HOBOKEN — Attendees of tonight’s City Council meeting should gear up for a lengthy, passionate gathering, as many hotly contested issues and ordinances are sure to spark some heated debate.
Three big issues are:
1. The council is scheduled to formally introduce amendments to the city’s 1973 rent control law. Specifically, three changes are included in the amended ordinance. For a previous article about rent control from the last council meeting on Feb. 2, click HERE.
2. The council will also introduce two ordinances to amend campaign donation legislation. One proposed ordinance includes a controversial anti-“wheeling” provision, and another does not. To read Sunday’s cover story about the issue, click HERE.
3. The most recent controversy in Hoboken politics comes from a new policy regarding the release of public information, which could contradict Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s campaign platform of transparency in government. The policy requires all statements from City Hall employees to the press to go through Business Administrator Arch Liston. Ironically, the policy was only made public after it leaked to a local news outlet.
In some instances, City Hall employees can speak to the press, and then notify Liston afterwards, according to City spokesperson Juan Melli. Though not on the agenda, it is expected that the council will address the issue during the meeting.
Watch the council meeting live HERE. – Ray Smith