Tim Occhipinti Fails To Help 4th Ward Flood Victims

Since moving to Hoboken I have agreed and disagreed with many Council members. No one however has appeared to be as incompetent as Tim Occhipinti.

The 4th Ward representative rolls his eyes and humphed and stumped when anyone disagrees with him. After turning red faced he consistently stumbles and bumbles with his meager responses. With flooding occurring in his Ward (before Mayor Zimmer's pumps were installed) he recommended that his future constituents would be better off watching the Weather Channel than having the innovative Emnet technology installed.

This technology has provided Hoboken with invaluable real time information on where the largest leaks are. This is important because we do not have unlimited funds to repair every leak.

Tim apparently wants us to shoot at a flooding dart board rather than investing prudently. He then enthusiastically supported the corrupt felon Peter Camaranno, showing clearly which side he agrees with.

As a councilman he also supported a zero budget surplus. Had Tim had his way the 3 year retro pay for our police and firemen would have had no funds available, potentially causing a multi million tax increase.

After the Cammarano saga there was a discussion (I was involved with) over whether or not Hoboken should adopt stronger ethics rules. Tim was there at that time but somehow he can't remember or chose to forget the available options.

According to state law (not that Tim or the other minority members seem to care about following the law or state regulations) Hoboken can either accept a weak state law or allow the mayor to appoint a 15 member board at his/her discretion.

Although I support Mayor Zimmer, I – like the rest of the council – felt this would give any mayor too much power. Yet Tim plowed ahead in order to punish Nancy Pincus for her satirical articles ridiculing his actions. Obviously the 1st Amendment and Nancy's right to free speech means nothing to him.

Perhaps Tim will pay attention rather than forgetting crucial information in the future, but I doubt it. When the time came for Tim to stand up and give Mayor Zimmer the tools available to acquire park land in the 4th Ward he sided with developers over his citizens that deserve a park.

He also greedily lobbied former BA Arch Liston for most of the park bond issue to make Mama Johnson's Field a state of the art facility. While Mama Johnson Field needed and has been resurfaced every Ward deserves their share of the proceeds, because we all live (lived) in a small mile square city.

When Hurricane Sandy hit he not only failed to show up, but his remarks were cruel and beneath the dignity of the office which he claims to serve. He stated that people on the shore had their homes washed away (including Mayor Roberts) and therefore deserved more consideration than Hoboken residents.

Here's Nancy's take on Tim's remarks: http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2012/12/tim-fights-flood-aid-tim-fight...

http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2012/12/tim-lobbies-for-parade.html

As someone who has gone over my parents possessions (photos, movies, slides) that go back to the 1920's, I have found priceless treasures that Tim can't comprehend.

Maybe a flood victim has a prized painting, children's handiwork, collectables or fine furniture. Whatever you prize I can only grieve with you if you lost anything during the Nor'easter.

If you live at ground level, below, are part of a condo association or own a brownstone then you might be part of the $100 million damage that Hoboken suffered. It was not only the citizens, but the City of Hoboken itself that suffered multi million damage and loss.

Tim apparently couldn't care less about your loss. If he had his fiscally incompetent way there would be no funds available to repair and replace the city's losses. Once again a massive tax rise would have occurred if Tim had his way. It is one thing to be incompetent, it is another to not care about residents who suffer losses.

Tim also trumpeted his Train of Hope, that would deliver needed goods to flood stricken Hoboken. Instead the majority of the goods never made it to Hoboken.

Perhaps this is why Tim cries and moans over Nancy's opinion. Time after time he has shown that he really doesn't care about the 4th Ward, unless of course Beth Mason tells him to do so. Mr. “Independent” has only once voted against his paymaster in a 5-4 vote.

This shows quite clearly that he is a lapdog, not an independent. Whether you rent (subject to floods or tax surcharges) or own property in the 4th Ward, the facts are clear, Tim Occhipinti neither cares nor is interested in your survival during an emergency situation.

In the next election I urge you to vote for a candidate that truly cares about your Ward.