Thanks to Everyone For Your Support! Gardiner For Freeholder

Thank you for your support for my first run in Hoboken/ Hudson County politics as Freeholder of District 5 in Hudson County. As a first time candidate running as an independent I was realistic and did not expect to win. However, I am very happy with the turnout from this election in that I got 1724 votes. I ran my campaign to raise awareness on the issues of Hoboken getting the short of the "Stick" with respect to services we get back from Hudson County and I believe my message resonated with the Hoboken and Jersey City Heights voters.

This campaign was limited by design. I look at many of my undertakings with an eye on return on investment and not just from a financial standpoint. Sure, I could have spent $30,000 and the margin may have been closer but the result would have very likely been the same. I am grounded in that reality. This run is just a beginning and I intend to get Hoboken involved more in watching the County. Hoboken deserves its fair share and my turnout has sent a message to the County that there is a large enough block of voters that feel they are being robbed. I intend to grow that base of voters over the next 3 years and give it another shot.

I extend congratulations to Anthony Romano for winning his re-election and hope to work with him to be a better Freeholder for Hoboken and JC Heights. I hope next time he will be willing  to debate the issues instead of cowering in a corner and hiding behind the HCDO banner. Several debates will give the voters more information next time to make their decision on who to vote for. There are opportunities coming up for the County to finally deliver services for Hoboken that we have been denied of for years. Look for me to continue to advocate for our public schools, a better municipal government and more accountability from Hudson County with our taxpayer dollars.

This first campaign of mine was less of a campaign and more of a social media experiment in enabling a grass-roots political movement . Imagine the possibilities when I run a campaign for real. Thanks again voters. You sent a message to Hudson County Bosses for sure. In words of despised destruct-a-con Hoboken 2nd Ward City Council Woman Beth Mason and Anthony Romano political ally "We did it!" :)

Celebrate Gardiner For Freeholder Post Election Party at Turtle Club Tonight at 8:15pm!

Celebrate Kurt Gardiner For Freeholder Post Election Party at Turtle Club in Hoboken tonight at 8:15pm! Win or lose at the polls we will gather to await results and celebrate choice in democracy and good governance for Hoboken and Jersey City Heights residents. The Turtle Club is located at 936 Park Avenue Hoboken, NJ. Their phone number is (201) 710-5960. RSVP to me at kurt.gardiner@gmail.com and tell your friends who support fair taxation and services for Hoboken/Jersey City Heights residents.

VBM Vote Harvesting over 1,000 in Hoboken!

Here is a breakdown of the vote by mail totals for Freeholder District 2 which includes all of Hoboken and Jersey City Heights. The total count for Hoboken is 1,065 VBMs. That porbably is a new record in Hoboken. The Fourth Ward has a whopping 574 as of today and all the vote by mails have yet to be counted. Jersey City Heights has 155 VBMs. It would appear Mayor Zimmer opponent Frank Raia has been very busy harvesting votes in the 4th Ward in particular. That man is a hell of a vote harvester. Hats off to Frank Raia for getting out the vote. Looking forward to the forensic analysis on the money trail behind this herculean effort.

For reference, here is the link to the full VBM report: http://thebokenonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Hoboken-JCHeights-5th-Freeholder-vote-by-mail-report-11-7-2011.pdf

Dave Mello Hoboken Councilman at Large Endorses Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder

Hoboken Councilman At -Large Dave Mello gets into the latest rush to endorse Kurt Gardiner's (my)candidacy for Freeholder. His statement and video are below:

In a video release, Hoboken City Councilman David Mello has endorsed Kurt Gardiner for election as Hoboken's representative on the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders. "I've been fighting for the creation of a southwest park in Hoboken for years now," said Mello. "With seventeen percent of Hudson County's tax dollars coming from Hoboken residents, despite Hoboken making up less than eight percent of the County's population, isn't it time that the County fully partnered with Hoboken in efforts to create this park? A southwest park in Hoboken could provide vital flood remediation and greatly improve the quality of life in Hoboken." Mello further said, "Many large residential buildings have gone up just over the southwest borders of Hoboken in recent years. At this moment, cement is being poured for yet another residential building just south of Hoboken's train trestle in Jersey City; the Cast Iron Lofts. It's only logical to see that residents of other Hudson County municipalities will use a southwest park if one is ever created. Hudson County's Fifth District needs a freeholder who will fight for a Hoboken and County partnership in the creation of this park." The Cast Iron Lofts will bring 155 new rental units to the Jersey City neighborhood just over the border from Hoboken's Fourth Ward.

Jersey City already is home to Lincoln Park, a 273.4 acre Hudson County park. Hoboken's only county park is Columbus Park on Clinton Street, a 3.2 acre, mostly passive park space.

Political Cartoon - Brian Stack Eats Hoboken's Money!

A friend of mine who is a Union City artist that used to live in Hoboken sent this political cartoon in. The cartoon is not so much a reflection of the artist's political beliefs but his understanding of where I stand with respect to Brian Stack on how he eats up Hoboken's money at the county level.

Of course Union City Mayor and NJ State Assemblyman Brian Stack enjoys a large plurality in Union City, Hoboken is paying for it. Tomorrow the polls are open from 6am-8pm. Make sure you vote Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder Column C Row 6. Send Hudson County bosses like Brian Stack a message that Hoboken deserves its fair share too. Its Hoboken's tax money too! Shame on you Brian Stack! Arnold Diaz is watching you!

Hoboken Councilwoman Jen Giattino endorses Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder

Hoboken Councilwoman Jen Giattino of the 6th Ward endorses Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder. Read below for another example of additional support that is out there for Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder. The momentum is picking up for my candidacy. It seems my ideas are resonating with voters....

Hoboken City Councilman Ravi Bhalla Endorses Kurt Gardiner For Freeholder

Ravi Bhalla, Hoboken City Council President has endorsed Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder for Hudson County District 5:

Dear Editor-

I write to offer support and an endorsement of my good friend, Kurt Gardiner, for county Freeholder for the 5th District, which includes Hoboken and portions of Jersey City Heights.

When Mayor Dawn Zimmer and I first ran for elective office, we were not politicians, but rather citizens sincerely concerned about the direction of Hoboken, and wanted to serve to make positive change for our community. Last Friday’s sale of the Hoboken University Medical Center is just one example of how regular people focused solely on Hoboken’s best interests, can bring their respective talents to the table and achieve historic change for the City of Hoboken. It is also an example of how an ordinary person with extraordinary determination – Mayor Zimmer – brought together like-minded residents to successfully work for the greater good of Hoboken.

We must also remember that Hoboken is not an island unto itself. A large portion of our tax levy is County taxes that are impacted by the decisions of our county legislators, also known as Freeholders. It is important for us to understand the impact that policies at the county and state level have on Hoboken, and for well intentioned and talented residents in Hoboken to step up and run for elective office not just at the local level, but at the county and state level as well.

Kurt Gardiner is one of those persons and I humbly request you cast your ballot for Kurt tomorrow. For as long as I have known Kurt, he has been an honest, thoughtful, and humorous straight-shooter. Kurt does not pull any punches, even with me. There have been times where Kurt has disagreed with a position I have taken, and he never hesitates to call me and express his disagreement. Kurt is a courageous man who I believe has the intelligence, energy and ability to stand up to business as usual at the county level and advocate for the best interests of Hoboken and Jersey City residents.

My endorsement of Kurt is not a reflection of my views of our current Freeholder, Anthony Romano. For as long as I have known him, Freeholder Romano has been a professional and true gentlemen in all of our interactions. Freeholder Romano works very hard and I sincerely believe also has the best intentions of the residents of the 5th District. So you have two good candidates to choose from.

At this time in Hoboken’s history, however, our interests would be better served through the election of a qualified candidate emerging from outside the confines of traditional Democratic county politics. That person is Kurt Gardiner and I sincerely hope you will cast your vote for him tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Ravi S. Bhalla
Democrats for Honest Government

Anthony Romano Spending Big Bucks to get Re-Elected - Has Mrs. Richard Mason's Money Behind Him

Anthony Romano is spending big bucks to be re-elected as Freeholder of District 5. He was spotted this morning at the ferry campaigning with 2nd Ward City Counilwoman Beth Mason who did everything in her power to blow up the hospital sale and almost plunge Hoboken into bankruptcy to just make Mayor Dawn Zimmer look bad. Beth Mason's scorched earth politics and quest for power have earned her citywide ire and yet Anthony Romano shows poor judgement and still campaigns with one of the most toxic politicians in Hoboken's history. Makes you wonder if he really has Hoboken's best interests at heart. Beth Mason/ Ricky Mason of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz put in $5,000 to Romano's kittle and had distant 3rd place finisher Ines Garcia pimp out the party line with a fluff piece on Romano's minimal accomplishments for Hoboken in The Hudson Reporter. Both Peter Cunningham and Jen Giattino submitted endorsements of me but they were not published by the Hoboken Reporter.

Below is the cover page from Anthony Romano's 11 day Election report filed late on November 4, 2011. To date Anthony Romano has raised over $108,000 for his re-election and spent over $82,000. Looks like he wants his county car and all the perks really bad. He has essentially ran a campaign of prestige while I have run one on platform. To date I have spent about $1300 and am self-funded to $2500.

Anthony Romano is getting big financial support from HUMC Deal Destroyer Beth Mason as well as Hudson County Bosses like O'Donnel, North Bergen Democrats and Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith. No wonder Hoboken gets back pennies on the dollar for its $46 million we paid in 2010. Anthony Romano is beholden to County Bosses!

Even Peter Cammarano slate-mate Mike Novak who ran with the corrupt Mayor Cammarano who made the classic mistake of going to a money drop with his bag man and Tom Degise get into the act with their contributions.

For reference the latest ELEC reports of Anothony Romano below:

Anthony Romano 11 Day ELEC Report Filed November 4th:

http://thebokenonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Anthony-Romano-Freeholder-11-Day-Report-11-4-2011.pdf

Anthony Romano 29 Day ELEC Report Filed November 4th:

http://thebokenonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Anthony-Romano-Freeholder-29-Day-Report-11-4-2011.pdf

Mayor Dawn Zimmer on Fundraiser, Rent Control and Freeholder Race

Mayor Dawn Zimmer gives the Freeholder Race which a mention from her extensive email list. As has been reported earlier the Mayor has stayed neutral on the Freeholder Race between me and Anthony Romano and I respect that. I can't think though that a mention from the Mayor can't help me in terms of my get out the vote effort. Remember to vote Tuesday November 8th Column C Row 6 for the Candidate with the best ideas on how to give Hoboken taxpayers a tax cut and Jersey City Heights and Hoboken more services. That candidate is me Kurt Gardiner and so far the grass roots response has been encouraging. The better my turnout the stronger the message back to the County. Tell your friends. Rock the vote and the Hudson County Bosses that take our money and give little in return!

Dear Friends,

Great news! Hoboken University Medical Center has officially been saved. On Friday the funds were wired and I received a certificate from TD Bank that the City is no longer responsible for the $52 million bond guarantee!

On Thursday, November 17th, please come and join a celebration at my house, and help make sure we can continue to move Hoboken in the right direction. (See invitation here) .

I cannot thank all the Authority members enough, and in particular, Chairwoman Toni Tomarazzo, for their tremendous contributions to our community.

I also want to thank all of you who gave your support on Sunday night. Thanks to the many citizens who raised their voices the message was clear: Our Hospital and our financial well being are not toys for cynical politicians to play with - the political games that are threatening the health of our community must stop now.

Tuesday, November 8th Election:

Please remember to vote this Tuesday. While many of the races are not in doubt, there are two important items that I’d like to highlight:

Rent control: The new rent control Ordinance being challenged by referendum maintains the core protections of our existing rent control system and was passed unanimously by the City Council with my support.
It is not perfect, but represents a genuine attempt to resolve serious issues with the existing law. Those issues led a court to rule that elements of the existing law were applied in a manner which was “arbitrary and capricious.”

The new Ordinance seeks to create a fairer rent control system for both renters and owners, while helping to protect the City from significant potential litigation exposure. The legislation does not increase in any
way the legal rent that may be charged on any apartment.

The ballot is confusing. A “No” vote supports the new legislation and will allow the modest changes approved unanimously by the City Council to become law.

Freeholder: The Board of Chosen Freeholders is, in effect, the City Council of the County. Kurt Gardiner is running as an independent against the incumbent Freeholder, Anthony Romano. This is technically a partisan election, but no Republican is on the ballot. Kurt stepped up to ensure that voters would have a choice, since uncontested elections are not consistent with our democracy.

I urge each of you to learn about the candidates and cast your vote for the individual who you feel will best represent Hoboken’s interests in the County.

Thank you all for your support, and I hope to see many of you on November 17th.

- Dawn
[Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer]

Campaign Literature Available for Pickup for Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder Tonight and Tomorrow Night!

Thanks to my supporters so far that have been getting the word out about my candidacy for Freeholder this Tuesday November 8th. Vote Kurt Gardiner column C Row 6 for an end to business as usual and more services and lower taxes for Hoboken and Jersey City Heights residents!

I have literature that has been produced and attached here for your downloading convenience. I also have many 5X7 campaign post cards that you can pick up at 807 Garden Street Apartment 6 at the following times:

• Sunday November 6th 6pm-9pm
• Monday November 7th 8pm-10pm

My full address is 807 Garden Street Apt 6 Hoboken, NJ 07030.

My email is kurt.gardiner@gmail.com if these times don't work for you.

Gardiner for Freeholder 8X11 flier:

http://thebokenonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gardiner-for-Freeholder-Flier-1.pdf

Gardiner for Freeholder 5X7 cards front:

http://thebokenonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gardiner-for-Freeholder-5X7-Cards-Front.pdf

Gardiner for Freeholder 5X7 cards back:

http://thebokenonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gardiner-for-Freeholder-5X7-Cards-Back.pdf


Note: If you print out any significant amount of literature above provided please keep track of the cost and email me at kurt.gardiner@gmail.com with a receipt attached for reimbursement from my campaign funds as an in-kind contribution. If  you think your copying costs will go over $50 let me know so I can keep track of costs.  It is is very important that my campaign do things by the book.  My campaign is about leading by example. My opponent filed his 29 day report on November 4th. Not a good example of following the rules. Yet another reason I am running for office.

Below are pictures of 5x7 campaign cards that I produced. Kudos to Mimosa Digital on Washington Street for turning this print job around in one day! They are awesome and very customer focused.

Peter Cunningham endorses Kurt Gardiner for Freeholder

I picked up a crucial endorsement from Peter Cunningham my 5th Ward Representative....

Dear Editor,


It is with great pleasure that I endorse candidate Kurt Gardiner for Hudson County Freeholder.

We are in need of a Freeholder that will truly fight for lower taxes and efficiencies in County government by first, giving up the County car and requesting operational audits; recommending a salary cut to Freeholder salaries and a hiring freeze; and finally voting NO on any tax increases!

Kurt’s website lays out his plan for proposed changes to reduce our county tax burden at http://www.gardinerforfreeholder.com/. Please visit Kurt’s website, and consider this Independent candidate for Hudson County Freeholder for HOBOKEN.

Sincerely,

Peter Cunningham
Councilman, Hoboken’s 5th Ward

Note: This letter was originally submitted for publication in the Hudson Reporter but will not make the pre-election edition of the Hudson Reporter.

Gardiner For Freeholder- Platform

Below is my platform for my run for District 5 Freeholder in November 2011. If you see any issues missing please email me at kurt.gardiner@gmail.com and I will take your concerns under consideration.

Introduction

I have put forth the following issues for the voter to digest for my candidacy for Freeholder in November of 2011 to represent District 5 which includes all of Hoboken and parts of Jersey City Heights. My opponent Anthony "Stick" Romano is albeit an affable fellow, but he is an entrenched County Machine politician and locally aligned with the "Loyal Opposition" to Mayor Dawn Zimmer. His allies are in the process of trying to stop bringing in effect many of the good government issues to Hoboken. More impotantly and unfortunately with my opponent,  it is Hudson County patronage politics as usual at the next level.

My opponent may have the advantage of the incumbency but I believe I have the advantage of the better ideas reflected in this platform below and it is high time these concepts were extended to the county level. Hoboken and Jersey City Heights need better representation that does not look to appease county bosses and put our district first. That is why I am running for Freeholder. We need to stop getting the short end of the "Stick". 

Lowering County Taxes

Hoboken’s taxes went up in each of the three years that my opponent was Freeholder of District 5 in Hudson County. My opponent voted yes on the budget in each of his three years as Freeholder. In one year alone taxes for Hoboken went up 10%! Clearly the expenditures could use some trimming for both Hoboken and JC Heights residents. In any organization there is at least 5-10% waste if it is a well run private entity. For Hudson County a level of waste of 20% is a modest estimate. The Hudson County Budget is rapidly approaching 1/2 of a billion dollars!

Here is some great irony for you. This is from Tim Occhipinti's Campaign Website for Hoboken City Council 4th Ward:

"Recently the state introduced a new funding formula to calculate a municipality’s county tax rate. This formula caused Hoboken to take a tremendous hit in County taxes and resulted in a $6 million county tax increase. [Thanks Anthony Romano]

Hoboken pays nearly $46 million dollars to Hudson County. Our city is only one square mile. We are one of 12 municipalities in Hudson County and represent 6% the County’s 600,000-plus total population. Yet, we pay 17% of the overall county tax levy!"

Tim, who along with Anthony "Stick" Romano is aligned against Mayor Dawn Zimmer as part of the loyal opposition to governmental efficiencies, hit the nail on the head with this one and that is the main reason while I am running for Freeholder. Again, The County budget is almost 1/2 billion dollars and Hoboken doesn't get even close to its fair share of services for the $46 million it paid in 2010! That's an outrage but rather than just complain I have some real remedies.

I propose the following approaches and actions to being to lower the Hudson County Patronage Leviathan which results in such high taxes for our district for so little service...

1) Immediate hiring freeze. All non-essential positions will be thinned out over time through attrition which at least initially is the least painful way to trim operating expenses.

2) Conduct Operational Audits. This has been done by the City of Hoboken and acted on to produce savings by ensuring areas are properly staffed but not overstaffed. Overstaffed or top-heavy areas will be restructured at the conclusion of those audits and a period of review.

3) Eliminate the Department of Constituent Services. This department is not necessary with the implementation of a 311 system to track the progress of each and every constituent issue. The system itself can route the calls to the appropriate division and metrics can be monitored by Division Heads and the County Executive. Having metrics and utilizing them will result in better services for our constituents and provide accountability.

4) Outsource Cleaning Services and other non-civil service related areas. These jobs are notorious for their use as political patronage. The county should not be funding pensions and medical benefits for these positions that can easily be handled by a non-governmental agency.

5) Completely Re-examine the Table of Organization. After the audits are completed this is the next logical step. Create an action plan and implement. I am not opposed to using attrition as the main tool where possible. I am a fiscal conservative on local issues, not a heartless person. In fact, by increasing operational efficiencies it will leave more money for capital improvements to even better improve the lives of Hudson County residents.

6) Vote No on Budget Increases. Even though if elected I would likely be a minority member on the Board of Freeholders, I think it is important to vote no loudly until the County Executive shows he is serious about providing essential services as efficiently as possible within the context of government and thus show respect for the Hoboken/JC Heights taxpayer in these tough economic times.

7) Service based philosophy. Jobs should only exist to provide essential services. Jobs created to just create jobs are not productive and foster an environment of legalized corruption through the graft of patronage. The culture of entitlement must be put on notice that change must happen. Put simply, a service based model of governance provides more service, patronage model, more patronage.

8) Institute Best practices model where possible. Now you can’t always mimic the private sector in the best way to systematize processes. However through the use of technology and the concepts of Enterprise Resource Planning standard procedures can be automated making current employees tasks easier and therefore requiring fewer employees.

9) Advocate for Professionally Negotiating Union Contracts. If elected I will vote yes on any contract that goes to the best bidder through an RFP process to help with union negotiations when they come up.

10) Advocate for 10% salary cut for all Freeholders and the County Executive. As elected leaders Freeholders should share in the financial austerity.

11) Fair Tax Formula. Ensure that the county tax formula isn't adjusted to screw Hoboken even more than it has already. Other County Freeholders appear to view Hoboken as some kind of ATM machine where the withdrawals never get credited to their own accounts. This piracy simply has to stop.

12) No Budget Gimmicks: I will not zero out a budget surplus as some other power hungry, foolish, and shameless Hoboken politician tried to do just to play political games. That is an irresponsible way to help taxpayers and I won't go that route if elected.

Parks- Current

Hudson County has 9 parks in total. Two parks, Columbus and Washington Park, serve Hoboken and JC Heights respectively. Here are my observations on those parks as of July 2011:



Positive Observations of Columbus Park:

• The people I have been able to talk to really like the park overall and some even say they take their kids there every day.
• It has really nice old trees that give great shade in the summertime heat.
• The rectangular building is historic and can be used for certain events like dance classes, special events.
• There are tennis courts and a basketball half-court.
• There is a nice jungle gym for the kids.
• There is a sprinkler/shower the kids can use to cool off in the summer.
• People seem to really enjoy relaxing there based on my observations.
• Of course, being a Mile Square City, you can walk to it from Hoboken.

Areas for Improvement for Columbus Park:

• The flowerbeds are really in bad shape with flowers dying. The soil needs to be improved and new sustainable planting need to be put in their stead.
• This is not my idea as several people mentioned this: Put a bid out to vendors to have a small café in the rectangular building. It would add a nice dynamic to the park. There is storage in the basement that makes this feasible.
• Several bushes are way overgrown and need to be pruned.
• Some other plantings need to be weeded.
• There is an old rusty payphone stand that has no phone. This can be removed.
• The lights in the park could be replaced with something nicer. They are quite utilitarian at best or ugly at worst. Maybe a Green Acres grant is in order.
• There are leaves that appear to be from last fall that need to be raked up.
• Some areas need to be re-sodded where there is dirt.

Visioning for Columbus Park: An overall visioning of the Park's future is in order to see how it could be improved even more. Do we really need two flag pole areas? Perhaps we could have two poles in one of the areas and free up the space somewhere else? Just a suggestion. There are a lot of ideas that should come from constituents and their voice should be heard before any plans are drawn up.

Conclusion : Overall, Columbus Park is a great asset to Hoboken but I am concerned about some simple maintenance issues that should be addressed. This park is in Current Freeholder Anthony Romano’s backyard and yet these issues persist. It seems that a lot of money went into Washington Park for Jersey City Heights although the multi-sport field proposal seems at this point to lack a proper planning process and public input. Where is the love for Hoboken’s only Park?

I feel my opponent should put some attention into his home town and deliver some bacon here and Columbus Park could use a little more TLC. What has Anthony Romano really done to improve Columbus Park in his three year term? The silence that results could be due to County politics or some level of apathy. After all he was not planning on being challenged this year. Hoboken and Jersey City Heights need an advocate that cares about both parks that service District 5. I care.

2) Washington Park

Overall, Washington Park comprises 22 acres and has the following, baseball fields, basketball courts, volley ball courts, tennis courts, picnic area, chess area, gazebo, gardening, jungle gyms, and so much more. As a Hoboken resident I left with a sense of park envy. We in Hoboken only have one small county park in Hoboken and we pay about $50 million a year to the County. What does Hoboken get from the County again? What has my opponent done for Hoboken's one small park?



I hope to reach out to as many groups as possible to get a better understanding of the needs of the residents and how they can be incorporated into proper park planning. At the very least any substantial changes to any of the Hudson County's parks should involve the following at a minimum to ensure the end product meets the constituents true needs:

• Need engineering study
• Need traffic study
• Need public process
• Need community input
• Need overall visioning plan for park as whole
• Need to consider sustainable plantings wherever possible
• Old trees should be preserved wherever possible

Washington Park has a major issue with respect to a proposed plan to create a multi-sport field. The problem is that a very preliminary sketch had them removing beautiful 100 year old trees for the park. We need to take a step back and do the proper studies and planning first and incorporate the stakeholders like average citizens, the WPA and anyone else concerned into the process to make the best possible plan. There are some minor issues in that park as well, such as no parking enforcement, broken electric and sod issues just to name a few but the multi-sport field plan must be done in a proper way to get the best results.

New County Park for Hoboken

The County should seriously consider buying the Henkel site and turn that site into as many recreation fields as possible. Hoboken is under-served with respect to County Parks and this would be one way to make our tax dollars work for us. It will take years to develop but the process should start as soon as possible. If "Stick" is ok with $12 million dollars for an elitist County Golf Course project than he can lobby for Hoboken to get capital funds for recreational lands for the middle class and underserved in Hoboken.

Transparency and Accessibility of Government

• All Freeholder meetings should be moved to preferably to 7pm but at least to 6pm to accommodate those who work during the day. This move will simply increase turnout at public meetings and public participation.
• All Freeholder meetings should by taped and aired on local Cable Channels to allow seniors and other citizens who have busy schedules to see what transpires during all open portions of them.
• All Freeholder meetings should be broadcast live using UStream or some other relatively inexpensive/free streaming technology.
• The Hudson County website should make a page that archives all past agendas as well as post future agendas for Freeholder meetings. Currently only the latest meeting is easily found.
• I will demand an investigation into the alleged patronage hire of Michele Russo to determine:

1. Was the job she was offered properly noticed?
2. If so many many candidates were interviewed?
3. Compare a copy of the job requirements with her actual resume to determine if she is in fact qualified as a janitorial service supervisor?

• If elected I will recuse myself from any votes where there is either a clear conflict of interest or even the appearance of one if applicable.

Leading by Example

I personally don't view government by what it can do for me but what I can do for it and its constituents. As such I believe in giving back and not so much for the taking aspect but public officials should be justly compensated for their efforts. My opponent who still lives in a subsidized housing when he no longer needs it, is taking up a spot for someone of lower income who could use it instead differs from me in that aspect.

• If elected I will donate 1/3 of my Freeholder salary after taxes to the following local organizations: 

1. Hoboken Homeless Shelter.
2. Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corp.
3. Jubilee Center.
4. Some other worthwhile charities in Jersey City Heights.

• If elected, I will not make use of the county car provided for each Freeholder. I will use Corner Cars,Zip Car or Mass Transit when necessary. This will save the county money. A county car? Are they serious?
• If elected, I will use the part of Freeholder allowance to hire a part time grant writer to see if the County can get more State or Federal grant money specifically for our district. I will not hire Carmelo Garcia to deliver cakes. He makes enough money already as the head of HHA.
• Advocate for a 10% salary cut for all Freeholders and the County Executive. Again, the burden of austerity must be shared.

Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps: just one of many worthy
organizations to donate to in Hoboken and Jersey City Heights.

Communication

Citizens have heard very little formally from Anthony Romano in his three year reign as Freeholder other than to glad-hand people and pony up to county bosses like at his fundraiser and at various functions. To me that is not enough for effective policy communication but simply "politricking"and displaying the veneer of caring for the constituents' issues. Now mind you I believe Anthony Romano cares about people, I have no doubt in my mind about that but the citizens need to be informed of the issues on a consistent basis. That is one area where my opponent has fallen flat.

• I will provide monthly recaps of Freeholder meetings to my constituents though my expertise in websites, writing, and social media.
• I will also provide a periodic newsletter to keep constituents informed.
• I will also call town hall meetings seasonally to get constituent feedback as required.
• I will also provide communications in a timely manner for issues that are important and can't wait.

Infrastructure

Reducing operating expenses through attrition of employees and other cost measures is part of the goal to help fix up Hudson County infrastructure. If elected I will:

• Seek to get more grants for parks, roads, and other infrastructure improvements. 
• Seek to get Washington Street back to being a County Road. It was a county road before former Hoboken Mayor David Roberts took it back and it desperately needs to be completely repaved and get new traffic signals. It is a road heavily used by vehicles outside of Hoboken but my opponent fails to understand how making this a County Road would really help the Hoboken taxpayer. I get it.  It is about getting more services for under served Hoboken. 
• Advocate that the North Hudson Sewerage Authority do more to fix Hoboken's 100 plus year old wooden sewer lines. While this is not my jurisdiction I will use the stature of the office to see if more can be done and report back to the people. 
• With the savings from operational cuts, use those savings for capital projects that improve our infrastructure for county assets.  

Quality of Life

• If elected I plan to work with the county sheriff to ensure that patrols of county roads in our district meet the needs of our constituents. 
• Green technology should bused where ever possible as long as it is cost effective. In many cases green technology can save money. 
• More Public Transportation for District 5. Public Transportation options in Hoboken have been cut since I have moved here in 2003. NJ Transit has cut weekend 126 route bus service. The PATH cut the weekend direct line from Hoboken. NJ Transit cut the weekend express that goes to the Jersey Shore. The light Rail schedule to Hoboken got cut. Hoboken should not be getting the short end of the "Stick" when it comes to public transport. The City of Hoboken is a walking city and a transportation hub and that needs to be supported by all local office holders. 

- Kurt "The Giant" Gardiner
Hoboken Resident, Taxpayer and Independent Candidate for Freeholder District 5
Vote Row C for Change on November 8th!
Email: kurt.gardiner@gmail.com

Vote Row C for Kurt Gardiner - for Freeholder Hudson County November 8th

Here is my latest update on my race for Hudson County Freeholder District 5....

Kurt Gardiner for Hudson County Freeholder

Vote Column C for Change on November 8^th, 2011

For those of you who may not know me, my name is Kurt Gardiner and I am running for Freeholder District 5 in Hudson County this coming November 8^th. My opponent, the incumbent Anthony “Stick" Romano was hand picked by former Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts to run on the HCDO ticket in 2008 is up for re-election after one three-year term in office. The Office of Freeholder is a county legislative position of which there are 9 seats in total representing Hudson County as whole. The Fifth District consists of Hoboken in its entirety as well as parts of Jersey City Heights. Hudson County taxes make about 1/3 of your property tax bill with School and Municipal/City tax making up the other 2/3ds.

 

The reasons I am running are quite straightforward:

1) Hoboken was taxed $46 million in 2010 and received pennies on the dollar back in services. Hoboken is being financially pillaged by every other municipality at the County level. It really is fiscal piracy. Romano has passed all three bloated County Budgets while Freeholder.

2) Hoboken needs an independent representative that will finally advocate for Hoboken taxpayers rather than sit idly by and take directive from County bosses. These are the same County bosses that donated to my opponent’s campaign war chest at his recent fundraiser.

3) My campaign will at least give Hoboken voters a choice. Up until early June, Anthony “I love the Russos” Romano was planning on running unopposed until I stepped into the ring. “An election without a choice is not democracy but rather a coronation”.

4) I feel I have issues that are worth discussing such as operational audits and viewing government from a serviced based architecture rather than a patronage based one which has been the dominant viewpoint of the County for decades. This political patronage has led to the creation of low show and now shows jobs that make our County Government more inefficient than it should be.

5) It is my hope that my campaign will create more awareness about Hudson County issues and how they affect Hoboken and Jersey City Heights. This is not about my future as a politician but rather the core issues I am running on. As an independent going against an entrenched political machine, I am aware that I am a long shot to win this race. However, this election is just a beginning and not an end. I will continue to try to peel away at the smelly onion that is Hudson County Government to expose how little it serves the constituents of Hoboken and even Jersey City Heights.

6) Anthony “Stick” Romano is allied with the political opponents of the Hoboken taxpayer. He is an ally of Mike Russo, Terry Castellano, Carmelo Garcia, Tim Occhipinti, Frank “Pupie” Raia, and third place 2009 Mayoral Reject Beth Mason. Beth Mason and her money have tried everything to sabotage the Hospital deal which would cost the Hoboken taxpayers greatly should it fail. It is a shame to see these political “friends” of Anthony “Stick” Romano have such disregard for the Hoboken taxpayer just to make the Mayor look bad. He even had the audacity to Award Beth Mason the Columbus Park Italian woman in the year which was a real slap in the face to the tireless efforts of Toni Tomarazzo who as chair of The HUMC Board and has used her skill to work on saving the hospital while Mason spewed her venom and spent her money.

7) It would appear my opponent doesn’t want to talk about the issues. My opponent had initially challenged me to two debates which I gladly accepted before the Labor Day Holiday. Now however, it would appear he is trying to back out of the debates now that political handlers like Jaime Cryan are involved in his campaign. It is a shame it appears that his campaign doesn’t want the issues brought to light and host an open discussion on them. Very undemocratic.

8)   Anthony Romano isn’t raising the bar that much. During the 5 term 15 year reign of error by Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons (another Anthony Romano political ally) prior to Romano, Hoboken got the short end of the stick as well when it came to county services. That didn’t stop Maurice from pocketing large contracts for various municipal entities such as the Hoboken BOE and North Hudson Sewer Authority just to name a few. Anthony might not be pocketing contracts himself but somehow Michelle Russo almost seemed to land a County job she had no prior experience in. “Stick” remained silent but the resulting controversy eventually led to the offer being withdrawn. It was seem what is good for the goose isn’t always what is good for the gander. Stick comes from a long line of Hudson County yes men that are inserted into power so that Hoboken’s money can be divvied up among the others. Very little has changed. So a couple of roads got paved. What about Washington Street? That should be a ! Are we supposed to kiss his feet because Hudson Street got repaved after more than a decade?

Hoboken gets no giggity from our current
Freeholder Anthony Stick Romano

9)   I am a taxpayer not subsidized by government. Anthony Romano lives in Marine View Plaza which was designed as middle income housing to assist people who want to stay in Hoboken and need a break on rent. Despite having now a substantially larger income than the average resident there he still remains in that facility. This is not at all illegal but shows how my opponent feels entitled to governmental services he no longer needs. As an elected official he should set a better example and let someone else who needs the lower rent. I have no problem with assisting lower income people with respect to housing but I will maintain that all assistance for housing should be means tested. How Anthony Romano doesn’t get point and lead by example is beyond me.

10) End the Quagmire.

Quag-mire (noun)

1. An area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.

2. A situation from which extrication is very difficult: a quagmire of financial indebtedness.

3. Anthony “Stick” Romano’s nickname in some circles.

4. A Family Guy character that is a lothario stuck in the free love 70’s and says stupid things like giggity giggity. Amusing but not useful.

5. Another three years of Anthony “Stick” Romano as Freeholder of Hudson County District 5.

Stop the insanity and vote Kurt Gardiner Row C for Change and a County Tax Cut on November 8^th. Go to http://www.gardinerforfreeholder.com/ for more information.

Gardiner for Freeholder - Vote Row C

The ballot drawing was held for Hudson County Elections today at the Hudson County Clerk's Office. Predictably the Democratic machine drew column A. The Republicans are running on column B and Kurt Gardiner is on column C for Freeholder District 5.

Below are some photos of the rather unremarkable ballot drawing ceremony.

The device used to randomly select ballot positions.

Hudson County Clerk Barbara Netchert spins the drum.

The November 2011 Hudson County Ballot positions.

Kurt Gardiner runing independent located on column C.

Freeholder Meeting Part 2 from 8/11/2011

This is part 2 of the Hudson County Freeholder meeting recap that was held on Thursday August 11th at the very inconvenient to the real taxpayer time of 1pm.

As stated before, Hoboken did get the $3 million for the SW Park but in my opinion the meeting was marred over petty bickering over two small contributions to two upcoming ethnic parades in Hudson County. The two resolutions in question were:

35) Resolution authorizing contribution to Jersey City Puerto Rican Heritage Festival and Parade, Inc. - $1,700.00
36) Resolution authorizing contribution to the Dominican American Parade of Hudson County, Inc. - $2,300.00

When this item came up it started a tiff between Tilo Rivas who is of Dominican heritage and Jose Munoz who is of Puerto Rican Heritage. Each one essentially criticized each other's political motivations behind how to fund these events. It got a bit ugly and the discussion was drawn out over a good half hour. See the video clip below below which does not even contain the most heated sections of the commentary. Bill O'Dea did try to smooth things over with a compromise. Anthony Romano actually looked good in this exchange by staying out of what appeared to be a Latino political turf war gone personal. That is because perhaps the bar is set pretty low to begin with. In the immortal words of Rodney King: "Can't we all just get along".

Here are some of the highlights of the lively banter which might remind some of a Hoboken City Council Meeting:



My Comment: Just take a look at some of the major money related ordinances that came up at this meeting either for first reading or final vote. Don't you think the Board would be better off spending time directing the appropriateness of the costs of these measures rather than starting some petty ethnic parade turf war? I sure do! My advice to the quite capable Chairman Bill O'Dea is use that gavel sir, and direct this petty bickering to subcommittee after 10 minutes of getting nowhere. It reflects poorly on  the board of the whole and has me convinced that at least a few of the sitting Freeholders need to get their priorities in line.

1) $18,000,000!: An Ordinance of the County of Hudson, State of New Jersey authorizing the guaranty of the payment of the principal of and interest on not exceeding $18,000,000 aggregate principal amount of County-Guaranteed Special Acquisition Bonds issued by the Hudson County Improvement Authority for the purpose of providing additional security therefor, consenting to such financing and determining certain other matters in connection therewith.

2) $15,750,000!: Ordinance authorizing the acquisition of certain interests in real property located at 830 Bergen Avenue, Jersey City and the execution of installment purchase contracts in an aggregate amount not to exceed $15,750,000 to finance the cost thereof.

3) $12,000,000!: An Ordinance of the County of Hudson, State of New Jersey authorizing the guaranty of the payment of the principal of and interest on not exceeding $12,000,000 aggregate principal amount of County-Guaranteed Special Acquisition Bonds issued by the Hudson County Improvement Authority for the purpose of providing additional security therefor, consenting to such financing and determining certain other matters in connection therewith.

4) $10,500,000: Ordinance authorizing the acquisition of certain interests in real property located at 830 Bergen Avenue, Jersey City and the execution of installment purchase contracts in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10,500,000 to finance the cost thereof.

Below are some more photos from the meeting:

The Freeholder meeting started with Hoboken and Jersey City Heights Representative Anthony Romano not present. He also missed a good chunk of Tuesday's meeting due to a personal issue.

The Hudson County Board of Freeholders with Summer Youth Program donors and contributors.

Anthony Romano unlike his political pal  Carmelo Garcia (infamous for skipping BOE meetings) at least shows up for meetings but was not on time for the Thursday meeting. On Tuesday he missed a key part of the meeting pertaining to Hoboken. Oops I already said that above. Kind of like Ground Hog Day over at MSV with respect to the FBI.

Agenda of the meeting is below: http://www.hudsoncountynj.org/Data/Sites/1/freeholders/docs/Agenda/2011-8-11_reg.pdf

Dave Mello Advocates on Behalf of South West Park: Hoboken gets $3 Million for Park!

Hoboken City Councilman Dave Mello Attended yesterday's Hudson County Freeholder meeting and on the agenda was resolution 7 to re-allocate $11 million to various open space projects. Hoboken was originally granted $3 million to acquire the Henkel Site but conditions changed when BASF bought the site from Cognos. BASF will not sell that site until they remediate it themselves. The City of Hoboken as a result had requested Hudson County to re-allocate that money to the South West Park.

City Councilman Dave Mello Speaks up for SW Park

The Board unanimously approved the funding as part of the consent agenda for that meeting.  Dave mentioned that he has been advocating for the South West Park for over 5 years and mentioned that flooding remediation is also part of the plan. He showed pictures of Hoboken's recent flooding to the Board. On a side note: shame on the Hudson County Freeholders for holding a meeting at 1pm. How did this time help maximize public participation? Dave was lucky since as a School teacher he was able to take time off. Most other working residents can not. Kudos to Dave Mello for taking the time speaking up on behalf of Hoboken, especially the 4th Ward.
It should be noted that self-professed "Mr. 4th Ward, I drink when Hoboken Floods" Tim Occhipinti didn't show up probably because he was at his day job. Was that fair to Tim to deny him his moment of glory fighting for 4th Ward residents? He should have at least sent one of his allies/handlers to read a statement. At least the 4th Ward has a real advocate for SW Park in Dave Mello. It should also be noted that Anthony Romano was not present at the meeting Caucus on Tuesday when this issue came up. Anthony did support the resolution in the end.

At the previous caucus meeting on Tuesday Chairman Bill O'Dea had expressed his concern over having shovel ready projects in the future. Dave Mello had mentioned his concern over this as Hoboken needs funding for park acquisition and it was clarified by Mr. O'Dea that that was for future funding allocations. It was good that O'Dea was able to clarify that statement and support the resolution. Hoboken finally got a small piece of the park pie.

I will have a second update on other more trivial and unprofessional aspects of the meeting later today. And I thought City Council meetings were theatrical. Good grief!

My comment: Of course Hoboken should be happy about getting this funding extended but we are still under serviced in terms of parks and in general given that in 2010 Hoboken taxpayers shelled out $46 million to the County. Nice start, but Hoboken deserves more and that is one of the reasons why I am running for Freeholder, to ensure Hoboken gets its fair share of the pie.

Dave Mello Speaks on behalf of the SW Park Funding :

Agenda of the meeting is below: http://www.hudsoncountynj.org/Data/Sites/1/freeholders/docs/Agenda/2011-8-11_reg.pdf

Freeholder Caucus Meeting Recap from 8/9/2011

I attended the Hudson County Freeholder Caucus meeting on 8/9/2011 to get an idea of where all the spending is going besides Hoboken out of their nearly 1/2 billion dollar yearly budget. The Caucus is set up on the Tuesdays before the Thursday meeting where main votes are taken. The Freeholder meetings are held at 567 Pavonia Ave in Jersey City on the 3rd floor every other week except summers and holidays.

Freeholder Meeting 8/9/2011 Highlights:

• Before the meeting various vendors were questioned over contracts for producing job placements for the County.
• Chairman O' Dea asked many probing questions and as chair is the main source of commentary and seems to run a fair meeting and professional meeting from what I observed.
• The board recognized Summer Youth Program contributors as the first item in the agenda. Photo is below.
• Resolution against PATH fair increase. This passed 8-0. I don't know any local politicians that are for this.
• Resolution 29 for construction in Kearney produced almost 20% savings vs. last meeting. It was discussed that there was a new procedure to handle change orders with pre-approvals. In the past pre-approvals were not always done. Well there you go. Maybe there is a little more minding of the store these days. About time.
• Resolution 2- Anthony Romano sponsored bullet proof vests. Only $10k. Seems like a no brainer to me to protect County Police Officers.
• Resolution 6 involved 750k grant from NJ Historic Trust for restoration of the Court House Mural. That is a lot of money for a work of art but history is important.
• Resolution concerned 7- 11 million dollars open space fund or one year extension.The following points were raised: It can fund 100% projects and has in the past for small ones. Lower equalization rates in the County are lowering the available funds for this program. For consideration by Chairman O'Dea: more points for readiness in the evaluation process for these grants was recommended. He expressed concern over tying up funds in order to prime the job market and that there should be forward commitments.He brought up the $3 million awarded to Hoboken for the Henkel Site. Cognos was originally the owner but bought by BASF. Process started in 2008. Reprogram request by Hoboken was made to redirect to SW. I see where Chairman O'Dea is coming form but Hoboken gets very little from the County in terms of Parks.
• Resolution 12- The contract to purchase is now 7.9 million. The purchase amount went up due to owner fixing roof.
• There were also some big ordinances on the table introduced, one for $18,000,000 and the other for $15,570,000 which is for 830 Bergen Avenue purchase in Jersey City. Perhaps an operational audit is in order to ensure the building isn't too big with the amount of positions the County has created that I am not sure what purpose they all serve. But that is why I am running for Freeholder: to find out.

Here is the agenda for reference:

http://www.hudsoncountynj.org/Data/Sites/1/freeholders/docs/Agenda/2011-8-9_caucus.pdf



Regular meeting is today at 1pm where action will be taken.

The Board of Freeholders

Freeholder Romano was in and out of the meeting. It was learned he had a personl emergency.

Gardiner For Freeholder Photo Shoot

On Sunday August 7th, I decided to have a few campaign photos taken of a few of my favorite spots in Hoboken. I have to be honest with my audience though. One of the reasons I initially hesitated to run for office is that I am overweight. Make no doubt about it that it was a concern for me when I decided to run and still is both personally and potentially politically. I am hoping though that Hoboken can see beyond that fact and vote the issues and the candidate's potential in terms of competency and potential advocacy for the residents of District 5. Of course if the election were a 5K race I am sure my opponent would beat me quite soundly. But, fortunately for me it is not. It is actually a bit more like a marathon where I will be working hard to win over voters with my ideas and not a series of $40-$1000 checks funded by Beth Mason and/or Frank Raia.

Besides, with all that walking around I might just drop a few pounds. After all, if I am advocating for budget austerity I might start by trimming a bit of fat off myself. Wish me luck as I try for a little self-improvement. In the meantime let these photos serve as a reminder that the best politicians don't always come in the slickest packaging as the story of the rise and fall Peter Cammarano reminds Hoboken of from time to time. On the other hand my sheer size does have an advantage: people remember me. So here is my very first photo shoot that should serve as a reminder to residents that legitimate good governance candidates don't have to come with slickest packaging, or the big shot developer endorsements, they just need giant ideas with giant sized convictions and perseverance regardless of stature. We should never allow anyone to run unopposed in Hudson County. It encourages corruption. Here are some shots. Recognize any of these Hoboken Landmarks?