After the Hoboken City Council voted down placing a question about E-scooters on the November 5th ballot for a second time, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher and Nora Martinez DeBenedetto exchanged fire over the outcome.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Last night Tiffanie Fisher voted to silence the voices of Second Ward residents regarding scooters and pedestrian safety. The non-binding referendum proposed by Mayor Bhalla would have provided residents in the Second Ward and across Hoboken an opportunity to offer an opinion at the ballot box in November,” Martinez DeBenedetto, who is running against Fisher this fall, said in a statement.
“As a mom and teacher, I am out on the sidewalks every day, and I have spoken to hundreds of residents. I can tell you that, love ‘em or hate ‘em, everyone has an opinion on the scooters. It’s hard to understand why Councilwoman Fisher wouldn’t want to hear from her constituents.”
In response, Fisher said that waiting until November to get more information on this important issue would not be prudent in this situation, given that E-scooters have been one of the hottest topics in Hoboken in recent months.
“As a council member I was elected to listen to constituents, lead and legislate, not to pass the buck and delay making important decisions even when they are politically contentious. Waiting until November to collect feedback from our residents to address the problems with the e-scooter program is completely irresponsible. It is too little, too late,” she said.
“As a result of what we have observed already and have heard from constituents who feel unsafe walking along Hoboken’s beautiful waterfront, I sponsored an ordinance that passed 8-1 last night to ban e-scooters on our waterfront and was one of the co-sponsors of earlier legislation that passed unanimously to establish a fee structure for EScooter violations. It is important issues like this where we need immediate action and real decisive leadership, not a wait and see approach like my opponent and our mayor have proposed.”
At the end of June, the city council voted down a measure that would’ve placed a non-binding referendum question about the future of E-scooters in the Mile Square City.
Despite the vote not being close, the measure was shot down 5-2 (Councilmen Mike DeFusco and Peter Cunningham were absent), Council members-at-Large James Doyle and Emily Jabbour introduced it again last night.
The result did not change on Wednesday evening, with the council voting against placing the E-scooter question on the ballot by a vote of 6-3.
Doyle, Jabbour and 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo voted yes and the item was voted on as part of the consent agenda.
Rob Horowitz, a spokesman for the five-person council slate backed by Mayor Ravi Bhalla, said that Fisher provided “no real reason” for voting against the measure since the non-binding referendum “would be only one of the sources of input and consideration.”
Nora is a Joke!
She hasn’t done anything for Hoboken of any great help other than chase rent control supporters who were registering voters away from the PUBLIC SIDEWALKS of the Hoboken Farmer’s market.
It’s sad how Ravi Bhalla is managing these people like they are his personal puppets. This is how Nora announces herself to voters, like a clown over a non-binding meaningless referendum Ravi wanted? Yikes, that’s sad but I guess Ravi is in complete control over these poor people who are frankly looking pathetic.
More personal attacks from Ms Fisher’s on line supporters.
Rob Horowitz couldn’t find 90% of the streets in Hoboken without a WAZE.
Nora Can’t speak for herself?
Stay in Providence, RI Rob… This race will be a blowout for Bhalla
Wow, Rhode Island? That’s a long way away.
Not a short way away.
Irony of attacking someone supporting Nora attacking a Jen Supporter for their SIZE.
Wow
Again more personal attacks from Fishers on line supporters
You seem to not understand a personal attack. Criticizing politics is not personal. Mocking one’s race, religion, gender, family or disability is an attack and it just happened by GA’s screen name of the day :Kickin it
Nancy should be KICKED to the curb.
Excuse me “Kicks..” I have never posted a mean thing about your height here, nor have I posted here at all today. You can always call me if you want to ask whether a post is mine.
Honestly, I cannot understand the childishness of this anonymous back and forth. Call me fat, ugly, shut-in, whatever. It only reflects on you and the candidates you support. Why don’t you use your real names?
Have a great day.
WHat do you call this: “Kickin It Live on I-95 July 11, 2019 at 7:11 pm
Wow, Rhode Island? That’s a long way away.
Not a short way away.”??????
Sacco? Joey? Ruben? Defusco?
No ELECs on file, no money. WHO’s the joke?
Hi Nancy
Speaking of ELECS, how about Bhalla paying a blogger who rendered Nazi graphics into a political attack against a Jewish candidate was hired to do design work for his last campaign.
It’s more telling what Ravi has on HIS ELEC report than you allege is missing from Jen or Tiffs
Sloppy posts and stories are like singing canaries … hopefully they not too old, inaccurate or the song the bird sings are admissible.
The Mikey Defusco Dilemma
Tiffany, please please help me. I know I’m not allowed to discuss Mikey’s ELECs or your past complaints about them or his shady alliances or his support for oversized development on Hoboken’s border or his 325 Raia/Yacco VBMs in 2017.
But it’s blowing a gaping hole in my speaking truth to power schtick. Would it be ok if I said something really muted like some believe he could be more transparent or that 2 or at most 3 of his VBMs may be suspect? Super light touch but at least not ignoring the elephant in the room. Or do i just talk about Russo from now til November and pretend Mikey and Ruben didn’t do the same? Please let me know. Your humble servant.
Elephant… he he hee….
You throw slime to power and slime to the powerless. You are a vile, nasty and vulgar excuse for a mammal
When you say unintelligible things like that to attempt to shoot the messenger, is it supposed to make the facts about Defusco and Ramos go away? It’s not working. Just wondering if that was the strategy.
Whoever advised Nora DB that this is what 2nd warders care about should be fired.
All the pressing issues and she’s complaining about wanting to waste money on a non binding referendum?
That will go real well at Maxwell Place😆😆😆.
Wow Nora is really tackling a big issue… escooters…
nothing about taxes, flooding …
just attack Tiffany and run in the fact you’re a B&R.
Pay no attention to the fact she’s been silent on all major issues until she was the only person Bhalla could get to run.