Late night open thread

Tonight before bed let's tune into 3RRR-FM out of Melbourne Australia and their fantastic alternative format. Just a click away. Music til dawn on this internet radio outpost.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

You'd think less helicopter traffic on the Hudson River would make almost everyone happy

But it seems like most people aren't. Tour operators are upset for the obvious reasons, they feel the 50% cut in sightseeing helicopter traffic is far too limiting. Citizen groups who said despite claims to the opposite they weren't included in the negotiations as they want it all stopped. An interesting read on helicopter tours and limiting them assured to rankle you on one level or another.

Late night open thread

It's right there on the death certificate, Cause of Death: New Slippers for Christmas.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Johnny has serious concerns about the safety of our city

You all know Johnny loves Jersey City with all his heart. When he gets angry with certain officials it's because Johnny knows Jersey City can be better and truly wants break the old thinking about our fair city. Like a football coach once told Johnny's high school team; "Don't worry when I yell at you when you screw up. Worry when you know I see you screw up and don't yell at you."

To that end JC we have a real problem. Getting ready for "The Ugly, Phase Two" Toll Brothers has a contractor digging deep holes at Warren and Morgan. Deep deep holes. Johnny is rightly concerned that if this one gets any deeper we as a city are gonna have to deal with a Kraken or a Balrog or some other mutant horror. Man's hubris is putting our city at grave risk for a Kraken and what do our leaders do? Nothing.

Don't say Johnny didn't warn you.

Late night open thread

Shut up Kenny, I think I know what I'm doing. God you're such an asshole sometimes...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with WANG CHUNG!

Question, can an average band, even one who relies on somewhat gimmicky songs to be popular have a song that's really really cool, so cool in fact it can get on the Music Series? Why of course, that's in fact the only way Wang Chung is ever gonna get on this here Music Series, with this song, the ultra cool 'To Live and Die in L.A.' because nobody in the Jersey City desk offices has time to Wang Chung tonight.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with KATE BUSH!

If this song isn't considered an oldie what would you call 'The Big Sky' by Kate Bush? We realize XM radio makes it so easy with 40's, 50's, 60's channels et al. but at 31 years on, maybe this song is ok to call an oldie? Ah, who cares.

Enjoy!

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA!

Johnny's dog walker came in while he was working earlier this week (and he has a smart great sounding small speaker he can walk to whatever playlist or style of music he's feeling that day) and ELO was on his sound system. In fact this very song, an old favorite of Johnny's and the bullpen here is in full agreement, ELO with 'Turn to Stone'

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

The mystery BOOM, what could it have been?

Folks down South Jersey way are wondering what the hell it was they heard/felt this afternoon. Some said it felt like an earthquake but the Geological Survey said no. Then speculation turned to a military plane of some kind dropping something or crashing. Military said no.

Follow this handy link and see what the latest is on whatever it was.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Tomorrow the State of NJ will hold a hearing on Jersey City's reval here in JC

If you would like to speak out and have your comments on record concerning the possible Jersey City reval, Thursday the "state Division of Taxation will conduct the hearing at 6 p.m. in the Scott Ring Room on the second floor of Hudson County Community College, 161 Newkirk St."

Jersey City hasn't had a citywide reval in almost 30 years and the state is let's say more than considering our fair city to go through one. The Healy administration had a reval 95% complete and let like a flaming bag of poop of new Mayor Fulop's doorstep which Fulop canceled because FRIENDLIES. Perhaps in hindsight Fulop should have let it run it's course and heap all the blame on the outgoing Healy, but now, your comments are wanted.

There are other ways to go on record if you can't make the meeting. You can find those and the rest of the article here.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Mayor Fulop continues his "Oh yeah, I'm Mayor of Jersey City" talks tonight

In what can best be described as either not enough of these neighborhood talks are going on or these are Mayor Fulop's way or pretending he's actually running Jersey City and not fully engaged in his gubernatorial run yet but here comes another one.

Fulop will meet with several pissed off neighborhood associations (maybe why he's taking on so many at once tonight) at Grace Van Vorst church at 7pm. No doubt many questions about abatements and loans to developers will be glossed over, capitulation of our downtown streets to developers will be dismissed, and issues of green space and bike lanes will be politely ignored.

But the important thing about these meetings is the mayor gets to tell you you're wrong in criticizing him through his own internal set of empirical data.

The bell rings at 7 Jersey City.

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What a long Monday. Here's to a better Tuesday.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Late night open thread

You can all stay home tomorrow. Johnny will write you a note.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

A nickel's worth of free PR advice...

Don't make robocalls on Friday and Saturday before the storm telling residents you have new equipment, new strategies and then put on a dopey DPW hat for effect if you can't control the weather.

First things first, THAT was a snowstorm. Johnny's time in Michigan's Upper Peninsula was truly revisited yesterday. It blew up and it blew up quick. That's part of the trouble when you call on Friday and the storm is just beginning to intensify. Weather can certainly make a fool of leaders who said they were well prepared. It's a roll of the dice. Sadly Jersey City didn't get Yahtzee!, we got three 4's.

We're hearing from all points in JC this morning on Twitter; The Heights, Downtown, Journal Square and people just don't think the words matched the deeds because the deeds were swamped with snow.

Then came this morning's robocall and here's our favorite quote from the Twitter on a Sunday morning call:

 ❄️snowgoth ‏@amywilson  49m49 minutes ago Jersey City, NJ
@JohnyAction the defensiveness & tone of those calls really shocks me. I get it: record snow. I don't expect things to be perfect overnight
10:23 AM - 24 Jan 2016 ·

Ouch.

Next time tell the people what they can do to help your charges, don't mention new equipment and so forth, it raises expectations. Let us know it's all hands on deck and you'll do everything you can. Update truthfully if we're having problems ie cars in streets etc.

We're good with that because we'll mostly be playing in the snow until Monday morning anyway.

Late night open thread

AFC and NFC Championship games tomorrow, who ya got?

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

PATH has shut down the Journal Square to Newark route

Obviously the only above-ground section of PATH and it is shut down. PATH continues to run JSQ to 33rd St via Hoboken.

The National Weather Service has just moved us into the 24-30" range.

This storm could well be a top 5 in Jersey City history

With the snow predictions increasing seemingly hourly, NYC Mayor DeBlasio mentioned the area could see upwards of 30 inches. If so it would squarely place this snowstorm in the top 5 ever.

Today is history.

Late night open thread

Is everyone in? The show's about to begin...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with SNAKE RIVER CONSPIRACY!

Johnny's just done with the regular stuff, tonight anyway. He's gonna dig deep into the iTunes catalog tonight. Here's an awesome cover of The Smiths classic 'How Soon is Now' by Snake River Conspiracy and how do we know this is a great song? Johnny hates ass covers. This is definitely a fresh look and feel for this old song that Johnny holds dear.

So much to like here.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with JOE SIMON!

Whoa, Johnny, Joe Simon? Whaaa? Did you mean Joe Strummer? Paul Simon and you just got mixed up?

Pfffffft. No. Push the furniture to the side of the room. Turn the speakers up. Get your best fluffy socks on. Once you're done grooving around your room to this song you won't have to Swiffer the floor.

Joe Simon and 'I Got A Whole Lot Of Lovin'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE J. GEILS BAND!

Since everyone is getting snuggled in for this rather long storm from the social media and bottles of booze being shown as of yet unopened, Johnny has seen tonight and tomorrow there are gonna be an awful lot of house parties. To that end we'll send you on your way into this powdery evening with the J. Geils Band and (Ain't Nothin' But A) House Party.

BOOM! Winter Storm Ethel Merman is blowing up!

The imminent winter storm, ne, Blizzard that'll get here much earlier than planned as this storm speeds up and intensifies (Johnny told Mrs. Johnny this morning he had a hunch it'd grow) and now will give Jersey City and the surround 12-18" of snow in Blizzard conditions. 

Stay inside after mmmmm, 3am and just look, no touch. This one's gonna be a big one.

Late night open thread

Somewhat ironic Saturday Night Live did their famous sketch of Eddie Murphy as Buckwheat getting shot in a very Reagan-esque shooting scene when in fact it was Carl Dean Switzer who played Alfalfa who was shot to death on this day in 1959. What, you didn't know the story? Now you do. Ka-razy story.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Jersey City and the surround is now on a blizzard watch for Saturday

Johnny is gonna go ahead right now and rate this a 5 Dr. Smith storm

You can't do any worse than a blizzard in the winter can you? Maybe that one movie where winter killed everyone but those people in the New York Public Libarry but this is pretty bad. Predictions are running around 8-14" of snow with winds that, well, take it away Jersey Journal:

Winds: Sustained winds of 15 to 35 mph are expected during most of the day on Saturday, with gusts up to 35 mph inland and up to 50 mph further east.

If this storm turns northward we might have to add a Dr. Smith. Spare us oh Winter Storm Ethel Merman!

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

24 hours later, law firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter is out

Now, if Johnny were Donald Trump he'd jump up and down and scream he had some hand in this but Johnny's a pragmatist, not an egomaniac, there's a difference. The Jersey City Desk had some great numbers as far as how many people read our story but we also realize other factors were at work too.

The important thing is 280 Grove St. did get a free civics lesson and to wit Mayor Fulop got bit by a law he championed so everyone got a chance to get their learn on over this mess.

More sloppy sloppy sloppy out of city hall though.

Late night open thread

We'd like to congratulate the happy couple.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

What a weak Jersey City Council

The Jersey City council, it what should be a slam dunk revocation of a law firm contract in CLEAR violation of Jersey City's pay-to-play law, is having all kinds of difficulty in either learning about, caring or commenting on this clear violation:

The Jersey Journal first reported on Friday that the contract — worth $50,000 and awarded in December to Morristown firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter — was given six months after a managing partner of the firm contributed two $300 donations to Fulop's re-election campaign. Critics, including a man who helped to craft New Jersey's pay-to-play ban, say the city's ban requires the city to revoke the contract.

Now Fulop could have returned these funds before 30 days were up and everything is jake, except he didn't and trust us, nobody on this green Earth should have known the law better than Steve Fulop:

When Fulop was a councilman, he attempted to pass a pay-to-play ban first by a council vote, and when that failed, he qualified the measure to be put on the November 2008 ballot, which spurred the council to act. At the time, he said the law would "eliminate the conflicts of interests and at the same time create a council strictly to serve the public."

When the council unanimously passed the measure in September 2008, Fulop received a standing ovation from a crowd of about 100 at the council meeting.

So, the law firm's contract should automatically be forfeit except Hudson County's slickest politician isn't moving to void it.

Good thing we have a city council to revoke it right taxpayers?

Yeah, pretty much weaklings. Johnny's picturing the former football coach at Florida State Bobby Bowden when learning of some of the serious transgressions of his players used to look down, kick a rock or two and give us the "Well shuckins' there isn't much I can do watch all these kids and their shenanigans, I'm just one man" routine. What does the Chilltown Council think of this slam dunk revocation? Awwww shuckins':
Daniel Rivera didn't return calls asking about it.
Rolando Lavarro, Joyce Watterman and Chico Ramchal? Whatever are you talking about, we don't read local news n stuff.
Frank Gajewski reads the news, he just needs more of it.
No word from Councilwoman Osborne on revocation, just that she trusts everyone turns in truthful paperwork.

It shouldn't matter all or part of the money was returned. This one is easy. The contract gets opened back up and everyone at 280 Grove St. gets a free civics lesson.

Late night open thread

Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another.
 -- Plato, The Republic, 342 BC

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Winter Storm #EthelMerman set to hit this Saturday!

Screw the Weather Channel naming storms. Johnny's taking his turn in naming this one. #WinterStormEthelMerman could bring anywhere from 4-8" of snow up to 8-12" of snow or anywhere in between as a front carrying a lot of moisture rolls up from the Carolinas Friday and all-day Saturday. Get your first look at storm possibilities from Gothamist.

Happy MLK Day!

Celebrating one of the great American lives as we do every year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Would you look at that, snow

Winter has found us Jersey City and it only took until January 17th.

Late night open thread

I got a fire alarm at home, but really it’s more like a 9-volt battery slowly drainer. “Do you want to slowly get rid of your 9-volt batteries? Then buy this circle.”
 -- Mitch Hedberg

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Sorry Ms. Eliza Neals...

Johnny missed your show here in Jersey City tonight. He normally makes 'em but tonight, alas, couldn't. Next time sweets!

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with LORD HURON!

Oh is Mrs. Johnny all about Lord Huron. To be an annoying shit Johnny constantly misstates their name as Lord Baltimore, one of the trackers chasing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and when you think about it, this music might not be bad tracking music for the old west.

For those of you trying to get concert tickets for the Lord Huron fanatic in your life, they're in Australia and New Zealand right now and who knows if they'll ever come back, those are dangerous places filled with Orcs and goblins.

Until they return, if ever, here's Lord Huron with 'The World Ender'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BRONSKI BEAT!

You never see the 80's coming at you. You're just walking down the street minding your own business and BOOM, Bronski Beat with 'Run From Love'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with OHIO PLAYERS!

Not Ohio State players, they're all going pro. Ohio Players are already professionals of funk. This song is great blah blah, funky, horns, fun, dance blah blah GODDAMMIT woman, put some fucking clothes on, what are you, a BEAR?! Close your mouth, flies will get in.

The Ohio Players with 'Love Rollercoaster'

Late night open thread

This is an elegant hotel! Room service has an unlisted number.
 -- Henny Youngman

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

However bad your day was...

Johnny's been sounding the alarm, since all the pop-n-fresh rental condos opened downtown there is a lot more crime going on. Not the murders everyone mentions, but things like this:

They took 'em all and smashed the passenger window. Simply used some nearby construction detritus to hoist it and bingo, crime. The city is gonna have to step up patrols downtown, how about foot patrols, or noobs are going to get ripped off.

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Everybody do the Barbarino!

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Soon Jersey City will be home to the state's tallest building

So tall in fact it needed FAA approval which it got this week. A 950-foot tower, (that's 95 stories to you n Johnny) got approval and now only needs City Planning (You guys get those Cocoa Puffs Johnny sent you?) and city council and the parking lot at Greene and Washington will become Johnny Tower.

The owners of the project, China Oversea America (Oversee at this point) is behind the project, which is set to include 760 condo units and about 18,000 square feet of commercial and retail space in its 95 stories. Construction is set to start this spring.

Late night open thread

Logbook: January 12, 2016. Somewhere Jersey City. Still no snow. All winter, nothing, not a flake. Will head back out tomorrow with the snow search party. Several party members have left as the search continues to come up empty. The dawn breaks cold and windy. We press on.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

In the State of the State address tonight...

Governor Chris Christie took credit for saving the state economy. Let that sink in. Saved. Highest taxes anywhere, nine credit downgrades and he saved it.

What a piece of shit.

Late night open thread

One last dip into the David Bowie catalog and it's one Johnny's not trying to have a tie-in with. Truly. He's always likes this song and the great guitar and quick changes. 'John, I'm Only Dancing' before bed tonight.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

David Bowie and TVC 15

David Bowie and Golden Years

You kids today, you get hip. Johnny used to listen to David Bowie on his way to school, you'd do well to get hip too.

What awful awful news to wake up to eh kids?

The Thin White Duke, David Bowie, has passed at age 69 from cancer. Not what you want to wake up and hear, especially with a freezing wind in your face. Johnny's first albums he ever bought both sold for $4 and with tax $4.14. One was Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and the other was one he'd listened to on his friend's 8-track player in his Buick Regal, Changes One Bowie.

We're going to have our own tribute to David Bowie today as his music has had a huge impact on Johnny and some of the staff.

Fittingly, Johnny will start with 'Panic in Detroit'

Late night open thread

What's that? 1-3 inches Tuesday night overnight into Wednesday? Sounds like it.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Mayor Fulop, Jennifer Morrill and the Administration just can't be believed anymore

Sure it's a comparatively small thing but it will go a long way to showing indeed everything being done, every personnel decision being made is done with an eye on the governor's race.

Case in point:

Mayor Steve Fulop is appointing a Ewing woman, Lizette Delgado-Polanco, who is vice chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee and executive director of the SEIU New Jersey State Council to the Jersey City Employment & Training Program.

Wait for it, what will she be doing with credentials like that?

city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said Delgado-Polanco will be helpful as JCETP focuses on "moving women from welfare to work."

Except she'll be making ZERO money and lives near Trenton. Suuuuure she'll be spending a lot of time in Jersey City helping those women transition. Bullshit. Why was she added? Easy, let's check:

* vice chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee
* executive director of the SEIU

She's heavily connected to the powerful SEIU union which Fulop will be courting as a candidate for governor. Vice chair of the Democratic Committee? Oh come on! This has very very little to do with improving the lives of anyone other than Steve Fulop and sadly that's how Jersey City is run anymore. Everything is a political decision made to improve Fulop's own chances, the mystery people walking around city hall you can't find on any official record of being employees are doing nothing but laying the groundwork for Fulop to run for governor.

Neither Fulop not Morrill or anyone carrying water for the administration can have anything taken at face value. They have so abused the trust of Jersey City residents and taxpayers.

Late night open thread

A good time was had by all as it pertains to out of town company for those scoring along at home.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Late night open thread

"Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BECK!

Always great when Beck can drop by our Jersey City Desk studios and perform...or something. Beck and 'Tropicalia' to get your bad self moving like you have a smart cocktail in a coconut in one hand and a parrot in the other. If you can pull that off BTW please send pictures.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE LIONS!

Johnny loves this band and thus this is not their first time on the Music Series. We're not making Detroit Lions jokes this time. A tip top reggae with a touch of world music sounding band helping you get your sway on. Some 'em if you got 'em mon. The Lions and 'Ethio-Steppers'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

How about we send you on your way with this very rare version, one of those unreleased until a B-side greatest hits catalog comes out, of 'Nightspots' from the Candy-O album. Can't mistake that album cover. Johnny got it one year for Christmas, from his grandparents. He asked him mom and dad to get it for him. Thanks for the album grandma!

Johnny has company in town this weekend so...

...limited exciting reports from the front lines of Jersey City.

Of course we'll still have the Music Series tonight, what kind of question is that?

Late night open thread

OK Canada, time for bed. You all had a busy day collecting maple syrup from the premature maple trees and this weekend is filled with excitement with all the hockey matches. Scoot!

UPDATE: OK, in watching this and knowing the sun sets in the west and knowing Canada so well even in the imagery, Johnny asks why go from Western Canada eastward to where the sun came up? C'mon CBC...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Kennedy vs Nixon this is not...

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop has decided to elevate his office and place it squarely into the realm of Trenton. Fulop who is bursting at the seams to bring a giant mostly unwanted casino that'll bring the usual bad actors to the contracting game tables and of course more traffic and more crime while well-connected individuals that might donate to a Fulop run for Governor run get all the concessions and the city gets shit but for the infrastructure bill, has decided he's challenging state senate leader Steve Sweeney to a debate over the future of casinos in North Jersey.

While the proper idea of a debate might be two STATEWIDE assembly figures and not a mayor interjecting himself into the process, Fulop's BFF Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto would be the logical choice here, Fulop challenged Sweeney to a debate on NJTV’s On the Record with Michael Aron anyway. That's just sad. His petulance is showing again:

“In recent media reports, Senate President Sweeney inserted my name into the discussion regarding supposed obstacles that he alleges that I inserted for political reasons,” Fulop said in a statement.

Ooooh, a statement. You didn't say that to On The Record? Oh, and by the way, Sweeney's not wrong. EVERYTHING you do now has a political angle to it. Apparently former ironworkers don't take to mayors meddling in state business:

In response, Sweeney spokesman Richard McGrath said, “The Senate President doesn’t have the time to engage in manufactured theatrics with Mr. Fulop, who once again is attempting to insert himself into the legislative process.”

More meddling than a Scooby Doo episode friends. Johnny used to call Councilman Fulop and Mayor Healy the Jersey City version of Itchy and Scratchy but this Sweeney vs. Fulop preening might get even funnier.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Sounds like the voices in the wilderness are being heard after all

Jersey City Council again unanimously voted for a tax abatements for the new 50 story twin to the high-rise already at 70 Columbus above the PATH station. The owners are politically connected Democratic bigwigs we're told by Terrence T. McDonald. So why didn't these guys get a 20 or 15 year abatement, the kind mayor Fulop favors in such cases? Why did city council only agree to a FIVE year abatement on the project?

Johnny's gonna come out and say here and now he, along with others, most notably Dan Levin have been all up in council and the mayor's face on social media over the ridiculous and dangerous abatements given all over downtown. Between Johnny and Dan Levin pointing out we're going to have a reval coming, we're going to have the earliest abatements coming due soon enough, we've already left over 100 million in tax breaks off the Jersey City tax rolls and the continued problem with spending in this city and people have started to listen. No doubt Council was sick and tired of being called out. They don't want to open up their Twitter feeds and see criticism levied at them over irresponsible tax votes. They don't want to hear it on Facebook but good citizens hearing about it they are and we're pretty sure the pressure being applied by citizens and more importantly citizens on social media dropped this to a five year deal.

Johnny's best advice, be engaged! Follow your council member on Twitter (Unless you are in Ward C and don't have a WANG word processor). Follow the city and mayor on Facebook and do not be afraid to be heard or soon you'll be paying down even more of a millionaires lifestyle while you struggle to make ends meet.

Late night open thread

Stand back, Johnny is gonna blow his own horn tomorrow over the fact a project got a new, tiny 5 year abatement, not the usual budget crusher. More tomorrow.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

The end of another era downtown

Here's all that's left of the old Parlay Studios in the Powerhouse Arts District. Flattened. Luckily a new mid-size condo will go up where a building that had a cool vibe, a good business and where Johnny watched the 2010 World Cup final >:>\

Late night open thead

Apologies for the lack of office time today friends, a nagging medical issue came up.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Late night open thread

Back to it tomorrow Jersey City. That alarm comes mighty early. Bedtime!

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

A great Sunday evening read on the gambling issue in New Jersey

Tom Moran at the Star-Ledger editorial board gives some great analysis about the north vs south Jersey issue when it comes to gambling. Moran looks at the makeup of the teams already clashing over the issue and how in the end our Mayor Fulop may have joined the losing side. Good stuff before bed tonight.

Late night open thread

Busted out that new Pong game and hooked it up today. The graphics on these things really is something these days.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Exactly why these tax abatements are a bad idea

Now, Johnny is on record saying some of the seed money downtown by the Healy Administration was probably needed to jump start downtown. Anymore, with real estate prices at their highest in a long time in Jersey City, they reek of patronage. The union workers all spill into council chambers, reeking of beer and cigarettes/blunts they drank and smoked that day (and we've well documented their workday proclivities) about what a great deal it is for us to keep them employed on our abatement dime to keep their bosses fat and rich. Council relents. We pay more.

Then infrastructure around town, now being used harder than at any time in city history, begins failing faster. We saw old pipes in Hoboken shut down the city for a few days. Mayor Dawn Zimmer has already floated the idea about taxpayers paying more to rebuild downtown critical infrastructure. In Jersey City, which has had it's share of crumbling roads and pipes, and will in the future; in fact it happened again yesterday. How will the city pay for this? City Council and Administration will, as we all know turn to those on city tax rolls to pay for the tens of (and probably hundreds) millions necessary to keep an old downtown and chundered Journal Square along with the neglected neighborhoods up and running and will ask those paying taxes to cover it.

There you go, the KRM, Toll, Goldman, Shuster, et al won't BE on the tax rolls as they should be for nearly as much as they are taking out of the city and dumping onto the infrastructure. These abatements the Jersey City council is always so in favor of are like Cayman Island tax dodges for these major "stakeholders" in our fair city. When the infrastructure starts coming due who do YOU think is going to be paying the bill:

A) Developers
B) Taxpayers
C) The Port Authority
D) The murals

Even with a reval coming as Debbie Harry once sang (and still does) One Way Or Another, the council will still be trying to cram more abatements through in 2016. Big decisions are to be made. Note we said are, not will.

Of course none of these critical decisions can or will be made until Mayor Fulop's vanity project, aka running for governor while forgetting he's mayor of anywhere, runs it's Tough Mudder course. An American mayor can't raise taxes just before a run for governor in any state so the infrastructure will continue to crumble, it will slow the property value rise, and make things worse when this finally gets addressed mmmm, maybe late 2017 or early 2018.

Raise the curtain on 2016 and strike up the band and awaaaaaay we go!

Late night open thread

Johnny didn't used to much care for New Year's Day being a Jr. realist. It meant the immediate and screeching halt to the entire holiday buildup and all the fun or whatever happened. From Halloween til January 1st it's all so built up then boom, over, back to school, back to work. It's better this year with there still being a weekend buffer between reality and the holiday but as the gets older, January 1st isn't the boogeyman it used to be. It's a great fun day in and of itself and signals Johnny there's a whole new year coming up unlike so many you may have taken for granted.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Late night open thread

Happy New Year to one and all. Hoping for nothing but the best for everyone in 2016!

Time for Jersey City, After Dark