It's outrageous that his contract required giving notice a full year before the current term is over. Sixty or 90 days' notice would be appropriate. The BOE should refuse to renew now, conduct the search, and if they can't find a better candidate, or if Epps improves, they can always choose to offer a renewal in April 2011. Meanwhile, Epps can treat the BOE action as non-renewal so he is free to go get a job elsewhere in June 2011.

And I'm sick about the sick day provisions. Being able to cash in 493 accumulated sick days is absurd. Sick days should be use-it-or-lose-it.

These municipal contracts are going to drive this city to bankruptcy. This has to stop now.

I recently reported a missing stop sign using the city's online help center.

Click through to "Make a Service Request."

Then pick "Streets" from the dropdown menu and click "Find Request Type."

Then find "Traffic Sign Request" and click "Select."

Then fill out the form. There's a place to indicate if you're requesting a replacement or a new sign.

I received an email within a day, saying that a field inspector would look within 10 days. (It hasn't been 10 days yet, so no news on results or further follow-up.)

Good luck!

I really like my Jersey City Powerhouse T-shirt.

And here's other stuff with the same photo.

I find the chicken kabob to be a leaner alternative to the chicken shwarma. It takes longer to prepare, but it's worth the wait.

Quote:

This is a great idea! (Although perhaps cut it back to 1 hour.) Anyone making the exit from the Turnpike at 14C or CCD, and then immediately going into the Tunnel, is clearly using local streets for a shortcut.

It's hard to refute the logic of this idea.

I don't think the idea of increased tolls at these exits would work. The problem is that the tolls would punish people who legitimately are commuting to work on the JC waterfront, or who live in JC but happen to be exiting the Turnpike in those hours. All we really want to deter is the shortcutters exiting the Turnpike and then re-entering at the tunnel.

I also like the cobblestone idea, so long as the bike path is smooth asphalt.

Hey Fiji, that's no Turkey In The Straw. Here's the Mister Softee sheet music and some Mister Softee vintage commercials.

BTW, here's a report on NYC's effort to stop the music.

The best thing is to try to enjoy it.

The 8 benches are gone. This was a bad move. I am really dismayed.

I've never found any proposed plans for the Columbus Drive widening project. The closest that I found was a reference in the Jersey City Waterfront Access and Downtown Circulation Study dated 2007. Click on "Executive Summary" and go to section 4.2. It makes reference to the widening of Columbus Drive as something already approved. But I cannot find anything with more detail. And I don't know who approved it, and when.

Does anyone remember this issue being publicly heard and approved before 2007? I don't.

Even so, the world has changed in the past few years. The financial crisis has seriously constrained the pace of development. Our local political climate is changing. Now is the perfect opportunity to rethink a bad decision.

With more transparency this time.

Steve Fulop may very well tell us that it's a done deal because the city council approved the project a long time ago. But it was a poor decision then, and proceeding with it is a poor decision now.

This is an opportunity to make Columbus Drive more of a boulevard -- like Montgomery between Marin and the river -- and less like Grand. There should be parking, two lanes of traffic in each direction, and a median with trees.

Columbus Drive suffers because it used to be Railroad Avenue, with elevated trains. That's why there are few nice buildings facing Columbus west of Grove. We shouldn't accentuate that historical fact by making Columbus more of a highway. We should seek to transform Columbus by making it a pleasant place for pedestrians and bikes.

Ian is right -- there is no traffic flow data available because no traffic studies were done. There is no demonstrated need for this project. There never has been. All you have to do is sit for an hour at Wonder Bagel and watch the traffic on a weekday morning. Columbus doesn't need widening. Columbus needs to be a more pleasant street.

One more thing: Moving the taxi stand from Columbus to Grove will require taking away the short-term parking meters on Grove. That won't be good for the businesses there. And we can't help this city thrive if we do that.

True leadership includes the willingness to take a fresh look at old decisions. Steve, be brave.

The information at 90013th's link is helpful but doesn't yet answer these questions:

1. If the $102 million is mandated by the state, why is it even on the ballot?
2. And then what happens if the voters say no?

There is more budget info for JC on the NJ state dept. of education website here and here, but I wasn't able to reconcile the state aid numbers with the numbers on the ballot.

Then I tried the Jersey City Board of Ed website and eventually found numbers that correspond to a $618 million budget with $102 million to be raised by tax. The budget info is buried deep on the website. Navigate to Administration, then Public Board Documents, then Meetings, then 3/18/2010 Regular Meeting, then to Item 10 (Finance), then to Item 10.22. (Sorry, can't link directly there.)

But it still doesn't answer these questions. If mandatory, why do we vote on it? How do the numbers correspond to what is on the state aid website? And what happens if we vote no?

The ballot has a place to vote yes or no on the $618 million budget. What happens to the budget if the vote is no? Will the new board then develop a new budget?

I'd like to hear what the candidates recommend -- should we vote no and send the budget back?

Thanks.

Quote:

Is the proposal to remove all 8 benches along the front of the park? That's most of the benches in the entire park. Removing all of those benches would be too much.

I'm a resident of the street too, and I see neighborhood people sitting on those benches all the time in the summer months. Sometimes the hydrant is open and kids are playing in the water, and the moms are sitting on the benches.

I don't know who came up with the idea, but the details are here at post #259. Also I got an email about it yesterday from the Downtown City Watch.

There is now a proposal to remove the benches from the front of the Angel Ramos playground on Wayne Street, across from the Barrow Mansion. I'm sure it's a well-intended proposal, but I think it's a bad idea. Here's why:

1. Getting rid of benches will not make drug dealers go away. If other conditions are unchanged, they'll just sit on the stoops next door.

2. Instead, we need to address the factors that currently make the space attractive to drug dealers:
-- Better lighting (already done; let's keep it up);
-- More police presence (somewhat better now due to recent arrests);
-- More of a sense that the neighbors are watching (improving, thanks to the terrific Downtown City Watch and the Wayne Street Watch);
-- Better police responsiveness to neighborhood watch calls.

3. Getting rid of benches is conceding defeat. Park benches are amenities that make our city more pleasant. It's a nice place. On summer evenings our neighbors often sit there while their kids play. It's a pleasant spot on a hot day. If you take away those benches, you hurt everyone in the neighborhood. It's like saying, "We can't have nice things, so let's take the nice things away."

4. I also think the bench removal can backfire. If the innocent neighbors with kids don't have a place to sit, it again makes the space even more attractive for illicit activity.

Seating really is not the issue. It's the perception that it is a dark, unwatched space that police leave alone.

The vote is Tues. 11/17 at 7:30 pm at the VVPA meeting in Barrow Mansion. I plan to vote no.

I'm very impressed by Irene Asbury. She's smart and sensible. She got my vote today.

It's a very cool skeleton. BTW they finally replaced the burnt-out light in the back of the playground. Now the park is a lot less spooky.

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That was the funniest thing I've read here all summer! I'm still scratching my head over that part of the Dwek dwama.

Royce Sign Works can do that.
http://www.roycesignworks.com/

That sounds great. You'll need foot traffic, so you'll probably get a lot of customers from Liberty Harbor North and not so many from those who don't go that way walking home from the Grove Street PATH. But if you stay open past 9 p.m., I would walk over there. (Lee's on Grove St. and the grocer on Newark Ave. both close up at 9, which is inconvenient.)

Good luck.

Reasonable people can have different opinions about how to approach the issue.

On the one hand I understand that Pinkowitz is thinking of National Night Out's traditional focus on police programs and neighborhood watches.

On the other hand this year is extraordinary, and there is something very appropriate about turning the focus to the public officials whose crimes are a betrayal of our trust and foster a defeatist, defeated attitude that makes it too easy for people to turn the other cheek to violent crimes as well as to corruption crimes.

I think Aug. 4 is a terrific choice, but I understand the view that Pinkowitz has voiced.

Let's all be respectful of each other. We're gonna need each other. Please.

Quote:

Last year when Fulop tried to get the referendum on the ballot regarding dual office holding, he submitted petitions with signatures of 10% of the number who voted in the previous election, not 10% of the number of registered voters as of the date of the previous election. Here's a news story about it. That's why it didn't get on the ballot.

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It looks to me like JC Official 1 is Edward Cheatam, and JC Official 2 is Maher Khalil.

The Manzo complaint says "There was an individual who served as the Vice President of the Jersey City Board of Education (until on or about May 2009), and a commissioner of the Jersey City Housing Authority ("JC Official 1").

The Cheatam complaint says "At times relevant to this Complaint, defendant Edward Cheatam ("defendant Cheatam") was the affirmative action officer for Hudson County and a Commissioner on the Jersey City Housing Authority (the "JCHA"). ... Until in or about May, 2009, defendant Cheatam served as the Vice President of the Jersey City Board of Education ("BOE) ...."

That's a match for Cheatam as #1.

The Manzo complaint also says "There was an individual who represented himself to be an employee of the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services and the Jersey City Zoning Board ("JC Official 2").

And the Khalil complaint says "At times relevant to this Complaint, defendant Maher A. Khalil (hereinafter, "defendant Khalil") served as an Assistant Director with the Jersey City, New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS"). In addition, defendant Khalil was an official with the Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustment (the "Zoning Board") through in or about March 2008."

So that's a match for Khalil as #2. Khalil's role is also explained on page 6 of the DOJ Press Release yesterday.

Steve Fulop just sent out the following email. He's right -- we need structural reform to reduce the financial incentives for corruption. These reforms alone cannot solve the problem of corruption, but at least we can begin to create a system of government that doesn't create incentives likely to facilitate corruption. Pay to play and dual holding are the right places to start.




From: Steven Fulop [mailto:info@stevenfulop.com]
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 12:10 PM
Subject: Yesterday's Arrests in Hudson County


Friends,

Yesterday was truly a low point for Jersey City. Seven high-ranking members of the Mayor Healy’s administration, including City Council President Mariano Vega and Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, were arrested by Federal agents and charged with public corruption. These arrests were made as part of an even larger investigation, and more charges may be filed as it develops.

This is a sad day for Jersey City. We should have pride in our city, not be embarrassed by the conduct of our city’s leadership. Just this morning, a major news channels started their broadcast by describing that they were reporting from Jersey City as “the epicenter of corruption."
While the individuals named in today’s indictments deserve their day in court, the sheer scale and widespread nature of these allegations is nothing short of outrageous. The conduct alleged describes not just the conduct of a few individuals, but a pervasive culture of corruption that infects our political system at every level.

This system must change.

As the only elected official in Jersey City who has never run as part of the old-guard political machine, I can tell you first hand that this culture of corruption serves as a back door tax on all citizens. It has become a part of the well-known cost of doing business in our city, draining our pocketbooks and degrading our quality of life.

Ultimately, it is not enough to remove corrupt individuals from public service. We must remove the financial incentives within our system that enable this type of conduct to persist. That is why I sponsored legislation in 2007 aimed at ending such obviously ethically-challenged practices as pay to play and double-dipping. Today’s events show all too clearly why I was the only member of the city council who voted in favor of such reforms.
While today is a black eye for the city, I am hopeful that the actions of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office will serve as a first step in what will undoubtedly be a long road toward honest and open government.

I will continue to speak up against corruption and unfair practices, even when mine is the only voice within the city government willing to do so. In that regard, I am troubled that Mayor Healy has stopped at merely suspending the individuals involved. A cloud of suspicion will hang over every vote and decision these individuals make, and there are too many pressing issues our city must address. We cannot continually question the motivation behind each of their decisions.

I am therefore publicly calling upon the councilman and deputy mayor who were indicted yesterday to resign their appointed and elected positions immediately. My stance was published in this article in yesterday's Jersey Journal , which I encourage you to read. Furthermore, I will be introducing a resolution to the city council at our next meeting, Wednesday, July 29 that formally requests that Mayor Healy amend his executive order regarding the closed - door abatement negotiation committee to which Healy appointed Mariano Vega as chairperson.

In addition, I believe it is crucial that a formal review of Council activities be performed to see what city business may have been impacted by public corruption. Individuals and businesses that engage in bribery should not be allowed to benefit at everyone else’s expense. We must send a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated in Jersey City.

I assure you that the arrogance and selfishness of a few will not be allowed to ruin the good works and progress of our city. On that you have my word.


Sincerely,

Councilman Steven Fulop

Frank's Piano moving did a great job for me.

OK, I just got my absentee ballot. There is a public question to be voted on: Yes or No: "RESOLVED, that there should be raised for General Funds $93 million for the ensuing School Year."

That's a vague question. I suppose what it really is asking is whether I approve raising $93 million in additional property taxes, right?

If I vote no, is that a protest vote against the waste in the budget? If I vote yes, am I endorsing the full budget? Or is the vote meaningless because the state will impose the budget on the city anyway?

I'm not asking for more comments on property tax vs. PILOT, reval vs. no reval. What actually happens if the Public Question is voted down?

What do the candidates actually have to say on this Public Question? The only candidates I ever heard comment publicly on any issue were those interviewed on Mia Scanga's television program. And I don't recall anyone speaking on this issue.

I'm trying to be an educated voter. Suggestions appreciated.

Parkman - Thanks for all your work on behalf of Van Vorst Park (including the dog run). Thanks also for the heads' up re tree pruning and removal. Much appreciated. Hope to be there on the 25th.

I just got mail from Verizon saying that FIOS is now available on Wayne Street downtown. I called for details. The triple play is $95 / month and includes internet at 10/2 speed (10 Mbps download, 2 mbps upload). They can double the speed for $5 / month upgrade.

For the TV, you also have to rent the controller box. $10 / month for an HD box, $16 / month for HD box with a DVR, and $20 / month for HD box with a DVR that can play back on a second TV.

Good news! Especially if it has its own parking so that it doesn't cause a net decrease of street parking availability.

I hope Columbus Corners happens eventually too.

I would like to see the City reminding building owners to shovel their darn sidewalks, or at least to spread some salt. Repeat offenders who leave their sidewalks icy should get ticketed.

Thanks for all the links. My conclusions are no, no, and type II.

I sent an email directly to the Port Authority today about the WTC closings. The response was rather surprising! See below.

>From: "PATH Customer Service" <PATHCustomerService@panynj.gov>
>Date: October 28, 2008 02:32:54 PM EDT
>Subject: PATH WTC Closures >
>Thank you for your feedback. There is nothing official concerning any long term weekend closure at the WTC. If circumstances require any closures, the public will be notified well in advance. Please do not hesitate to let us know where you heard this and from who. We would like to clear the air. Please keep in mind that we have been doing our best to keep the WTC station open during the heavy duty construction underway and we will continue to do so to the best of our ability.
>
>Thank you for your input and please do not hesitate to contact PATH with any issue or comment that you may have.
>
>Sincerely,
>PATH Customer Service >
>
>Facility: PATH-WTC >
>Message: I understand that the Sept. 11 memorial work will require closing the WTC PATH station on weekends for 3 years. During this time I think it is more important than ever that you run weekend trains directly from JSQ to 33, without going through HOB. The JSQ-HOB-33 line is already very, very crowded on weekends. It is dangerously overcrowded because you have everyone going to Hoboken and everyone going to Jersey City all packed into the same trains. It will get even worse now that we cant go to WTC instead.


Is Customer Service just not in the loop? I replied to the email with a link to the Port Authority report, page 29. No response yet.

The headline and the news story were wrong. The PATH report says that the station will have "weekend closures starting during the summer of 2009 and continuing approximately 40 out of 52 weeks of the year for approximately 3 years."

Full report is here. The quote is on page 29.

The PA says that work trains will be used to bring materials to the WTC site from PATH yards in New Jersey. See page 24.

The JSQ-HOB-33 line is already far too crowded on weekends. With the closure of the WTC station, the PA had better restore direct JSQ-33 service on weekends. Although the extra 4 minutes in Hoboken are annoying, I think it's a bigger problem that it results in trains that are so unbearably crowded.

Here are my favorites of 2007:





It was a fun season!

Hey Parkman -

I'm interested in helping with the plantings. What time on May 5? Do you need any help on weekends before then?

Thanks for all your work. I'll be dog-sitting soon and look forward to going to the run.