Mayor and council candidate forum
Hoboken voters will have the opportunity to pose questions and hear directly from the candidates running for the position of mayor and three City Council At-Large seats in the May 12 election. Two moderated forums will be sponsored by the People for Open Government, the Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition, and Our Lady of Grace/St. Joseph Parish.
The first forum will feature candidates for the three at-large City Council seats on Tuesday, April 14, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the school at Our Lady of Grace, corner of Willow Avenue at Fifth Street.
The second forum will provide a platform for those vying for the position of mayor. It will take place on Tuesday, April 28, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., also in the school auditorium at Our Lady of Grace.
Both events will be moderated by veteran TV reporter, anchorman, and documentary filmmaker Bob Bowdon.
City applies for parks funding
On March 24, the Hoboken Southwest Parks Coalition, on behalf of the city, submitted an application to the Hudson County Division of Planning requesting $3 million in funds for land acquisition for a park in the southwest. The local parks group was invited back on April 6 to give a presentation on the SW6 (six-acre park in the southwest) application they submitted. The county will announce financial awards within the next few months.
Bachelor and bachelorette auction
Relay For Life of Hoboken will be auctioning off the area’s most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes on Wednesday, April 15 at Texas Arizona, directly across from the PATH station. The event begins at 8 p.m and bidding starts at 9 p.m.
If you are an eligible bachelor or bachelorette, please e-mail rflhoboken@gmail.com in order to receive an application for submission and review. There will also be Relay representatives at Club H in Jersey City on Monday, April 6 and Wednesday, April 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tickets are $5 before the event and $8 at the door. All proceeds go towards the American Cancer Society’s Relay For more information on the Relay For Life of Hoboken and the Event Planning Committee, please visit our website: www.relayforlife.org/hobokennj or send an email to rflhoboken@gmail.com .
Zimmer releases NJT Redevelopment plan
Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer released the proposed $1 billion Hoboken and Terminal Yard Redevelopment Plan last week so that interested and concerned citizens could have access to the proposal before any decisions are made by the city. Zimmer said, “The public should see the details before the plan is adopted, not after it is a done deal.”
The document for the proposed plan, prepared by the project planner FXFOWLE, is now available at www.zimmerforchange.com. The proposal includes 3,200 new condo units including residential buildings as high as 45 stories, and a 70 story commercial tower.
Free ice cream
On Tuesday, April 21 from noon until 8 p.m., Ben & Jerry’s at 405 Washington St. is offering a free ice cream cone in exchange for a donation in the amount of your choice to benefit the children at The Jubilee Center of Hoboken. The center is an afterschool and summer safe haven for children in Hoboken’s public housing neighborhood; a neighborhood with a history of gang activity, violent crime, and drug-related arrests. The center provides quality after-school programming for over seventy students from K through 6th grade from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the school year and from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer.
Tax break on new car purchase
The Internal Revenue Service announced last week that taxpayers who purchase a new passenger vehicle this year may be entitled to a deduction on the purchase on their 2009 tax returns. The deduction is limited to state and local taxes and excise taxes paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase. Taxpayers are eligible for the deduction based on gross income. For more information, please visit www.irs.gov.