Four Council Members Skip Special Meeting

The four council members who oppose the current administration decided on Thursday afternoon to  not attend a specially scheduled council meeting.

The meeting — planned for 7 p.m. on Thursday — was not called of.

In order to hold a meeting, however, at least five council members have to be present. With four people planning to be absent and one seat vacant on the council, only four members — Ravi Bhalla, David Mello, Jennifer Giattino and Peter Cunningham — were expected to show up. Not enough to vote on anything.

In a joint press release, the opposing council members said they were "concerned that the meeting prevents public inclusion and is meant to conceal the latest financial mismanagement by the Zimmer Administration."

The city council was asked to approve the sale of $700,000 in notes to pay for that same amount for terminal pay for 14 retired Hoboken firemen.

Another option is to put the amount in the budget and pay for it that way, but it will have to be added to the 2013 budget.

“Mayor Zimmer continually refuses to work with the dually elected members of the City Council who will not simply rubber stamp her agenda,” Councilman Occhipinti said in a joint press release, “There is no reason these items cannot be voted on at the next regularly scheduled council meeting.”

The ordinance was put forth for the first time at the last council meeting, when the council decided that they would vote rather than $1 million, which the city initially proposed.

Bhalla — one of the mayor's allies on the council — said he'd still attend the meeting.

"Boycotting the meeting is a cop out," said Bhalla in a brief phone conversation on Thursday afternoon. "I think the public has a right to know where their elected officials stand on the issue."