Candidate forums announced
The Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition has announced its dates and locations for the 2017 Hoboken candidate forums for the upcoming Nov. 7 election.
“These forums give Hoboken voters a chance to hear candidates for office answer the questions they care most about in an even-handed and direct format,” states the release.
On Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Mile Square Theater, 1400 Clinton St., and Monday Oct. 16 at the Multiservice Center, 124 Grand St., the 14 at-large city council candidates will speak at public forums.
Due to the large number of candidates for the three open at-large City Council seats, the QLC used a software program to randomly assign the 14 candidates into two groups of seven. The candidates assigned to Oct. 12 are Laini Hammond, Joshua Einstein, Michael Flett, Vanessa Falco, Andrew Impastato, Councilman David Mello, and Angelo Valente. The candidates assigned to Oct. 16 are Charles Matthews, Sal Starace, Jim Aibel, Jason Ellis, Emily Jabbour, John Allen, and Jim Doyle.
On Thursday, Oct. 19 the seven Board of Education candidates will meet at the School Hall of the Church of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 422 Willow Ave., and on Wednesday, Oct. 25 the mayoral candidates will meet at DeBaun Auditorium, 24 Fifth St.
Each forum will begin at 7 p.m. and will last about two hours, with a brief intermission.
This year’s candidate forums will follow an established format with questions submitted on index cards by members of the audience and posed to each of the candidates in turn by moderator Bob Bowdon, a professional interviewer and longtime resident of Hoboken.
Each candidate will have a minute and a half to respond, and the order of response will be randomized each round.
A video of the sorting process is posted on the QLC Facebook page.
Board of Education candidate clarifies HoLa vote
Sharyn Angley, one of seven candidates for the Hoboken Board of Education, clarified her position on the Board of Education’s past litigation against the expansion of the HoLa charter school.
In the past, the school board sued the Department of Education and HoLa to prevent the school’s expansion to seventh and eighth grades because the board majority believed that due to the state funding formula, the charter schools take too many resources from district schools and are socioeconomically segregated.
Angley stated in an email last week that she did not actually vote to continue the litigation. She voted at the February, 2016 meeting against a resolution to stop the litigation – but said she voted that way because of improper board procedure.
She explained that typically, the board operates under a committee structure in which board resolutions are vetted by the appropriate committee and then recommended to the board for approval. During this particular February meeting, she said, fellow candidate “Peter Biancamano introduced what is called a “live item” — a new resolution that had not been reviewed by committee. This resolution called for the board to stop its HoLa litigation.”
“The introduction of a live item, and calling the vote, was unprecedented and the board’s attorney was asked to explain procedure,” said Angley. “He said, ‘Quite frankly, lobbing a motion like this on the floor involving active litigation would hamper, I think, the board’s ability to have a public discussion about a motion like this.’”
She added that it is because of this that she voted no.
“It is against my principles to go against proper board procedure, and I certainly did not appreciate the lack of respect shown by fellow board members. And so I voted no,” said Angley. “Had I been given the opportunity and time to discuss and consider this proposal and prepare my remarks, I may have voted the way I did in April 2015,” in which she voted against a resolution supporting board counsel’s continuing to fight the state on the matter.
“As I have mentioned, I am a team player who is committed to enhancing education in Hoboken and have contributed positively to the board over the last three years,” added Angley. “I am proud of the education my children are receiving through the district. And that is why I want to give back. I hope to continue to serve our district diligently, make informed decisions for all Hoboken’s students, and work respectfully with the board and the administration to empower our schools to be the best they can be.”
Author Jillian Pransky will read at Little City Books on Oct. 11
Jillian Pransky is a local hero among the city’s yoga devotees. On Oct. 11, Little City Books, at First and Bloomfield Streets, will host the launch of her new book, “Deep Listening.”
Beginning at 7 p.m., Pransky will read from her new work and engage in conversation with Carol Massar, Bloomberg Radio/TV anchor.
Pransky’s work focuses on restorative practice, rest, healing, and meditation. Her personal story of healing through rest has been found inspiring by readers.
You can pre-order the book to reserve a place in the audience at littlecitybooks.com .
Western Twelfth Street closed in Hoboken for construction
For about the next three weeks Twelfth Street between Madison and Jefferson Streets will be closed to traffic due to construction related to the PSE&G Madison Street Substation Project.
The substation project is a multi-million dollar capital improvement plan that will upgrade the station to make it more reliable and resilient in severe weather.
In order to provide access to properties on Jefferson Street south of Twelfth Street, the block of Twelfth Street between Adams Street and Jefferson Street will be temporarily reversed from eastbound to westbound during the street closure.
Once this portion of the project is complete, the roadway will be reopened, and traffic will revert to the normal eastbound direction.
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s hosts food drive
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty will host their Fifth Annual Food Drive on is hosting their 5th Annual Food Drive from now until Nov. 30.
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty will continue to partner with Move For Hunger, a national non-profit organization to collect non-perishable food items throughout their northern New Jersey locations.
At the end of the drive, the food will be picked-up and delivered by Ridgewood Moving Services to the Center for Food Action in Ridgewood. All Seasons Movers, Inc. and Main Street Movers will pick-up and deliver donations to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside.
Residents can donate at 306 Washington St. in Hoboken. Other locations are in Alpine, Edgwater, Englewood Cliffs, Franklin Lakes, Montclaire, Ridgewood, Saddle River, Short Hills, Tenafly, and Westfield. For more information contact your local Prominent Properties Soethby’s office.
Hurricane relief benefit performance announced
Karen Nason, local businesswoman and mayoral candidate, will host a fundraiser for a hurricane relief fund via globalgiving.org.
She is sponsoring “Merciful Delusions,” four one act plays by Tennessee Williams directed by Tony Award nominee Lorraine Serabian at the Mile Square Theater.
The performances will take place on Friday Oct. 13 and Saturday Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. and Sunday Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.
Tickets cost $40 and all proceeds will go to hurricane relief efforts.
The evenings include food, wine, desserts and coffee.
Tickets can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/hurricanefund.
Learn about land conflict in Liberia
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, the Hoboken Historical Museum at 1301 Hudson St. will host the Black Maria Film Festival screening of the documentary “The Land Beneath Our Feet,” by Sarita Siegel and Gregg Mittman, a film spanning a four-year investigation into history, memory, and present-day land conflicts in Liberia.
Black Maria Executive Director Jane Steuerwald will host the custom-curated program, and a discussion with the audience. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the films will screen at 7 pm. Admission is a suggested $5 donation, which includes light refreshments.
Hudson Theater Works performs ‘MacBeth’
From Oct. 12 to Oct 29 Hudson Theater Works will have performances Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at the Woodrow Wilson School at 80 Hauxhurst Ave in Weehawken.
All tickets are $20 and can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-836-3008.
There are discount tickets of $15 for seniors, veterans, Weehawken residents (with ID), and groups of 10 or more.
Local author to present new thriller at Little City Books
Internationally bestselling author, Polis Books founder, and Hoboken resident Jason Pinter will present his new novel “The Castle” on Oct. 17 at Little City Books, 100 Bloomfield Street, at 7 p.m.
“The Castle” is a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller about Remy Stanton, who gets recruited into the presidential campaign of a controversial billionaire, only to uncover shocking secrets that could jeopardize everyone he cares about.
Pinter will read from the novel, take questions, and sign copies. He will also offer a free specialty cocktail called “The Candidate” to all attendees.
For more information, on the book and author look at our Aug. 6 article “A book publisher, author, and new Hudson County resident,” www.LittleCityBooks.com or www.JasonPinter.com .
House tour announced
The Hoboken Historical Museum will host their annual Hoboken House Tour on Sunday Oct.22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The fundraiser for the museum will include a mix of Victorian brownstones and brand new condos plus a few bonus historic sites.
Locations are kept secret until the day of the tour, but each year’s tour offers a fresh selection of homes with features that will appeal to fans of traditional, modern or eclectic décor.
Points of interest on the tour include two 100-plus-year-old houses of worship, and two monuments to WWI soldiers.
The self guided tours take two to three hours on foot and a map will be included in participant’s tour booklet the day of the tour.
They can be picked up from one of two starting points, either The Hoboken Historical Museum at 1301 Hudson St., or the Fire Department Museum at 213 Bloomfield St.
Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 the day of the tour. A limited number of VIP tickets are also for sale at $125, which includes an additional three tour homes and brunch at specially selected restaurants along the route.
Advance tickets are available online at www.eventbrite.com or from a link on the Museum’s website, www.hobokenmuseum.org.
Commuters urged to use mass transit
The Port Authority has urged drivers who typically use the Holland Tunnel to take mass transit during rush hours while repairs continue on the nearby Route 139 ramp in Jersey City.
According to a Nixle alert from the city of Hoboken a fire last week compromised some of the ramp’s steel supports.
Agency officials are working on traffic management plans to lessen potential congestion impacts and will coordinate implementation with counterparts at NJ DOT, NJ Transit, New Jersey State Police, Jersey City, Hoboken and Manhattan, New York City officials, as well as New York Waterways ferry service.
It is not yet known when construction will be completed.
