Assemblywoman Chaparro sponsoring measure seeking $25M in state funding for NJCU

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Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro (D-33) is sponsoring a measure seeking $25 million in state funding for New Jersey City University as the institution fights to work through financial struggles.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“It’s important to me that we support NJCU wholeheartedly, not just put a band-aid on it. 60% of the students are from Hudson County. 60% are from Latino, Black, and brown families,” Chaparro told HCV.

“We cannot add to their struggles. Interim President Andres Acebo is doing everything in his power to fix what was left behind and doing an amazing job. I stand with our NJCU family and requested $25 million in a budget resolution.”

State Senator Brian Stack (D-33), also the Union City mayor, is sponsoring legislation in the upper chamber seeking $10 million for the Jersey City-based university and is also expected to be considered as part of the state budget.

NJCU has about an $11 million deficit this year and had began undertaking some cost cutting initiatives at the end of 2022.

A report by the Office of the New Jersey Comptroller released last month noted that former administrators “likely violated federal law” by considering using $14 million in COVID-19 relief funds to cover the costs of a scholarship program, blaming most of their financial shortcomings on former President Dr. Sue Henderson.

Recently, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce and the Boys to Leaders Foundation, a local nonprofit, have come out in support of NJCU and Acebo.

Chaparro, who ran alongside Stack four times, did not seek re-election on Tuesday after redistricting moved her into the new 32nd Legislative District, where Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, her other long time running mate in LD-33, is likely to be the state senator.

He ran unopposed in the primary, as did his running mates, John Allen and Jessica Ramirez, two newcomers to the state Assembly role.


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12 COMMENTS

  1. It’s very sad that we’ll be losing Assemblywoman Chaparro’s service in Trenton. She has been a consistently effective and selfless leader who was an exemplary representative of the residents of Hoboken, Jersey City, Union City, and all of Hudson County.

    John Allen and Ravi Bhalla should not have coldly pushed this proven community service leader aside to serve their own self-serving ambitions. This pathetic power move was emblematic of the administration of an arguably corrupt, definitely narcissistic, political boss wanna-be; Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

    Sad days have fallen upon Hoboken and Hudson County.

    • What’s the most sad is that Dave Mello/HobokenMatters believes that people in this city actually care what he has to say. I mean, I get the assumption since he’s in the same echo chamber that CW Fisher lives in where it’s believed that it takes courage NOT to run for public office but rather govern by being a keyboard warrior and that you win when you the write-ins equal the margin of error in any election. You can’t claim victory when the person actually wins. And as they say, always make sure the juice is worth the squeeze. Was five newsletters really worth it? Oh right, CW Fisher has no life and continues to lose every time.

      It’s also fun to point out that Mello’s still pretty butt-hurt that Ravi passed him over on his slate back in 2017, he came in 13th running on Stick’s slate, he lost his committee seat in his own building, removed from the HHA and never successfully passed the bar after several attempts.

      He and his ponytail can return to the Twitter troll cave now. Get over it already. No one is listening and those who are, are tired of hearing it.

    • Is this the same Dave Mello who said he was against double dipping and more than one job?
      The same Dave Mello who touts he’s an advocate for public schools but said he wouldn’t ever sent his own kids to Hoboken Public Schools?
      Is this the same Dave Mello who was tossed by Zimmer team for holding Zimmer hostage with his 5th vote when the council was evenly divided?
      Still bitter because nobody wanted him on either of the top two tickets 6 years ago…

      Joined with Romano on an old guard HCDO slate backed by the Russo’s
      Now he’s suddenly woken up again…
      Maybe he’s thinking of another suicide mission to run against Ramos and wants to appear sympathetic to a Latina as he readies an elitist run against the city’s longest serving Latino official ….

    • Too bad Annette Never wrote a letter of support for you when Bhalla drop kicked you from Team Zimmer->Bhalla…
      She wasn’t the least concerned about you.
      In fact you didn’t express these dramatic emotions last year when she willingly stepped aside…
      Where were you?
      Like you she still has a Public Paycheck and beefed up public pension, post office holding.

    • It’s nice to see Mello advocating for a female official, after the misogynistic verbal tirades that tripped him up with numerous female officials in the past and may or may not have played a role in his undesirability on any of the tickets he’s now oh so bitter about not getting on.

      What a self-important hypocritical clown. Looks like maybe he really is gearing up to step back in the arena. If anyone’s gullible enough to put him on their ticket, I can’t wait to hear their reaction to his pious refusal to do any fundraising and self-absorbed excuses for not doing any campaigning or anything else. And if he actually gets elected/appointed to something, look out! Another go-round of refusing to participate in any committee meetings unless they’re held at his home, refusing to support anything he’s not at the center of while also refusing to play a central role in anything because he’s got every excuse in the world why doing actual work isn’t what he signed up for because he’s 10x busier than everyone else. Hot-air pontification and self-serving rationalizations are all he brings to the table, and that should be PLENTY for all you little peons who don’t have nearly as much on your plates as he does.

      Oh, and have you heard yet about how he used to teach in the hood and knows all about how “those people” live? Of course you have. Everyone has.

      But hey, after all that sanctimonious blather, at least he’s not above shopping himself to every ticket in town until some old-guard parasite actually sees some value in putting him up as a token professional. There’s a word for that, Dave — it’s the oldest profession.

      Just keep on talking. It’s all you’ve ever done.

    • Here we go… Ever 4 years the stink flower blooms and every 2 years the Mello chimes in with his odiferous lectures

      No Thanks Dave. The best political decision Bk=halls ever made was one his supporters and enemies agree with.
      Not picking you….

  2. Which one of Ravi taxpayer paid cowardly stooges are attacking Nasty bunch
    If you dare disagreeB ahall you will be attacked the most disgusting ways.

  3. Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro will be missed.
    Ravi Bhalla said he was different, better but now that he is office he is the same old school vindictive, abusive, power mad political boss that Hoboken struggled to overthrow.

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