Board of Education elections are on Wednesday, April 27
Incumbents Carmelo Garcia, Jean Marie Mitchell, and Frances Rhodes-Kearns will defend their Board of Education seats on Wednesday, April 27. The challengers are Peter Biancamano, Clifford Godfrey, Steven Feinstein, and Patricia Waiters.
The race has transformed into a fight between two slates and one independent.
Garcia, Rhodes-Kearns, and Biancamano have campaigned together on one slate.
Meanwhile, Mitchell, Godfrey, and Feinstein have come together for the “Kids First” slate. Waiters is running independently.
For our election preview from two weeks ago, go to http://tinyurl.com/3nzbs3k.
On the ballot is also the tax levy of the school’s $59.8 million budget. The tax levy this year is approximately $36.5 million. Per state law, this is the lowest possible budget, according to the Board Secretary Robert Davis. The state only permits school budgets to be cut by a certain amount, and establishes a “minimum tax levy.” Even if the budget is voted down on the ballot on April 27, the state will not allow the budget to be cut any further.
The school board positions are unpaid, and the terms up for grabs are for three years.
View City Council debates on HudsonReporter.com
The Hudson Reporter hosted an election forum for the upcoming May 10 Hoboken City Council elections two weeks ago, which was attended by almost all of the candidates.
The Hoboken City Council has nine members, three of whom are at-large and represent the whole town, and six who represent wards. Only the ward seats are up for election this year. (The at-large seats are up at the time of the next mayoral election in 2013.)
The candidates were asked some serious questions and one wildcard one to see how they think on their feet. One 1st Ward candidate did not appreciate the wildcard question. Watch the debates and find out why!
The main questions included taxes, corruption, parking, and rent control changes. Wildcard questions included “What song would represent your campaign?” “What’s a serious personal challenge you have faced?” and “Where would you bring out-of-town guests first if they visited Hoboken?”
To view the debates, go to HudsonReporter.com, and check out the videos section.
Hoboken Police Vice Unit busts alleged drug dealer, confiscate alleged crack, heroin, prescription drugs
A Hoboken man was arrested and charged with 11 drug-related charges after the Hoboken Police Department Vice Unit conducted a raid on an 8th Street apartment on Wednesday, April 20, at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to police.
Lonnie Richardson, 37, was arrested at the Hoboken Housing Authority on a warrant while police also conducted a raid on his 8th Street residence.
Police say Richardson allegedly told them he would turn over all of the drugs at the 8th Street apartment. They also allegedly found crack cocaine on his person, according to police. Police say they recovered 81 unused hypodermic syringes, six capsules of Doxycycline Hyclate, 12 pills of Xanax, 212 “wax like folds” of heroin, $267 in currency, and in a safe, found a cell phone and uncooked white rice, which police say is commonly used to store heroin.
The charges against Richardson are: possession of heroin with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school; possession of heroin with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a park; possession of a prescribed drug with intent to distribute (Alprazolan); possession with intent to distribute Alprazolan within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute Alprazolan within 500 feet of a park; possession with intent to distribute narcotic paraphernalia (syringes); possession of a prescribed legend drug (Xanax); possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within 500 feet of a public housing project; and possession with intent to use crack cocaine, according to police.
A second person, Krystal Nicolau, 23, who police say is the leaseholder of the apartment, was also arrested on four separate warrants for allegedly failing to appear for fare evasion, but was not charged with any drug related charges.
Richardson was transferred to Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, where his bail was set at $96,000.
Hoboken High School kids hit it big on Good Day NY
Julie Chang of Good Day NY was live on Tuesday morning at Hoboken High School. The show featured the Hoboken High Theatre Program, and students sang songs from “Hairspray” The Musical. The musical ran at HHS last month.
‘Zoo that visits you’ is coming to the area
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is scheduled to host “The zoo that visits you,” a visit from Bucks County Zookeeper “Jungle Joe,” who will show the cool and unusual traits of 15 animals on April 30 at 1 p.m. at the Meadowlands Environment Center in Lyndhurst, N.J. Tickets are $5 per person and $4 per Meadowlands Environment Center member.
For more information, call (201) 460-8300 or visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.