HOBOKEN – The Hoboken City Council will consider its first appointments to the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustments since 2012 at a Jan. 7, 2014 meeting, the city announced Monday morning. Interested parties must submit their applications to the City Clerk no later than Dec. 30, and undecided or curious residents may attend an information session on the duties of a board member that will take place this Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
The board, which grants “variances” from the city’s construction laws to developers and residents who wish to build outside those laws, usually consists of seven regular members and four alternates, but has been five members short since last year. Coupled with the resignation of member Joseph Crimmins at a recent meeting and the term expirations of members James Aibel, John Branciforte, and Nancy Pincus, the council will be charged with filling nine total vacancies.
By design, the zoning board is nonpartisan, but the process by which members are appointed is often heavily politicized. Prior to 2009, appointments were made exclusively by the mayor, but Mayor Dawn Zimmer transferred those powers to the council. Since then, pro- and anti-Zimmer forces have battled over appointments. An article on the politics behind the appointment process appeared in this weekend’s Hoboken Reporter and can be viewed here.
Applications may be downloaded from the City’s website here or requested in the City Clerk’s office during regular business hours.
The city also announced that it is seeking applicants to fill vacancies on all other boards and commissions including Alcohol Beverage Control, Historic Preservation Commission, Hoboken Housing Authority, Library Board, North Hudson Sewerage Authority, Planning Board, Rent Leveling and Stabilization Board, and Shade Tree Commission. Applications should be submitted to the City Clerk’s office. – Dean DeChiaro
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