Playing at a Condo Near You

Still shot of protest from a Sky Club window credit: MSV

Bully-politics are nothing new from Hoboken's Dark Side.

And with a strong incumbent Mayor and the demographic shifting in Reform's favor, the options for the Dark Side to 'take back' City Hall are limited.

GA believes the Dark Side's only path to victory is to suppress our voters in combo with a massive VBM harvest in a two-way race.  From the looks of last night's 'protest' they are failing gloriously.

HHA Executive Director Garcia certainly has less to worry about; he'll be elected with Stack.  But Ramos and his At-Large Council need a strategy to win.  So how does Team Ramos ride to victory on divisive protests outside Hoboken condo buildings?

He doesn't.

This kind of protest at private residential buildings does two things:

(1) It raises the public's awareness of the 'controversial' aspects of Vision 20/20: the 25% expansion of public housing, the plan that is being forced through without any community input, and the astronomical developer's fees to be split with the HHA

The developer fee for the first phase alone – just one building – is upwards of $1.5 million.

Why is Garcia's HHA taking half of the developer's fee?  That is federal money that should be used to benefit the quality of Vision 20/20 construction and Vision 20/20 accessory buildings/amenities.   Moreover, WHY is the HHA pushing a Vision 20/20 plan where buildings are surrounded by parking lots, not active open space?  

Vision 20/20 concept plan: buildings are surrounded by parking lots (red).  

Awareness of the 'controversies' surrounding the project will seep into the mainstream  consciousness when people have to run a gauntlet of protesters to go home.

(2) Consequently, awareness of the troubling aspects of the project under it's present management, educates the public on who represents the best interest of Hoboken and HHA residents (not the guys  pushing the parking-lot playgrounds).  This translates to votes (and voter registration).

GA can't believe Ramos is allowing these kind of divisive tactics when he's got an Assembly record to run on.