Thank you ogden1 and tern. I'm glad this forum exists if for no other reason than it gives me an opportunity to interact with people who tend to care more about Jersey City than the average resident. Please remember to vote on Nov 8th. Tell your friends and family to vote as well. I guarantee the entrenched interests in this town are praying (or paying?) for low voter turnout.

For Jcresident0001 and everyone else commenting on the JCPA. First let me take a step back and say that it's not my intent to villainize anyone. I know a number of city employees who are good hardworking people stuck in a dysfunctional system they have no control over. The JCPA is one of a number of problems Jersey City has, and a relatively small one, but it's still a problem worth addressing - along with all of our other autonomous agencies. Anyway, here are my latest comments:

1. For those who misunderstood my comment about the JCPA HQ purchase on Central Ave, the cost of the new building was not $10 million, but rather $4.6 million. I used that number as an example of what we'll really pay when interest is included. Not knowing the interest rate or the term of the bond that number could be off by quite a bit, but it was a rough guess.

2. Regardless of my point above, the transaction for the purchase of that piece of real estate was tainted because of the seller's ties to Healy. There's also some big questions about the value of the property being lower than what we paid (wouldn't be the first time). Also, since the JCPA is an autonomous agency, Jersey City is not directly responsible for the debt, but that doesn't really matter as both Jersey City and the JCPA are government agencies who (theoretically) answer to Jersey City residents. In other words, the people of Jersey City have incurred a debt of $4.6 million on questionable terms even if the Jersey City government has really only co-signed the loan.

3. Since Jersey City guaranteed the bond for the JCPA, there is no difference to the average Jersey City resident about the liability they've incurred. While default is certainly unlikely, that does not mean it can't happen - just look at all of the hoopla about the federal government's bond guarantee for Solyndra. Note that as of 2010 direct Jersey City debt was $500 million but the city has guaranteed another $300 million in bonds on top of that for a total liability of $800 million. So, our total liability is about 160% of our city's annual revenue. Go figure that our credit rating is BBB, which means we're hovering just above junk bond territory.

4. Jcresident0001 pointed out that the JCPA enforcement division only worked 10 months of the year because of the snow on the streets in the winter. If that's the case I have to ask what were those folks doing those other two months if they weren't writing tickets? Maybe they were put to some other use, but unlike cops, a parking enforcement agent is a fairly one dimensional role so it's not likely they can be easily repurposed to perform other duties when the streets are covered in snow in the winter.

5. I want to circle back to my earlier criticism of the various autonomous Jersey City agencies. This entire discussion would be a lot easier to have if all of the money that sloshes around Jersey City wasn't moved around between different accounts where the average resident has no visibility. Instead, we have a system that operates in a manner tantamount to a money laundering operation.

Quote:

False. The city subsidizes the PA at between $1.1 million and $1.3 million per year. And it still loses money.

Quote:

True - the building price was not $10 million. True, it was bought at the bottom of the market. The only problem is that the building was bought off an appraisal that was done at the top of the market. This issue was raised by Fulop when the council voted on the sale - Brennan whined and Gaughan blustered that we didn't need a new appraisal, that "it's a good building and the PA won't have to pay rent - it will actually be a money maker because there is another tenant in the building." That tenant? The post office, with a soon to expire lease.

Real estate people I spoke with at the time eyeballed the building as probably being worth $2.7 million to $2.8 million in the then-current market. Why would the city want to overpay by close to $2 million? The fact that the owners of the building were contributors to Healy and the HCDO may have something to do with it.

Me too, I'd vote for you Rich!

Robin.

Rich;

I have to say that you have completely turned me around due to your posts on JC List.

The answers you provide are solid and make sense.
You are an intelligent, honest man who cannot be intimated or bought.
I am voting for you and will tell eveyone I know to do the same.

God Bless.

Quote:

We are going in circles now. They bought in a down market with an appraisal for older and higher market values. The politicians and administrators should have planned for rent increases and had feasible contingencies for moving the operation in a timely manner. A commercial appraisal of a small property like this (4.3 million is a very small commercial value) takes what? 3 months tops? Is it acceptable for a city of 250K to allow this to happen? Being prepared means they have bargaining power whether purchasing or continuing to lease.

When local governments make quick decisions in buying and selling property, how often do you think taxpayers benefit?
Best!

Hi again,
Thanks for the post. I believe that the last few CEOs were in and out with this being a job on top of a pension. The current CEO has been involved with the city for years, I believe her being on the City Council while alot of these ordinances were brought up is beneficial to us all. I understand that she has brought professionalism to the PA and is looking to bettering the agency in the future. I hope she sticks around and not pushed out.

I believe the PA was at 880 bergen ave (Academy st and Bergen ave). They were paying a high rent(for the time) and the building needed work, way too much for the PA to eat. The decision to move to Central ave was done, at some request of the business owners on Central ave to get residents of the city back to the Central ave business district to shop from the stores. The building they need for day to day operation needs a mechanic garage , office space and storage for vehicles, this fit the bill.

So far ,it has been explained that at the time of the sale the PA lease read that they were responsible for the maintainance of the entire building, even if they didnt own it. Also the rent was going to go up , a quick decision was then made to buy it. The cost for a new appraisal and the time it would have taken to get it done would have put the PA in a corner to either sign a new lease for much more money per month or get out and have no space at all. So the purchase was done.

jcresident0001, Thanks so much for answering. You have clarified to my satisfaction your stand on things.

I MIGHT come around to your way of thinking on the PA with its present CEO.
Again, my reservations are that the current set up does not provide transparency in the long haul. When a political hack again runs the place, as will happen in Hudson County politcs, JC taxpayers take it in the shorts.

Having said that, I want to point out you say in your last post:
Quote:

Well the market was down. But why did they use an old appraisal from times when the market was up? Only logical reason I can think is someone on the inside stood to benefit. And since selling party happened to donate to Healy campaign, I become suspicious.
If a recent appraisal done at the time of the down market was used, I might not be suspicious of the transaction.
Even so, I would still wonder why the city needed to buy such property in such relatively prime space. The PA is not located at a place central to the city. I also do not see what benefit they have by being near retail space. There must be lots of space in other areas of the city that would have been less expensive property to purchase.
Nothing about this transaction made sense for me as a taxpayer. I just fell, and felt, it was business as usual for Hudson County politics.
All Best!

Asdfdf23....
Hello there, I also enjoy the dialouge on here with people who know whats going on, very good for all of to know whats happening in our back yard. Mr Boggiano doesnt have to answer to us on here, I m thankful he does.
I once was one of the biggest parking offenders in the city, sad to admit. I cant begin to tell you what I paid out. Once I started to add it all up I was shocked what I paid over the years ,thats when I began to call the PA for details on the day to day operation.work in Jersey City. So over the last 4 or more years I have gotten some education.

The PA generates millions in revenue between meters, violations including street cleaning, hydrants, driveway, corner parking and other parking vilations along with numerous types of permits. The term "cut a check" wasnt the right term to use, im sorry for that. The money collected by the JC Municipal Court , result of the enforcement by the PA , goes directly to the City of Jersey City . The amounts are staggering regarding the amount of money in tickets issued by the PA. I was informed that the PA wrote about 10 million in tickets last year, now whats collected is a different story. Thats on the courts.

The PA owes nothing , no outstanding debt. They own all vehicles and equiptment minus the building they bought. They pay all bills for day to day operation plus turning over the revenue generated by the PEOs to the City (cut a check) which adds up to Millions. Yes they get a percentage back, thats to cover the cost of the enforcement. It would be just as if you ran a store, turned over ALL you take in to a parent company and retain enough to cover your overhead. Mr Boggiano is correct, its not to be a money maker, its to provide a service for the citizens of this city. If the PD takes over the operation its still going to cost but it will cost more. Some say cut the staff and the PD will be responsible. This is more smoke and mirrors... It will be said " We cut the fat from the PA and saved the city a ton" I hate to tell you ,the PD supervisors will cost much more a LT makes 130k a Sgt makes 120k and to do this job correctly your going to need a few of them . So you will take a police supervisors out of the street and those spots will have to be filled. It will, with other Supervisors on OT. But the public wont see that ,all that we will be told is that " we cut the fat and saved you money" when they will be taking more from us , just we wont see it go. I have nothing but respect for the PD, I could not do what they do day to day but im a business person, numbers dont lie. The PA does a job for a quarter of what the PD will do for a dollar. Its not broken , please dont fix it.
I didnt gloss over the purchase of the building, and I can see how it may seem as I did. I havent gotten that far into the exacts of the sale. I hope to get there soon, I dont want to assume or guess.
If the building is sold, I understand that its for the PA to decide not the City of JC. Why sell? they bought it at a time when the market was down. The building is in a great location for growth for the city. The building price was 4.6 million not 10 million. The 10 million was an assumption of the total cost at the end of the loan. Lets say, and I hate doing this(ASSUMING), the PA gets an offer for the building for 8 million and they sell it. The bond is paid and the rest goes to the PA accounts not the City of JC. The city will only assume responsibility for payment on the PAs default on the bond.
I hope I have answered what it is you were looking for.

Quote:

jcresident0001,
I have been enjoying and learning from the back and forth between you and Mr Boggiano.

First, what occupants are cutting a check to the city for $8mil/year? I am not following that.


Next, in the things you respond to, in my opinion you glossed over or ignored the purchase of the Central Ave Facility with a very dated appraisal and from a Healy campaign contributor no less. Your thoughts or response?

Mr Boggiano, you wrote
Quote:
What I understand you to be saying is, "if/when the building is sold, JC is on the hook for the full amount of the 10 million bond, even though the reason the bond was initiated is no longer in existence (the government owned building)" Do I have this right?
In the above you also said "$10 million in bond money plus interest." But previous to this, in the same paragraph, you said the $10 million was the $4.6 mil bond with the interest. Is it possible you made an error and did not mean to add more interest onto the $10 Mil? If not an error, please explain.

As a taxpayer/resident I simply want transparency. I do not think the present structure of JCPA and JCIA can, nor ever will, provide this.
While I am not a fan of the JCPD, my gut feeling is that folding the JCPA into it, could bring about a better Jersey City. At present, I would prefer this over creating another City Department.

forgot to add..... The building , at the time of sale was NOT a fully Tax ratable property due to the amount of government that occupied the space. So the city may loose (1) tax ratable property at lets say 25K a year, but the occupants cut a check to the city for 8 million a year. I ll take the 8 mill !!!

Rich...
The number of employees did go from 127 in 2005 to whatever they are now, just like everywhere else bare bones. But 50 enforcement people for the entire city including , meters , all sweeper routes some of them are 6 days a week, , booting for permits, scofflaw , handling individual call in complaints and all the parking lots . Looking at the amount of people in enforcement , i ll put it in the way the PD has personal distributed, 50 divided by 4 (North,South,East,West) is 12 per area on a day that lasts from 5am to 11pm . they are at an all time low with PEOs. I think they are doing a great job. Do they use discretion in issuing tickets, Yes im sure they do. Im sure the police officers with the FP plates get a break. I see alot of them , do all cops on the job and retired have them? I always wondered?

For 2010 they didnt enforce street cleaning from Xmas to the end of February due to the bad weather, so now you divide your tickets by 10 months. The meters were not fully enforced because the PEOs were deployed for snow removal to free up the police.

I agree that the $400,000.00 dollars for the parking pay meters on central ave idea wanst given enough thought at the time and yes it seemed like a quick , rash decision to spent almost a half a million dollars. You can thank the Retired Jersey City Police Deputy Chief Mark Russ for that. Under his tenure that decision was made. I believe the CEO before Russ was another retired cop, Not sure. I see that the present CEO has been fixing old problems and still able to keep the PA in the black.

So we both agreee that the way decisions were made as to the equiptment purchased and deployed by CEO Russ(JCPD RET) were wrong. We can both agree that the way the collection by the PD Scofflaw Unit is lacking, and you want to put the whole agency in the same hands???? Really?

I have noticed alot of booting done all around the city and I inquired why. It was explained to me that the CEO has dedicated a small crew of diligent employees to bring the offenders to court. It was explained to me the crew has delivered just under $600,000.00 to the courts. The crew consists of enforcement people 4 of them at 35 to 40 K a year. They paid for themselves 4 times over so far. How many police officers at 100k a year are assigned to the scofflaw unit? 8? 10? at $800,000.00 to 1 million a year.

Im not sure you understand the bond on the building. The City of Jersey City DOES NOT own the building. They are NOT responsible for ANY payment unless the PA defaults. So why do you ASSUME that the building will be sold by the City ? They dont own it. If the PA decides to rent the space that CCTV occupies along with the other space like the post office and the 2 other floors . The rent pays the bond not the tickets. You have me by a year or two, wanst that a bowling alley at one time?

JCResident0001,

1. I'm sorry I wasn't clear so let me explain my math...

If the city pays the JCPA $8 per PAID ticket and the city paid $1.2 million to the JCPA then $1,200,000 divided by $8 = 150,000 tickets. That's how many tickets are paid each year. That number in and of itself isn't particularly meaningful because it's impossible for me to know how many are collected from Jersey City residents versus out of towners.

More importantly, the state has published 98 salaries for the JCPA as of 2009. Even if it's down to 85 and less than half (let's say 40?) are in traffic enforcement, then we have 40 people responsible for 150,000 paid traffic tickets each year. That works out to 3,750 tickets per year per traffic enforcement agent. That may sound like a lot, but if the average enforcement agent works 225 days per year that comes out to 17 tickets per workday. If they work 8 hours we're talking 2 paid tickets per hour per enforcement agent. I'd like to think that reasonable people would take that number to be on the low side. So, could we accomplish the same enforcement with fewer agents? How about better enforcement from the agents that are currently working not very productively? My point in these numbers is to demonstrate that our system is broken.

2. You're not going to get a disagreement from me on the Scofflow unit. I've never said the JCPD doesn't have areas it can improve as well. Considering JCPD's manpower shortages, I think that a license plate recognition technology is worth exploring for fixing the problem. Of course, I'm assuming the technology is procured effectively... look at the heck of a job the JCPA has done spending $400,000 upgrading meters on central ave that have caused a revolt from local residents and businesses. Pretty sure they'll be selling those on ebay for a "profit" of 25 cents on the dollar any day now.

3. I don't have a problem with a city or government agency buying and selling buildings. I do have a problem the way our city goes about doing it because of the amount of corruption in this town. All too often, we pay more than we should for the buildings we buy and sell them for less than their worth. Making a "profit" off of a city owned property is possibly a great thing... it could also be a terrible thing if we're not getting as much profit as we could for the building's the city sells.

For example, here's what will probably happen with the JCPA building... we bought it for $4.6 million using a bond to raise the money for the purchase. With interest that probably works out to some number closer to $10 million over the life of the bond. A few years from now we'll sell the building for $5 million to fill yet another hole in our budget and claim a "profit" of $400,000. But we (JC taxpayers) will still owe that $10 million in bond money plus interest. What I'm saying is that our elected officials use property transactions as a form of money laundering so they can squeeze ever more money out of JC taxpayers and feed it to their friends in a series of convoluted and opaque transactions.

4. Two other reasons the city wastes money with property transactions. First, it doesn't take care of the buildings it owns. We're paying $43,000 this year in fines for OSHA violations for the West District. Also, every time the city buys a building that is property tax revenue that goes away. So, we buy a building to save $225,000 in rent but how much of that money would have come back to the city anyway in property tax?

I happy to lose an argument as long as the outcome is better for the city. How many of Healy's or HCDO's hand picked candidates are willing to open themselves up to questions like these? More importantly, why should they bother if they're counting on low voter turnout to win the election?

Rich..........
1) Again, thanks for the reply. At the JCPA there are about 85 employees and half or less are the enforcement. Im sorry I didnt fully explain The PA gets the $8.00 per PAID ticket. (see paragraph 3)

2) The idea of the math you stated , how can you say that. Of the population how many dont have cars, are kids , cmon thats Smoke and Mirrors . Your better then that. So lets go by realistic math. Get the amount of registered vehicles in JC and the amount of out of towners and then calculate that. Im sure you would have a different end result. Like you said we shouldnt use the residents as a cash machine, but to enforce the laws. Would you want every violation enforced on every car? You were a cop, you can drive around our city and pick out a violation on every street, corner better then the average citizen can. Bring your calculator on your next tour around the city, bring an extra battery!!

3) You stated reforming the PA and the PD , Id like to ask you something.... The police dept is in charge of the Scofflaw unit, Yes? If they would be better at the running the PA then why cant they get the scofflaw unit right? The numbers, public information, are clear. There are Millions, 9 I believe outstanding in scofflaw. Why arent they going to get that money?? You can try to blame the courts so Ill give you this tid bit of info. There is over 12 million in T-Pay in the courts .
So yes that you can blame on the courts but the original 9+ million is on the Scofflaw unit(PD). I would like you to explain why we , JC , allow the scofflaw unit to be responsible for not going after the outstanding money allowing the Quigley law to take over a million away per year from the City of Jersey City.
In short, the Quigley law, allows the non addressed ( if you never went to court to answer for the tickets) to be dismissed after 3 years. So thats every year we let 1+ million dollars slip away like it didnt exist. Im suggesting that reforming should start at the real problem.

4) I know exactly where you worked so im sure you were able to see what I was talking about. Thats why I said it.

5) The sale of the building , I agree we shouldnt be in the property management service but........ do the police stations pay rent, NO. They are selling headquarters for a profit to balance the city budget arent they? Thats ok ? That is wrong. What do you think will happen to the West District when the new one is built? If the city didnt want to put the money in it to restore it for the police you think they will restore it for another agency? No it will be sold , Yes for that dirty word a Profit. If you are on the council at that time will you vote the selling of the West District for a profit down??

Im enjoying the spar but I think I won this round ......

JCresident0001,

1. I'd love to say that $1.2 million is from $8 per ticket, but as Brewster pointed out our budget is not transparent enough for anyone to see things with that level of granularity. If I assume you are correct though, that works out to 150,000 tickets per year at $8 per ticket. My two takeaways from that: First, a number equal to half the population of the city gets a ticket each year. I'm not sure if that is high or low compared to national standards, but it seems high - even if you include out of towners. Second, if we have a staff of 100 on the JCPA that works out to 6 tickets per JCPA employee per workday. That number sounds quite low to me, but if it is accurate I would say we're not getting very much out of them.

2. I don't think the city should be in the business of buying and selling buildings as any type of real estate investment. The fact of the matter is that the purchase was tainted because the seller was a donor to the Healy campaign. So, I'm willing to bet we overpaid when they used an outdated appraisal. Second, our city sells buildings all of the time at a fraction of their actual value, typically to a tainted investor who turns around and flips it for a hefty profit. Also, just because the city backed the bond doesn't mean that we, the taxpayers of Jersey City, didn't incur a debt through the JCPA. Last, what is the interest we're going to pay on that bond? With our city's credit rating and the size of the bond that easily works out to more than $250,000/year in interest alone. The bottom line is that you'll have to forgive me for being skeptical that city government agencies should be playing the role of real estate investor when they don't have the money to fill the potholes in our streets, the intelligence to make sound investment decisions, or the integrity to do what's best for the people of Jersey City.

3. The Jersey City Police Academy, where I worked for my last years before retiring, is right off Chapel Ave. Needless to say I've been there at 5am and I completely agree with you. I have no problem saying those types of issues are the ones the JCPA should be dealing with, but leaders should be held accountable - something that hasn't been done across the board in Jersey City for decades. So yes, cut off the head.

Last, I thank you for your insight - if our council put half the thought into running this city that you've put into your last couple of posts we'd have a better city. I know that I don't know all of the answers, and I have no problem accepting someone else's better idea. The standard for success has been set so low in Jersey City that residents are happy when a public employee just shows up to do their job, regardless of whether or not they do it well. It's a sad state to be in, and things don't have to be that way. I don't underestimate the size of the challenge ahead of us, but accepting dysfunction is just something I can't do.

Rich

Rich.....This is the quote from that thread....

"It is true the JCPA receives funding from the city, this agreement goes back to 1991, when the city transferred the Enforcement Division from the city to the Authority. The actual amount of the appropriation has not changed since then, in fact it has decreased 21.12% since 2009. This funding no longer covers the cost of the Enforcement Division, it covers about half of their salaries and benefits; the residential permit program and Operations Division are fully funded by revenue generated by the Authority and the programs they operate."

Thats the 1.2 million..Where do you think that comes from? Its not just the residents....$8.00 per ticket.

I agree with you that the PA shouldnt be an ATM machine to fill the budget gap and should be to preserve parking for the resident. The permit program is what we need and that generates alot of money for the city. Without that people would come in , park jump on the trains and hit NYC using JC as Free Parking.

Id like for you , and anyone else, to see exactly what im talking about and respond. Go to Chapel ave early in the morning, 5am and watch the cars flock to the area by the ferry stop before the bridge to Port Liberte. They park there no charge, jump on the ferry and go to NYC. I see it every day. Thats what the downtown residents would have to contend with . They pay nothing to park and who gets hurt, the residents. If you doubt it take a look. Yes I know the city gave up that part of the street to Port Liberte but it wasnt permit parking before that.

The city is not the owner of the building , they backed the purchase and are only held responsible if the PA defaults... That building is in a great location to rent the space and let the building pay for itself. why pay rent at $225,000.00 when you can buy it and rent the space . It will be worth more when the market bounces back. So if the PA is able to pay the bond and they do it solo, its working let it work.

The top ten numbers were misunderstood by another person on this thread, I just clarified them. The top ten salaries dont , i ll bet , top $700,000.00 a year..... The CEO , if im not mistaken was hired for 98K about 2 years ago.

Rich, I know who you are and as I stated I firmly believe you have the best interests of the city at heart. But as I am a life long resident I have seen that agency managed poorly. The last one was the worst and he was a retired Deputy Chief of the same JCPD. I see this agency running alot better,theres response from the CEO, answers to questions , better working relations with the other city agencies, during the last snow storms thay were out plowing the streets and lots and transporting emergency personal , the last storm they were out all night blocking the streets allowing the PD to take the emergency calls . Why try to stop the headache by cutting off the head.

Thanks for the reply and best of luck to you.

What's infuriating is that we have no access to the actual budgets of these "public" agencies like the JCPA & MUA. We're trying to infer from scraps of data here and there. We OWN THESE GUYS! And when the budget is available, like the "user friendly" version of the school budget, it's deliberately impenetrable. Go try and figure what a teacher or special ed student costs. You can't.

Thanks for your reply JCResident0001, but I have to take issue with some of your numbers. I've got a list of sources of my information below. I've explained earlier in this forum my opinions about the role of JCPA's enforcement division versus that of the JCPD so I won't rehash that in this post.

1. The JCPA generates $8 million per year in revenue. This information comes from Mary Paretti, CEO of the JCPA that she posted on this forum about a year ago. Keep in mind that money is paid by residents for parking violations, so it is a form of a tax. If we treated the JCPA as a "business" why not charge $1000 for illegally parking? $5000? The reason we don't do that is because the JCPA's mission is to manage our parking, not generate money. I have no problem with fining people for parking illegally, but we shouldn't ever use tickets as a means to generate revenue or justify the existence of a useless bureaucracy. Here is the link: http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=259496

2. The city of Jersey City has incurred debt on behalf of the JCPA. The JCPA needed a $4.2 million bond to buy it's building on Central Ave. Note that it narrowly passed because folks like Steve Fulop argued that the building wasn't worth that much money and that the seller was a friend and donor to the Healy Campaign. Here is the link: http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... cil_backs_the_jersey.html

3. Take a look at the $1.2 million the city gives annually to the JCPA: http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/uploa ... 11%20Adopted%20Budget.PDF

4. The top salaries in the JCPA are quite a bit higher than $30,000/year. I never said the top 10 were $4 million (see my earlier posts), but they represent a disproportionate percentage of the JCPA's overall revenue. To put it simply, the entire organization is too top heavy. You can look up 2009 salary data (the most recent available) here: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/sectio ... RSE18/NJ-Public-Employees

I always prefer to look up the facts as best I can before coming to a conclusion on an issue. I'm also open minded about ways to reform the JCPA. It's far from the largest issue our city faces, but there is no way around the fact that it is a dysfunctional agency that is in need of fixing. Keep in mind that I'm a retired cop who has also advocated reforming how our police department is structured, so I have no sacred cows when it comes to issues like these.

Thanks as always,
Rich

tango............ The statement of the top ten salaries for the JCPA is 4 million dollars is incorrect.


The entire budget, what it costs for the year, is 4 million dollars.

The JCPA generates roughly 15 million dollars a year. They have no debt except for the building that they just bought. The city DOES NOT support them. The JCPA gets $8.00 per ticket that they write. That covers SOME of the enforcement. The amount of money that is exchanged between the City and the JCPA has not changed in 20 years.
Tango, It sounds live you are business smart so let me run this by you.... If an agency is paying its bills and making a 7 to 9 million dollar a year payment to its parent company , in these bad economic times, you would say "It aint broken so dont fix it" . Also.... when i say paying its bills I mean everything... no debt.... all vehicles paid for, property minus the building they just bought, is paid for, all insurances, all equiptment paid for..... They even paid for the 5 year old lawsuits that none of the other CEOs up there saved for even though the lawsuits started then.

The JCPA enforcement officers make on average 30k per year. The supervisors make on average 40k per year. Thats not all they do. they have operations which collects and maintains the meters, cleans the lots, plows the lots .

The idea that the police take that over isnt too smart... So now instead of the bosses up there now taking care of business you will have , atleast a police LT , as lets say the Boss and a few SGTs as the road bosses.... The JCPD LTs make over 130K and the SGTs make over 120k ... wheres the savings? Im sorry the police are already over worked and short staffed .

Mr Boggiano is wrong with his numbers. I like Rich and think he has the best interests of the city at heart but this topic he is dead wrong.. .

He stated why pay 4 million to get 8 million... that makes no sense... if the PD runs the PA its still going to cost money...even more if the PD start to run it.... numbers dont lie.

Quote:

The difference between Rich and Sue, is Sue is claiming to deserve the post based on merit (read tenure), whereas Rich has a clear statement of where he stands on the issues. It's the difference between saying "I did stuff" and "I will do stuff". JC needs leadership, not a career politician's resume.

Rich has my vote over Sue.

Rich, I really do like your idea about getting rid of JCPA based on the fact that the top 10 salaries are over 4 million dollars and therefore it should be handled by JCPD at a cost savings for the city. However, I don?t think it would work out that way simply because most of the times when cops write out parking tickets they have to appear in court, spend more of their time there (not walking the beat as much as we would like to see them) and the majority of the times they will get overtime pay for that, where as if the city would just merge JCPA under the JCPD and get rid of the top 10 high paying salaries positions at JCPA I believe would work out better for the JC taxpayers. The city could keep on utilizing the JCPA field workers while being supervised and managed by JCPD therefore there will be no need to pay out overtime pay at a high cost to JCPD and the city would rake in over 4 million dollars just by getting rid of the high paying salaries at JCPA. As far as the city picking up the JCPA field workers salaries and benefits shouldn?t be a factor at all especially when they are already bringing in enough revenue to cover that cost in addition to other costs and not to mention covering the cost of the top 10 high paying salaries positions at JCPA. I was just wondering could JCPD just take over JCPA building if JCPA no longer exist as oppose of spending money in building/renovating the old precinct on Central Avenue?

Know the Facts and Speak the Truth:

I have grown up my entire life in Jersey City, most of which was in Greenville with my more recent years in downtown, and have had the privilege of knowing the Boggiano family since I was in the 7th grade.? I also went to St. Peter?s Prep with both sons.? This entire family is the definition of INTEGRITY.?? The sons, like their father, have committed to a life of service to our country and community having gone to West Point and then serving active duty for 5 years overseas before returning home much like their father who was a marine and then served Jersey City in many capacities such as Historic Preservation Commissioner, Jersey City Police Detective for 37 years and President of the Hilltop Association.

The other major candidates are not even on the same playing field although some are backed by the Democratic Machine and the major corporate money interests.?

Let?s take a look:

Viola Richardson is the definition of a CROOK.? She is not even a Jersey City resident and manages to collect 3 public payrolls for 3 no-show jobs (a police disability pension, a no-show job at the county jail and a city council salary) for a combined tax payer salary of well over $100,000.

Sue Mack?s Campaign Manager committed voter fraud in Houston Texas and her campaign will be no different. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIboqi_khV8. ?You are the company you keep and she is a career politician not concerned with making Jersey City a better place but simply advancing her own career.

Velasquez is another career politician on multiple?tax payer?payrolls.? It would be amazing if these people could devote their time and energy to doing one job properly instead of doing everything they do poorly which is their track record.

Kalimah Ahmad - Another triple dipper and one of Healy's hacks. She collects a paycheck from the county, a paycheck from the city council, and has enough time leftover to run her own private practice on the side where she collects payouts from cities like Irvington where she is on contract. Really? I guess the council job doesn't take much time out of her busy schedule because just votes yes with Healy on everything anyway.

Syed was fired from another position in the city and is now running for council.

I?ve seen time and again the Democratic Machine handing out monetary bribes on election day for votes and they will now be doing it on behalf of Mack and Velasquez which tells you who they will be working for if elected ? NOT THE PEOPLE.

It?s not only important to be well-intentioned but also to know how the city works and what needs to be done to make it better.? The people who know Rich are the ones telling you what he has done and actions and facts speak louder than conjecture.? If you are sick of corruption, crime and ever increasing taxes in Jersey City, then vote for Rich Boggiano as he is the best candidate.

Quote:

Are you serious ? Sue has been at the BOE for 15 years with tons of accomplishments. She has every right to move up.

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... =&topic_id=25428&forum=11

Sue Mack should stay with the BOE and stay out of this race. She fought hard for that BOE position. Id like to see her do something first in her elected position, before moving up.

From Augustine Torres in the Jersey Journal:

THE ELECTION WHINING CORNER
I've been getting a number of calls from candidates complaining about the other guys who are running in the nonpartisan election. My answers are usually a variety of "yes, it isn't fair," "who would have thought?" or "unbelievable."

I'm being polite. The truth is that the strategies being employed, the campaign dirty tricks on the street, and the secret support given by political personalities are old hat, pre-historic.

For example, the issue of strategy can be addressed by pointing out that after the first debate on King Drive, Council members Kalimah Ahmad and Ray Velazquez have not appeared at another public Q and A. Their opponents are fuming that they have stayed in the shadow.

Ahmad and Velazquez want to retain their at-large seats in the Nov. 8 special election. They have been advised by their handlers in City Hall to not open their mouths. The public will never see them again -- except at fund-raisers and koffee klatches.

It's the classic strategy of trying to keep the special election quiet. A low voter turnout will always help the incumbent. With 17 candidates, it will not take many votes for a victory -- around 4,000 would do it. I don't have to tell you that if there is no president or governor running, people are too busy working and watching reality TV.

Dirty street tactics is a favorite complaint. City and Hilltop activist Richard Boggiano entered the council race at the last moment and as fast as his campaign posters go up, he's finding them "replaced" by posters of bracketed candidates Omar Perez and Sue Mack. Boggiano must have learned quickly because his posters are back.

The Jersey City political machine also like to prevent candidates -- except their office seekers -- from campaigning in housing complexes (Did anyone say Unico Towers?) by blocking access. It's good to have operatives in the field who want to protect their public employment checks.

No blood, no foul is the rule with most New Jersey elections. I routinely covered North Hudson elections years ago in North Bergen, West New York and Union City, where people complained only if it involved more than a loss of a pint.

As for not so secret support -- are you surprised that Freeholder O'Dea quietly backs Mack? The same could be said of Jersey City Downtown Councilman and mayoral aspirant Steven Fulop. Opponents are wondering where Sue is getting all her money.

Oh yeah, Freeholder Jeff Dublin is talking up Healy's choices, Ahmad and Velazquez.

Hello Everyone. I wanted to share a letter that I wrote that was published in the Independent today.

Elect Rich Boggiano to At-Large City Council Seat

Dear Editor:

The problem with many public servants in Hudson County is that several of them have forgotten the most important part of their job description ? actually serving the public. I?ve spent my lifetime serving my country and this City, as a marine and as a Jersey City Police Officer. If you elect me on November 8th, I fully intend to continue my service to our great City as a member of the City Council.

As a City Council member I will accept a salary of only $1.00 a year. I will also refuse the other perk that our politicians have become all too accustomed to abusing ? a Jersey City taxpayer sponsored car. In a time when our City is borrowing money against our children?s future to pay for today?s inflated operating expenses, I see it as my duty to set the example for the rest of our elected officials who have gone the other way ? those that happily collect two or three city or county paychecks or pensions while claiming we don?t have the money to fix the potholes in our own streets.

If elected, my commitment and service to the people of Jersey City will be defined by transparency and accountability. We need to shine the bright light of integrity on all of the seedy practices that our current elected officials simply accept as a fact of life in Hudson County. For 30 years I?ve fought corruption at every turn. I?ve never once accepted a favor or abused my position for personal gain. My campaign isn?t underwritten by the contributions of a few powerful, politically interested backers, so I won?t have to answer to anyone but the people of Jersey City after November 8th.

We also need to hold people accountable for their actions, whether as a City employee, political appointee, or elected politician. Those who can do their jobs well should be rewarded for their competence. Those who are not contributing must be fired or voted out of office.

Too many people think that this type of change in Hudson County is impossible. Change is possible, but only if you come out to vote on November 8th. When you do, I humbly ask you to vote for me, Rich Boggiano, column 13F.

Rich Boggiano for City Council
President, Hilltop Neighborhood Association

From today's paper:

Pick Boggiano to fill a Jersey City council seat: Letter

There is an important election coming up in Jersey City. The race for council at large must be filled by someone with integrity beyond reproach. The man to fill this high seat must love, respect, and dedicate himself to the betterment of the city's 240,000 residents.

With deep honor and gratitude, with a sense of commitment, loyalty and character, in my humble opinion Mr. Rich Boggiano is the choice needed to fill the contested seat.

It really should be an easy decision. Rich has dedicated his time to improve the Hilltop Section for over 30 years. He has also assisted the citizenry throughout our fair city whenever an issue of importance surfaces.

Please support Mr. Boggiano this November and keep Jersey City moving forward.

LOUIS DE STEFANO
JERSEY CITY

Rich -

I am sorry that I won't see you at the candidates' forum tonight. The PS 16 organizers are terrific. Hopefully you will make it to Gas Pipeline meeting right after.

I'm bumping this to the top because I know there will be people who will want to know if you can be there and shake your hand before they cast their votes. They will all want to know where you stand on the pipeline especially after the PBA backed the pipeline pretty early on.

Good luck tonight and see you at Ferris shortly there after.

oh and I forgot they must be burnt out from being investigated and indicted so often. not enough time in the day to cover their tracks and do so many no show jobs at the same time.

you forgot to mention the poor pols who are burnt out from working 4 county/city jobs at a time. must be a real burden collecting all those paychecks each week.

asdfdf23 and brewster - As a retired member of the JCPD, I know that I'm biased, but please accept that the vast majority of police officers are good people who want nothing but the best for this city. At the same time, it's only reasonable to accept that they want the best for their families as well. That often means moving out of the city so they can send their kids to better public schools. Why do they care so much about their paychecks? Because it's so expensive to live in NJ is a big part of the answer. Is the police union reasonable and open to change? Yes, but they have to know that they can trust the party on the other side.

Imagine things from their perspective - cops get told they have to cut their benefits while city employees sitting across the table from them collect two or three paychecks from the city and county. It's almost so absurd you would think it couldn't be true, but then again this is Hudson County.

Also, a large percentage of our cops (and teachers and firefighters and EMTs?) are burnt out. They see ridiculous problems and have little power to solve them. Cops lock up the same criminals night after night, only to have them released back on the streets time and again. Teachers have unruly students in their classrooms but have zero authority to discipline them. Firefighters and EMTs answer 911 calls and have to take people to the hospital on a daily basis because someone has a headache and thinks an ambulance is just a free taxi ride.

Are cops perfect? Absolutely not. Could they be more flexible? Definitely. But it's not fair to vilify them.

Either way, to my original point, I believe that exploring incentives to keep more cops (and firefighters and teachers?) living in the city would be both economical and pay huge dividends by more fully vesting them in the success of the city.

It's these kinds of ideas I'd like to put on the table, but again, you have to turn out to vote. Healy was elected in 2009 with 7% of the city's population casting votes in his favor. This election will undoubtedly see even lower voter turnout. With such low turnout I can't emphasize how much every single vote counts.