What Was Beth Mason Up To Wednesday Night?

For Beth Mason, the last year or so has supplied its share of setbacks and miscues. In 2009, the Second Ward Councilwoman lost two mayoral elections and, in the first quarter of 2010, she picked a fight with two of her city council colleagues and her husband backed a losing slate in the BoE election.

In what was viewed by some as a vexing move, Mason took a swipe at fellow council members Ravi Bhalla and Peter Cunningham last month, accusing the two of having a conflict of interest after voting to award special counsel Paul Condon a new contract. Bhalla shares a law office with Condon, but argued that the two attorneys maintain separate practices. Condon and Cunningham's wives collaborate on a real estate business.

But, Mason made the commotion after the city council—Mason included—voted unanimously to award Condon the $29,000 contract. The city council seemed to placate Mason at a meeting, engaging in a lengthy discussion about the appearance of impropriety, and the issue seemed to blow over.

After a group of landlords filed a class-action suit in early February against Hoboken over its rent control law, Mason led a subcommittee in meetings to address possible changes to the city's rent control law. But any recommendations on what to do about rent control have yet to be made public.

More recently, the councilwoman's husband, Ricky Mason, published a letter in The Hoboken Reporter endorsing Real Results in last week's BoE election. The Kids First slate swept the election and the winners were sworn in on Tuesday.

So, what is a politician who might be spinning her wheels to do? Hobnob with her constituents over a round of free cocktails at a swanky waterfront restaurant? Hire a new consulting firm? Stay committed to being accessible to the residents she represents?

How about all of the above?

Mason recently employed the services of The Cratos Group, a Lyndhurst-based firm that provides strategic and fundraising counsel to elected officials (she still retains the services of Vision Media) and last night she hosted a meet-and-greet at Lua for Second Ward residents.

About 75 people turned out to meet the councilwoman—some to voice their concerns to Mason, some to show support for her and some to discuss the challenges facing Hoboken with fellow community activists. A handful of other notable locals turned out for the event, including county Freeholder Anthony Romano, Liz Markevitch and Patricia Waiters. Bhalla, a Councilman-at-Large and Second Ward resident, was not in attendance.

Was the meet-and-greet public posturing orchestrated by her new consulting firm or was there a genuine exchange of ideas and concerns between constituents and elected official? Most people on hand didn't seem to think it was posturing and many were appreciative to get some face time with their city representative.

Jay Boucher, 39, and Desiree Goldfinger, 36, said they found the meet-and-greet to be an effective way of voicing their concerns to Mason. The couple has lived in Hoboken for 15 years and has two young children. They said they spoke to Mason for about 15 minutes about a speed-bump that was removed on their street during repaving and hasn't been replaced since the work was finished.

Boucher, a Web designer who sits on the Board of Trustees for the NJ chapter of the ACLU, lauded Mason's work on behalf of the Second Ward and local government in general. "The work she does for open records is really good for keeping municipal governments accountable," said Boucher, noting that the free drink was a nice incentive to show up.

That sentiment was echoed by people like 68-year-old Jesus Diaz, who's lived in Hoboken for 47 years and used to work at Bethlehem Steel, and Dave Walensky, 37, who said he attended because, "The way Hoboken is right now, you have to support who you believe in."

Mason is no stranger to these types of outreaches to the community. Last year, between her losses in the May and November mayoral elections, Mason held a number of community meetings at which she channeled Al Gore and used a nifty slide show to promote her development plan for a 25-block stretch of Hoboken's northwest quadrant.

The concept, drawn up by the Manhattan-based Obelisk Architectural Consultants, included rudimentary sketches for the construction of a minor league baseball stadium, indoor and outdoor recreation space, a pedestrian mall, and more parking, among other things.

That plan has seemed to fade from her priority list in recent months due to a lack of public support, said Liz Markevitch (a candidate who ran for the BoE on the Real Results slate).

Markevitch, a Mason supporter who was there to discuss issues and challenges facing the city with other Hobokenites, also said that the positive work Mason's done for the community has been overshadowed by the losses in the mayoral elections and a calculated effort to discredit her image.

"I think the last year Beth got branded by people spreading lies, rumors and misinformation," said Markevitch, adding that Mason's generosity is too often overlooked. When asked for an example, Markevitch said Mason gifted the Hoboken-North Hudson YMCA $20,000 to help it pay off debts to PSE&G and stay in business. The YMCA closed its health and family programs last month.

When asked about the donation to the YMCA, Mason said she donated $10,000 and loaned another $10,000, but never sought repayment of the loan, thereby making it a $20,000 gift. Mason said she made the donation because she and her husband were concerned that people would've been thrown out on the street and they did so quietly because "it is not necessary to publicize it."

As for last night's gathering, Mason said the objective was hearing what her constituents' dreams are and keeping people in Hoboken for the long-term—a common theme discussed by elected officials and those only tangentially involved in local politics.

"We need our people to stay here. We want them to stay in Hoboken and support the businesses here," said Mason. "Tonight is just a continuation of things I've done all through my tenure."

Mason said her northwest development plan isn't dead, but seems to have been abandoned by a public concerned with more pressing quality-of-life issues, like the budget and the roads.

She said she still has hope for development in northwest Hoboken and noted that if something went forward in that part of the city, there's a chance the Toll Bros. construction company would support the project and donate Maxwell Place Park to the city in return.

"We could get something better for our kids, better for our residents and more profitable for the city," she added. "It's always a possibility, but unless the constituents in the Second Ward and otherwise want it, it won't happen."

Mason also addressed the issue surrounding rent control. She emphasized that the city is not ending rent control and has submitted recommendations to Hoboken Corporation Counsel Michael Kates.

"On March 30, we had our last meeting. The subcommittee came up with three potential recommendations to the council," Mason said. "Since that time, it's been sitting in corporation counsel's office and that's all I'll say about that."

While the last year or so has been politically unstable for Mason—enough that she has at least two consulting firms strategizing for her—one constant has been her constituency, which remains loyal and appreciative.

"It's always great to have someone listen to the concerns of constituents," said Michael McDonald, 44, another supporter.

The extent to which that sentiment is influenced by Mason's political machine is hard to know, but the support of her base will almost certainly keep her relevant until she starts campaigning for next year's election—that is, if she hasn't begun campaigning already.