We'd like to wish councilman Rolando Lavarro the best of luck to get smoking banned in Jersey City parks

Even though he himself is a smoker, Jersey City councilman Rolando Lavarro is looking to ban smoking in all Jersey City parks. Mr. Lavarro, we'd do you one better and ban it everywhere in public.

Why? Here's why. It's not the act of smoking that's the problem to Johnny. No, he doesn't wanna smell your smoke or smell like your smoke but that's not the biggest problem with all the selfish smokers. The butts are. That's right, every single smoker is guilty. Yep, every one. How many times Johnny has had to walk down the sidewalk behind someone who assumes the ground serves as an ashtray and scold them (and he is a scold about this and you should be too). The ground is not your ashtray but it seems no amount of intelligent discourse is going to get you lazy smokers to not throw your butts on the ground. Or your cowls, or your matches.

Therefore you must be treated like petulant children and we need to pass laws because you're making Jersey City a mess. Under Mr. Lavarro's plan, a smokers would face a $250 fine for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for each subsequent offense. Here here. Smokers, you did this to yourselves. We don't expect to hear anymore whining about your supposed rights to smoke. We have a right not to live in your DNA-coated filth.

If you're a developer in Jersey City, get in while the getting is good

Hell, you can EASILY push the city council around. Who cares what deals you have AGREED to. Who cares what you have SIGNED OFF on. Just complain. It seems some of the city council again and again are spineless simps when it comes to standing up to developers. If you're a developer, sign the deal you never intend to honor (almost a carbon copy of Toll Brothers broken promises in the Powerhouse Arts District) and when the time is right show up with 200 building trade brute squad members willing to shout down and intimidate council members and bingo, your signed deal goes out the window and you're free to build however you want to.

Last night the Jersey City Council, on a 7-2 vote capitulated to the sniveling and whining of developer Lloyd Goldman, owner of the property at 110 First St. Goldman had a deal with the city that he would include 25 affordable units. He agreed to it. Suddenly Goldman who may not be much of a salesman it would seem, threw up his hands because HE couldn't get investors for his new building because of the 25 affordable units. TOO GOD DAMN BAD LLOYD. You agreed. Still Lloyd told the city attorneys he was now demanding ZERO affordable units. Zero. He agreed but it inconvenienced him you see.

But, again with the Jersey City Council in a grab your ankles mood (not to mention the city attorneys -- talk about a spineless bunch), 200 of the brute squad showed up at City Hall and jeered the only two council members that actually think a deal is a deal, Steve Fulop and Roland Lavarro (and GOOD on you guys). Councilman Michael J. Sottolano was happy with the settlement of now a mere TEN affordable units because the builder has promised to use union labor. Simply gutless. Hey, Michael, do you think the 200 building trade guys staring you down last night were gonna let that building go up without union labor? Well did you?

It would seem that Steve Fulop and Roland Lavarro are the only ones in Jersey City government who think a deal is a deal and you should stand by your deal. Not developers in Jersey City, they know how to roll the weak-kneed city attorneys and council members which means ANY deal signed by any official in Jersey City is immediately suspect.

Oh, and by the way, if this wasn't enough they gave Lloyd another 4 year tax abatement perhaps because they had upset him so.

Councilmembers Fulop and Lavarro are on the right track in raising workers wages

Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop and Councilman at large Rolando Lavarro are looking to raise the pay of low-wage workers to well above the minimum wage. In their plan Fulop and Lavarro say that city contractors and businesses who receive city subsidies would have to pay 200 percent of federal minimum wage, or roughly $14.50 an hour or slightly less than new hires at auto plants would be taking in. It is not all THAT burdensome to the contractors. Oh they'll claim poor but these are the same companies that get mega-million dollar deals to develop OUR city and OUR land. You know, OUR city where we set the rules and where our city decides we'd like our friends and neighbors a chance to climb into the middle class or start or continue some kind of nest egg. 

Now, Mayor Healy wouldn't really come out and say he's for it or against it, instead he used the opportunity given to him to once again take a swipe at Steve Fulop:

“Knowing that Steve Fulop does little to nothing without a political motivation, my initial reaction is that this is his response to the criticism he took at last week’s council meeting regarding his plan that could have cut jobs from workers at the JCIA, particularly the Second Chance program.”

Mayor, grow up. What kind of response is that to Jersey City residents taking home more pay? Instead of looking over and through Jersey City residents and voters to get at Steve Fulop why not tell us if you are for this plan or against it. Far from creating "impediments" to business how about thinking about US for once? Mayor, are you really hinting that if the wages go up on these jobs, developers like the asshats at Toll Brothers will stop buying and developing properties they stand to make hundreds of millions on? WRONG. These developers still be good little piggies eating at the trough of tax breaks and some will wonder if Solomon Dwek still works for the city and how they might contact him. It's just how they roll.

Here's a nickel's worth of free advice. Mayor, you have an election a year from now. Now might just be a good time to try and reconnect with voters and not the big wheels. You might want to let them know you back them on wage increases and other kitchen table issues you've been MIA on. 

Snooki and JWOWW have moved on, it's time you start thinking about your non-tanned flock. 

And the winners are...

Leading the pack last night were Viola Richardson (who never met a tax payer funded job she didn't like) and Rolando R. Lavarro Jr., both are to be congratulated for their victories.

Now for the losers. Well, loser, singular. Mayor Healy (again).

Healy backed both of his two rubber stamp incumbents, Ray Velazquez (Whom Healy appointed) and Kalimah Ahmad. In a race that should be very telling to the mayor his candidates finished fourth and fifth. Times are changing mayor, People are mad and they know exactly who they are mad at. It's no longer crooks like Leona Beldini and Mariano Vega, it's YOU. You never answer to citizens. You never show up in public unless it's a parade or some grand opening event where you are surrounded by acolytes and police. You act as though you are above the people you represent. You have walled yourself off in your office and you now hide from the people whom you'll be asking for votes from.

We hope they respond to you in 2013 the way you have given them the back of your hand since election day 2009.