Brewster wrote:

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You're so right. I just thought that Mr. Boggiano was unfairly singled out in the original post, but the man is always on point when the Hilltop needs him.

Who is the council for the Hilltop? Lipski? Gaughan?

While secession is clearly a joke, the main good news here is a neighborhood speaking up and giving a damn. If every area of the city had groups like Hilltop, HPNA, VVPA , Riverview assoc, etc, there would be less Councilmen servicing donors and developers and more responsiveness to the citizens.

When do you suppose was the last time their councilman attended one of their meetings to hear their gripes, the way Mr Fulop attends the downtown ones?

Shadrack, your point about residency for cops is a perennial unwinnable battle with the Police Union. That's how we get cops telling crime victims they shouldn't have moved to JC, because they just come here for the paycheck, carrying guns. Why should they care if it's actually safe for our families? Commuter cops are like crack for cities, a bad addiction they can't shake.

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I was born in that area near the Island section and was told years ago that the city has more pressing problems elsewhere and can't address the nuisance complaints like littering, vandalism, and petty theft. Mr. Boggiano might be a cop, but he is a resident too. If more cops lived in the city it would be a better place. How can a law enforcement officer be truly vested in a city when he or she lives off of Exit 9, 10, 11, or 12 on the Turnpike?

Hudson City will never be its own little enclave-municipality nestled in the middle of Jersey City. It's only hope is real political pressure and a councilman with the chestnuts that Mr. Fulop has. Little by little, the Hilltop has changed as older resident retire and move. I've noticed new construction and renovations of old brownstones and in time, there were be new residents on the Hilltop fighting the same battle that rages against City Hall and the JCPD in the Heights, Downtown, Marion, Bergen, Greenville, and Lafayette: End the corruption and do your job.

read this very interesting article today from the Journal Jersey site. The residents of Jersey City's "The Hill" are fighting to become it's own city, Hudson City, because no one pays attention to them.

Hey if Guttenberg can be a city, so can The Hill.

THE FOLKS ON THE HILL

The members of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association say they have had enough. For years, they have complained about the Dickinson High School students' scorched earth activities at lunch and after school. They are livid about crime (despite lower police figures), dirty streets, lack of decent development and cloudy skies.

Residents in this part of the city and neighboring communities have felt so ignored and lied to (in their words) that there is talk of seceding from Jersey City.

Naturally, the chief voice of rebellion is the association's Richard Boggiano, who says he speaks for those who are afraid to criticize politicians. It is a little strange to complain about crime because Boggiano is, well, a cop. Nevertheless, he says secession may be broached at future association meetings.

The threat of secession was raised once before during the administration of Mayor Bret Schundler in the 1990s. Back then, the concept of creating a new municipality was raised when the administration wanted to draw new election district lines and planned to move a section of the Hilltop to Downtown. The Hilltop stayed intact.

Should a new municipality spring up, it would include everything north of the Kennedy Boulevard rail cut (PATH) and it shall be called, yes, Hudson City. Just don't order your Hudson City T-shirts yet.