Police officer settles lawsuit with city
A 2006 lawsuit filed by Police Sgt. Kevin Houghton was settled out of court recently. The suit alleged that Houghton was skipped over for a promotion and retaliated against due to his criticisms of the department.
City attorney Steven Kleinman said as part of the settlement, the city will promote Houghton to the rank of lieutenant and pay him back pay in an amount that has yet to be determined.
Houghton will also be awarded some legal fees and possibly a “small amount” of money for damages.
Kleinman said the majority of the legal fees and damages should be covered by insurance, so the city is only liable for the remainder and the back pay.
The settlement, Kleinman noted, is not an admission of guilt by the city.
Another taxpayer rally
Two local taxpayer groups are hosting a rally outside City Hall this Wednesday at 6:30, half an hour before the City Council meeting at 7 p.m.
Members of Hobokenrevolt.com and LowerHobokenTaxes.com said they have increased their membership by 1,000 people since the last rally late in December.
When asked why another demonstration is necessary, Tina Hahn, a member of LowerHobokenTaxes.com, cited a litany of reasons. “Residents have seen their mortgage payments rise by hundreds of dollars. We have members of the site telling us they can not afford to pay their maintenance fees owed to their building because of the tax hike,” she said. “We recently got word of the $4.2 million potential charge from the state because of mismanagement with early retirements. Homeowners got their third quarter tax bills and are seeing no relief. There is extreme frustration because the council is choosing not to act and we are getting no transparency from the state monitor.”
(For more on these issues, see the cover story.)
A joint press release said the groups are threatening to recall elected officials who do not take action to reduce taxation.
Grant to help Homeless Shelter
A $5 million grant awarded to Hudson County will help fund a permanent housing initiative that the Hoboken Homeless Shelter will benefit from.
Part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant will help fund Start Easy Eagle Development Corp., or SEED. The $1,250,665 will help fund 12 one-and two-bedroom units providing permanent supportive housing for 16 homeless persons.
SEED will partner with the 50-bed Hoboken Shelter and follow up with homeless in need of medical, mental health, or substance abuse assistance.
Concert at Hudson School
On Sunday, March 8, chamber music quartet “3 Chicks and a Cellist” will play a concert at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at The Hudson School Theatre, 601 Park Ave.
The quartet will entertain with music by Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Gershwin,
as well as some popular songs and show tunes. Tickets are $15 general admission or $10 for students and seniors (cash only). Reservations must be made in advance. Please call (201) 239-1890 to reserve seats.
400th anniversary of Henry Hudson
On Sunday, March 1, the Hoboken Historical Museum will host a free reception from 2 to 5 p.m. kicking off their latest exhibition, “Up and Down the River: A History of the Hudson, 1609 – 2009.”
This quadricentennial celebration was made possible through a special project grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, will extend through the end of the year to accommodate a full agenda of talks, events, educational programs, and art celebrating our city’s relationship with the river that shaped its fortunes.
For the exhibition, the Museum commissioned an original mural of the outline of Hoboken’s waterfront along the length of the main wall, painted by local artist Ray Guzman. Items on display, including a scale model of a Hudson River tugboat by John Marinovich and other memorabilia.
The speaker series begins on Sunday, March 15, at 4 p.m. with popular author, speaker, and retired Hoboken teacher Bill Miller, a recognized expert on the history of the great ocean liners.
After Miller is Professor Alan Blumberg, director of the Center for Maritime Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology, on Sunday, April 5, at 4 p.m. In a talk, Dr. Blumberg will regale visitors with the thrilling tale of his group’s assistance in the rescue and salvage of US Air Flight 1549, which landed on the Hudson just north of Hoboken on January 15.
For more information, visit www.hobokenmuseum.org or call (201) 656-2240.