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By Jon Whiten ? Apr 21st, 2009
Jersey City Independent

While one precinct has yet to report, and absentee and provisional ballots still have to be counted tomorrow, it looks like school board president William DeRosa was reelected, and he will be joined by two newcomers ? Sean Connors and Patricia Sebron. Incumbent and former mayor Anthony Cucci fell just short of winning reelection. All three winners were backed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

Jersey City voters also have voted for the local tax levy that funds the school district ? at this point the vote is at 59.8 to 40.2 percent.

Turnout was low for a city of nearly 250,000 residents but higher than in the previous school board election. A total of 14,349 votes for school board candidates have been tabulated so far, already 3,804 more than last year. However, only 2,738 votes have been cast on the tax levy question at this point.

Check back for an update in the morning.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... in-school-board-election/

Journal publisher announces 'step forward' in keeping paper open
Posted by mschmidt April 13, 2009 16:10PM

The Jersey Journal and its community weeklies have met revenue projections for the first quarter, Publisher Kendrick Ross announced to the staff today, adding that the paper will be completing work over the next week to bring expenses in line with revenues, and, once that is accomplished, he expects to continue publishing.

"We know the road ahead is challenging and uncertain, but we are pleased to announce this step forward," Ross explained.

"We appreciate the cooperation of our union and non-union staff, and we are grateful to our readers, advertisers and the business community for continuing to support us during this period."

The Evening Journal Association announced to its employees on Feb. 2 that the company would cease publication of The Jersey Journal and a string of weekly newspapers in Hudson County on or about April 13 if the paper was unable to meet revenue goals and reduce expenses.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... blisher_announces_st.html

This just in:

Jersey Journal Avoids Shutdown

By Jon Whiten ? Apr 13th, 2009

The Jersey Journal, which publisher Kendrick Ross had said would close today if a deal on cost-cutting measures wasn?t reached, will continue publishing, according to a statement published by Editor & Publisher.

?The Jersey Journal and its community weeklies have met revenue projections for the first quarter, publisher Kendrick Ross announced to the staff today, adding that the paper will be completing work over the next week to bring expenses in line with revenues, and, once that is accomplished, he expects to continue publishing,? the statement says.

?We know the road ahead is challenging and uncertain, but we are pleased to announce this step forward,? Ross says in the statement. ?We appreciate the cooperation of our union and non-union staff, and we are grateful to our readers, advertisers and the business community for continuing to support us during this period.?

While one staffer reached today said the decision was a ?huge relief,? it is unclear right now whether the buyouts and other changes that the company wanted to implement in the editorial department have happened. Newspaper Guild Local 42 president Ron Leir was unavailable for comment as of this writing.

We?ll keep you posted as we learn more.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... -journal-avoids-shutdown/

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Best to let it be -- they were unable to catch it. I hope that it can find its way to Liberty State Park.

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See:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2 ... ndidates-i_ws_185608.html

More on the turkey from The Jersey City Independent:
http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... street-with-its-presence/

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Check out the text in red below:

Board of Education Fails to Adopt a Budget
By Jon Whiten ? Apr 3rd, 2009

Facing a state-imposed deadline of April 3, the Jersey City Board of Education (BOE) met last night to adopt its $629.8 million 2009-2010 budget. With five votes needed, the board ultimately fell short and did not pass the budget. In the end, there were four votes in favor, one against (Anthony Cucci) and two board members (Gerald McCann and Frances Thompson) abstained. An additional two board members were absent, with McCann noting that Terry Dehere had been ?sent away? to a conference by the BOE, regrettably, on the same day as the budget meeting. Board member Ed Cheatam was also absent.

The meeting got off to an auspicious start, almost on time. Deputy superintendent Frances X. Dooley, standing in for superintendent Charles Epps, presented the proposed budget, noting that the Jersey City tax levy would be increased to $93 million, up from $86 million last year.

Kathleen Curran, who spoke on behalf of Mayor Healy, said that the city would fight for more state funding, and that the mayor contacted Gov. Corzine immediately after the numbers detailing the amount of state aid to the district were released.

Thompson questioned the state?s calculation of the tax levy, calling it arbitrary. Mack asked if the budget could be passed under protest, and the board?s lawyer replied that the budget can be approved with objections, but the board must pass a budget. McCann then wondered just how much independence the school board has if it is forced to pass a budget and has no control over the tax levy.

After the meeting, McCann explained that the responsibility to approve a budget would now be passed along to the Corzine administration. Noting that it is an election year, he predicted that the state will be forced to adopt the budget as requested.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... -fails-to-adopt-a-budget/

Newspapers last bastion against political corruption, says creator of The Wire
Reported by Oliver Burkeman in Baltimore
guardian.co.uk,
Friday 27 March 2009 13.58 GMT

In exclusive interview with the Guardian, writer David Simon expresses fears for newspapers' future and accuses media owners of contempt

Fictional corrupt politicians are a mainstay of The Wire, David Simon's celebrated television series about life on the Baltimore streets. But the show's creator says he fears a real-life explosion of rampant corruption in American political life if the newspaper industry, in which he worked for more than a decade, is allowed to collapse.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the award-winning writer and producer launches a tirade against newspaper owners who, he says, showed "contempt for their product" and are now reaping the whirlwind. But he rejects the idea that newspapers should seek ways to embrace the new world of free information, arguing that they must urgently start charging money for content distributed online.

"Oh, to be a state or local official in America over the next 10 to 15 years, before somebody figures out the business model," says Simon, a former crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun. "To gambol freely across the wastelands of an American city, as a local politician! It's got to be one of the great dreams in the history of American corruption."

The only hope, Simon insists, is for major news outlets to find a way to collaboratively impose charges for reading online, and to demand fees from aggregators such as Google News, which profit from their journalism. "If you don't have a product that you're charging for, you don't have a product," he says. "If you think that free is going to produce something that's as much of a cost centre as good journalism ? because it costs money to do good journalism ? you're out of your mind."

The number of readers willing to pay a small fee each month might never rival the heyday of newspaper circulation, but it would attract enough "people who care what's going on in the world" to fund crucial reporting, he maintains. "And once they do that, and go to Google and Yahoo and every other search engine and say: 'No, ain't no free.'" He scoffs at the notion that amateur "citizen journalism", or new online-only outlets, might take the place of newspaper reporters: "The internet does froth and commentary very well, but you don't meet many internet reporters down at the courthouse."

Critics of the paid model for online news argue that it has been tried and rejected ? notably at the New York Times, which abandoned its TimesSelect service in 2007 ? and that those instances in which it has proved successful, including the Wall Street Journal, are exceptional cases.

They say media outlets must find ways to embrace and profit from the exposure offered by aggregators such as Google News, and that walling off their material will hasten their irrelevance. Anti-trust laws also present severe legal obstacles to collaboration between news organisations.

Jeff Jarvis, a new media consultant who writes a column for the Guardian, said: "The traditionalists are trying to transplant elements of the old business model into a new business reality ... when you put your content behind a wall, you lose more than you gain. You lose a lot of readers and the advertising revenue associated with them, you lose the ability to be discovered by new readers, you lose out to free competitors, of whom there'll be an unlimited supply, and you lose influence, because you're taken out of the conversation."

Having completed five seasons of The Wire and Generation Kill, a mini-series about the Iraq war, Simon is currently shooting a pilot for Treme, his proposed new series about musicians in post-Katrina New Orleans. It will feature at least two veterans of his earlier work: Clarke Peters, who played Lester Freamon in The Wire, and Wendell Pierce, who played Bunk Moreland. If commissioned by HBO, Simon promises, Treme will remain true to the philosophy he pungently encapsulates in the phrase "Fuck the average viewer". His shows, he explains, reject the conventional TV wisdom that everything must be explained upfront, instead demanding intense concentration from viewers, who must grapple with an unfamiliar world.

Rather than writing for a general audience, he says: "I want to write for the guy living the event."

On Monday, BBC2 will start giving The Wire its first airing on British terrestrial television, screening all five seasons in a late-night slot five nights a week.

* guardian.co.uk ? Guardian News and Media Limited 2009

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/ ... vid-simon-wire-newspapers

Healy passes on invite to Loew's mayoral debate
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Political Insider by Augie Torres

Sorry folks, but Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy has decided to skip the mayoral debate on April Fool's Day at the Loew's Jersey Theater at 1 p.m. No kidding!

Team Healy sent a fax to debate host Pat O'Melia in which it is noted that the mayor intends to participate "in a large number of debates." The key sentence is as follows: "However, the Mayor will give first priority to attending debates that are sponsored by respected, fair and unbiased organizations and that reach a broad audience."

It was "signed" by Bud Demellier, campaign manager for Healy. By the time stamp, I'm sure Bud was on his coffee break at his county post when he sent the fax, unless he took a leave of absence for the campaign.

Fellow Journal columnist Earl Morgan - who along with yours truly and Ricardo Kaulessar of a Hudson weekly will moderate the debate - said he is convinced that Healy means me. Hey, I'm no Simon Cowell. We're not asking the mayor to sing.

O'Melia responded to Demellier noting that the event will be cablecast in the future by Comcast and covered by two newspapers which should solve his concern of reaching the widest audience possible. He also notes that the debate will follow guidelines used in previous debates at the Loew's in 2004 and 2005, when Healy participated.

He wrote: "If there's a change of heart (that's if he has the heart), we'll save a place at the dais with his name on it."

Good, because I have questions for that empty chair.

'I GOT A FRIEND IN YOU'

Meanwhile, Insider sources said "Healy the Democrat," as he is being promoted in the municipal nonpartisan election campaign, will be aided by "Michael the Republican," as in Mayor Bloomberg of New York City. In the middle of next month, Bloomberg is expected to host a private fundraising event for the Jersey City mayor in the Big Apple honcho's Manhattan home.

The two mayors have appeared together with other office holders in efforts to promote anti-gun legislation. Expect a great deal of promotion to come out of the Healy camp for this event. It is the type of news that gives Downtown resident voters goosebumps. If they vote for Healy, they may actually think they are casting a ballot in a New York City borough and helping out Bloomberg.

It is expected that the event will attract enough Bloomberg deep-pocket pals to raise about six-figures. This is money sorely needed considering the hundreds of thousands of dollars Healy the Democrat has already spent in this campaign.

What is the real cost of the fund-raiser? Bloomberg doesn't need money. What he needs is influence and loyalty.

Would the price for Healy come when decisions need to be made involving the PATH, including rate hikes, Port Authority appointments and development involving New York companies interested in moving to the Gold Coast?

It appears Bloomberg may have more than just a friend in Healy and City Hall.

ECHO: 'DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?'

Former Hudson County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy filed a show cause order yesterday in state Superior Court in Jersey City against City Clerk Robert Byrne and Healy, in a bid to knock the mayor off the ballot.

The Sheriff argues that the mayor's 2007 conviction for resisting arrest and interfering with police officers in Bradley Beach should make him ineligible to submit petitions of candidacy adding that the election process would be harmed should Healy win.

The drawing for ballot position for the city election was scheduled for Monday but now it might be an optimistic date.

Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis has called Cassidy's legal maneuvering baseless adding that the courts have already ruled on the matter.

What a Monmouth County Superior Court judge ruled was that former Assemblyman Louis Manzo, who brought the original action, has no standing in the case. Cassidy is convinced that as a candidate in the election, he does have standing - as in a leg. The ex-sheriff is also on the Manzo slate.

What the Healy Camp does not want is for any testimony to be heard. This whole thing has to be nipped right at the start.

THE NEW WARD B 'INCUMBENT'

Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello is named to take over the Parking Authority directorship on Wednesday. What a surprise - not.

Ever since Spinello voted for the AMB cube warehouse, a Healy pet project, her days as an elected official were numbered. She voted contrary to the wishes of her constituents who do not want a business that attracts more trucks to their neighborhood. Was the Parking Authority a reward for taking a bullet for the mayor?

At least removing the councilwoman from her Jersey City Incinerator Authority job and putting her in a new $98,000 a year post also solves the sticky dilemma of mutual dislike between Spinello and JCIA CEO Oren K. Dabney.

Now say hello to the new Ward B City Council member, Philip J. Kenny, right-hand man of Freeholder Bill O'Dea. Healy's Ward B candidate, Kenny is expected to be appointed to the post by the City Council soon enough to refer to him in the May election as the incumbent.

Besides Kenny, other ward candidates are attorney Paul Catsandonis, running on the ticket headed by Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith, Arthur "Artie" Williams, who is on the slate topped by former Assemblyman Louis Manzo, and independents Douglas Salters and Mike Manzo - no relationship.

It was Catsandonis who, while visiting The Jersey Journal, sarcastically described Kenny as a good "event planner."

One political wag said the next event Kenny is planning is his inauguration.

PERILS OF POL'S PLUNGING POLLS

Earlier this month, this column suggested that state Democrats are edging toward a possibility of replacing Gov. Jon Corzine as his poll numbers continued to dip like a Wall Street investment chart.

While legislative sources say state Senate President Richard Codey, D-Essex, is expected to get a challenge from Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, it is Codey who is at the top of a short list by Dems to replace Corzine, should it be necessary.

The dominoes could continue to fall. State sources say they expect Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, D-Camden, to call it a day next year and his replacement will be an interesting exercise.

Despite being considered by some as a lightweight out of the 13th District, if Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Ewing, doesn't get the nod by the Democrats to run for lieutenant governor, she is then probably a lock for speaker.

The Lt. Gov. spot will more than likely go to a minority candidate. Another 13th District possibility is Assemblywoman Shirley Turner of Trenton. There are other potential second banana candidates, even a dark horse possibility, Rep. Ruben Ramos of the 33rd District and Hoboken.

I'm sure every part of Jersey will have their own inside short list.

Yes, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires was once on a Corzine short-list of five, about a month or so ago. I thought I'd wait until Sires was one of the final three candidates because I can't see him giving up the congressional seat just yet to return to do what he once did as Assembly Speaker - such as playing golf. Only kidding Albio.

?2009 Jersey Journal
? 2009 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 23822160032220.xml&coll=3

Sorry to hear about that Sully! If you post the model number, color, etc of the Volvo those of us with Ebay accounts will be able to search completed ebay transactions to see if such a car was actually auctioned off, which I doubt.

Better Business Bureau complaint + small claims court (if you can prove that you lost money/ incurred fees - I doubt pain and suffering and time lost is enough) = revenge.

There may be state agencies that you may also be able to file a complaint with.

Good luck!

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And about ten days before the parade a department director was involved in a DWI on the way home from a political fundraiser. This is troubling.

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I prefer to have the entire article posted - with unmodified headline.

BTW, this isn't the first time and won't be the last that a sitting Mayor or other politician leverages their authority to indirectly divert taxpayer money to benefit their re-election campaign. But just because everyone else is doing it (or worse) doesn't make it right.

Editorial
Mayor's team rides above law
Thursday, March 19, 2009

Jersey City's St. Patrick's Day Parade is a cherished city tradition and the march held Sunday was well attended.

It means many parade-watchers got to see the controversial Jersey City Incinerator Authority (JCIA) flatbed truck hauling members of Mayor Jerramiah Healy's re-election ticket and backers. The truck was nearly covered with "Team Healy" banners that urged parade watchers to vote for the mayor and his candidates.

At least one city councilman issued a public statement about his outrage that city property was used by the Healy campaign organization, but then the statement was revised when he was informed that use of the JCIA truck had been common practice in the past. Healy's campaign even came up with a receipt proving the JCIA had been paid for use of the vehicle.

Councilman Steven Fulop argues that this "policy" should end and no public vehicles should be used by political candidates.

What policy? The explanations are full of half-truths justifying an illegal act.

While a mayor and other elected officials can use municipal vehicles in a parade or other events, they cannot use municipal vehicles to openly promote their election. There must be a clear separation between the office and the campaign.

St. Patrick's Parade officials told city candidates that they could not march with a political banner because those are supposedly banned under parade bylaws. Is this true? At this point, does it matter? How can the parade deny others use of political banners in the future after what was allowed on Sunday?

Also, if the JCIA does provide trucks for anyone who wants a vehicle for parades, where is the price list for the public? Who pays for insurance? Certainly no private insurer will provide a bond for a vehicle that is not used for its intended purpose.

As for the Healy campaign having a receipt, the betting here is that renting such a truck from a private firm would cost two, three or four times as much. This makes the difference an "in kind contribution" by the city to the mayor's campaign.

It appears it was taxpayers who were taken for a ride on Sunday.

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$178.64 seems like a pretty good deal to rent a heavy truck.
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The entire article:

Mayor Healy's opponents say Jersey City property shouldn't be used for campaigning
by Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal
Wednesday March 18, 2009, 9:29 PM
A Jerramiah Healy mayoral campaign banner featuring a pint of Guinness hanging on a Jersey City Incinerator Authority truck at Sunday's St. Patrick's Day parade.

It was big and green and unmistakably owned by Jersey City.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy's re-election campaign is getting slammed by opponents for using a Jersey City Incinerator Authority platform truck -- adorned with a "Team Healy" banner -- during Sunday's St. Patrick's Day Parade.

"It would be no different from the mayor taking money from city treasury and donating it into his political campaign," said former state Assemblyman Lou Manzo, one of the candidates gunning for Healy's seat in May. "Because he knows people in high places, he gets away with it."

Manzo insisted that state law prohibits the use of any municipal vehicle for a political campaign, saying that unless it is rented at a commercial rate it is effectively an "in-kind contribution."

But JCIA chief Oren K. Dabney said his agency has been renting out the truck to "encourage cultural events" for years.

The autonomous authority has made trucks and sweepers available for festivals and parades for more than a decade on a first-come, first-serve basis to any organization that requests it, he said.

Once the trucks are rented it's up to the organizers to decide how they want to decorate them, he said.

Sunday's green-cabbed flatbed was rented to "Friends of Phil Kenny" for $178.64, he said. Phil Kenny is running on Healy's ticket in Ward B.

If the practice is legal, it needs to be discontinued -- immediately, said Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop.

"There is a big difference between cultural events and a political campaign," said Fulop, who is running for re-election in Ward E. "It (the truck) is owned by the taxpayers and not by an individual. It does not send the right message."
A campaign mailing from Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy featuring a city police patch.
Fulop also took Healy's campaign to task for using the Jersey City Police Department's insignia and images of cops on campaign literature.

"The Jersey City Police Department logo should not be used for a political campaign," Fulop said. "Government property should not be used for propaganda or for politics."

Bud Demellier, Healy's campaign manager, responded that the use of the badge and photos of police officers shows the mayor's commitment to public safety.

"There is nothing wrongful, inappropriate or illegal about the use of police insignia in campaign literature," he said in a statement.

Green plastic Healy beer pails - such a treasure
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
By Agustin Torres

A s the Jersey City municipal election approaches, it is obvious that it's good to be king, or in this case, mayor.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy is flexing his office's muscles to enlist the government Orcs as campaign workers and using taxpayers' resources to gain an edge he already has with a large organization and funding.

As an example of the mindset, let's look at this past Sunday and the local St. Patrick's Day Parade.

It was wonderful weather and about double the attendance of the previous year. It isn't Grafton Street, but the Boulevard was as lively as any Dublin gathering place. Instead of street performers, there were politicians glad-handing everyone and this day Guinness and not Bewely's Tea was the beverage of choice. Everyone seemed to have a good time and politicos marched along the route - well some of Healy's Team didn't have to walk.

Some were carried by a Jersey City Incinerator Authority platform truck that was covered by Team Healy banners and a "Councilwoman Willie Flood, 2009 honorary Irishwoman of the Year" standard hanging from the front bumper. With all that campaign money, it shouldn't have been too expensive for Healy to rent a truck rather than have taxpayers foot the bill.

While others were handing out plastic hats and Irish and American flags, the Bradyless Healy bunch was handing out green plastic pails with the words "Re-elect Jerramiah Healy'09" on them. These containers were not for beach sand, but, in tavern tradition, for beer.

Yet, antics like these are what get mayors elected in Jersey City. The old city electorate seems to feel a kinship with Healy, who is more Eugene O'Neal's Ted Hickman in "The Iceman Cometh" than James Joyce's Gabriel Conroy of "The Dead." For many, it is about embracing a dichotomy of a friendly personality and despair - until the tax bill is delivered.

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 37357516272100.xml&coll=3

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It's a shame when an elected official dishonors their elected office. If Grovepath can stop gloating for a moment he might recall that Vas was running against an HCDO candidate, and the HCDO has a history of betraying the public trust. Remember Robert Janiszewski? He served as county executive for 13 1/2 years and pretty much headed up the HCDO during that period. What Vas has allegedly stolen is chicken feed compared to what current power brokers in the HCDO can steal through the patronage system, nepotism and bloated pensions. And it's all perfectly legal. Keep that in mind when you pay your next city and county tax bills.

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March 25, 2005
Former Hudson County Leader Gets 41 Months in Corruption Case
By RONALD SMOTHERS

NEWARK, March 24 - Robert C. Janiszewski, the former Hudson County Democratic leader who wielded great influence in state and national politics and wore a wire in corruption investigations, was sentenced to 41 months in prison after a judge rejected defense and prosecution requests for leniency.

In handing down the maximum sentence, the judge made it clear that Mr. Janiszewski's admission that he evaded taxes and took more than $100,000 in bribes had not been mitigated enough by his cooperation with investigators. Nor did it matter that, as the county executive for 131/2 years, he had ruled Hudson County in the 1980's and 1990's.

Judge Joel A. Pisano of Federal District Court called Mr. Janiszewski's crimes "tawdry," "unbelievable in their breadth and duration" and destructive of the public trust.

"To say that the citizens of New Jersey have become the laughingstock because of widespread corruption in politics is an understatement," he said. "I conclude that the mitigating factors in this case are swept away by the seriousness of the matter."

Mr. Janiszewski pleaded guilty in 2002 to a scheme that involved more than $20,000 in bribes from Dr. Oscar Sandoval, who had contracts to provide psychiatric services to the county jail and mental hospital. Mr. Janiszewski acknowledged receiving about $100,000, some from vendors who have not been identified.

But he also helped prosecutors in recording incriminating conversations with his best friends and associates, contributing to the convictions of six other people.

The United States attorney had recommended leniency, meaning a sentence less than the 33 to 41 months suggested in the law.

But the judge, in a swipe at prosecutors, said he could not go along.

"We must recognize the arrangement made by the prosecution," he noted, "but I have decided to exercise my discretion and deny the application for leniency. I conclude based on the need to vindicate the public interest and the need once and for all to deter future similar actions that the mitigating factors are swept away and that there is only one reasonable sentence in this case."

The judge also imposed a $40,000 fine.

In an unusual twist, the judge cited Mr. Janiszewski's own testimony in 2003 in the trial of Nidia Davila-Colon, a former county freeholder whom Mr. Janiszewski helped convict. During the trial, a defense lawyer drew out details of the former Democratic leader's own corrupt behavior, which went beyond what he had admitted in his plea agreement.

William F. Maderer, Mr. Janiszewski's lawyer, said he was shocked by the judge's ruling and comments. But Candace McCoy, a professor at Rutgers University Law School who specializes in sentencing issues, said Judge Pisano was firmly within the new discretion given to sentencing judges under two recent United States Supreme Court decisions.

"The norm was for judges to go along with" recommendations for leniency, she said, since the "substantial cooperation agreement" in such cases was such a powerful aid to investigators. And usually, she said, a judge only sees the facts and crimes in the plea agreement between the defense and prosecution.

"But the interesting wrinkle here is for the judge to rely on the facts from that other trial that were not what the prosecution and defense agreed upon," she said. "This is a check on the plea bargaining in that often a prosecutor enters into a deal that is too favorable, but he is stuck with it. The judge isn't stuck with it, though."

Christopher J. Christie, the United States attorney for New Jersey, said that Mr. Janiszewski had provided "enormous cooperation" that helped secure guilty pleas or convictions of the six other Hudson County officials and contractors. But he said neither the sentence nor the ruling surprised him, adding that it could have been worse for Mr. Janiszewski: had he not cooperated, he could have been sentenced to 87 months in prison.

"Sentencing is always a balancing act between the prosecutors who are the executive branch, and the judicial branch," Mr. Christie said. "So it won't change the way we do things in our office."

Alan Zegas, a prominent defense attorney, also said that he did not see the judge's decision affecting other cooperation agreements.

"It does not signal a new culture," he said. "It might mean some slight hesitancy in future agreement talks, but over time I think you will see more lenient sentences from judges rather than harsher ones."

Mr. Janiszewski, 59, appearing gaunt, nodded occasionally during the hearing. A former social studies teacher who served in the State Legislature and rose to become one of the state's top three Democrats, he told the court he was sorry for the disgrace and embarrassment he caused and accepted full responsibility. He must surrender in six weeks to serve time in a federal prison that was not yet identified.

Hudson County, for its part, has moved on, and few there want to talk about Mr. Janiszewski's fate. One former aide to Mr. Janiszewski who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that in many ways the case had devolved from a political tragedy into a personal one. Another official who requested anonymity said one of Mr. Janiszewski's greatest accomplishments was unifying the county's 12 mayors, reluctant transportation officials and a divided state congressional delegation on the idea of the Hudson-Bergen light-rail system.

"He got the deal done and improved the image of the county and property values in Hoboken and Bayonne," the official said. "That should have been his legacy."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/nyregion/25hudson.html?_r=1

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Just posted by the Jersey City Independent!

Fight Over Embankment Demolition Continues at Commission Meeting

At the special meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission held last night, attorneys for developer Steve Hyman and Conrail argued their case for demolishing the 6th Street Embankment in order to proceed with the construction of townhouses, while scores of supporters turned out to oppose demolition and support making the abandoned rail relic a park. It was ?probably our best attended commission meeting ever,? Historic Preservation Officer Dan Wrieden quipped.

Conrail sold the embankment site to Hyman for $3 million in 2005, and currently negotiations are continuing between Hyman, the city and the Embankment Preservation Coalition over the fate of the 100-plus-year-old structure. In August 2007, the federal Surface Transportation Board determined that Conrail never properly abandoned the site; city lawyers contend that might mean Hyman doesn?t legally own the property, and that they have to be given the option to buy it. That fight is currently tied up in the courts.

However, that was all beyond the purview of last night?s meeting, which had a very narrow focus: Do Conrail and Hyman have the legal right to demolish the embankment? After denying the developer a hearing on the same matter in December 2007, a Hudson County judge ordered the commission to hear Conrail and Hyman?s applications to demolish and issue a ruling by April 20 of this year.

In her opening remarks, attorney Michelle Donato, who represents the developer, couched the fight in Constitutional terms, saying that property rights trump a rationale for preservation that is ?weak at best.?

She said that the local activists fighting the demolition and development of the embankment were acting out of fear, and, noting that many of the members of the volunteer commission are preservation advocates, Donato reminded them that their ?advocacy must be tempered? by their obligation to apply the law ?fairly to its terms.?

Still, Donato acknowledged to the commission that her client was facing an uphill battle.

?Our crystal ball tells us there?s not likely to be an approval,? she said.

The developer and Conrail presented three witnesses who argued for the right to demolish the structure, and Embankment Preservation Coalition coordinator Maureen Crowley corralled 15 speakers, including herself, to rebut the claims that the embankment was ripe for demolition.

As the witnesses spoke, their images were projected on the City Council chambers? big screen, where they were often surrounded by white ?Save the Embankment for a Park? signs being held up by supporters in the crowd. (Later in the meeting, Hyman himself playfully got into the act, holding up a sign on screen ? upside down.)

Arguments from both sides revolved around the city?s ordinance governing demolition of ?an individual landmark building, structure, site or object or any structure contained within a historic district.?

Among the considerations when hearing a request for demolition are the site?s ?historic, architectural and aesthetic significance,? if ?its removal would be detrimental to the public interest,? and ?the extent to which it is of such old, unusual or uncommon design, craftsmanship, texture or material that it could not be reproduced or could be reproduced only with great difficulty.?

Witnesses for the developer and Conrail argued that the embankment?s architectural characteristics are ?not unique,? pointing to similar structures in New Brunswick, Newark and New York City. The embankment ?is by no means unusual or uncommon,? Burgis Associates planner Steve Lydon said in testifying for the developer.

That argument was countered later by several supporters of the coalition, including Harsimus Cove Neighborhood Association president Eric Fleming. He spoke of visiting Europe and admiring architecture that could likely be found in many old European cities, saying their ?ordinariness? did not make them any less significant.

?It?s our piece of history,? he said of the embankment. ?Let us keep what we have.?

Another major thrust of the argument to demolish was that the embankment?s association with the city?s industrial past is ?grossly overstated.? This association was one of the reasons the structure was placed on the state Register of Historic Places in 1999. The witnesses for the developer said that the embankment wasn?t significant to the city?s industrial past, since there were more than a dozen rail lines coming through the city and terminating at the Hudson River, and Donato made an ill-fitting analogy. If the embankment could be considered a remnant of our industrial past, she wondered, why not the oil tank farms that line the New Jersey Turnpike?

As more than one local resident pointed out during testimony, though, the remnants of most of the rail lines serving Jersey City are gone. The embankment remains the only highly visible reminder of the time when freight came through the Downtown neighborhood to the banks of the Hudson.

The developer and Conrail also argued that those who?ve advocated for using the embankment for rail purposes are ?fooling themselves.? Mayor Healy has stated his wish to build a light rail line along the structure while preserving some of it for open space. But last night, Donato said this was impossible. ?[The embankment] cannot be used for rail purposes,? she said.

?We disagree. The embankment absolutely could support the light rail and we?ve had discussions with NJ Transit about that,? Mayor Healy tells JCI. ?The embankment should be preserved to support a greenway and the light rail through the Bergen Arches to the Lautenberg train station [in Secaucus], which would take thousands of cars off of the Jersey City streets.?

In her closing statement, Donato warned that the activists vying to preserve the park were giving ?the principles of preservation a black eye? by simply blocking development for little reason. But most of the testimony given by the coalition?s supporters went beyond mere NIMBY-ism and reflected a shared experience around a community landmark.

The requests for permission to demolish ?should be denied on their face,? Crowley said. ?[The embankment] is a landmark in its own right.?

* There will be another hearing on these applications later this month or early next month. The next hearing on these applications was originally scheduled for March 23, but conflicting schedules are forcing the commission to set a new date. It will occur either later this month or in early April.

* Since the commission limited the number of public speakers due to time constraints, interested citizens are invited to email Historic Preservation Officer Dan Wrieden with any comments they may have. Email danw (at) jcnj.org with ?Embankment Comments? as the subject line.


http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... es-at-commission-meeting/

Does anyone know the current price for internet only service (no CATV or phone) from Comcast - or the lowest they'll offer it for?

Quote:

Ms. Purcell was driving drunk and you call Augie Torres a low life? I hope that they throw the book at her and that she gets help with her alcohol problem. Why do these folks that apparently have close ties to City Hall want the JJ to go away? When the cats away the mice will play!

Quote:

It's not a city funded project. The NJ Turnpike Authority is paying for the ramp. The Land Rights were seized 20+ years ago. Fulop is making people aware of what's going on, and eliciting input from the public.

Political Insider: Healy fundraiser was filled with drama, but was there enough cash?
by The Jersey Journal
Saturday, March 07, 2009

A t first glance, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's Feb. 24 fundraising event at Casino in the Park did not seem like much to write about, but was I wrong.

In the last column I hinted at some classic Hudson activity at the fund-raiser. I apologize for the cryptic nature of the item. Let's explain a bit more about what I meant when "one woman hit the floor" when the name of Hudson County Republican Chairman Jose Arango's name was mentioned.

Arango's estranged wife showed up at the function and got into a very loud altercation with three women, city employees. It seems the missus was openly accusing either the trio or one-third of the group of having concupiscent meetings with Jose. The loud histrionics drew the attention of most everyone in the catering hall. One of the three surprised women hit the floor after allegedly (proper word usage in case there is a lawsuit) being shoved during this Jerry Springer moment.

To avoid being called a Lothario, Arango said he stayed away from the Healy affair. "I thought she might show up there," he said of the Casino incident. In fact, the GOP chairman has been absent from ribbon cuttings and other public events for the past four months, about when the couple separated.

Yeah, I know. It is strange for a Republican showing up in support of a Democratic mayor - but it is a nonpartisan election. Still, the mayor's campaign literature labels him "Healy the Democrat." Everyone running for mayor is a Democrat. Last time he ran, it was important for Healy to constantly associate himself with Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The intent is obvious.

IT IS SAID, CANDY IS DANDY .

Soon after Healy's fund-raiser was ending, Alice T. Purcell, director of Jersey City pensions, was arrested, finger-printed and photographed and then issued a summons for driving while intoxicated, according to police.

At about 11:10 that evening, police were sent Downtown to the 300 block of Sixth Street in response to a motor vehicle accident. They found that a Chevy Impala driven by Purcell had struck two parked cars.

When the officers asked for her license, registration and insurance, they noticed that her speech was slurred, eyes were glassy and breath smelled of alcohol. It is not known if they ever saw her documents because her age is listed as "approximately 47."

In an attempt to administer a sobriety field test, police described the city director as unable to stand without leaning on the vehicle and failed to walk a straight line without assistance. While Purcell refused a blood test, a blood sample was taken at the Jersey City Medical Center to evaluate her condition. The results are not known. After she received treatment, police tried and failed three times to get a breath test reading.

City Hall officials said the car she was driving did not belong to the municipality. Would there be any discipline?

"After the legal issues are resolved with the arrest, the city will review this matter," said Jennifer Morrill, a city spokeswoman.

There seems to be a familiar local governmental theme to all this. The headlines seem to be full of public servants afflicted by "a simple voluntary madness."

MONEY OFTEN COSTS TOO MUCH

Another observation about the Healy fund-raiser is simply this: There were not enough funds collected to make anyone on the mayor's re-election camp happy.

The big difference between the incumbent and his closest rival, former Assemblyman Louis Manzo, is that the mayor is spending like an open water faucet.

Those constant Cable TV ads about how Healy's administration is providing big change and lowering crime must be costing about $70,000 a week. At that rate, you could estimate that somewhere between $600,00 and $700,000 of a $1 million-plus war chest has already been spent.

This is why the Casino in the Park event was very important. Healy sources say they hoped for a $500,000 evening. The need was so great that administration honchos and honchettes put the big squeeze on city workers to buy tickets and the effort was resented by people who are worried about the economic crisis and their finances.

In the end, expectations fell short. Sources say the kitty was somewhere between $135,00 and $150,000. It is a nice piece of change, but not enough for what is becoming an expensive campaign.

Yet, while Healy is spending like Obama, Manzo has yet to break out of the Jack Benny mold. OK, about $45,000 was initially spent to open six clubs, one in each ward.

Some say that the challenger is cash challenged and ready to fold. Others say that even his campaign advisor, New York-based Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, has abandoned him because Manzo has not paid his bills.

Manzo's camp said the ex-assemblyman is still a Sheinkopf client. As for expenditures, they say polls are still being done. They add that Healy's spending patterns show panic. "Who does mailers this early in a campaign?" said one spokesman for Manzo, referring to a recent "Change you can see" bulk (about $35,000) mailing by the mayor.

Still, no doubt Manzo and company would prefer the money situation was reversed.

SOME INSIDER NOTES

- I asked column readers if they knew who turned 50 last month and was the youngest person elected to the Jersey City City Council? C'mon, you knew it was Hudson County Freeholder Bill O'Dea.

O'Dea won his seat in 1985 and was sworn in at age 26 and 4 months. Former Mayor Gerry McCann became a councilman at age 27 and 3 months. Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop comes in third youngest, but I'd have to guess his age was 27 and 10 months. How'd I do, Steven?

- Councilman Bill Gaughan was at his fundraising event Thursday evening, a few days after getting banged up after a fall at home. Certainly he was buoyed by the presence of school board candidate Sean Connors, who bought a pair of tickets. Which reminds me - how come Healy is not using the McCann-is-with-Manzo defense this year?

- A most curious development in this race is not so much that Manzo selected the Rev. Ron-Calvin Clark to run on his ticket as the Ward F candidate who will challenge Councilwoman Viola Richardson. And, it is not that Clark had once run for the same post on a Healy ticket, only to lose to Richardson. It is that sources say Clark's campaign manager is Robert Mays, chief of staff to state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, who is expected to endorse Richardson. Close to election day, there is strong indications that the senator will give Healy some kudos.

http://www.nj.com/columns/jjournal/in ... 23641078471200.xml&coll=3

?2009 Jersey Journal

Check out:
http://www.jerseycityindependent.com
http://www.nj.com/hudson
http://www.jerseycityreporter.com

SPECIAL MEETING of the Jersey City Historic Preservation Commission on MONDAY, 2nd March 2009
HEARING CANCELED
DUE TO SNOW

The meeting has been rescheduled for
Monday, March 9th at 6:30pm

Quote:

Can you provide evidence that Fulop stepped down from the "anti-Healy podium" ? How do you explain Fulop's recent criticism of Armando Roman, who has very close ties to the administration? Jeesh, and when Fulop directly attacks Healy he's accused of grandstanding.

You can believe whatever you want, but please back up your accusations, which I believe are not accurate.

As far as Manzo goes, I came to the conclusion back when Cunningham was mayor that Lou was too erratic (unstable?) to be our next mayor. Fulop made the right decision to run as an independent. and I'm disappointed that Carrol is running on the Manzo slate.

I'd like to know when and under what circumstances John the animal control officer was hired.

CITY OF JERSEY CITY
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SPECIAL MEETING
PUBLIC NOTICE

Please be advised that the following items will be heard at a SPECIAL MEETING of the Jersey City Historic Preservation Commission on MONDAY, 2nd March 2009 at 6:30 pm in the ANNA CUCCI MEMORIAL COUNCIL CHAMBERS Jersey City City Hall - 280 Grove Street Jersey City, NJ.
1. Call to Order
Sunshine Announcement
3. Roll Call
4. Special Business:
A. Case: H07-167
Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 247 Manila Avenue, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation
Address: 441-7 Manila Avenue
Block/Lot: 247/50.A
Zone: Sixth Street Embankment, Grove Street NDP Redevelopment Plan Area

For: Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.
B. Case: H07-168
Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 212 Marin Boulevard, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation
Address: 437 Marin Boulevard

Block/Lot: 212/M

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment, Luis Munoz Marin Redevelopment Plan Area

For: Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

C. Case: H07-169

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 354 Cole Street, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 99-105 Coles Street

Block/Lot: 354/50.A

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

D. Case: H07-170

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 280 Erie Street, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 618.5 Jersey Avenue

Block/Lot: 280/B.1

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.
E. Case: H07-171

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 317 Jersey Avenue, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 621-27 Jersey Avenue

Block/Lot: 317/50.A

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

G. Case: H07-172

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 389 Monmouth Street, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 449-53 Monmouth Street

Block/Lot: 389.1/50

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

Historic Preservation Commission Special Meeting Agenda

2 March 2009

Page 2_____________________________________________________________________

H. Case: H07-197

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 247 Manila Avenue, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 441-7 Manila Avenue

Block/Lot: 247/50.A

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment, Grove Street NDP Redevelopment Plan Area

For: Certificate of Economic Hardship for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

I. Case: H07-198

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 212 Marin Boulevard, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 437 Marin Boulevard

Block/Lot: 212/M

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment, Luis Munoz Marin Redevelopment Plan Area

For: Certificate of Economic Hardship for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

J. Case: H07-199

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 354 Coles Street, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 99-105 Coles Street

Block/Lot: 354/50.A

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Economic Hardship for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

K. Case: H07-200

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 280 Erie Street, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 618.5 Jersey Avenue

Block/Lot: 280/B.1

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Economic Hardship for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

L. Case: H07-201

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 317 Jersey Avenue, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 621-27 Jersey Avenue

Block/Lot: 317/50.A

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Economic Hardship for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

M. Case: H07-202

Applicant: Michelle Donato, Esq. for 389 Monmouth Street, LLC owner and Consolidated Rail Corporation

Address: 449-53 Monmouth Street

Block/Lot: 389.1/50

Zone: Sixth Street Embankment

For: Certificate of Economic Hardship for the demolition of the municipal landmark structure of the Sixth Street Embankment / Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment.

Consideration and possible action regarding retention of financial and legal experts regarding 212 Marin Boulevard et al.

Executive Session as needed, to discuss litigation, personnel or other matters

Adjournment

Richard Winant, Ph.D. Chairman

IMO an excellent article - well written, accurate and comprehensive, by the Jersey City Independent - the new online "newspaper" in town:

By Jon Whiten ? Feb 27th, 2009

Wednesday?s City Council meeting was a doozy: Clocking in at 4 hours 5 minutes, the meeting was almost an hour longer than the last two combined.

But I suppose that?s to be expected when you have a proposal to change the very nature of a roughly 244-acre swath of land ? and indeed the entire city ? on the table.

That?s right ? most of Wednesday?s meeting was devoted to the Journal Square Redevelopment Plan, a long-term visioning project pushed by Mayor Healy to revitalize the area.

All nine council members were present at the meeting ? at least at the beginning ? to discuss not only Journal Square, but also tax abatements, public housing and other issues.

The aforementioned redevelopment plan, prepared by planning firm A. Nelessen Associates (a planning firm) and Dean Marchetto Architects in coordination with the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA), is a dense 254-page document that the JCRA has had posted on its website for several months. (Read the plan for yourself at the JCRA website.) Some citizens came clutching it in their hands, others recited quotes from various passages. One thing was clear, though ? many of the 21 residents who spoke about the plan on Wednesday had done their homework.

But before the citizens got their chances to speak, there was a mini-circus for city clerk Robert Byrne to contend with. A TV reporter from My 9 News was on hand, interviewing folks in the crowd; myriad small groups were conversing amidst the crowd of 80 or so people in attendance; and Byrne was trying to call the meeting to order.

He finally did, and after eight ordinances were introduced by a 9-0 vote (more on those later), the conversation quickly moved to the Journal Square redevelopment ordinance (Ordinance 09-012, for those of you keeping score).

?We?re here tonight to hear your concerns,? Council President Mariano Vega said. He explained the process: The public hearing would be open at this meeting, people could speak, and then it would be closed. From there, the council would have further discussion and could approve the ordinance without additional comment at a later meeting.

Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop wondered why the public comment portion would close at this meeting, as did Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan. City business administrator Brian O?Reilly said the public hearing process would happen again if changes to the plan were ?substantial in nature.?

At-Large Councilman Peter Brennan assured the crowd that the process would remain open to their concerns. ?We will listen to them again,? he said.

The parade of public speakers gave plenty for Brennan and his colleagues to listen to. Twenty-one citizens aired their concerns about the plan for a total of an hour and 20 minutes. The recurring themes: fear of eminent domain, too much density, a perceived lack of citizen input and a strain on of infrastructure and city services.

Most speakers commended the idea of the plan, while taking issue with the plan?s specifics or how it was carried out.

?It?s about time someone started to think about the inner city,? Rich Boggiano, the president of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association, said in reference to the city?s focus on development in downtown areas over the past 20 years. But he was angry that residents were not included in the process, and said many of his neighbors were too. ?There?s a lot of people ticked off in Journal Square, in the Heights.?

Referencing the planned towers that anchor the redevelopment plan, Boggiano was blunt.

?Give it up,? he said. ?We do not want it.?

But others stressed the need to build towers. ?We can no longer expand horizontally,? former planning board commissioner Jeff Kaplowitz said, adding that building vertically is the only option in the future, and that the best place to build up ? instead of out ? was on top of transit hubs.

?The plan is not perfect, but to do nothing is far worse,? Kaplowitz said, echoing president Obama?s recent comments on the federal stimulus package.

However, most did not seem convinced of that statement?s veracity.

?We?re worried about our communities being destroyed,? area resident Sebastian Bernheim said. He said Journal Square should be developed, but that any development should be respectful of what already exists there.

The Riverview Neighborhood Association?s Becky Hoffman, meanwhile, said the plan included ?untenable? increases in density and questioned the financial instruments being used in the plan.

The District Improvement Bonus Fund (DIB) is one such instrument. It allows developers to build beyond the density levels laid out in the plan if they pay into the Journal Square District Improvement Fund.

Hoffman argued that the DIB seemed like ?a bargain? for developers and bad planning, in that it allows developers to break the planning guidelines ? if they pay.

She also wondered about the makeup of the District Improvement Fund Advisory Board, which will advise the JCRA on how to administer the moneys collected from the DIB. Under the plan, only two of the seven members of the board would be members of the public, and they would be mayoral appointees. She urged that the board include more citizens and perhaps members of local neighborhood groups.

The other financial instrument that Hoffman questioned was the Revenue Allocation District (RAD), which doesn?t yet actually apply to the plan, but will if pending state legislation is approved.

A RAD, known in other parts of the country as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), ?allows for dedication of certain revenues? within a district to pay off debt issued ?in connection with the redevelopment? of that district, according to a presentation by law firm McManimon & Scotland to the JCRA.

While the JCRA says that RADs and TIFS ?are an excellent tool? for redevelopment financing, they don?t come without controversy. Critics say that TIFs are often used to fund what under normal circumstances are private improvements to properties. They also argue that any public revenues generated in these areas (property taxes and parking taxes, for example) are funneled back to the redevelopment area, not to the entire city ? even if those revenues are unrelated to the redevelopment but just happen to fall in the plan area. (For a five-year exploration of the havoc wrought by TIFs on a city, check out Ben Joravsky?s work at the Chicago Reader.)

Nothing gets a crowd of homeowners out to a public meeting like the fear of losing their homes via eminent domain, and indeed, a good number of the speakers on Wednesday worried about the city?s use of eminent domain in this project.

No need to worry, the city says. Since the area is classified as an area in need of rehabilitation, not an area in need of redevelopment, the city has no legal right to use eminent domain under the plan?s auspices.

?I don?t want anyone to go home thinking that the government is going to take your house,? city planning director Robert Cotter said. ?The power is not there. The will isn?t there either.?

The only legal way for the city to take any land via eminent domain ? whether it is in this redevelopment plan area or any other area of the city ? would be if it was taking it for a public good, such as a school or a road widening.

And, yes, there are calls for roads to be widened in the redevelopment plan.

However, JCRA executive director Robert Antonicello explained that any road widening, such as the one called for on Tonnelle Avenue, would not involve eminent domain. He pointed to how difficult and prolonged a legal fight any attempt to take all the houses along that road would be for the city.

Brennan added that, either way, the administration was against eminent domain.

?Mayor Healy doesn?t believe in taking houses,? he said.

Overall, the council expressed support for the plan while thanking citizens for coming out voice their concerns.

Getting a little sentimental, Brennan said he was going to miss some of the current council members come July and called it the best council the city?s had in some time. ?We always sit back, and we always listen to what people have to say,? he said.

Fulop said the process had been ?educational? for him and said it showed a real ?appetite for progress? in Journal Square. ?The best ideas come from the people,? he said, not necessarily from the council or from city employees.

Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson, though, remained fairly apprehensive about the plan, saying ?there are loads of questions that have to be answered.? She pledged that the council was ?committed to working this out.?

Ultimately, Vega said that the project was ?the essence of new urbanism,? and that while it was ?easy to vote to table? the plan, he?d like to ?put this on the fast track.?

With that, the council voted 8-0 to table the legislation. (Gaughan had left the meeting by the time of the vote.)

Public Housing Problems

For the second time in the past few months, the state of the city?s public housing complexes came under fire during the public comment portion of the City Council meeting.

Housing advocate Telissa Dowling, holding up a copy of this Wednesday?s Jersey Journal with a cover story on the holdouts at the A. Harry Moore towers on Duncan Avenue, said the situation described in that story ? 23 families living in public housing without on-site security and a building manager ? didn?t have to happen. She said she?d been warning the council about the management of the properties by Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) executive director Maria Maio for some time.

?It?s not Ms. Maio?s fault,? Brennan said of the tenants remaining at A. Harry Moore. But Dowling called for Maio to come to a council meeting and defend her policies, which made business administrator Brian O?Reilly?s ears perk up.

?I?m not dragging directors [of agencies] down here to be cross-examined,? he said, noting that any concerns with Maio or the Housing Authority could be dealt with by forming a council committee or direct talks.

Dowling also lamented the vacancy rate in JCHA properties.

?There?s no reason for us to have a six percent vacancy rate,? she said.

Ethel Jones, who lives in the Booker T. Washington homes near the former Jersey City Medical Center site, said that the maintenance staff at that 260-unit complex had been reduced to two employees. She claimed that might have led to them failing a federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inspection.

?We are in desperate need of help,? Jones said. ?The board [of the JCHA] is not working for us.?

The Fire Department?s $46,000 Cell Phone Bill

Among Wednesday?s resolutions, which didn?t get voted on until around 10:15 pm, only one raised any discussion amongst the council. It was the approval of a $46,000 payment to Sprint/Nextel for providing BlackBerries to the JC Fire Department (JCFD) and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) between February 2006 and January 2009 without a contract.

Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello quickly voted against the resolution, as did Fulop. Richardson said there were questions that needed to be answered, for one, ?Why do they need those phones??

Vega said he?d spoken to JCFD fire director Armando Roman, who?d assured him that the number of cell phones given to personnel had been reduced and that the bill from Sprint/Nextel was indeed accurate. Vega turned to 9/11 to explain away the problem, saying that after the attacks, everything was ?push, push, push.?

Not everyone was convinced by Vega?s reasoning, however.

?No one from the [fire] department had the decency to come and explain this,? Richardson said. Fulop suggested that Roman come to a Council Caucus meeting and explain what happened.

Ultimately, despite her reservations, Richardson joined the rest of her colleagues in voting for the resolution, passing it by a 6-2 vote.

First Reads

Eight ordinances were introduced by a 9-0 vote on Wednesday. You can read them here.

* Ordinance 09-020 transfers city-owned property at 509 Martin Luther King Drive to the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, as it falls in the Martin Luther King Drive Redevelopment Area.

* Ordinance 09-021 applies the ?parking prohibited at all times? designation to the west side of Warren Street between Stueben Street and Columbus Drive.

* At the behest of the Golden Door Charter School, Ordinance 09-022 will close 9th Street between Manila Avenue and Marin Boulevard between 7:15-8:15 am and 3-4 pm on school days. Fulop said that the Fire Department, which is headquartered only two blocks away, had concerns about access relating to this ordinance, but that he thought it should be introduced and then the details could be hammered out.

* Another street-naming ordinance is on the table. Ordinance 09-023 would also name the intersection of Montrose Avenue and Lake Street near Pershing Field ?Huels? Way,? after neighborhood activists and brothers Anthony and Herbert Huels.

* Like to play a sport on a ?table surrounding by a ledge or cushion with or without pockets in which billiards balls are propelled by a stick or cue?? Like to play that sport in the morning? Well, if Ordinance 09-024 goes through, you?re out of luck. The ordinance amends the chapter of the city code that governs ?pool rooms.? No longer will pool rooms be allowed to operate between 6 am-12 pm on every day but Sunday (the law previously allowed pool only from 12 pm-2 am on Sunday). Now on Sunday-Thursday, pool rooms will be allowed to operate from 12 pm-2 am; on Saturdays, the city is giving you pool sharks an extra hour ? pool rooms will be allowed to operate from 12 pm-3 am.

* Ordinances 09-025 and 09-026 take measures to legalize two traffic signals that are already in place ? one at Marin Boulevard and Morgan Street and the other at Montgomery Street and Merseles Street/Center Street (under the Turnpike extension). The ordinances are apparently necessary to obtain final approval from the state Department of Transportation for the signals.

* Ordinance 09-027 creates a dedicated handicapped parking space in front of 193 Congress St.

Second Reads

After the Journal Square Plan, the remaining seven second-read ordinances were all approved unanimously. You can read them here.

* Under state law, the council is required to approve by ordinance a year-on-year increase of more than 2.5 percent in the municipal budget. If it does, the city is limited to a maximum increase of 3.5 percent. That?s where Ordinance 09-011A comes in. It allows the city to exceed that 2.5 percent limit if need be.

* Ordinance 09-106 would extend the city?s lease of a portion of 361 Montgomery St. with building owner Essex Plaza Management. The city pays Essex $1/year and provides senior services at the address.

* Under Ordinances 09-014 and 09-015, the city would transfer a vacant lot it owns on Bishop Street and a parcel of land it owns at 167-169 Monticello Ave. to the JCRA. The Bishop Street lot is in the Morris Canal Redevelopment Area and the Monticello property is in the Monticello Avenue Redevelopment Area, both of which the JCRA is in charge of developing. You may remember the Monticello Avenue address ? it is going to be the site of the seven new affordable condos we reported on two weeks ago.

* Ordinance 09-017 would create a ?no parking? zone on one side of Nelson Street north of JFK Boulevard during school days from 7:30 am-4 pm. The ordinance comes after a request by the principal of Saint Anne?s School, who says that cars are double and triple parked in the area where parents and buses drop off and pick up students, which ?makes for a very hazardous situation.?

* Ordinances 09-018 and 09-189 would approve two separate 30-year tax abatements to Whiton Street Associates for a project at the intersection of Monticello and Fairmount Avenues. The project calls for 120 housing units, a parking garage, and 17,256 square feet of retail space. Ninety-six of the housing units will be market rate, and 24 will be reserved for moderate income tenants. There are two abatements because one covers the residential portion of the development, and the other covers the commercial portion.

Whiton will pay the city an estimated total of $281,870 in lieu of taxes on the property, and the project will generate an estimated 20 construction jobs and 12 new permanent jobs.

City Council gadfly Yvonne Balcer questioned the council on the wisdom of this abatement, saying ?30 years is a lot of money.? But the council quickly rebuffed Balcer?s criticisms.

?The area really needs this infusion right now,? Richardson noted. The development falls in her ward. ?It?s the first development in god knows how many years.? Brennan, Spinello, Vega and Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano all agreed and spoke in favor of the abatements.

Odds and Ends

* As public testimony continued on the Journal Square Redevelopment Plan and the clock crept closer to 8 pm, I began to wonder: When was the clerk?s transcriber going to scream out in agony with debilitating hand cramps? She never did, but she did have to change her reporting tape twice during the meeting.

* The city approved the purchase of $385,000 worth of new equipment through the state?s Homeland Security Grant Program. What does that amount buy a city these days, you ask? A $210,000 WMD and Hazardous Materials Quick Response Vehicle and 20 re-breather machines, which are ?self contained breathing apparatus? primarily used for search and rescue operations in tunnels.

* What else did the city agree to buy on Wednesday? $464,668.70 worth of automobile tires, $65,266 worth of chair and table rentals for Cultural Affairs events, $32,522.00 worth of beds and mattresses for the Fire Department, and a $26,606.00 2009 Ford F350 for the Fire Department, among other items.

* The Jersey City branch of Ready Willing and Able, a homeless shelter and work program aimed at former prisoners recovering from substance abuse, is closing today, in what is a great loss to the fabric of our city. The street-cleaning duties that Ready Willing and Able provided will be taken over at least temporarily by the Jersey City Incinerator Authority, city business administrator Brian O?Reilly said.

* Lastly, what would a City Council meeting be without at least one asinine idea that has no basis in reality? The award this week goes to Yvonne Balcer, who, on her fifth turn at the lectern, said she had the solution to the city?s crime problem: Force all businesses to close at 9 pm. Apparently, Balcer believes that all crime is a result of people having the ability to buy stuff. We can only assume that she brought this idea before the City Council with good faith and honestly believes that if this were put in place, everyone would return to their homes at the stroke of 9 each evening, not to exit until the morning dawn.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... redevelopment-takes-over/

This happened in Ward E, near the Beacon as Caps mentioned:
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Pack of teen boys surround man in Jersey City, beat him with brick and shoot him in neck
by Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
Wednesday February 25, 2009, 12:34 PM

A group of teenage boys viciously assaulted a man near a Jersey City housing complex last night, leaving him in critical condition after beating with in the head with a brick and shooting him in the neck, cops told The Jersey Journal today.

According to reports, at 8:06 p.m., two police officers were flagged down on Mill Road and directed to Cornelison Avenue and Florence Street where they found the man -- who has yet to be identified -- lying on his back with blood covering his face and flowing from his neck.

Medical personnel later determined that the wound to the victim's neck was from a bullet that had lodged in the back of his skull.

He's listed in critical but stable condition at the Jersey City Medical Center today, officials said.

A witness told police that a group of boys ages 15 to 17, all wearing dark clothing, surrounded the man and began striking him in the head with a brick they found lying nearby, reports said.

"Once the group of males felt they had struck the victim enough," they ran away heading toward the Montgomery Gardens public housing complex, reports said.

Officers at the scene tried to help the victim who was choking on blood from his wounds and he began to have convulsions in the ambulance on the way to the Medical Center where doctors were able to stabilize him, reports said.

No identification was found on the victim and police have not yet been able to determine his identity, reports said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Jersey City Police Department tipline at (201) 547-JAIL.

On Saturday, a group of juveniles attacked an employee at the Hudson Cinemas at the Hudson Mall. The employee was rescued by moviegoers but the thugs got away.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ys_surround_man.html#more