Dear friends and neighbors,
 
When I tell residents to reach out any time on any issue, I often hear “I don’t want to bother you…” or “I didn’t know I could call you for that.”  I am elected and paid by you, to serve you and it is never a bother.  My newsletters are more often about big issues or events, but I thought I would give you a little glimpse into the “day in the life of your councilperson” and some examples of the many reasons you can reach out call me including:
 
  • Updating Voter Registration
  • Sidewalk Litter/Walk Hazard
  • Broken Trees
  • Errant Parking Tickets
  • Temporary No Parking Signs – Last Minute & Left Over
  • Long Awaited Lights
  • Unnecessary Disruption to Garden Street Farmers Market
  • Finding Mitigants to Basement Flooding
  • Community Engagement – Big & Small
  • Lending a Hand
UPDATING VOTER REGISTRATION
 
I am writing this first because I want EACH OF YOU TO CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS.  As I get ready to submit my nominating petitions for re-election, I found that about 5% of my petitions had a current address that didn’t match the voting address.  In all occasions the voters had just moved (many times in the same building).  So I reached out to them and brought them all voter registration forms.  Updating your voter registration address will make sure you don’t have any issue on Election Day and that you will receive your sample ballot in the mail.  So click on the link, check and if you need to update you can print out the attached (double sided includes free postage) and just drop in the mail.  If you every have any questions on elections or voter registration, CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON.
 
BTW – It’s not too late to sign a nominating petition for me.  Form attached and if you sign I will come pick up!
 
SIDEWALK LITTER /WALK HAZARD
 
A local business owner reached out to tell me about the barricade horse that had been left on the sidewalk along 14th Street… for 11 days.  I immediately walked over and moved it to a safer location, called the City over the weekend and it was removed first thing Monday.  You can always file a complaint / concern with Hoboken 311, but sometimes it is faster to CALL YOUR COUNCIL PERSON.
 
 
BROKEN TREES
 
This was a little crazy… yesterday I walked around the corner of 14th and Washington and found this:
 
 
The one on the right is a perfectly healthy one that looks like it got backed into.  The one on the left is a dead one that crumbled as I tried to move it out of the path.  I called the City and they sent someone out immediately to take care of and they also have contacted HPD to see if there was any incidents reported that may have caused it.  According to an employee of Soul Cycle the broken live tree on the right had been like that for...a couple of days!  She wasn’t sure about the other tree.  If you see something like this, you CAN CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON.
  
ERRANT PARKING TICKETS
 
If you received a parking ticket for overtime parking on Bloomfield between 14th and 15th last week, please let me know.  I had three neighbors with resident permits reach out about receiving a ticket that they did not deserve – Overtime Meter in Meter / Permit Zone.
 
 
I immediately reached out to our Parking and Transportation Director who investigated and reported back that a new HPU enforcement officer who was less familiar with the parking rules on that block gave out errant tickets.  And that they would be recommending that any of these tickets be dismissed.  A good reason to CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON.
 
TEMPORARY NO PARKING SIGNS – LAST MINUTE & LEFT OVER
 
I think we actually have a pretty good Temporary No Parking Sign program, but it doesn’t always work the way we want it to.  Last night at around 830pm neighbors reached out about a TNP sign that had just been posted by HPU effective today at 8am.  I reached out to the City and was told it was a “repost” of one that had been previously posted and torn down which the neighbors dispute.  HPU would provide courtesy calls to the owners (if they had resident permits) in the morning.
 
I stopped by this morning to see what transpired and in this case two of the three cars moved, and the moving truck was able to fit in the vacated space so the third car was not ticketed.  What I also found though was two additional TNP signs just south – one that was from two weeks ago and one from two days ago.  I have reported both to HPU to have them removed.  I await a response on why they weren’t removed sooner.  If you have any questions or when you see a sign that should be removed, CALL YOUR COUNCIL PERSON.  
 
 
LONG AWAITED LIGHTS
 
After a lot of nudging, I am thrilled to say the new lights at both 14th and Garden and 15th and Garden are here/in process.  I visited the partially installed lights at 15th last evening (after neighbor texted their councilperson) and then walked by both 14th and 15th today and happened to see our City engineer Kim Craft and the entire three person Traffic and Signaling department onsite.  Kim let me know they were completing the new sign / light installation today and the new traffic light at 14th and Garden is expected to be installed within two weeks. 
 
 
For the new lights on 14th – please make sure you press the button as you cross and wait for the lights.  I thought the lights would be sensored and light up as a pedestrian approaches, but unfortunately you will need to press the button.  For all pedestrian safety concerns, CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON.
 
UNNECESSARY DISRUPTION TO GARDEN ST. FARMERS MARKET
 
After receiving a call from a neighbor, I walked by the Garden Street Farmers Market last Saturday and saw two backhoes parked in the location of where the market usually was. 
 
 
I immediately reached out to the City and we realized that there was no coordination between the County and the City on the 14th and Garden light project.  I reached out to Freeholder Romano and the County Executive’s Office and both let me know the backhoes will find a different location to park for the rest of the summer and no longer disrupt the Uptown Market.  When things don’t quite seem right, CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON.
 
FINDING MITIGANTS TO BASEMENT FLOODING
 
After the big rain event 3-4 weeks ago, I heard from residents in three locations that are well above flood elevation that they had back flow flooding in their basement – 1200 block of Garden, east side; 1200 block of Park, east side, and 1000 block of Hudson, west side.  I met with the NHSA last week to discuss what could have caused this and have arranged/in process of arranging, meetings with these residents so the NHSA can better understand what happened in these locations and offer potential solutions that could help mitigate the risk going forward.
 
Although there are many potential causes, the working theory in these situations is that the main sewer line fills, and feeder/connector lines cannot empty into it and therefore back up into homes.  The NHSA did say that they continue to see more extreme rain events than in the past and are happy to meet with anyone and everyone to discuss ways to help address this.   If you feel like you and your neighbors have had a similar experience, please CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON.  
 
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT – BIG AND SMALL
 
Whether its pedestrian safety, Coffee with Cops, advocacy on an issue, or just Q & A’s with neighbors, I always believe getting together and sharing ideas and circumstances is the best way to make positive changes.  #morevoices  Last week I attended a Coffee with a Cop at Fox Hill Gardens and had the chance to speak with residents, Police Chief Ferrante and a rep from Lime about eScooter safety concerns.  This week we held a 15th Street Safety meeting where 23 neighbors came out in the middle of the day to share their concerns with Hoboken PD and discuss ways to improve safety.
 
 
If you ever want to bring friends and neighbors together to discuss any issues or just have a Q&A with me on a variety of issues, just CALL ME, YOUR COUNCILPERSON.
 
LENDING A HAND
 
Anyone who rides the uptown ferry knows Joe - the smiling face that greets commuters every day on their way to and from the city.
 
 
As you also probably know, Joe has been disabled with cerebral palsy/polio since birth and he doesn’t let this get in the way of tackling the world.  But what does get in his way sometimes is some of the bureaucracy that he relies on to pay for the roof over his head and his medical bills. So many of our generous neighbors have lent him a hand and I too have been helping him sort out some of the confusion with his medical benefits and the maintenance of his mobility devices.  Fingers crossed we are close on both. 
 
Some of you have reached out and suggested coming together to think of ways as a group we can help and my apologies if I haven’t previously responded, but please reach out again.  I am thinking we could put a group together to discuss the best ways to do so.  If you know someone who may need a helping hand or want to be a helping hand, CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON.
 
 
See the many reasons to CALL YOUR COUNCILPERSON?  And in case I wasn't clear enough, I am your councilperson.  You can call me for any reason, any time.  I am always working for Hoboken and for you. 
 
As always, please forward to anyone you think may be interested in this.  And feel free to email me at hoboken2nd@gmail.com or call me at 201/208-1674 to discuss what you have read or anything else that is important to you.
 
 
 
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