Mayoral Hopeful Ruben Ramos Accuses Zimmer of Using 'Fiscal Gimmick'

The political season has begun.

has blasted the current administration for its fiscal policies.

On Thursday night, the city council was scheduled to meet for a special meeting to approve $700,000 in emergency appropriations to pay for 14 retired firefighters' terminal pay.

Zimmer is urging the council to approve the appropriations so that the retirees can receive the money to which they're entitled. But, said Ramos on Thursday, this money should have been included in the budget already.

Ramos is running with a council slate that is comprised of Laura Miani, Eduardo Gonzalez and Joe Mindak. On behalf of all four candidates, he sent out a press release criticizing Zimmer on Thursday.

"This pension expense was imminently foreseeable and an emergency bond should not be necessary to pay for it," Ramos said in a statement. "It's time to stop misrepresenting the city's finances to score cheap political points, and start doing what's right for families in Hoboken."

Ramos called the special bond a "gimmick."

The city is asking the council to approve an ordinance of $700,000 in funds, that'll be made available by selling the same amount worth of emergency notes. The notes are the funding mechanism for the amount needed.

the city initially asked for $1 million in emergency appropriations for more imminent cost for retirees.

The city council, however, only approved the $700,000 that was immediately necessary after a long discussion. On Thursday night, the city council was scheduled to vote on the ordinance.

The emergency funding is "obscuring the true costs of the city's government for political gain in the short term," Ramos charged. "When City government fails to honor its contractual obligations, it just ends up costing the taxpayers more money in the long term."