Coronavirus and Hoboken

I wanted to give you a quick update on the preventative measures being taken in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Today, the city was notified of the first known positive case of coronavirus in Hoboken. The man, in his 40s, is quarantined at home and is experiencing mild symptoms at this time. He is expected to make a full recovery and the Hoboken Health Department is working closely with the individual to identify anyone who he may have made contact with. 

It is incumbent on all of us to do our part to stay healthy and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Earlier this week, the Mayor declared a State of Emergency, which means all non-essential city sponsored events, meetings and recreations programs have been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date. Additionally, all Hoboken public and charter schools will be closed starting Monday for the next two weeks. Families who rely on breakfast and lunch services will still be able to pick up meals at Hoboken High School between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. 

While we in local government cannot stop the coronavirus, I support the Mayor’s decision to direct all available resources to preventing its spread.

If you or someone you know in our community fear you may have been exposed to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, please contact your primary care provider immediately. The Hoboken Health Department is asking that you do not go directly to the emergency room as they are expecting an influx of patients and want to ensure our hospital has the necessary resources to treat those with critical care needs. 

Enjoy your weekend and keep washing your hands.

A European-style Market is Coming to Hoboken Terminal

When I was first elected to office, I ran on a belief of reactivating our historic terminal and the adjacent plaza into a European-style market, but at the time the entire terminal was actually off limits and excluded from the rail yard redevelopment plan. After years of advocacy, last night the City Council approved a plan to revitalize our train terminal and Warrington Plaza, envisioning the complex as a vibrant mixed use “Terminal District” in the very first phase of development.

The Rail Yard redevelopment project has been on the table for nearly two decades and after working collaboratively with all stakeholders, I’m confident we’ve developed a plan that works for our city. In addition to the expanded Terminal District, I also supported my Council colleagues’ push to re-envision the remainder of the rail yards project as a commercial development with state of the art office space, rather than residential. If after an analysis is done and it is determined that a commercial-only direction is not economically viable, then any new future residential buildings will be required to designate 20 percent of units as affordable housing, a push I was proud to work on with my colleague Councilwoman Falco.  

Additionally, at my request, the project will incorporate a designated pick up and drop off zone for ride sharing services, taxis and shuttle buses on site, to prevent them from congesting our streets. I know for many of you, particularly my downtown neighbors, the impact this project could have on the flow of traffic has been of great concern. I’m confident incorporating a place for these vehicles to park within the development will alleviate a significant amount of any additional traffic. 

BUDGET CRISIS IN HOBOKEN

Hoboken is again experiencing a deficit in the municipal budget, largely in part because of the administration’s track record of overspending and ignoring the warning signs about the state of our finances. Unlike last year, we’re now facing a shortfall that could be as high as $14 million. If nothing changes, this translates to a potential 15 percent tax increase. Nearly 80 hardworking city employees have also already been put on notice that they could be facing termination. These are men and women -- young families, single parents and dedicated employees -- who come to work to help Hoboken residents everyday. 

When pressed to answer how we have gotten this far in the red, the Mayor has placed the blame on rising employee healthcare costs. Though partially correct, it is no surprise to him  -- we’ve seen these costs trending higher for years, but our city spending never slowed. For the past two cycles, I’ve repeatedly called on the Mayor to replace Fairview Insurance Agency Associates with a more cost efficient provider, but the administration has not heeded my advice, and actively fought against it. Interestingly enough, this is the same politically connected health insurance vendor that allegedly had ties to a Super PAC involved in the 2019 election that supported the Mayor’s slate.

Rampant overspending across every department in City Hall, politically connected contracts, and unnecessary litigation combined with changing economic trends and the administration’s habit of tapping into our budget surplus, have all compounded to get us to this place. Making matters worse, our longtime Business Administrator Steven Marks unexpectedly stepped down from his position last week  -- a resignation that coincided with the revelation of a budget deficit. Instead of having a succession plan or filling the position with a industry-leading professional, Mayor Bhalla has placed Hoboken’s day to day operations almost entirely in the hands of his political operatives, all of whom were connected to his 2017 campaign, while claiming he downsized his office size. 

We cannot look the other way as this administration continually hands out lucrative jobs to political allies instead of prioritizing good and transparent local government. Now is the time for the Mayor to put politics aside and I look forward to working with him to provide sensible solutions to bridge the budget gap without eliminating jobs that are essential in the day to day operations of our city.

PARKING INCREASES CONTINUE 

With our financial troubles mounting, the administration has again resorted to implementing backdoor parking taxes on residents to plug holes in the municipal budget. 

Last month, in a 5-4 vote, the City Council raised residential parking permits by more than 240% and simultaneously increased parking penalties across the city. Last night, the Council doubled the cost to park in metered spaces in some neighborhoods of the city and passed a law to require visitor parking permits on Sundays, a day when most people come from out of town to visit their families. 

While I was able successfully stop a similar parking rate increase last spring, it appears as though my colleagues are following the mayor’s lead to fill the budget deficit with parking revenue and all of the above passed 5-4 with myself in dissent.  

Let me be abundantly clear that I am not against raising prices incrementally, so long as a majority of the additional funds go towards parking technology and infrastructure improvements. Currently, 70 percent of Parking Authority revenues are taken away from the department and funneled into the general city budget. This means that money collected from parking is largely not going to make parking better or more efficient, but rather is supporting unrelated city costs. In the coming year, I’ll be working to identify ways for us to make real investments in our parking system with modernized technology without placing the burden on taxpayers. 

CURBING PUB CRAWLS 

At last night’s City Council meeting, I re-introduced legislation that will put a system in place to recoup costs associated with large-scale bar crawls, like LepreCon and SantaCon. The city regularly pays in excess of $100,000 for additional public safety enforcement and environmental services cleanup on these days and it’s fundamentally unfair that this burden has fallen on the taxpayers... so that needs to change. 

The plan I’ve proposed will establish a permitting and application process for all bars who participate in large-scale pub crawls, advertised by for-profit promoters from out of town who are only concerned about churning a profit… not on our quality of life. I’ve spent the past few weeks having productive meetings with stakeholders, including bar owners, to get their feedback on the ordinance and incorporated that into the updated law which advanced last night 7-2. A final vote will be held at the next meeting of the City Council on March 2.

The First Ward, my own downtown neighborhood, is the most negatively impacted with drunken disorder and chaos on days like LepreCon and SantaCon, which is why it was disheartening to see Councilman Jim Doyle and Councilwoman Emily Jabbour try to defeat this commonsense measure. Both of these representatives live uptown and it seems as though they are out of touch with the issues we are dealing with downtown on these days. 

Check out my interview with CBS New York discussing legislation to regulate pub crawls in Hoboken.

Supporting the small businesses community has always been important to me, which is why I’ve spent the past four years pushing for innovative ideas that help them succeed. It’s the very reason I authored a business expansion plan, co-sponsored a special improvement district meant to invest in our business communities and updated our dated zoning to help more mom and pops return to our city. 

My vision for Hoboken is not one of drunken bar crawls meant to bolster outdated bar business models, rather a place where makers, creators, artists and innovators can own businesses, where cocktail lounges and small gastropubs can dish up artisanal food. Standing up for a vision for the future means standing up for a better quality of life and that's exactly what I’m proud to be doing here. 

As always, should you have any concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly on my cell: 646.372.4341 or via email: mike@mikedefusco.com.

P.S. I am so grateful for your support and friendship as we continue to bring new energy and new ideas to Hoboken. As I have always said, I cannot do this alone and to that end, next month, I'll be hosting my first fundraiser of the year.

Please join me at Mulligans Pub, 159 1st Street, on March 10 at 6:30 p.m. so we can celebrate all that we have accomplished together an enjoy a festive night with neighbors and friends. If you're unable to make it but would still like to contribute to our mission, you can donate here.

🚨 🚨 Big things happening in Hoboken

Hope everyone enjoyed a short holiday break — we’re already halfway to the weekend! I'm reaching out to quickly update you on two pressing issues facing Hoboken over the next week.

ADVANCING A EUROPEAN-STYLE MARKET AND DEVELOPING OUR RAIL YARDS… RESPONSIBLY 

Revitalizing and transforming Hoboken Terminal has long been a priority of mine but with all development, especially a project of this scope, it needs to be done thoughtfully. Over the past several months the City has worked collaboratively to reactivate and responsibly develop our entire rail yards.

However on Friday, City Council members were notified by the administration that we would be voting on a final plan for the Hoboken Yard Project… tonight. The problem is that the plan had not been shared with the Council’s Southern Development Committee, which I chair, and the community began to express justified concern about transparency when a community alert went out over the holiday weekend.  This is the same tactic the Mayor used when he attempted to rush this project forward shortly before the November elections.

After spending the past 48 hours going through each line of the proposal, it was clear to me that one of the largest community concerns had not been addressed: how this new development will impact traffic flow in downtown Hoboken. As such, I’ve written into the redevelopment plan an essential amendment that will incorporate a designated pick up and drop off zone contained within the development area. This covered area for ride sharing services (like Lyft and Uber), taxis and shuttle buses is needed to prevent these vehicles from clogging our neighborhood streets.

I spoke with Council President Jen Giattino last night and she has agreed that this element is essential to ensure we are putting a sensible traffic circulation plan in place and I thank her for her collaborative spirit. For that reason, the vote on the project has been pushed back until next Wednesday and the meeting tonight will consist of a presentation on the plan and will give the community the opportunity to share their feedback with the City.

Another amendment, advocated directly by Council President Giattino, replaces the proposed residential units in the first phase of the project with state of the art office space. I applaud this change of use as it will help our neighborhood grow responsibly, eliminate the potential burden on our school system and further diversify our taxbase. However, any future residential units that may arise through this redevelopment plan will still be required to provide 20% affordable housing that Council Vice President Vanessa Falco and I secured late last year. 

And finally, the plan leaves in place an earlier amendment to prioritize the European-style market at Hoboken Terminal as part of the first phase of development as well as a temporary activation of Warrington Plaza into an outdoor marketplace in the interim. Seeing this come to be has been one of my biggest goals since I first took office four years ago, I want to make sure we have the opportunity to build a world class transportation hub that embraces creatives and innovative small businesses while leading the way as a transit-oriented community. 

It’s not always easy standing up the political machine to push for ideas that will redefine Hoboken in the near and long term, but I think with these proper changes we are finally headed in the right direction.  So please, if you’re around tonight, come out to City Hall, 94 Washington Street, and let your voice be heard. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers. Hope to see you there. 

RAISING RESIDENTIAL PARKING FEES BY 240%

Last week, the City Council gave initial approval on a plan that would increase resident parking permits by over 240%. I’ve always supported initiatives that address some of the most critical issues with our parking system, but sadly this just reeks of another attempt to fill a projected $7 million dollar gap in our city’s operating budget. 

My biggest concern, as it was around this same time last year, is that the administration is rushing to generate new revenue to mask the Mayor’s rampant overspending and address the financial crisis our city is facing. Instead of finding responsible ways to save money and generate additional income across the board by helping small businesses, the administration wants to penalize Hoboken residents and taxpayers and have us foot the bill.

I understand that raising permits from $15 to $52 may not seem like a significant hike for some of us, but for our most vulnerable residents, seniors and students that extra $37 can go a long way. I cannot reasonably support a parking rate increase, especially of this magnitude, if that money is not being used to directly invest in our infrastructure. Any additional revenue from parking should be put towards identifying holistic solutions to improve parking in Hoboken… whether it be through new technology to direct more cars to underutilized parking areas or identifying additional transportation options. 

This can, and has been, done without throwing the burden on taxpayers. 

Earlier this year I was proud to work with the administration to fund an engineering study for our municipal garages with the goal of identifying ways to modernize our parking garages and create revenue generating mixed use facilities. Innovative governing like this is how we grow as a city -- not through backdoor taxes. 

With Hoboken continuing to grow its tax base more rapidly than ever, it’s hard to understand why we keep finding ourselves in this financial deficit under Mayor Bhalla’s leadership. Now is the time for the Mayor to stop relying on political gimmicks and I hope he can start working together with the City Council to responsibly address both our parking and budget crises. 

I am only one voice, together we are stronger.  Please sign the petition to tell the Mayor and City Council that you are against raising parking prices in Hoboken without a commensurate investment in parking technology and infrastructure.

As always, should you have any concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly on my cell: 646.372.4341 or via email: mike@mikedefusco.com