Major props to you, Rich. You ran a great campaign, have good insights into the problems of the city (and solutions) and did a lot with a little.

Quote:

This is my own opinion and I feel it very strongly so take it with a grain of salt. It is a bitter feeling when the candidate/s you believe so strongly in don't win.

I think that Steven Fulop could have made a very huge impact on this election and in hindsight probably could have assured a win for the two he picked. The question would have been which two out of the many?

I'm glad he did not back any of the candidates. I think that if he did then it would have been seen as a Fulop controlled win and not a win won solely on merit. It would be the same old, same old.

In addition, you need to remember that even with political strategy being a strong component to either endorsing or not endorsing, Fulop has independently minded volunteers who aren't drones and aren't just going to just accept his picks and fall in line. He's beholden to his constituents and volunteers first and they were scattered throughout the board.

I'd say Fulop took a huge political risk by not supporting two candidates that Healy's people would get back in which would have meant the machine was still going strong. Instead his risky hands off approach signals that it is up to the voters and the candidates to pull their own weight. This also means that any of the candidates that ran this time, should they run on his ticket in 2013 will have proven they can run on their own merit and it will be a truly independent ticket, not just one because the campaign lit tells us so.

I see this election as a very big win for the City. I think Rolando is a good choice and will prove himself. I can't stop smiling because although Rich did not win, he did great, and this election signals a turning point in Jersey City's political history.

Regroup folks, the next election is not far off and there will be many more candidates to support and positions to come open.

Quote:

The question remains, in a race where Fulop's endorsement could have turned the tide for Boggiano, Levin or Mack .. why did he remain silent. If he is a true reformer, why didn't he endorse the best qualified candidates ? Now we are stuck with a triple dipping hack (Richardson) and a guy with no experience (Lavarro).

Rich, I hope we see your name on Steve Fulop's slate next time. But I don't know what it will take to wake up the voters of JC from their torpor. If you plan to stay with it, perhaps a couple of years of reaching out to the rest of your ward with your message can do the trick.

Ladies & Gentlemen,

I wanted to take a moment and share my thoughts about yesterday's special election, which unfortunately did not break my way.

First and foremost, I want to thank the team of volunteers who made my campaign possible. Thanks to you I exceeded everyone?s expectations, and I am eternally grateful for your efforts over the past several weeks.

While tonight's results were disappointing, I would like to put everything in perspective. I spent one third to one quarter of the money of the other leading candidates in this race, did not raise money from Hudson County's political machine, and refused to sell out to get large donations from special interests looking to buy a political lackey. With the money that I did raise, however, we were able to come within a few hundred votes of winning this election.

I also joined this race at the last minute at the urging of some residents in my neighborhood. I campaigned for a total of five weeks with about one dozen volunteers around the city with no political infrastructure to start with. We went from zero to 100 miles per hour raising money, putting up signs, attending events, and putting all of the other pieces in place for an effective campaign.

In light of the above, I am pleased with how well we did in this election. I certainly know that we surprised the political machine in this city that wrote me off from the start. I have not yet decided if I will run again in the 2013 election, but I can assure you that if I do it won't be near as much of an uphill battle for me next time around.

There is a civil war going on in Jersey City between residents who want change and those committed to the status quo with everyone else sitting on the sidelines. As was predicted all along, this election turned on low voter turnout. Roughly 5% of the city's population participated in this election with about .5% voting for the two winning candidates versus the .4% who voted for me and the other leading challengers. From that perspective, the few hundred votes separating me from a city council seat are a drop in the bucket compared to the problem of voter apathy in Jersey City. I have some ideas to fix that problem in the next election, but that is the biggest challenge facing any political outsider in this town.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Viola Richardson and Rolando Lavarro on last night's results. I truly hope that you keep the best interests of Jersey City in mind and don't succumb to Machiavellian self-interested political maneuvers that our voters have come to expect from their politicians. You have 18 short months to prove yourselves in your new positions before voters get a say in your fate. Time is short. Use it wisely.

Thank you,

Rich Boggiano
President, Hilltop Neighborhood Association

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU VOTE TODAY!!!!

VOTE VOTE VOTE - Get out the vote!!!

GET RICH INTO OFFICE SO HE CAN START WORKING FOR US!!!

It will cost you $1/year! That's it with no strings attached.

I'm asking you to vote for Rich Boggiano because community leaders working hard in their communities and individual tax payers need a candidate that will fight for them and support their needs.

I've been working for almost 6 years now to make for a better community and City. I, like other community leaders will need all the help we can get, especially from their council representatives.

VOTE for Rich Boggiano to give him even more power and support to fight even harder for us.

He knows the system, he's been in the system, he is a long time resident, so he knows that the current administrative and council leadership stinks both inside and out!!! He will fight and he will get things done.

TOMORROW YOUR VOTE SHOULD GO TO BOGGIANO AND LEVIN!

Ladies & Gentlemen,

LOL! Don't ask me, I'm prejudice! Ask anyone else who was at the forum who would have instantly balked if they had heard such a think like Dale Hardman, Stephanie Daniels, Mike Francisco, or Dan Levin.

Trust me, if Rich had said anything of the sort he not only would have been booed, but I would have instantly gotten an earful!

I think this was just a misunderstanding on Mike's part. I think any of the preservation advocates will be able to clearly tell you where Rich Boggiano stands and has stood on the historical and preservation issues all along.

Thank you Althea! You know how much your support means to me.

You have my heart and soul 100% Rich. I was going to support you because I know what you are capable of and how you know supporting the and listening to the community is paramount. However you continue to greatly impress me with your knowledge and how well you work with community leaders (both advising and supporting) while never compromising your ethics nor losing sight that you are speaking for the many not your own personal opinion and gain.

I look forward to seeing you on that dais not letting them get away with the usual BS.

GO RICH 13F

Quote:yes yes yes yes. Consolidation of departments in the county is the only way we're going to survive. Hopefully even consolidating the entire county. About 100 years ago there was an attempt to consolidate all of Hudson County east of Kearny and it didn't totally work, but it formed modern day Jersey City and Union City as well. All of the redundancy is ridiculously expensive. We'd save a ton of money and also skyrocket to being one of the largest cities in the US.

Rich.....
Thank you for the pictures, and any more would be great.

On the floor???? Who pulled the names ? Is this something the voters can attend in the future??

Again, Thanks for the pictures and best of luck

Br6dR - When they "randomly" picked the candidates places on the ballot I made sure to show up to watch it take place. When they had pulled all of the names and mine still hadn't been called, I called them out on it. It turns out my name had "accidentally fallen on the floor. So, I wouldn't have even been on the ballot if I hadn't turned out to make sure my name was on there. Why would anyone be afraid of doing such things if nothing happens to them even when they get caught?

This is unrelated to the election Monday, but I wanted to post some of the pictures I've found from the ship dug up at Bay and Warren 20 years ago. I have some better pictures of the intact ship underground that I will scan next week once a friend gets them to me, but this is a pretty good illustration of our city's total disregard for our historical past.

Hi Rich,
Thanks for your quick response!

I've already taken down the signs that I saw near my home (Journal Square neighborhood) because seeing them stapled into the tree really angered me.

I appreciate what you've done upstate, but make sure your volunteers share your interests, or they could be doing more damage to your campaign than good!

JoyofSound - I apologize for that. I can only assume that one of our volunteers was being overzealous. If you provide me with the location of your picture I'll have someone go take it down (if one of my competitors hasn't ripped it down already).

Just so you don't think I'm a hypocrite, I've been buying land in upstate NY since I left the Marine Corps in the 1960s. I've accumulated nearly 400 acres and signed a conservation easement with the State of NY in 2004 to preserve the land in its natural form and help protect New York City's water supply.

Iraida - Yes I used to own the apartment building at 156 Summit Ave until about 15 years ago. Thank you very much for your vote and I'm glad you're doing well and still in Jersey City. Please tell everyone you know to come out and vote on November 8th. Remember that the incumbents are favored if few people turn out to vote, which is why they've been boycotting the debates since their poor showing at the first one last month.

Rich

Mr. Boggiano,
Politics aside, I am appalled that your team is stapling campaign signs INTO trees. This is a disgusting and thoughtless practice that is damaging to the trees, and to the neighborhood. Perhaps a word with your campaign coordinator is in order. Seriously. Please make sure this stops, or you surely won't be getting my vote

Published: Thursday, November 03, 2011, 3:02 AM

By TERRENCE T. McDONALD
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The no-shows were the talk of last night?s forum for candidates in next week?s Jersey City special election for at-large council seats.

The at-large incumbents Kalimah Ahmad and Ray Velazquez were both absent, as was Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson, who is trying to grab one of the two at-large chairs on the nine-member council.

?I find it disgraceful that the two supposedly leading candidates aren?t here tonight,? said candidate Richard Boggiano, a retired police officer, to applause from the crowd at Ferris High School.

After attending one of the first of several candidate forums held this campaign season, Ahmad and Velazquez have skipped the rest. Candidate Sue Mack, a Board of Education member, said she thinks the candidates? repeated absences are telling.

?I believe that we can now say this is a strategy for the incumbents not to attend public meetings,? Mack said. ?They believe it?s a done deal.?

The two-hour forum attracted about 80 members of the public.

The winners in Tuesday?s contest will replace former council members Mariano Vega, who resigned in September 2010 after pleading guilty to corruption charges, and Willie Flood, who stepped down in February 2011, citing health concerns. Twelve of the 17 candidates in the election attended last night?s event.

The candidates didn?t stray too far from their campaign playbooks last night. Gov. Chris Christie was the target of a number of attacks, as was Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

?The biggest area where the mayor is failing is attitude and direction,? said candidate Ihor Ed Ciolko, a retired city inspector. ?We?re spending entirely too much time worrying about license plates on cars.?

Questions from the audience focused mostly on hyper-local issues, such as tax abatements, which candidates said they oppose with some exceptions.

The four candidates who were asked said they haven?t accepted campaign cash from Spectra Energy, the Houston energy giant hoping to build a natural gas pipeline through parts of Jersey City.

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

hello richy i hear you talking about the pensions for fire and police department but you have exculed the correction officers who i belive are in the same boat. i think i remember you i would say in the 80's i belive that you were my landlord at 156 summit ave in j.c. me and my sister live in the house accross the street from bruno's and i still live in jersey city my 2 sons are grown one is a h.c.c.o and the other is a truck driver for apex you will definatly get my vote good to see you, iraida augusto

MDM - I paid 8.5% of every paycheck into the Police and Fire Retirement Fund. That was matched by an equal amount from Jersey City. As of the early 1990's, the fund was projected to last over 100 years at present rates of use with over $100 billion in assets. Every governor from Christine Whitman to present, however, has raided the fund to close "one time" holes in the state budget.

Needless to say, I don't think it's fair to blame police and firefighters for the sins of past NJ politicians. To draw a private sector equivalent, imagine if the federal government decided when you were 65 that it was short on cash and to make up the amount it was suddenly going to collect taxes from all of the earnings/dividends in your 401K from the previous 40 years (on top of the tax it takes when you withdraw money). Bottom line is that I don't think it's fair to change the rules of the game while it's being played because people plan their lives around the commitments made to them in good faith at earlier periods in time.

As for your recommendation that the police switch to a 401K style system, I think it is an idea worth exploring out of fairness to police officers - if nothing else it'd be better if they were in control of their retirement money instead of the state. The Department of Defense actually just released a similar report about the 20-year retirement program for members of the military. Noting that only 17% of people who join the military stay for a full 20 years the report pointed out that 83% of veterans get zero for retirement when they serve shorter periods of time such as a typical 5-8 year enlistment. Bottom line is that a 401K with a fair contribution from an employer improves employee portability (ie. they can go work someplace else before reaching the retirement age and still have something to show for it) while also providing a reliable income during retirement years. My biggest reservation about such a switch is that police, fire, and members of the military are unique in the risks that they take with their job. For example, working midnight shifts for years at a time takes a toll on a person's body. One big reason many cops place a value on their pension is because many of their bodies are worn down after so many years on the job. Obviously, that doesn't apply to every cop, fireman, or veteran, but it makes it a little harder to draw a complete comparison with private sector jobs.

I was fortunate that I had a job I loved and was able to work until hitting the mandatory retirement age of 65. To be honest, I'd probably still be working (and not collecting a pension) if the law allowed it.

I don't think anyone should be eligible for a pension until they have served the city for at least 25 years. I became a Jersey City Police Officer in 1973 with a salary of $11,000 and a promise that I would be able to collect a pension and health benefits after 25 years of service.

Salaries weren't too terrible back then, which I found surprising. $11k in 1973 equals about $56k today.

On the topic of pensions:

As of March 2010 (latest data I can find), the NJ Police and Fire pension fund was less than 40% funded. Based on one analysis, assuming an 8% return on investments, the fund will be completely out of money by 2020. This was before the legislature altered the pension as bit, so I don't know what the latest doomsday date is.

Would you support migrating new or recent hires into 401k type plans, as is done in the private sector?

JcResident0001 -

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the catacomb, however, I will try to have someone scan and upload the pictures of the buried ship at Bay & Warren this week and put a link on here for anyone who wants to see.

Rich

asdfdf23 - Trust me I completely agree. I wouldn't trust our current administration to water my plants while I was out of town, let alone execute a fundamental reform of the way this city does business. For now there is no way an energy service contract or consolidated purchasing could happen because of the entrenched interests in this city having their own interests in mind over that of Jersey City residents.

As for Jersey City's history, I think the situation is actually starting to change - and not because of the city or county governments. There are groups of volunteers around the city that are slowly unearthing bits and pieces of Jersey City's history. At this point, the last thing the city should do is appoint someone to a paid position to oversee any of that work. Instead, simple measures like recognition of the work being done by ordinary citizens can go a very long way. That kind of stuff doesn't cost the city anything and is worth its weight in gold, but it all goes back to the matter that competent people have to be elected. To do that we have to have enough people show up to vote on November 8th.

As a direct example of the revenue implications from our city's history. NY and NJ have gone to court a couple of times over the last 25 years over the legal status of Liberty and Ellis Islands and which state owns them. In the mid-1980s there was an agreement between the two states to share the sales tax revenue from concessions sold on both Islands. Problem is NY never actually shared the revenue.

Rich.....
Wow... I have forgotten all about ,both , historic sites. Im guessing that was your point. Thank you for reminding me and educating some on this site about our history. I have a question, Any photos of either??

Again, Best of luck to you!!

Rich,
You have some good thoughts and ideas in the above post.
All of them require a government system that is transparent and does not enable individuals and political parties to individually profit with city revenue.

Purchasing through consolidation, yes it is possible that hundreds of thousands could be saved. Right now however I fear know that many millions is lost on corruption, double dipping, nepotism & cronyism.

If an Energy Service Company were to come in today, by default I would figure that someone high in HCDO would stand to gain. I would not be surprised to learn 3-4 years later that the supposed savings would have been a cost because the Energy Services vendor got favorable treatment (IE like a seller of Real Estate to JCPA).

City History? yes it is beyond criminal that JC history is so ignored. Such a shame it is. In the long run I know it would benefit residential property owners to take advantage of what those that have gone before have left. Trouble is what is the solution today? If the current administration were to propose such things as a Historical commission, once again I figure, "great, another Steve Lipski type figure we taxpayers get to support." How about promotions to JC Fire fighters and Police officers that claim to cut costs when no accompanying savings are actually cited? I am sure we both know that my list of grievances could go on and on.

My point? Right now this City needs straightforward and honest leadership. It needs to be able to get simple things done such as decals on city property (vehicles) without politics getting involved. It needs more accountability to taxpayers at the expense of favoring a select few with Health insurance for JCIA board members. It needs enactment/enforcement of "pay to play" rules. It needs to answer why it is necessary to have a chief of staff for the county executive also serve on the city council.
Rich, don't get me wrong, it is good to hear you throw these ideas out.

As a disgusted voter, you get my attention by railing on and then actually changing the current status quo rather than new ideas. My suggestion to you or any wannabe member of the council is to actually tell us what is wrong with the things in front of our collective noses, and actions you will propose within your first six months of serving.

As you have pointed out several times it starts with getting out and going out to vote. I suggest a part of accomplishing this is focus less new ideas, more on ridding city politics of a cancer that should be eradicated.

Rich, I admire you coming here and opening yourself up to criticism and sharing so openly. When you are elected I hope this behavior continues.

Onward!

History

ESCO

Consolidated Purchasing

Hi everyone. Here are three other ideas that I have that I think will benefit the city. None of these things have been considered in Jersey City in the past but all have the opportunity to produce revenue and improve the city's image.

1. Consolidated purchasing. Of the many disadvantages of having so many autonomous agencies in this city, another is that we don't get the benefit of purchasing common supplies in bulk. Instead of 10 or 20 or 100 people making separate decisions about purchasing on everything from printer paper to health insurance the city government will have more power if it used it's buying power to its advantage. This isn't going to close the hole in our budget, but it could easily save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, if not more. Also, this is yet another reason to get rid of all of our autonomous agencies.

2. Energy Services Companies are private organizations that will come in and retrofit existing buildings and guarantee a certain percentage savings from improved energy efficiency. They make their money by taking a cut of the savings for a certain amount of time after they do their work. This type of project is low risk (savings from energy efficiency are predictable), does not require up front spending, and immediately improves cash flow. Corporations and municipalities around the country enter into these types of agreements all of the time. With the average age of Jersey City's buildings we could save millions of dollars in energy costs, improve comfort in our buildings, and reduce wear and tear on the heating and cooling systems in those buildings.

3. History. Jersey City has a historical legacy that rivals any city in the United States. Unfortunately, we live in the shadow of NYC and our politicians have never been willing to promote the city's rich historical past to attract tourists. Instead, they let the rest of the world form their opinion of Jersey City and New Jersey from TV shows like The Sopranos and The Jersey Shore. Two quick examples:

In 1974 I was on the JCPD motorcycle squad. Rain had washed out part of the cliff on the back side of Harsimus Cemetery off Newark Ave and exposed a catacomb from the 1600s that the Dutch had dug into the Palisades when they originally settled Jersey City. A group of teenagers found the catacomb and went in and found bodies that the Dutch had placed there hundreds of years ago. The bodies had been encased in lead to prevent disease but were otherwise exposed to air. Teens being teens, they broke open one of the lead encasements and found a very well preserved body of a blond haired girl that was more than 300 years old. Not long after, the city and JCPD were notified. I actually drove my police motorcycle into the entrance of the catacomb when I first arrived. What did our city do? Did anyone try to save this amazing piece of history? Well, the city promptly dug a hole by the railroad tracks (below the turnpike) and dumped the body there. They then called a cement truck and sealed off the entrance to the catacomb. It's so tragic it's nearly unbelievable. The catacombs are still there though, sealed behind concrete waiting for a time when we have an administration that realizes their true value.

Around 1990 PSE&G was digging downtown and found a fully intact ship from the 1700s buried about 20 feet below street level at the intersection of Bay and Warren Streets. When Jersey City was first settled, Hoboken was an island and most of downtown was marshland. The ship may have sank accidentally or may have been used as infill by the residents at the time. Even though Jersey City is normally ignored because it lives in the shadow of NYC, this event was big enough that news stations came over and did a report on the amazing discovery. Jersey City being Jersey City though, we couldn't let a priceless piece of history stand in the way of burying a new gas line. About 24 hours later, a backhoe ripped the entire ship out of the ground and PSE&G went on about its business. A couple of years ago there was a similar find in NYC. Needless to say archeologists and historians were called in to conduct a proper excavation of the site.

Some people may say that worrying about history when we have a bad economy and crime and corruption is a fools errand. Any city that cares so little about its own past is doomed to irrelevance. Look at Hoboken. They have two dubious claims to fame: Frank Sinatra and Baseball. They let everyone know about both incessantly. Twenty years ago no one outside of Hudson County would recognize the name Hoboken. Today someone halfway across the US is more likely to have heard of Hoboken than Jersey City. The bottom line is that we're missing out on millions of dollars in tourism revenue each year because of this shortsightedness. The good news is that much of our history is still intact and waiting for the right administration to come along and take advantage of it.

Rich

Two videos on Boggiano

http://youtu.be/qTrbG6kTBsY



http://youtu.be/vK_HF39TU68

Good evening all....Good evening all....
Rich, again Im glad you threw your hat in the ring, all the best. I agree there are problems all aroung, cant be more true...

As I stated earlier , I dont know all the details of the sale, im sure not everyone does and we can do alot of assuming. I do agree that on the surface it looks suspicious.

T-Bird...
This statement isnt 100% correct ----The city subsidizes the PA at between $1.1 million and $1.3 million per year. And it still loses money.
The city does pay back the PA a percentage of what the enforcement costs from paid parking violations. Thats wrong? If an autonomous agency comes out of pocket to provide a service for the parent company , City of Jersey City, why shouldnt they get the money back? They arent loosing money in the past few years.
Everyone on here , as I do, hates the little "Love Notes" on the windshields from the damn scooter meter maids... I got one last night!! I gave it a shot that I was going to be in a store for 15 min and I lost the roll! 29$ later Damn I said!!!!
I cant change , nor was it my idea to, change the way people think its not my job to do so. Some people will think whatever they want and that is ok. Its called free thinking! I applaude that and encourage that! Just look at things with an open mind.

Rich.....
Did you know that the PA did the transportation for the hospitals, cops, fireman during the snow storms? Did you know they did the snow removal details as a tour of duty as some of the police officers was looking for it to be a paid detail. They did plowing for the city in some areas that the JCIA couldnt get to. Thats what they were doing for the 2 months snow removal ( blocking the streets ) for the workers which freed up the police tfor emergency calls.

Thank god for scanners. Yes i listen to mine every now and again. Like I said earlier Kudos to the police dept! Brave men and woman who do for strangers as some here wouldnt do for a friend.

Im at a halt with the buying of the property , i dont know enough to comment on it. I dont want to resort to assuming.

I want to say to all , Yes we need something , what that is im not sure. New blood? New thinking? hit the lottery? ha ha
Goodnight all

Rich Boggiano said:
Quote:

This is the crux of the matter.
Overwhelming majority of the talk on this thread comes back to this.
Love the money laundering comparison, how true.