Mayor responds to guilty plea by ‘Bridgegate’ official
David Samson, a close confidante of Gov. Christopher Christie and the former chairman of the Port Authority who was forced to resign in the midst of the Bridgegate scandal, pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges that he used his PA position to benefit himself.
On Thursday evening Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer responded to Samson’s guilty plea. Samson’s name had also been mentioned in connection with a possible scandal in Hoboken in 2014.
“It is extremely unfortunate and a complete breach of the public trust when powerful people like David Samson abuse their position for personal gain,” Zimmer said in an email. “I am gratified that he is being held accountable.”
In 2014, Zimmer publicly said that the state’s attorney general and two other officials had implied to her that the city’s receiving more Hurricane Sandy aid might be linked to her ability to shepherd a proposed residential/commercial development at the city’s northern border. The development was proposed by the Rockefeller Group of New York, a company whose consultant was Samson. There were concerns that officials were tying public funds to a project meant to make a profit for private entities.
After Zimmer’s accusations were made, the federal government investigated Zimmer’s claims and failed to bring charges. Other state officials who were implicated denied Zimmer’s account.
As reported by the New York Times and other media, Samson, 76, pleaded guilty this past Thursday before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in federal district court to a different charge — a charge of bribery for accepting a benefit of more than $5,000 from United Airlines.
This was not, however, the only matter for which Samson was investigated.
Samson was Port Authority chairman when state officials mysteriously blocked traffic near the George Washington Bridge, allegedly to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for refusing the endorse the governor’s re-election bid in 2013.
As an outgrowth of the probe into the traffic tie-up, federal prosecutors investigated Samson’s use of his position at the Port Authority to benefit himself and his law firm. The media reported that a special United Airlines flight stopped near his vacation home.
Samson could get a sentence ranging from probation to up to 24 months in prison, although the crime to which he pleaded guilty has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20.
The federal investigation focused on Samson’s dealings with officials of United Airlines, the main tenant of Newark Liberty International Airport, which is run by the Port Authority. United had been operating weekly flights between Newark and a small airport in Columbia, S.C., that was near a home owned by Samson.
The airline had canceled the flights at one point, but on Thursday, Samson admitted that he used his position as the agency’s chairman to pressure United into reinstating the route.
Samson and his wife were regular passengers on the sparsely-used route, which was colloquially called “the chairman’s flight.” United halted the flight three days after Samson, who was appointed by Christie, resigned from the agency in March 2014.
City to review uptown business that appears on Hotels.com
The city will look into a business that appears to be renting rooms through Hotels.com, after the Hoboken Reporter brought it to the city’s attention.
“Dharma Home Suites at Novia” has been advertised on hotels.com for $207 per night (with variations) and offering free Wi-Fi, 24 available rooms, self service laundry, and a rooftop terrace.
According to reviews left on the site, the building was extended residences starting last year.
The Reporter contacted the city after an out-of-town gentleman wandering around Grand Street asked one of its staff for directions to the hotel. The Reporter told him they only knew of the W as far as hotels in town.
Hotels in Hoboken must pay a hotel tax that is split between the city and the state.
City spokesman Juan Melli said on Thursday, when asked if the city knew of a second hotel in Hoboken, “We were not previously aware but we will be reviewing the matter.”
The building contains other businesses and is among the new structures built in the last few years in the city’s rapidly developing area north of the Viaduct, sometimes known as “Novia” or “NovHo.”
On Friday, the company’s managing director said that the residences are corporate apartments that can only be rented for a minimum of three to five days. He said the location is not a hotel. In fact, he said he has a copy of a letter from the state Treasury Department stating that it’s not a hotel. Thus, he said, the company does not have to pay the hotel tax.
Police note increase in bike thefts
The Hoboken Police Department last week said they would like Hoboken residents to be wary of an increase in bicycle thefts.
Police said that thieves have been taking bikes from bike racks and gates outside residences. In a press release, the police asked residents to keep bicycles inside their homes and not outside their gates or in their garages unsecured.
The department reminded residents to secure bikes to bike racks using high quality locks and chains. They said residents witnessing an apparent bike theft should call police and not confront the individual. Residents are urged to keep the serial numbers of their newly purchased bicycles. These serial numbers can be used to return a found bicycle if registered with the Hoboken Police Department.
Registration forms are available at the Hoboken Police Department located at 106 Hudson St.
State approves $39.7M for Ernst & Young for Hoboken project
Global accounting giant EY, long known as Ernst & Young, received approval Thursday morning from the state’s Economic Development Authority for a 10-year, $39.7 million Grow New Jersey award for a Hoboken-based project, according to a report on njbiz.com
According to the EDA, EY is looking to move approximately 1,000 to 1,300 employees from its American headquarters in Times Square to either a 168,165 square-foot facility at 121 River St. in Hoboken or a 150,000 square-foot space in Brooklyn.
If Hoboken is selected, some 430 new positions would fall under EDA eligibility.
Over a period of 20 years, the EDA estimates that the Hoboken project would yield a net benefit to the state of just over $87 million.
Crain’s New York Business first reported last month that EY was interested in vacating space in Times Square for an alternative, New Jersey-based location.
EY’s approval was just one of many for Hudson County on Thursday. The EDA also voted to approve 10-year Grow New Jersey awards worth approximately $39.4 million and $28.2 million for Jersey City projects from the Omnicom Group and Zurich American Insurance Company, respectively.
Hoboken International Film Festival to return?
The Hoboken International Film Festival (HIFF), which completed its 11th year in June, may return to Hoboken next year.
The HIFF showcases non studio films, TV pilots, and screenplays from filmmakers both domestic and abroad.
The contest offers cash prizes of up to $1,000 in various categories including Best Feature film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Short Film, Best Documentary, Best TV Pilot and Best Unproduced Screenplay.
The founder and chairman of HIFF, Kenneth Del Vecchio, says he has not yet renewed his contract with the current host, the town of Middletown N.Y, and is looking at Hoboken as a possible location.
But according to the Epoch Times, Del Vecchio and Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano have been unable to reach an agreement as DeStefano found Del Vecchio’s latest offer unacceptable.
Although Del Vecchio says there is a “50 percent chance” he would stay in Middletown he has given some serious thought to the City of Hoboken, which the festival left in 2009 because town funding for the festival was no longer available, he said.
Del Vecchio is also looking at locations in Bergen County N.J, Orange County N.Y. and Rockland County N.Y.
Although he is looking at other locations Del Vecchio said Hoboken is toward the top of his list because of not only its proximity to New York City but also his personal history with the town.
“I lived in Hoboken for a couple of years in my mid to late twenties and shot my very first movie ‘Rules for Men,” said Del Vecchio. “I shot at numerous locations in Hoboken including City Hall for multiple days. So I have a great affinity towards the city.”
Del Vecchio has not begun negotiations with Hoboken as of yet but plans to make his final decision by January 2017.
Mile Square Theatre presents ‘Long Gone Daddy’ premiere July 20
Mile Square Theatre will present the second production of its 2016 season, the world premiere of “Long Gone Daddy,” written and performed by MST’s playwright-in-residence Joseph Gallo, beginning July 20 and running through Aug. 7 in the company’s new venue, 1400 Clinton St., Hoboken.
Directed by MST artistic director Chris O’Connor, “Long Gone Daddy” is the follow-up to Gallo’s critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway solo play “My Italy Story,” which was declared to be “…a compelling page turner” by the New York Times.
Checking-in with his alter-ego, Thomas DaGato, “Long Gone Daddy” chronicles the comic misadventures of becoming a stay-at-home father. From Bruce Springsteen concerts to OBGYN appointments to the Hoboken playgrounds and back again, Gallo’s semi-autobiographical play also wrestles with the memory of his own dad, a former fireman, and asks the existential question: “When does a father earn the right to be called Dad?”
“Long Gone Daddy” runs Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m., with a preview performance on Wednesday, July 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.milesquaretheatre.org.
“Long Gone Daddy” is recommended for adult audiences.
Discount parking is available at Little Man Parking on 1300 Jefferson St.
City to host free day of water activities
The ninth annual City of Water Day will take place on Saturday July 16th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Maxwell Place Park in Hoboken, Governors Island in New York, and various other neighborhood regions.
The event, hosted by the Waterfront Alliance, celebrates the waterways and waterfronts of in the metropolitan regions of New Jersey and New York.
Hoboken’s Mayor Dawn Zimmer and the president and CEO of the Waterfront Alliance, Roland Lewis announced this year’s free on-water and waterfront activities on Wednesday July 13, 2016 at the Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse.
Activities this year include arts and crafts, face painting, kayaking, paddle boarding, boat tours and cruises, and educational activities like nautical knot tying and lessons on the life in the Hudson River.
There will also be a free ferry service from Hoboken to Governors Island where the Con Edison Cardboard Kayak Race will commence at 2:30p.m. on Kayak Hill near Pier 101. The competition begins at noon with members of roughly 25 teams will begin designing and building their vessels using only cardboard, gaffing tape, and clear waterproof packing tape.
After the announcement, a preview of the City of Water Day’s Con Edison Cardboard Kayak Race began where New Jersey and New York faced head to head.
The team from the Stevens Institute of Technology representing New Jersey remained victorious for the fourth year in a row.
Brother and Sister team, Carrick and Cate Porter, paddled the state to victory.
Carrick Porter, a graduate student of Stevens Institute of Technology, is excited for the upcoming race but admits the competition is steep.
“Every year [the teams] come back with tougher and tougher designs tougher and tougher crews so we are excited to celebrate the waterfront, celebrate the water, and have fun racing,” said Carrick Porter.
Bill eliminating obstacle to organ donation advances
Legislation that Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Assembly Democrats Angelica Jimenez and Raj Mukherji sponsored to eliminate a deterrent to organ donation was advanced by a Senate committee on Monday.
The bill (A-374) would prohibit the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission from imposing duplicate identification card fees and replacement driver’s license fees, including the digitized picture fee, if a person requests the duplicate identification card or replacement license solely for the purpose of reflecting that he or she has become an organ donor.
Currently, the cost of having a duplicate identification card or replacement license issued is $11, including the digitized picture fee.
“We should be doing everything we can to promote organ donation,” said Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen). “Organ donation saves lives, and we should not be letting fees get in the way of it. This bill is, quite simply, common sense.”
“We need to encourage organ donation, not discourage it,” said Jimenez (D-Hudson/Bergen). “The difficult fact is that $11 is too costly for many hard-working New Jerseyans. Prohibiting this fee is a positive and life-saving step forward.”
“Each New Jersey resident who chooses to register for organ donor designation could potentially save eight lives,” said Mukherji (D-Hudson). “With more than 120,000 people in the United States waiting for a transplant, it’s important that we eliminate barriers to organ donation.”
The bill, which gained unanimous approval from the Assembly in February, was advanced by the Senate Transportation Committee.
The Barclays announces $1.3 million for charity in 2015
The Barclays has announced that the 2015 event, played at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, raised a grand total of $1.3 million for New York/New Jersey metropolitan-area charities. With this addition, the tournament has donated more than $44.8 million to community charities since 1967.
The Barclays has been a part of the PGA Tour schedule since 1967 when Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural event at Westchester Country Club.
“We are extremely proud to be able to give back to the communities in which we play,” Executive Director of The Barclays, Peter Mele, said. “The Barclays is committed to not only putting on a world class event, but also to giving back to the New York / New Jersey metropolitan area by providing local charities with vital donations.”
Barclays is a transatlantic consumer, corporate and investment bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management. Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 130,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.
The Barclays has provided charitable contributions to a variety of charities in recent years, including The First Tee of Metropolitan New York, Tackle Kids Cancer and the American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey, among others.
The site of The Barclays this year, Bethpage State Park (Black Course) is hosting the event for the second time – the first was won by Nick Watney in 2012.
Tickets are available at thebarclaysgolf.com. Fans are reminded that each year, up to three youths 18 and younger are admitted free of charge to The Barclays when accompanied by a ticketed adult. For more information and a behind- the-scenes look at the tournament, follow The Barclays on Twitter and Instagram @thebarclaysgolf and on Facebook at facebook.com/thebarclays.
Ticket options are available at (844) 868-7465 and www.thebarclaysgolf.com.
For further information about Barclays, please visit their website www.home.barclays.
Christie transportation shutdown affects three Hudson County projects
The New Jersey Department of Transportation, under an executive order signed by Gov. Chris Christie after his administration and legislators were unable to agree on a new revenue plan for the exhausted NJ Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), has advised the Hudson County Engineer to suspend all county projects funded by the NJ Transportation Trust Fund (TTF).
The following Hudson County projects are currently suspended: Concrete Deck Rehabilitation, Park Avenue Bridge in Hoboken; improvements to Newark/Jersey City Turnpike, Phase II and Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard; and improvements to JFK Boulevard East from Bergenline Avenue to Woodcliff Avenue, West Hudson Park and Newark Street.
The Hudson County Division of Engineering contacted each project contractor to advise of the suspension. Currently NJDOT anticipates the suspension to extend a minimum of seven days. The initial demolition work carried out earlier this week on the Park Avenue Bridge was ordered to be repaired to allow two-way traffic to flow by 6 a.m. Tuesday, July 12.