The Progressive Democrats of Hudson County have rolled out their city council endorsements for Jersey City and Hoboken, supporting nine candidates that include just two incumbents.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“These candidates have shown, and pledged, their independence from real estate developers, police unions, and party bosses, a trait that’s crucial for the accountability of our city governments,” PDHC President Ron Bautista said in a statement.
“We’re excited to support their efforts to activate neighbors in the fight for equality, accessibility and the inclusion of underserved communities in a tangible way.”
In Jersey City, the group is backing Ward E Councilman James Solomon and Councilman-at-Large Rolando Lavarro for re-election, along with supporting Joel Brooks, Kevin Bing, Danielle Freire, and Frank “Educational” Gilmore in Ward B, C, D, and F, respectively.
They’re also endorsing Chris Gadsden for council-at-large, opting not to endorse in Ward A or for the third council-at-large seat up for grabs, as well as sitting out the mayor’s race between incumbent Steven Fulop and Lewis Spears.
In the Mile Square City, where 10 candidates (including three backed by Mayor Ravi Bhalla, two incumbents) are competing for three council-at-large seats, they endorsed two thirds of the “Independently Together” slate: Cheryl Fallick and Sheila Brennan.
They did not endorse a candidate for the third at-large seat or in the mayoral contest, though Bhalla is running unopposed.
The non-partisan Jersey City municipal elections are on November 2nd, with early voting available between October 23rd and October 31st.
No endorsement for the gun law reform activist and Hudco Chair of Moms Demand Action? How about environmental activist, an EPA attorney who led the Hoboken council on opposition to a fracking gas plant proposed in Kearny NJ, same guy was the lone “no” vote on the massive waterfront Hilton Hotel project, and got beaten up on tv by a pissed off union?
This “progressive” group is poorly informed on the record of legislative activism of Hoboken candidates on issues actual progressives like me care about: climate change and gun law reform.
What you really mean is that the Hudson Progressives don’t understand that these two issues are the ONLY ones that YOU see as important. There is so much more to a progressive ideology; M4ALL, an end to the military industrial complex, a $15 minimum wage, housing justice, ending corporate control of our country, demanding that the 1% pay their fair share, ending endless wars, true immigration reform, most of which some local city council cannot change.
Talking about climate change and gun control only so as not to offend your wealthy supporters and avoiding local legislative needs thy name is teambhalla, how safe, how safe how very very safe. That’s what we call a fake progressive. Good for you, Ron!
Who said Climate Change and Gun Control were the “only” progressive issues that were important to the above commenter (me)? You did. Okay, let’s take immigration reform at the local level. Did Fallick or Brennan speak against the ICE contract at the Hudco Bd of Freeholders as Emily Jabbour did? Jabbour was an outspoken critic of the ICE contract renewal, she lobbied vocally against it… I didn’t hear a peep out of the two Hoboken candidates Progressive Dems endorsed on this issue. Where were they?
As for your cut-and-paste litany of progressive values, which you admit “no one on the council can change”- had Progressive Dems queried ALL Hoboken candidates on those values, they would have learned those were shared among several candidates they rejected.
Your disparagement of genuine progressive activists as “fearful of wealthy donors” reveals the depths of your own ignorance about the work these peoole have done for the public good. Your group sucks, and none of you speak for actual progressive, left of center Dems like myself.
https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/2018/08/critics_slam_hudson_freeholder.html
“How is it that each of you voted on a contract and resolution that you haven’t yet read and provided publicly?” said Hoboken Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, who has called the ICE revenue “blood money.”
Hate to tell you this, bud. Left of center is not progressive.
Sorry to tell you anono, “progressives” advocate for social reform and hands on activism to advance liberal ideas, whatever the label says: Dems, left of center Dems, progressive Dems. It’scabout deeds, not labels. Back to the topic– which isn’t me– it’s how a group purporting to represent Hudco “Progressive Dems” ignored at least two (there may be more) Hoboken progressive activist candidates to endorse two real estate agents who contribute to the displacement of less affluent Hoboken residents? Got an answer for that? Got an answer why a vocal opponent of the ICE renewal contract, who stood up against the County Freeholders (“the machine”) to defend the human dignity of detainees, was ignored by your group? Got an answer? Or the candidate who put down a council resolution condenning Boss Sacco’s pet project, the fracking gas refinery, was ignored by your group? These are the kinds of progressives we need in government, not more real estate agents. You guys are phonies.
How’s this, anon. Fallick and Brennan’s ticket is sponsored by the two council members- Fisher and Giattino– who voted to shut down Hoboken’s Office of Constituent Services, which served the poorest and most vulnerable Hoboken residents before and during the pandemic. Neither Fallick nor Brennan pledge to reopen this office, as other candidates have. Fallick has stated the money should go to administrative salaries in the rent control office instead, not to restore the office that aided unemployed resididents, fed seniors, coordinated housing placement with Hoboken’s tenant advocate. That is disgraceful. See below how Hoboken’s most vulnerable residents were helped by this office. Your group appears to know little about Hoboken.
https://hudsonreporter.com/2020/08/14/hobokens-office-of-constituent-services-closes/
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the office, led by Caulfield and Migdalia Pagan-Milano, assisted more than 1,000 residents, helped recruit 250 volunteers to feed more than 900 seniors with the Health and Human Services Department, connected food-insecure families to critical groceries from the Hoboken Food Pantry, assisted small business owners with PPP applications, and facilitated unemployment claims from the state for dozens of residents, according to the city.
According to the city, constituent affairs serviced approximately 2,500 requests from residents, assisted with 50 cases in coordination with the tenant advocate, oversaw 1,050 requests through the Hoboken 311 system, sent more than 6,000 emails on behalf of constituents, and held open office hours for residents in 2019.”
end to military industrial complex, $15 minimum wage, corporate control of the control, tax increase on the 1%, endless wars, immigration reform.
is it fun to rattle off that list for council seats? what about colonizing mars?
Hooray! Glad the progressive group was able to see which candidates in the race are real progressives.
Hoboken Rent Control Board Chairwoman Cheryl Fallick declined to hold rent board meetings for half a year because her computer wouldn’t work Zoom.
Fix Hoboken first
Are Marxist Socialist’s now considered Progressives ?
There’s no eviction crisis in Hoboken, just a
“I wanna live near my expensive cafes , park, own a lakehouse and keep a cheap apt for 30 years” crisis