Campaign Fact Check – Part I
02
November
11/2/2009:
Two Views of the Zimmer Record
There’s been such an avalanche of campaign mailers this election trying to highlight each one would be tedious. Let’s take a closer look at two mailers that caught my eye this week, the first from former Judge Kim Glatt featuring someone who looks a bit like Dawn Zimmer hiding behind the Mayor’s chair:
The Glatt piece highlights three failures of Zimmer’s just over three months in office.
- The lack of a budget after Zimmer pledged to introduce one with a 25% tax cut within six weeks of taking the oath of office. See the screen grab from her original campaign website below. Once she took office, Zimmer quickly pulled this pledge down:
- The second point highlights Zimmer’s failure to fill out the proper forms needed for a lay-up $4 million federal grant for the second flood pump. The hard work was already done on the grant applications and all Zimmer needed to send was a letter. Zimmer tried to hide it, but was called out on her failure in a video from the last council meeting.
- The last point claims Zimmer concealed the letter from Hoboken University Medical Center revealing its $22 million deficit. Zimmer also concealed her midnight appointment of supporter/contributor Jonathan Metsch to the Hoboken Municipal Hospital Authority Board despite his lackluster record as the former CEO of the Jersey City Medical Center.
Check back in a couple hours – when one of Dawn Zimmer’s own pieces of campaign literature touting her “accomplishments” in “just a few short weeks” gets fact-checked too!
(And don’t forget to stay on topic please!)
Fun Stuff
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November 2nd 2009 - 13:47:31 |
Thanks for the information. No other source gets to the bottom of what politicians are really saying. I believe this settles the debate my friends and I were having.
PS, I still can’t believe how so-called reformers are exactly like the previous terrible officials.
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November 2nd 2009 - 14:50:34 |
I currently do not support any canidate, and feel we are scraping the bottom of the barrel with all them, but is Zimmer the only one facing H411 fact check?
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November 2nd 2009 - 14:59:55 |
All candidates should face scrutiny, but Zimmer is the incumbent. She’s been on the job only three months and has failed miserably to do anything other than lose grant money and reward those who give her thousands of dollars in campaign contributions ($3000 from the guy she appointed to the Zoning Board, another $2300 for a seat on the Housing Authority Board, etc.)
Not to mention the thousands of dollars in cash from Jonathan Metsch, who she placed on the Hoboken Hospital board with no public announcement. Metsch turned Hoboken Revolt into a front for Zimmer, and she rewarded him by putting him in line to be the next HUMC CEO. This is the guy that managed Jersey City Medical Center into a $3 million a MONTH deficit.
Zimmer’s idea of Open Government: You open your CHECKBOOK and you’ll get a seat in Dawn’s government!
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November 2nd 2009 - 15:19:38 |
I agree – Hoboken411 isn’t a “pop up” political site that only serves one purpose. There’s only so many hours in a day. I chose the semi-incumbent candidate because they have the most to shine light on – urgently, too. I care about Hoboken, and hate to see the wool pulled over innocent residents eyes.
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November 2nd 2009 - 15:57:19 |
You are great at suggesting why we should not vote for Zimmer.
Why should I vote for any of the other canidates?
I’m not pleased with any of them.
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November 2nd 2009 - 16:34:24 |
Red,
Please be precise. Metsch is not on the hospital board. He is Dawn’s designated proxy when she cannot attend. It is not the same thing (and I do feel Zimmer should be at those meetings – the hospital has always been a ticking time bomb – as clearly called out and explained by Ricky Mason years ago. But that is a tangential discussion). And wasn’t Jake part of Beth’s campaign earlier this year. Would he have been an OK choice for HHA if Beth had won?
H411 – it’s your site but for some time now (close to a year) it has felt like you have been all over Zimmer while giving Beth a free pass. A little more balance would be appreciated.
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November 2nd 2009 - 17:17:39 |
Alehead, I’m afraid the Zimmer spin machine has misinformed you about Metsch.
If you check the website of the Hoboken Municipal Hospital Authority you’ll clearly see that not only did Zimmer make Jon Metsch a full voting member of the HMHA Board of Commissioners in a midnight appointment, but he’s also the Secretary of the Board.
It’s right here: http://www.hobokenumc.com/main/contents.php?Id=111
As for Jake Stuiver, it’s been reported in the local press he would be appointed Interim Fourth Ward Councilperson in the event Zimmer was elected to a full term. His own personal political ambition is the one and only reason he flipped his support to Zimmer.
Hope that clears things up.
In response to Alehead who said:
Please be precise. Metsch is not on the hospital board. He is Dawn’s designated proxy when she cannot attend. It is not the same thing (and I do feel Zimmer should be at those meetings – the hospital has always been a ticking time bomb – as clearly called out and explained by Ricky Mason years ago. But that is a tangential discussion). And wasn’t Jake part of Beth’s campaign earlier this year. Would he have been an OK choice for HHA if Beth had won?
H411 – it’s your site but for some time now (close to a year) it has felt like you have been all over Zimmer while giving Beth a free pass. A little more balance would be appreciated.
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November 2nd 2009 - 17:56:15 |
Red,
Not much for spin machines….I had seen it (assertion he was not on the board) in multiple places so appreciate the link. Not sure what the gap between names on that website is supposed to represent, nor do I understand how a new appointee to the board would instantly become secretary. At this point I fear it doesn’t matter who tries to save the hospital – it’s a lost cause and time for damage control.
As for Jake – he was Beth’s campaign manager so saying that he would flip for the promise of a Council appointment isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of Beth’s ability to surround herself with the right people either. If Dawn wins I guess we will see who she does appoint to 4th Ward seat. I asked her that exact question before the initial election and she would not answer me.
I’m not happy with Beth’s negative campaign so I will likely not vote for her this time around. For the record I voted for Beth in the 1st election (though not her slate) and Zimmer in the run-off.
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November 2nd 2009 - 18:26:56 |
voters beware you may get what you wish for..The past three months show less than one third of the next four years with this dreammer..It’s scarey..amd confusing.
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November 2nd 2009 - 18:38:05 |
Red ..notice dawn is learning fast for a new england lib in hudson county..This dr Newman has lots of nerve after the chaos in medical center…and the paper trail…now with the Hoboken university hospital…Get out the ky jelly…the zimmerous deserve what they wish for.This is just the tip of the iceberg.
In response to Red Haven who said:
Not to mention the thousands of dollars in cash from Jonathan Metsch, who she placed on the Hoboken Hospital board with no public announcement. Metsch turned Hoboken Revolt into a front for Zimmer, and she rewarded him by putting him in line to be the next HUMC CEO. This is the guy that managed Jersey City Medical Center into a $3 million a MONTH deficit.
Zimmer’s idea of Open Government: You open your CHECKBOOK and you’ll get a seat in Dawn’s government!
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November 3rd 2009 - 10:36:23 |
Red ..notice dawn is learning fast for a new england lib in hudson county
As a voter that believes party affiliation means very little at the city and county level (as legislation is too specific to make huge policy-based decisions), I still tend to ignore any comments that use the word “lib” in them or some other knee-jerk derogatory word. That’s always the “my mind is closed and I’m voting only with my wallet” red flag for me. Not sure how others feel about this.
My vote was easy. There was only one candidate who didn’t trespass on my property (my building’s hallways are private property and there is a “no solicitation” rule). There was only one candidate that respected that rule, and they got my vote. If you don’t respect the easiest of rules, how can I expect you to respect the more important ones?
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November 3rd 2009 - 10:38:18 |
Red ..notice dawn is learning fast for a new england lib in hudson county
That was supposed to be a quote. I haven’t posted in awhile, and forgot the process for pasting quotes.
In response to wiskeytango1 who said:
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