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La_Verdad

Re: Democratic firm: NBC, MSNBC sink to bottom of news organizations the public trusts

#151

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Quote:

nyrgravey9 wrote:
It's a shame no one watches her. To Pebbles point, she can be the most intelligent, well read, educated broadcaster out there, but when she delivers her message like an insufferable douchebag, everyone tunes out. If she toned it down a little, maybe she'd have an audience of more than 10 mouth breathers.

Until then, Maddow will be the best news source operating in a vacuum.

Have to agree with you. When I watch her (which is rare), I'm always left wondering if she's Olberman's sister.

Interesting article by Frank Rich on FOX in this week's New York Mag. The gist is that the (predictable) knee-jerk liberal whine against FOX is the only thing that keeps FOX relevant. O'Reilly as much as says so in the article.

http://nymag.com/news/frank-rich/fox-news-2014-2/

Posted on: 2014/1/31 20:11

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La_Verdad

Re: Bars with fireplaces

#152

Home away from home

Thanks everyone. Great suggestions!

Posted on: 2014/1/23 18:18

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La_Verdad

Bars with fireplaces

#153

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Any recommendations in JC? I can't recall having been anywhere that has one, but I certainly haven't been everywhere. Thanks!

Posted on: 2014/1/23 17:32

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La_Verdad

Re: Chris Christie 'Suspiciously Connected' To Revenge Traffic Jam

#154

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Quote:

Monroe wrote:
Let's be real, folks. Those gleeful over this weren't going to vote for Christie for POTUS before conegate anyway, right?

Whistling past the graveyard. And it's really, really weird how you say "Benghazi" like you have tourettes every time someone says something less than favorable about Christie. You should get that checked out.

This thing isn't over - and it should have been. The press conference was weird - Christie said several times he hadn't slept the past two nights because of this while also saying he "heard about all of this for the first time when he got back from his workout at (exactly) 8:55 yesterday morning." He tried to revive/legitimize the traffic study argument when this should have given him a clear path to walk away from that. The "they lied to me" card that he has played has to be played fully - he's buried the bodies (Wildstein, Baroni, Stepien, Kelly - probably Samson and maybe Drewniak before it's all said and done) now he needs to move on.

Wildstein taking the fifth today lends a lot of oxygen to the fire. First he fought the subpeona and then he takes the fifth - this will be around for a while and today's Christie press conference won't be the last on this issue.

Did anyone else find it weird that Christie was referring to Samson as "General Samson" when answering questions from the press? I've never heard an attorney general (current or, as is the case with Samson, former) referred to as "General" before.

And - last question - who the hell puts this stuff in such explicit terms in email??? Not bright.

Posted on: 2014/1/9 20:28

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La_Verdad

Re: Chris Christie 'Suspiciously Connected' To Revenge Traffic Jam

#155

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Quote:

Bogart wrote:
Intriguing comment.

Quote:

T-Bird wrote:
Quote:

nyrgravey9 wrote:

I just know you never get the top guy. There is always a fall guy.

Exactly right. Wouldn't it be great if just once someone next to the top guy broke ranks and actually gave the real story? Just once? That's not a comment on Christie - just in general.

Ironic, even.

Posted on: 2014/1/8 23:44

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La_Verdad

Re: Snow

#156

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Quote:

Bike_Lane wrote:
Quote:

neverleft wrote:
When did we start naming winter storms?]

We don't. The Weather Channel started it as a publicity stunt to get more clicks on their site. Nobody else (National Weather Service, NOAA, etc.) uses these stupid names.

The Jersey Journal does, too.

Posted on: 2014/1/2 23:05

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La_Verdad

Re: Development will now be rentals, Grove Street buildings will have 99 units

#157

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Quote:

CdeCoincy wrote:

Why should parking be such an important expectation? No one is forced to move here, no one is forced to stay. Plenty of people have left because of the schools, the desire for a less crowded/more affordable living space, etc. How many have left because they can't find free parking for their cars?

That's a really good point. If cars were just being introduced for the first time and for whatever reason the current street grid already existed (a stretch, I know, but stay with me) - who on earth would say "hey, let's give away half of the street for free for the benefit of a small minority of people"? I read a study recently that said those who benefit from free onstreet parking in the metropolitan NY area are, in effect, receiving a subsidy of a bit more than $3,000 per year. (I forget the exact number - it was around $3,100.)

Meanwhile, people who live in newer condos (the PILOT PEOPLE) aren't entitled to street parking and have to either rent or purchase parking while their PILOT payment subsidizes "the regular people."

Posted on: 2013/12/5 14:56

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La_Verdad

Re: Bright St. Redevepment Plan - Ward E Councilperson's Comments and Position

#158

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+1, Brewster.

One of the other points that came up last night, that no one bothers to mention because it blows major holes in the whining, is that this project came before the public four separate times over the past two years - between council meetings and planning board meetings. Why wail and moan about what it is "being done to you" when you had every opportunity to get up off your couch and say something when it would have mattered?

Uncle Steve can't solve all of your problems for you. Sometimes, you have to do it yourself. Or at least carry your share of the load. All of the histrionics last night don't conceal two main points: this is about parking and it is a major case of NIMBY. There is no constitutional right to free street parking.

Also - the Fulop idea to block parking permits highlights a dirty little secret in DTJC. Many thousands of residents downtown are prohibited from getting onstreet parking permits. One of these days, people who have been barred from getting permits are going to wake up and file a class action suit against the city and suddenly there will be thousands of previously prohibited cars competing for onstreet parking.

Posted on: 2013/11/6 2:01

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La_Verdad

Re: 35-year tax break proposed for three-tower Journal Square project

#159

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Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
Scroll down to the third page, you will see 3 separate ordinances with 3 different ordinances number. It is listed from 13.122, 13.23, and 13.24. It says to secures bonds or other obligations... http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/uploa ... _Agenda/Agenda%20Document(17).pdf

That is because each of the phases of the project is securing the one $10 million bond issue. One issue. $10 million. Not three issues. Again - because each financial agreement has to reference the same bond, it's understandable why you would read it as three bond issues, but it is not.

Posted on: 2013/10/28 12:54

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La_Verdad

Re: Harborside Development Receives $33 Million Tax Credit

#160

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Quote:

fat-ass-bike wrote:
... if I improve / redevelop / extend my home can I get a tax abatement too ?

Actually, yes.

Posted on: 2013/10/28 1:06

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La_Verdad

Re: 35-year tax break proposed for three-tower Journal Square project

#161

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Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
The city is using the Redevelopment Agency to bond $30 million and the city council must approve. Which means taxpayers are responsible for the debt. Language from the ordinance "Whereas, the city further wishes to approve the execution and delivery of a pledge and assignment..." The city will say we will pay these bonds back through the abatement taxes. But no one can guarantee any developer will follow through.
I know of instances where taxpayers are on the hook to pay for development plans that went sour.

Yvonne - there are $10 million in bonds, not $30 million. Each of the three proposed towers for the project are subject to the indenture for the $10 million bond, however each of the phases has its own financial agreement. Again, one $10 million bond. Three towers. Three financial agreements. Since each financial agreement makes reference to the $10 million bond, its understandable how someone reading the ordinances could come to the conclusion that there are $30 million in bonds.

The bond is secured by the project, should the developer default. The land alone is worth multiples of the borrowing, let alone any improvements that may be completed at the time of default, should that occur.

KRE is Kushner. But not that Kushner. You are thinking of Charlie Kushner, the McGreevy financial backer. KRE is Murray Kushner. Their business interests are entirely separate.

The financial agreement governing the abatement is a 30-year agreement, not 35. This is consistent with the mayor's abatement policy released by the wall street journal a couple months ago.

Posted on: 2013/10/28 0:56

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La_Verdad

Re: 35-year tax break proposed for three-tower Journal Square project

#162

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Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
Taxpayers will be on the hook for 3 bond ordinances which will total $30 million for Journal Square 1, 11, 111. The ordinances are 13.122, 13.123, 13.124. So in addition to the 35 year abatements, the developer gets a bonus from taxpayers.

How so?

Posted on: 2013/10/26 21:32

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La_Verdad

Re: 35-year tax break proposed for three-tower Journal Square project

#163

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And no one is receiving 35 years in JSQ, either. It's 30. They aren't condos, they are rental. The developer is actually the same developer who built Grove Pointe - hasn't flipped out of that. This is a ten-year buildout. No one is going anywhere.

None of the projects you refer to as "in Journal Square" are, in fact "on the square". Nothing has been built on the square in 30 years. Even with a 30-year abatement of their own five years ago, the project on the Harwood site never got going. It is clear that the area needs help. Or do you prefer the current state of decline to continue "unabated"?

Posted on: 2013/10/23 1:58

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La_Verdad

Re: Storefronts on Newark Ave

#164

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You don't even need to go into the ground with trees, Tommy. Warren street, in Tribeca, has a few blocks with decent sized trees in concrete planters. They also plant a variety of flowers and other plants in them at the base of the trees. The planters (quite large - probably 4' x 4') are so full and attractive that they don't seem to end up becoming trash cans, the way a lot of these things do. The key is to actively maintain the planters.

Posted on: 2013/10/15 17:28

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La_Verdad

Re: Jersey City Columbus Day Parade steps off Saturday afternoon(10/12)

#165

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Honest question: The CC day parade is essentially an italian event, right? If so - what's up with the TWO different bagpipe groups? I am unaware (but could just be ignorant to the culture) of any significant link between bagpipes and Italy. Does everything around here have to have pipers piping?

Posted on: 2013/10/12 21:10

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La_Verdad

Re: Jayson Berg: Ted Cruz?

#166

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That's insane. It's like saying the reason we have illness because there are hospitals. People need to show some restraint. There are certain folks who just can't help themselves and feel the need to get up and opine at every opportunity, regardless of whether or not they understand the issue they are addressing. The audience and the council tune them out after a while because they become nuisances.

What needs to change is that the clerk and council president need to keep speakers on topic, enforce the time limit and end the new practice of "question time". There is an abundance of information that is published on the city's website prior to the meetings - if someone has an informed opinion on an issue and wishes to express it, by all means - that's what public hearings are for. But to go up and ask an endless series of questions for which the answers are available in advance via the website is a waste of everyone's time.

I swear, if for some reason they stopped having council meetings for six months, there would be a few people who might not make it. It seems as though council meetings are the only place they can go to have their voice heard at least once every two weeks. Sad.

Posted on: 2013/10/12 14:36

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La_Verdad

Re: Political Perks for Political Appointees

#167

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You claim to be a citizen with no political ax to grind but yet you know the make of the cell phones people in the administration are using? Right.

Since you aren't going away - at least tell the story about your name. Wikipedia says John Dewey was "an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform" and that he in 1952. What does that have to do with you? You fancy yourself a reformer?

Quote:

john1952 wrote:
I been hearing they have been buy i-phones. Nothing but the best for the prince and his court. Stop frivolous spending. They make do with what ever does the job.

Posted on: 2013/9/17 3:59

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La_Verdad

Re: Council person Osborne presents Pedestrian plan

#168

Home away from home

Quote:

vindication15 wrote:

You should drive on columbus at 8-9AM and you'll see dozens froggy across columbus on a green light - everyday.

You just hit on a big issue - and a reason (among many) why the opinions of drivers need to come a distant third (behind pedestrians and cyclists.) If I stood anywhere along Columbus between 8 and 9 am and picked cars at random, how many would be Ward E, Jersey City residents? Probably about 1.8%. How many would be Jersey City residents at all? 10% maybe?

This plan - similar to plans adopted in cities throughout the country - is a recognition that times have changed and urban streets can't be the sole province of cars. Whereas in the past, cities would build residential buildings with 1:1 apartment to parking space requirements, now dense urban environments are allowing ratios below 0.5:1 in many cases. Car ownership in urban areas has declined over the past decade. Total miles driven in the U.S. have declined since 2007 by almost 10%.

No one is saying people shouldn't own cars. No one is saying people shouldn't be able to drive their cars. What is being said is that for far too long, the prioritization of moving cars along through city streets as quickly as possible has trumped all else. That practice has come at the great expense of lives and safety, noise, air pollution and blight.

More pedestrians were killed by cars in 2009 in NYC than people who were killed by guns. No drivers were killed by pedestrians. If you have the time, spend an hour on the Transportation Alternatives website - it not only discusses various traffic calming and pedestrian and bicycle safety topics in detail, you can see the results of the efforts NYC has made over the past decade.

To my liking, this plan doesn't go nearly far enough, but I recognize that it's a start. We need strict enforcement of speed limits, not lip service or electronic signs that flash your speed like a high score on a video game. I would have liked to have seen bike lanes, the mere presence of which have been proven to calm traffic, incorporated into the first phase. There are probably at least a half dozen spots downtown that would greatly benefit from a blocklong pedestrian plaza. Rush hour bans on left turns at the major intersections along Columbus and Grand would greatly eliminate, if not reduce entirely, the incentive for Holland Tunnel bound traffic to get off the turnpike.

But.... for the first time, someone is willing to make this issue a priority and do the lifting and for that, I am grateful.

Posted on: 2013/9/10 11:17

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La_Verdad

Re: Council person Osborne presents Pedestrian plan

#169

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Quote:

john1952 wrote:
Do this and do that. Did Jersey City strike oil or discover a gold mine. Go out and cut spending first and get grants.

Otherwise, we cannot afford this. This council forgets that we cannot handle anymore tax increases. Period. I thought they knew that during the last election. I thought they said they could cut spending. Has the Healy budget become the new normal?

In the past seven years, four people have been killed in traffic-related incidents within six blocks of my home (two pedestrians, one bicyclist and a passenger in a car.) How can we afford not to do this?

Posted on: 2013/9/10 3:23

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La_Verdad

Re: Community Policing/Broken Windows/QoL Enforcement

#170

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Quote:

Asif wrote:

I am familiar with this theory and I think it's worth implementing. But community policing which sort of goes hand in hand with this in recent years has come to be questioned....especially in law enforcement. Many cops will tell you it's just for PR. Focusing on the enforcement of the laws and rules on the books should be the priority.

I have been riding the HBLR almost every day since starting my part-time job....a month and a half now. In that time, I have not been asked to show proof of purchase once. Neither by HBLR enforcement or any law enforcement agency(NJ Transit, JCPD, BPD etc..).

Some would say so what?????

1. We are losing money, which then we have to pay in taxes and higher fare increases.

2. Many times, especially if the fare evaders are in groups they tend to act out, cause lots disturbance and now and then fights have broken out. Especially at and around Newport station.

If Fulop and Company would step up enforcement and crackdown.........on the hundreds if not more fare evaders I see every day....then I would vote for his re-election. Heck, I would even volunteer for his campaign........and I would be happy to put this promise on paper.

The city does not have jurisdiction over the light rail.

Posted on: 2013/7/25 11:41

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La_Verdad

Re: Water pressure Downtown (again)?

#171

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If you live in a highrise, you also had no air conditioning during the low pressure period. 98 degree days are not the time to be arbitrarily flushing the hydrants, United Water.

Posted on: 2013/7/18 2:35

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La_Verdad

Re: New Public Safety Director

#172

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Quote:

SixthBoro wrote:
Fulop wants every department head to live in the city, and then hires someone from outside the city to be public safety director? Seems a little contradictory.

Why don't you wait to see if it's true before making judgments?

Posted on: 2013/7/18 2:27

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La_Verdad

Re: A no-show at a council meeting

#173

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Quote:

Yvonne wrote:
... I believe Candice's job is to be ready to be a councilperson in order to make intelligent decisions. I should also mention Esther Wintner, a non-Fulop candidate also attended the meeting.

And showing up to hear the pearls of wisdom imparted by Peter (burp) Brennan, Bill (wake up!) Gaughan and Viola (walking the fine line between permanent disability from a public job and full time employment at a public job) Richardson is going to help Candice "make intelligent decisions"? Or is it that she wasn't there to hear another of your great discourses?

Candice will do just fine. She will end up being a leader on the incoming council and if you think she is going to take orders from anyone, then you clearly don't know Candice. Think what you will for now, but you will see very quickly that she is more than ready for the job and will hit the ground running day one. (and you can't legitimately rebut that, Yvonne because from the very beginning you have said you don't really know Candice.)

Posted on: 2013/5/30 20:21

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La_Verdad

Re: Moran: Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy likes a good fight

#174

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Strange - when I look at the Picture , I don't see any girls. Hispanic or otherwise.

Posted on: 2013/5/5 17:33

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La_Verdad

Re: No more taxpayer funding for the Loew's, Jersey City mayor says

#175

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Quote:

JerseyCityFrankie wrote:
Funding for the arts is important and I hate to see another example of a cultural place getting left out in the cold. What other cultural projects are receiving city money, and which of them are anywhere near the oft overlooked Journal Square?
The management at loews has proven it can deliver cultural resources to the community, they have been doing it since their feet hit the ground back when they saved the building from destruction many years ago. What other cultural resources in the city have such a proven track record?

The Loews group did a fantastic job at restoring the theater. They are terrible at programming. The group should be commended for their work and real a real programming team should be brought in to take it from here. Instead, the current group has been allowed to hold the theater hostage and the city (its owner) does nothing to change it. There should be live events in there at least twice a week. Movies should not be the focus - especially 90-year old movies that draw a couple dozen people. One weekend a year could be devoted to vintage movies, but why has that been allowed to become the dominant theme to the programming there? It's as though it is the private clubhouse of a couple people, essentially rent-free.

Posted on: 2013/4/5 19:00

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La_Verdad

Re: Goya is awarded $80M tax credit in attempt to entice company to move to Jersey City

#176

Home away from home

You have a decent argument when you say the abatements don't pay for the schools, but you go off the road when you throw the county into it. Why give any money to the county? We should either get rid of county government altogether or consolidate six or seven of the towns in the county (East Newark, Guttenberg, Weehawken, Secaucus and Harrison for starters). It's insane that we have to support a county infrastructure that exists to benefit places like Secaucus to begin with.

Anywhere else in the country, Hudson County would be one city. As a city, Hudson County would be the 21st biggest by population (just ahead of Boston) but only 165th in terms of area, with just 62 square miles.

Posted on: 2013/3/17 3:21

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La_Verdad

Re: Car crashes into T-Mobile store near Journal Square

#177

Home away from home

Even the driving cat is amazed! Now that's some driving.

Posted on: 2013/3/14 22:37

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La_Verdad

Re: Political Mail becomes Metaphor for campaign

#178

Home away from home

I got a nasty piece of campaign literature in the mail today, attacking Fulop for Diane Coleman's comments about conviction rates among the residents of Ward F. Did the mayor already run out of positive things to say? It's only the middle of March!

Posted on: 2013/3/14 22:25

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La_Verdad

Re: Dan is still Dan

#179

Home away from home

Quote:

OneJC wrote:
http://onejerseycity.com/?page_id=1675

About Dan Levin

A resident of Jersey City for two decades, Dan Levin has spent the past 15 years working to improve Ward E as a community organizer, good government advocate, visionary leader, and parent. Whether he has been leading community groups, supporting the arts or being active in education, Dan has proven his commitment to Jersey City?s downtown residents.

Dan has been a member of the Harsimus Cove Neighborhood Association since 1999, serving as treasurer, president and on the board of directors. Under his leadership as president, the Harsimus Cove Association spearheaded the design of the hugely successful and heavily used multi-functional plaza at the Grove Street Path Station. As founder of Civic JC, a non-partisan good government advocacy organization, that led the efforts have the city council adopt the Contractor and Redevelopment Pay to Play Reform ordinances.

Dan also co-founded Bike JC and is a founding board member of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. These two community groups have been instrumental in the adoption of a bike lane network, the implementation of Jersey City?s Shade Tree ordinance and the creation of the Annual Preservation Awards.

Levin?s two children attend Jersey City?s public district schools and Levin has been committed to improving education for Jersey City?s children. He has recruited and walked alongside the most successful school board members.

As your Ward E councilman, Dan will continue to improve the lives of Jersey City residents as he has done for the last two decades.

This looks like the two page printout I got in the mail this week from you. What was up with that? Not very green of you to be printing out newspaper/internet articles and mailing them all over the place - and without anything new added to them. Why waste all that paper to just print out online articles and send them?

Posted on: 2013/3/10 1:47

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La_Verdad

Re: Energy scammer in the nabe

#180

Home away from home

Posted on: 2013/2/28 3:59

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