The afternoon of Monday, Jan. 1 will bring the swearing in of new Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, followed by a City Council reorganization meeting on Jan. 3. Political observers have been wondering who will be the next council president, and whether Bhalla will have to contend with a divided council during his first year, since some of the nine members were his opponents in last month’s election. In the past, Mayor Dawn Zimmer was often able to push her agenda through, since most of the council members were her supporters. After a heated election during which three council members ran against each other for mayor on Nov. 7, some residents think Bhalla may have a tougher time. Click here for more.
With less than one month left before Gov. Christopher Christie’s term expires, local community activists hope to derail a plan that would privatize the southern portion of Liberty State Park and construct a new luxury marina where deteriorating jetties currently exist. Tipped off that the plan is being discussed by state officials without adequate notice to the public, Sam Pesin, president of the nonprofit Friends of Liberty State Park, is hoping to drum up enough opposition to keep Christie from getting the plan approved before he leaves office in mid-January. Mayor Steven Fulop joined other public officials and environmental activists at a rally near the picnic area on Dec. 2 to highlight the threat and to send a message to Christie to drop the plans. Click here for more.
Although the “No Shave November” campaign has been held in North Bergen for many years, this year, the North Bergen police decided to help a local business owner raise funds and awareness about colon cancer. Marlene Ceragno, co owner of Eye Contact Vision Center of North Bergen, said last week that doctors encourage people 50 and over to get a colonoscopy, but many people still don’t. Her husband, Bob, said younger people assume they don’t have to even when they suffer symptoms. Sometimes doctors attribute colon cancer symptoms to something else. Click here for more.
