In a move that isn’t often publicized in Hoboken political circles, two council members have agreed to pull competing agenda items about cannabis in favor of working together in finding common ground.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Yesterday, the council agenda included an ordinance, sponsored by 5th Ward Councilman Phil Cohen and Councilman-at-Large Joe Quintero, that would seek to amend the distance a dispensary could be located from school from 600 feet to 200 feet.
2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher and Council President Jen Giattino, who represents the 6th Ward, drafted a resolution in response that pushed back against that proposal. But now both sides have decided to let cooler heads prevail, at least for now.
“Over the past few months, we’ve received a lot of input on our existing cannabis requirements and their effects on the market in Hoboken. I’m glad that in proposing this new change, we’ve raised awareness on the need to revisit this topic,” Quintero said in an email.
“Recognizing there are many additional voices and views which need to be heard, this morning I reached out to Councilwoman Fisher on how we can best move forward as a community. As a result, we both agreed to hold off on our proposed resolution and ordinance in favor of collaborating on a path which focuses on addressing potential distance concerns, driving social equity in the cannabis market, and establishing a rigorous enforcement mechanism locally.”
Fisher echoed a similar sentiment, indicating that she was also looking forward to working together on this important topic.
“In response to significant pushback from residents, Councilman Quintero reached out to me and we agreed to pull both pieces of legislation,” she said.
“Instead we agreed to meet in the near future to discuss how we can support a responsible, successful and social equity driven cannabis industry in Hoboken. I appreciate Joe reaching out to initiate this important conversation.”
The Hoboken City Council meeting, which is almost certain to have a spirited discussion about e-bike delivery licensing, takes place tonight at City Hall, 94 Washington St., at 7 p.m.
The public session will also stream live on the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Last time I saw her picture Jersey City Mayor Fulop’s multi-millionaire wife didn’t fit into that social equity thingy. Ditto for the Blue Violet husband and wife owners.