What is truly disgusting is they lost in court already, the judge ordered them to show up for a vote tonight and they filed a motion to halt the vote only after he went on vacation for the holidays so they at best only got a temporary reprieve and will cost the city who knows how many thousands of dollars more in legal expenses all because they can't stand that they don't run things. Time for the city to sue them for the city's legal expenses. They want to sue and waste everyone's money and time, let them get the bill for it.

Well said, I'm happy to know I'm not the only one frustrated what is going on.

Or Mason and company could just show up and vote no if they don't like Doyle like people with integrity would. Sorry twinkie lady but you will lose in the appeals court just like you lost before and like the Newark CC minority lost. Nobody needs to compromise w/ Mason and company to put one of their puppets on the CC. Plus, nobody in that seat sure beats having a Mason puppet in that seat.

It seems reasonable that since the appeal doesn't come remotely close to meeting the standard for interlocutory relief, that Mrs. Mason and company not file frivolous motions intended to bleed hoboken taxpayers and buy an extra month of gridlock. The fact that Mrs. Mason is paying $10 for every $1 she bleeds from the constituents she swore an oath to serve is little solace to the taxpayers who have to pay her bills.

Yes, reach across the aisle to the people who are suing you out of pure spite.

Hogwash. This is obstructionism and you know it. Mason's legal games are costing the City money and terrorizing citizens who dare speak against her. Reach across the aisle? And do what? Zero out the surplus? There's a great stupid idea from Ms. Mason which even looks dumber now post Hurricane Sandy.

CG- What compromise? The minority are bloodsucking varmint & need to be quashed. If their recent trouncing at the polls hasn't made it clear enough, maybe the letters to the editor will - Hoboken REJECTS THEM. THEY ARE TERRIBLE AT THEIR COUNCIL JOBS AND SHOULD ALL RETIRE.

The fact that the Old Guard lot is pulling this ridiculous stunt involving complaining about legal fees, running them up, and no-showing for their job shows that the concept of cooperation and compromise is lost on them. If we can't get a responsible result on a simple refinance of a bond that certain council members had originally voted for putting in place or a hospital sale which staved off bankruptcy for the city, why should we expect anything different now?

The only compromise Russo and company will accept is unacceptable to me. Look at Russo, he agreed to a bribe, and I pray the only reason he has not been charge yet is because the Feds knew that just the tip of the iceberg and they know that with a little more work they can nail him for so much more.

To your point, Beth Mason never gave a reason for her obvious absence in October. There's been odd reference to a trip out of the country and last night Terry Castellano said it. There's just one problem.

It's not true.

Mason was seen by a witness who saw her driving in Hoboken with her daughter just hours before the meeting. MSV mentioned this in the public portion of the meeting last night.

It's not time to reach across the aisle for the ugly, obstructive tactics of the Old Guard council. It's time to see their sabotage of Hoboken ended once and for all. They tried to bankrupt our City and kill the hospital for political spite.

They must never be trusted.

Here's Phil Cohen last night nailing them to the wall with his comments in public portion. He laid it all out succinctly and had them freaking out:

http://www.hobokenhorse.com/2012/12/phil-cohen-gets-led-out-on-morte.html

Please, spare us your nonsense. Marsh resigned for personal reasons and it was up to her to decide when she wanted to resign. Stop w/ the sour grapes already. You people are in the minority and you will stay in the minority so long as you support dishonest people who do dishonest things for their own personal gain. November elections will insure that.

Carol Marsh did not "delay" her resignation at the behest of the mayor or anyone. Although Terry Castellano posited that fabrication several times last night, I know it's untrue and called her out on it. So I'm doing the same here with you.

Former Councilwoman Carol Marsh had a terrible family illness that changed the life of her family and she reluctantly surrendered to that reality.

Of course we know the Old Guard operates on everything in this uncouth fashion. That is not the case with Carol Marsh. She did not want to leave without completing her term but life forced her hand.

You love to talk about power as the motivation in moral equivalent terms but only one side operates like that on everything, all the time and tried to bankrupt the city and close the hospital for that sole reason.

The Old Guard has your unwavering support. We won't stand by for it.

maybe someone should sue you for slander or something. Prove you know what on in Mrs. Marsh's head when she made her discidion.

You should be ashamed of yourself, but then you have no shame.

Implicit in your imaginary story is the insane idea that Zimmer would have feared an election this past November. The move of the elections to November won by something like 7000 votes which was pretty much as expected. Somehow I don't think Zimmer would have been sweating out the election results of a council race.

Claire Moses will not let me call someone (not going to say who - it was not this story) an opportunistic parasite, but they will let Cassandra say this.

It disgusts me.

It's a joke too watch these 4 people be BIG Babies. thats all it is.They see a First woman mayor in this corrup county, Do a great job. shows courage and heart. don't care how long you lived here,You don't own THE PEOPLE!! You work for us. Russo you was seen on tape acceptting bribe. Your dad stole from the people. And this county continues to give out jobs too this crew. Used word crew, because its street term for mob street workers. These young people don't fear you. acting like your real mobsters. Fear tactics. When you use words to knock mayor, like children. Did any of you learn lessons from parents too dont be so childish. Recall all of them, I see the youth in this town,rising up,Dawn can be in washington one day,in place of bobby m. She is real. For all the people. Im a senior,i don't owe nothing to nobody, I worked for mine. I'm happy being simple. But moving here 9 years ago, seen the low lifes of city rule. sad. Recall them all.. Journey ill help in 1st ward.

No we should time this so the recall election is in November, otherwise they buy a lot of votes.

When and where would good for a strategy meeting? I doubt Room 84 would be work. Turtle Club.

Exactly. Marsh and Cunningham had no choice but to leave when the alternative was to allow the minority to take away the BOE's prerogative away by remaining in attendance. Unlike the council minority, Marsh and Cunningham understood that the City Council has no business making decisions for or tying the hands of the BOE.

Trying to change the subject to salvage anything for Beth Mason is not going to work.
Beth Mason pushed to repress Hoboken people's rights to speech in the City Council too:

http://www.hobokenhorse.com/2012/12/beth-mason-calls-for-suppressing-public.html#IDComment524925495

Good point CuriousGal. I remember that the Council Minority introduced a resolution for Councilman Cunningham and Councilwoman Marsh to reimburse the city for that stunt.

I think that to be consistent -- don't want to be hypocrites do we -- Councilman Russo, Councilman Occhipinti, Councilwoman Mason and Councilwoman Castellano should agree to reimburse the city for the dollars the city has had to spend in Court to deal with this stunt. Don't you agree?

I actually do not have a problem with the Old Guard on this one. They are acting like a prisoner who is trying to stave off execution. They should drag this through the courts. I will give a dying man some flexibility. The possibility of them ever again enjoying the majority on the council is zilch. They understand that no educated, 30-something, Manhattan transplant, tax-paying, parent will ever vote for them. Kudos to them for using Beth Mason's scratch to ward off extinction. They know long-term they will fail and in the back of their heads, are already comtemplating their last meal.

No additional lies will aid Beth Mason and the Old Guard council on this one. Mayor Zimmer won across the board on every election item in November. She has earned the respect of the city by doing a great job working to the benefit of all its residents.

Judge Bariso ordered the full council to vote on the Doyle appointment. Trot out the lie again it isn't true and then watch when the law is upheld.

You and your curious twinkie are not going to be able to save Beth Mason on this.
Neither can her lawyers. Get used to it.

I applaud Jay Rattigan for his honesty.

The only problem with his analogy is that it is the City of Hoboken that is being held "prisoner" as a result of these games, not the poor council minority. You approve of their "dragging this case through the courts" but this political game -- and that is all it is -- costs the taxpayers real money.

I do disagree with you on why they will never enjoy the council majority again. The reason they will never get the Council Majority again isn't because the voters aren't smart (like you are smart Jay). The reason they will never enjoy the council majority again is because the City is tired of this crap, and wants their public servants to work for the public, and not to work for themselves.

I do not know Carol Marsh and have no knoweldge of her personal circumstances. That said, I really wish she resigned sooner so there could be an election to determine her seat. Would have been beautiful to have Jim Doyle annihilate the Old Guard candidate.

I have no idea what the mayor and her team would rather have done but I seriously doubt she would have trembling in fear at the prospect of a special election this past november. particularly when her opponents' key operatives didn't even know we were having an election this november since they think november elections are quite rare.

Soeaking of breaking the law, did Mr. kleinman tell you about the time he helped break the law by lying to the City Council with respect to an illegal early retirement program that ultimate cost the taxpayers $4.2 million? I'll bet that's where his expertise in statutes of limitations comes from since he probably was marking the days off on his calendar until the statute of limitations on malpractice ran out.