The new City Council proved Wednesday that it may be prone to the same debates and 5-4 splits as past councils. After the inaugurations of a new mayor and three new council people, the body got right down to business.
In what may have been a shot across the new mayor’s bow, the council voted to introduce a controversial ordinance. It will allow the City Council to appoint the members of the Zoning Board, taking back a right wrestled away from the council by Mayor Anthony Russo during the 1990s.
Zimmer’s five-member majority voted for the first reading of the measure, which now must go to a public hearing and final vote at a future meeting.
The introduction came even after 6th Ward Councilman Nino Giacchi requested that the ordinance go through a committee first. In addition, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason asked to separate out a technical part of the ordinance about redevelopment. And 3rd Ward Councilman Michael Russo, the son of former Mayor Anthony Russo, disagreed with the idea to give zoning appointment powers back to the council. He said taking the authority away from new Mayor Peter Cammarano would be a slap in the face.
However, the ordinance was introduced as planned by Zimmer, Cunningham, Bhalla, Marsh, and Mello.
Public notice on the web
Also at the meeting, Mason wanted to amend a resolution regarding ways to notify the public of city meetings. By state law, all public meetings must be advertised in at least two paid newspapers.
But Mason wanted to designate several additional news outlets as the advertisers for public notices. They included the Hudson Reporter’s new up-to-the-minute news site (www.hudsonreporter.com). Mason also wanted to include Hoboken Now and Hoboken411.
After some resistance from the council, she crafted a second resolution designating the three online outlets as public notice advertisers for the city. She said they are the three most read sites in the city.
“More and more of residents are using the internet to get their information, Mason said.
Several council members and members of the crowd disagreed with allowing a site like 411, which is run by one man rather than a newspaper, to be a formal advertiser for the city. The site has long been criticized for being pro-Mason and running articles against Mason’s election opponents. In fact, during the recent election, it ran a long article on the daughter that Cammarano had with his high school girlfriend, accusing Cammarano of child support issues. In addition, the site has run several negative pieces on Zimmer’s allies, but has never run similar pieces on Mason or her allies.
Carol Marsh said the city should “stick to reputable news sources” that are “transparent and balanced.”
She said she was willing to approve the Hoboken Reporter site and Hoboken Now, and also add the city website to the list. She said she would not approve 411.
The controversial site was criticized by members of the public at the meeting as well. They made claims of mild profanity, non-transparent operations, and residents being banned from commenting or viewing the site. They said that for these reasons, it should not be an official venue for city notices.
The site was criticized many times in the last few months for allegedly banning residents who posted items against Mason, and Hoboken Now published an article about those complaints.
After an apparent mix-up with proceedings, Mason’s resolution was never voted on, and Zimmer motioned to table the measure. Her majority – Cunningham, Marsh, Mello, and Bhalla – sided with her for another 5-4 decision.
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This is only an abridged version of the story on the meeting appearing in the print version of the Hoboken Reporter. To see the full story, click HERE!