and has always worked to help everyday people with their problems. I can't think of a person who has done more to expose the cronyism and corruption that is a part of everyday life here either.