Just before what proved to be a sometimes acrimonious City Council reorganization meeting Wednesday afternoon, three new council members were sworn in. Newly elected Councilpeople-at-Large Carol Marsh, Dave Mello, and Ravi Bhalla took the oath of office from City Clerk James Farina. They will represent the entire town, while the other six members of the council represent individual wards. The other six are up for election in two years.
Following the inauguration ceremony on the Stevens Institute of Technology campus, the council met to vote on new business.
Mayoral runner-up and 4th ward Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer was voted by the body to be their council president for the next year. Her ally, 5th Ward Councilman Peter Cunningham, was appointed vice president.
On a day where much lip service was given to working together and cooperating for the good of the people, observers may have been given a glimpse into the next two years of governance, as the council was divided over the few items of consequence on their agenda.
Picking the Zoning Board
In what may have been a shot across the new mayor’s bow, the City Council voted to introduce a controversial ordinance. It will allow the City Council to appoint the members of the Zoning Board, taking back a right wrestled away from the council by Mayor Anthony Russo during the 1990s.
Zimmer’s five-member majority voted for the first reading of the measure, which now must go to a public hearing and final vote at a future meeting.
The introduction came even after 6th Ward Councilman Nino Giacchi requested that the ordinance go through a committee first.
In addition, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason asked to separate out a technical part of the ordinance about redevelopment. That part of the ordinance was a mere technicality reappointing the City Council as the redevelopment agent for the city, which has to be done from time to time. It means that the council will remain the body that votes on proposed development schemes for blighted areas. Mason presumably didn’t want to change that, but wanted to separate it from the newer part of the ordinance so she could discuss the newer part in more detail or possibly vote against it.
Third Ward Councilman Michael Russo, the son of former Mayor Anthony Russo, disagreed with the idea to give zoning appointment powers back to the council. He said taking the authority away from new Mayor Peter Cammarano would be a slap in the face.
“We’re not giving an opportunity to the new mayor,” he said. “This city needs some healing right now.”
Despite the concerns from Giacci, Russo, and Mason, the ordinance was introduced as planned by Zimmer, Cunningham, Bhalla, Marsh, and Mello.
Public notice on the web
Also at the meeting, Mason wanted to amend a resolution regarding ways to notify the public of city meetings. She wanted to designate several additional news outlets as the advertisers for public notices, including the Hudson Reporter’s new up-to-the-minute news site (www.hudsonreporter.com). She also wanted to include Hoboken Now and Hoboken411.
After some resistance from the council, she crafted a second resolution designating the three online outlets as public notice advertisers for the city. She said they are the three most read sites in the city.
“More and more of residents are using the internet to get their information,” Mason said, adding that the cost is minimal.
People complained about Mason’s measure about meeting notice.
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Carol Marsh said the city should “stick to reputable news sources” that are “transparent and balanced.”
She said she was willing to approve the Hoboken Reporter site and Hoboken Now, and also add the city website to the list. She said she would not approve 411.
The controversial site was criticized by members of the public at the meeting as well. They made claims of mild profanity, non-transparent operations, and residents being banned from commenting or viewing the site. They said that for these reasons, it should not be an official venue for city notices.
The site was criticized many times in the last few months for allegedly banning residents who posted items against Mason, and Hoboken Now published an article about those complaints.
After an apparent mix-up with proceedings, Mason’s resolution was never voted on, and Zimmer motioned to table the measure. Her majority – Cunningham, Marsh, Mello, and Bhalla – sided with her for another 5-4 decision.
Timothy J. Carroll may be reached at tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.