The Hoboken City Council unanimously appointed Hovie Forman to a five-year term on the city’s housing authority on Wednesday, but only after two of the three other candidates for the position got into heated discussions with the board.Â
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrWL5cTEYwk&feature=youtu.be[/fve]
While perennial local candidate for office Pat Waiters gave her speech in front of the board, she reignited her feud with Councilman-at-Large David Mello – who also sits on the HHA board – once again insinuating that he was racist.
Waiters also took umbrage with the fact that none of the council members returned her phone calls after she submitted her housing authority application.
Mello later addressed the ongoing friction between himself and Waiters.
Another candidate, Melissa Blanco, a late entrant for the unpaid position, said the council is long overdue in putting an independent voice on the HHA – accusing the administration of stacking the local boards.
After her time to speak was up, Blanco and Council President Jen Giattino got into a brief argument over whether or not she could continue.
Joe Branco, a local bar owner who grew up in the housing authority, gave his remarks without any incidents with the council. After mulling it over, the council voted 8-0 (2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher was absent) to add Forman, a former special needs bus driver for the city’s board of education, to the HHA until May 3, 2021.
He replaces longtime commissioner Rob Davis and joins LaTrenda Ross – who was appointed by Mayor Dawn Zimmer – and took her seat at the May 19 meeting.
News correspondent Katherine Guest contributed to this report.
Good to see that Mayor Zimmer’s Puppets are honoring the time honored Hudson County tradition of appointing political hacks with no qualifications to critical positions. If you want to get a feel for the kind of people Mr. Forman was affiliated with in the past, get yourself a copy of “Delivered Vacant”.
5:30 am??? Late night Zimmer nightmares keeping you up?
The board appointments under Zimmer have been drastically better than when prior mayors were in office. What’s the matter Oy Vey, you long for the days of a Russo style Alcohol Board shaking down bar owners??
Typical Zimmer supporter.Ed. When your gal gets caught doing something shady, it’s always best to deflect. Well, give it time and you’ll find out what an embarrassment you’re going to have on the HHA. BTW, Forman was a staunch Russo supporter.
The embarassment ended when Carmelo Garcia’s contract was properly cut short and terminated in the HHA.
For the first time, maybe ever, the people in the HHA are not pawns, mistreated and abused under a fiefdom of scumbags.
Forman is getting a chance to serve and has long ties to the HHA as he lived there with his family. People expect he will add to the contributions of the existing board and not undermine it.
Prove one thing done “shady” at the reconstituted HHA! Just prove one!
Where were you when Carmelo Garcia was jacking the place and abusing people?
Tell me when Forman lived in the Housing Authority with his family. Was it when his relative was the Hoboken Welfare Director? ( You might want to research that one a bit).
oy vey, sounds like you are the one with the info. Start sharing specifics and maybe people won’t suspect you of having zero credibility.
Although, if there was something nefarious with this individual please also explain why you didn’t speak up then when it happened.
Looking forward to your detailed response
Crickets from oy vey of course…..
Blanco’s ardent defenses of the indefensible conduct of former director Garcia pretty much disqualify her as someone who can place the interests of HHA residents above political loyalty.
This week putting political loyalty first led her to write a beyond-idiotic letter to the Jersey Journal where she seeks to make the geo-tagging of a hate-tweet evidence of “vigilantism” by the city of Hoboken. Geo-tagging is a function of twitter (and other media). It was reported in the Daily News. It doesn’t even mean anything beyond where the person was at the moment of the tweet. But for Blanco attacking, attacking, attacking the city is all she knows or can be bothered to think about. Which would leave the residents of HHA at the mercy of someone who will only do her job if it hurts the city. Again, totally unqualified.
Waiters anti-semitic and thinly veiled racist commentary leaves her perpetually unqualified. She values attention and reaction over meaningful service as evidenced by her public performances. She is, pointedly, not sorry for her hurtful remarks. Case closed.
Not much of an opinion on Branco one way or the other. By that measure alone, he is far superior to the other two.
Waiters to Mello essentially – I’m gonna say you are racist but you have to respect me. I don’t think it works that way
As for this Blanco character that seemed like quite a bit of gibberish being spoken. And I don’t believe she understands what nepotism actually means. Elections have consequences. The winning majority will vote for Board members that they want to see advance their mandates. If you don’t like those appointments you should try and get others elected or get off your own butt, get the proper number of petitions to run filled out, and try and get elected.
Melissa’s head is a piece of unfired pottery. Hovi will serve honorably.