The Hoboken City Council has finally approved the transfers of items in the city budget that will enable the city to pay its bills. Twice rejected by close votes, the measure passed 8-1 Wednesday night with the political drama that often accompanies many items of council business.
Unlike many council votes that just need a 5-4 majority to pass, line item transfers require six votes. Mayor Dawn Zimmer has only five consistent allies on the nine-member City Council.
Zimmer said before the meeting on Wednesday that in order for the city to pay firefighters and other employees, the council needed to approve line item transfers, which would move approximately $2 million around in the city’s budget.
“There are a lot of people concerned with [someone] getting [two] raises.” – Councilman Michael Russo
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For the past two meetings, Zimmer’s four council opponents voted against the transfers, asking for more information.
20 percent raise for mayoral aide
At Wednesday’s meeting, the matter became controversial again.
Spurring debate was a line item transfer gave a raise to Zimmer’s confidential aide, Dan Bryan. Bryan now earns $65,000 annually, an $11,000 per year increase. Most salaried City Hall employees earn between $30,000 and $55,000 each year.
Bryan started in 2009 at $35,000 per year at the age of 25, after having worked on Zimmer’s campaign.
“I guess this individual is a very loyal soldier and he gets rewarded,” said Councilwoman Theresa Castellano, who said she believed the raise is political.
“There are a lot of people concerned with [someone] getting [two] raises,” said Councilman Michael Russo, who eventually voted yes on the transfers. Russo was referring to the fact that Bryan has received two raises since his tenure began in 2009.
However, Council President Ravinder Bhalla, a Zimmer ally, noted that under the administration of Russo’s father, Anthony Russo, the mayor’s confidential aide earned $70,000 annually.
“This individual makes $65,000 [now], less than the same person in that position 18 years ago,” Bhalla said.
Russo replied that under his father’s administration, the mayor had three directors, not the eight that the city currently employs. Russo also called the administration and the majority council members “clowns” during the argument.
Former council candidate Perry Belfiore said he was concerned with the precedent being set by transferring $2 million in the budget, calling it an “alarming” number. “The next group is going to come in and say, ‘Remember what Zimmer did?’ ” Belfiore said.
Scott Siegel, another resident, said that in any other town these line item transfers are routine and the council should approve them.
Councilwoman Beth Mason, a mayoral foe who voted against the transfers for a third time, delivered a speech prior to her vote. Mason, criticizing the city’s spending habits, discussed the 2010 police audit that the city authorized, which recommended layoffs and the elimination of the public safety director position. Zimmer has since hired a public safety director who receives over $100,000 annually.
In 2010, Mason was a major opponent of the police layoffs that were recommended by the audit. Zimmer’s administration originally intended to lay off police, but after many department protests, she was able to avoid layoffs due to retirements and other savings.
Mason went line item by line item to discuss the transfers. At one point, she talked about a $600 transfer, setting off a war of words.
War of words
City Business Administrator Arch Liston said to Mason: “I bet you paid someone more than $600 to write that.”
Mason responded that she writes her own content.
Liston replied, sarcastically, “Yeah, I believe that.”
Asking questions
Ultimately, it was the information provided by the mayor’s office that swayed the council members opposed to Zimmer to vote yes, they said.
“A lot of the questions are answered because we asked the questions, and that’s the difference here,” Castellano said. “Responsible council people ask questions.”
Zimmer said on Thursday morning that she appreciated the council’s 8-1 vote.
Firefighters receive new truck; discuss staffing
The Fire Department needs more firefighters, according to Fire Chief Richard Blohm, who spoke at the meeting on Wednesday night.
“There is a manpower issue that needs to be addressed, without a doubt,” Blohm said.
The Fire Department usually has about 19 firefighters on duty during a shift. Blohm said at minimum he wants to have 21 firefighters.
Separately, Firefighter Andrew Frey urged the council to approve a resolution that would award a contract for a fire pumper (truck) for the cost of $449,689.
“We’re beginning to have an apparatus problem,” Frey said, adding that the department needs new supplies.
The council approved the purchase.
Frey also spoke at the end of the meeting, during the portion for public comments, saying the department has a manpower issue because of retirements. “We’ve had nearly 50 retirements without a single replacement,” Frey said. “There hasn’t been a hire in four years.”
The city audited the Fire Department and released the results in May. As part of the audit, many firefighters were promoted in a ceremony in early May, but there has been a hiring freeze, and positions were lost to attrition.
Food trucks, other business discussed
• Councilwoman Jen Giattino said that a new ordinance regulating food trucks would come back to the council with revisions. Local food vendors were in an uproar over the possibility of having to pay $4,250 per year to operate in the city when they currently operate with a $500 permit. “It’s not ready yet,” Giattino said of the revised ordinance.
• New software that will allow more business of the Hoboken Parking Utility to be conducted online will be “finalized within the next week or so,” Liston said.
• Councilman Peter Cunningham will host a meeting on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m at Fox Hill Gardens, 311 13 St., to discuss problems stemming from the construction of Willow14, a new mixed-use development, which has drawn complaints from nearby residents. The issue was featured in a cover story in last week’s Hoboken Reporter.
• Resident and former Planning Board member David Dening, during the public portion, asked the council to revisit the idea of removing Councilman Russo as a commissioner of the Hoboken Housing Authority. The council briefly considered the idea in April when tapes surfaced of Russo meeting with an FBI informant who offered bribes to public officials. Russo was never charged with a crime, but the tapes showed the councilman entertaining the idea of taking money from Dwek. He never collected or met with Dwek after the meeting.
• Helen Hirsch, 91, who frequently speaks at meetings, was bothered that the council held a closed session for an hour at the start of the meeting, asking them why they couldn’t just move the start of the closed session to 6 p.m. so that the public wouldn’t have to wait for an hour. She said that instead, they inconvenienced 50 people in the audience. The city’s attorney said that at that point, they’d have had to re-advertise the meeting in advance to comply with open public meeting requirements. The closed session allowed the council to meet with development attorneys.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com