HOBOKEN — An ordinance sponsored by Hoboken City Council minority member Tim Occhipinti that seeks to establish a code of conduct for appointees to the city’s municipal bodies could be introduced during Wednesday night’s meeting.
Occhipinti and the rest of the four-member council minority faction are typically opposed to Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s administration.
The ordinance seeks to set a standard of conduct for appointees to boards; including:
-“Municipal appointees will not improperly use the prestige and influence of their appointment for private gain or advantage.”
-“Municipal appointees will perform their duties in a professional and responsible manner.”
-“[Municipal appointees] are expected to comport themselves in a manner that protects the City’s reputation and should not engage in any activity that would bring their appointed position or the City into disrepute.”
-“[Municipal appointee’s] confidential information acquired shall not be used for private gain or advantage.”
If the appointee violates any of the codes of conduct, they can be removed from their appointment.
The city’s corporation counsel apparently sent a letter to Occhipinti saying that the ordinance “should not be put on the agenda” because municipal codes of conduct must be in accordance with existing state stature. According to the letter, state stature requires the creation of a municipal ethics board; it also requires that the creation of codes of conduct be approved by a Local Finance Board, among other restrictions.
The letter continues say that “it is highly unlikely the ordinance or any portion thereof would pass judicial scrutiny.”
Despite the letter, the ordinance still appears on the agenda as of this writing.
Proponents said the proposed conduct rules are in accordance with state stature, and that a municipal ethics board is not appropriate when dealing with appointees.
If the ordinance passes first reading, it will undergo a public hearing and then a future final vote.
Stay tuned to the Reporter for more on this story. For more on the ordinance, visit here.
Also at the meeting…
The council will also vote on a series of reorganization resolutions that could see the appointment of a new council president, vice-president, and a council representative for the Planning Board. The one-year terms would expire June 30, 2013.
The current configuration is Council President Ravi Bhalla, Council Vice-President Peter Cunningham, and Planning Board member Carol Marsh, all members of the council majority typically aligned with the Zimmer administration.
For more on the agenda, click here.
To watch the meeting live here at hudsonreporter.com, click below. For followup coverage, as always, keep watching hudsonreporter.com and see this weekend’s Hoboken Reporter newspaper. To comment, leave comments at the end of the story or email letters to editorial@Hudsonreporter.com; make sure your phone number and address are included for verification purposes. -Stephen LaMarca
