Hello, I hope you are staying safe and healthy! I wanted to quickly update you on a few important issues happening in Hoboken right now.
EXPANDING OUTDOOR RETAIL SPACE AND SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES
While stay at home orders remain in place, the time will soon come where restaurants and small businesses will once again be permitted to serve customers within their storefronts. The fact of the matter is even when restrictions begin to loosen, social distancing measures are going to remain in place and we need to be prepared to help our local economy adapt to this new reality, safely and responsibly.
That’s why Council President Jen Giattino and I have been working on a comprehensive, pro-business plan to expand sidewalk cafes and create additional outdoor retail space. On Wednesday night, the City Council gave its initial approval for our plans to create parklette-style outdoor dining and retail spaces within parking spaces fronting restaurants and retail establishments. We will also allow restaurants and retailers across from municipal properties to use our city-owned outdoor space to compensate for the limited indoor capacities we anticipate in efforts to continue practicing social distancing. The more we spread apart, in fresh air, the better we’ll be.
Check out my interview with CBS2 about our plans to help businesses succeed when stay at home orders are lifted.
Jen and I also advanced a plan which could allow the City to temporarily shut down some of our streets to vehicular traffic, such as Southern Sinatra Drive and potentially even Washington Street, to further expand open-air retail and dining opportunities for businesses and residents. Finally, we’re looking to cap the commission that third party delivery services, like Grubhub and Seamless, can collect from our restaurants. Currently the commission for these apps is between 15 and 30 percent, and our local restaurants simply can’t sustain that level of profit sharing, with high overhead costs and diminished business.
At the end of the day, our hospitality industry and mom and pop shops are facing an uphill battle and they need all of the support we can offer to them. Hoboken is built on a community of small businesses and their survival is key to the success of our Mile Square. So far the Mayor has signaled his support on these initiatives to help restart our economic engine and I’m hopeful by working collaboratively we will one day soon be able to enjoy our favorite small businesses, from an appropriate distance.
A vision of parklette-style seating I've proposed for Hoboken.
ADDRESSING HOBOKEN’S ESTIMATED $20 MILLION BUDGET DEFICIT
As many of you may recall, back in early January, well before the pandemic, the administration first acknowledged we were facing a $7-14 million deficit in this year’s municipal budget. Soon after, 79 city employees received layoff notices. At that time I authored an op-Ed calling for the administration to cut spending, not jobs and pleaded with the Mayor to share detailed information about the state of our city’s finances. Having not seen any change in the way the city was handling the budget shortfall, I sponsored a resolution urging the mayor to suspend all scheduled layoffs, which the City Council passed 6-3. The Mayor again chose to ignore this directive and formally terminated the positions of 26 employees two days later, and conveniently blamed COVID-19 for our budget woes.
It’s troubling to learn that some of our longest serving and experienced employees have been told their salaries could also be reduced to a level comparable to those in entry level positions. While we have no say in the positions the Mayor chooses to eliminate, we need to lead by example. So, I sponsored an ordinance that would temporarily reduce the salaries of all Council members, City Directors and the Mayor by 10% which passed 6-3.
Sadly, the financial mismanagement of this administration dates back to the very beginning of the mayor’s term when he doubled in size his office staff from where it stood during the previous administration, gave himself a luxury vehicle at the expense of taxpayers, took a second job at a politically connected law firm and awarded a health insurance contract to a politically connected vendor, and then amazingly blamed rising healthcare costs as a main cost driver in the budget. Municipal Employees Association Vice President Lynette Medeiros sums it up well: “the pandemic has just become another excuse for financial mismanagement and a top-heavy administration. Departments throughout the City have been decimated, and so has the morale.”
Proudly standing with our municipal employees during the March 4 Council meeting
As a result, my Council colleagues proposed making their own cost cutting measures, like eliminating the Office of Constituent Affairs, a department I was proud to fund when our City’s budget was in a better place. These hardworking constituent focused employees do exceptional work for our city, much like the 26 other workers who were laid off in the middle of the pandemic by the administration. To provide a meaningful point of reference, in 2009 (the last time the city’s budget was in the red) a non-partisan state appointed fiscal monitor eliminated the office from the table of organization altogether. I wholeheartedly believe these employees have done a tremendous job serving the residents of Hoboken and the Mayor would certainly have my support in reassigning them to other constituent focused positions in City Hall.
BRINGING BACK OUR YOUTH ADVISORY COMMISSION
On a much more lighthearted note, the City Council unanimously approved my ordinance to revive our Youth Advisory Commission, because as I’ve long said we need new energy and new ideas in Hoboken. It goes without saying that we are facing challenging times and now more than ever we need to give our youngest residents a seat at the table to have their voices heard.
With the updated ordinance, each Council member, the Council President and Mayor will appoint kids in grade 6 through 12 to the Advisory Council. From there, our youth will meet once a month to discuss their own policies that will give children and teens a say in our local government.
If you missed Wednesday’s meeting, I think Ayla Dante-Tagore, one of our young First Ward residents who I met with late last year, said it best when she bravely spoke during public portion: "students are a really big part of Hoboken" and our youth "have a unique perspective about Hoboken schools and the neighborhood that can help improve things."
I’m really excited about this and can’t wait to begin forming our Youth Advisory Council for the 2020-21 school year.
SENDING SMILES TO OUR SENIORS
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I organized a program where people can help brighten the day of Hoboken seniors by sending them a card in the mail. The response to this has been overwhelming -- to date we’ve successfully connected volunteers with close to 1,100 seniors, which is roughly ¼ of residents over 65.
I’ve heard from a neighbor whose son has been corresponding as a pen pal with his new senior friend and seen so much creativity coming from our young (and young at heart) residents.
Through this all, it has reconfirmed what I've always known to be true about Hoboken: though we may have our differences, we’re all part of a special community that cares deeply for one another. It's amazing to know our Mile Square is filled with caring neighbors who step up, both when times are rough and even when things aren't.
I know this time is difficult for everyone, in different ways, but I for one have found so much happiness in seeing the spread of love and humanity through the senior card program. We still have more cards to send, so if you’d like to join our efforts please fill out the form online here.
As always, should you have any concerns or need assistance please feel free to reach out to me directly on my cell: 646.372.4341 or via email: mike@mikedefusco.com
P.S. It was great to bring some cheer (from a distance!) and Girl Scout Cookies to my neighbors at Marineview Plaza as well as thank the Fire Department for keeping us safe. These are trying times and together we will get through this -- let’s continue to check in on our neighbors, support those in need and thank the men and women who show up to work every day to serve and protect us.
