Interview with Tony Chiappone Part 3: The BLRA, Information Flow & the Future of Bayonne
The Public Advocate is pleased to present the final part of an interview with Tony Chippone conducted on February 6th, 2008 via telephone. You can listen to or read Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE if you missed them. The next interview in this series will be with Interim Mayor Malloy.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO
BLRA
The Public Advocate: The BLRA is a hot topic in many voters’ minds this year because of the budget. Do you believe the BLRA has been mismanaged?
Tony Chiappone: Yes I do, I absolutely do. I think they made numerous mistakes, I think that it’s been politically driven. I think that good developers have been turned away. I think that other developers have been given contracts that they shouldn’t have been given. You know, that being said, I think the deal for Ports of America shows that we are going in a different direction. I think that what you will see now from this point on is what’s called RFPs, requests for proposals in all the remaining districts, the Loft, the Landing and the Point so that we can get the best value for our property. So I think ah, I think threatening to abolish the BLRA and voiding that meeting that was held illegally, you know forcing them to change that meeting… to re-hold that hearing. I think those steps have kind of awakened people’s eyes and have set them on the right path. I think with a new director Joe Nichols I think he is on the same page as me as far as my concerns and I am hopeful that he will continue to make the appropriate changes on the BLRA.
The Public Advocate: In recent issue of the Community News Nancy Kist (the recently resigned BLRA director) expressed the opinion that her current situation as a transitional advisor might not be temporary, that it might be a permanent arrangement. Do you have any knowledge about this and if so would you care to comment?
Tony Chiappone: Well I think that will be for the executive director to decide and for the commissioners to vote on. I think that although Nancy Kist was essentially following orders of Mayor Doria I think that she does possess a lot of knowledge that could be worthwhile and of use as we go forward. So that would be something for Director Joe Nichols and the rest of the commissioners to decide.
The Public Advocate: Why did the BLRA vote for the PA deal despite citizens voicing concern?
Tony Chiappone: I think because they thought it was a good deal, I think because they felt that the money had to be put into the budget and I think it was as simple as that.
The Public Advocate: How much harm will the PA lawsuit do to the BLRA, and in turn the city?
Tony Chiappone: Well first of all you know I have to look at the fact that the Port Authority is suing us is a result of us nixing their deal and making a better deal so if they weren’t suing us then we would have a deal for $40million less. So we’re actually in what I consider to be a good situation where we were able to enter into a contract for a much better deal. In court today I happen to feel optimistic about this particular challenge. In the legal challenge by the Port Authority I tend to think we will prevail.
INFORMATION FLOW
The Public Advocate: Do you think it is hard for the average Bayonne voter to find out information about what is going on in the city?
Tony Chiappone: I really don’t think it’s hard. I think that number one people don’t really have the time to do the research or ask the right questions or as the right people for instance. If anyone wants information they can email me and I am always happy to get them the information they need. Under the Open Public Records Act they are able to acquire; obtain any information they want. It’s a matter of people knowing what to ask and what department to get it from I think and a lot of people don’t take the time and trouble to do that.
The Public Advocate: Do you think it is reasonable for results of various city agency votes along with their agenda items to be posted within 24 hours on a website for citizens to review?
Tony Chiappone: for the votes?
The Public Advocate: For the vote results and the agenda item to go online and the reason I ask that…
Tony Chiappone: Oh yeah I’d like to see everything online. I’d like to see the agenda online beforehand, the voting afterwards. In this day and age of technology everything should be online as far as the documents for that agenda as well. I think that’s a lot better than killing a thousand trees and providing people with tons of paperwork, put everything online for people to see and examine.
The Public Advocate: Do you think detailed budgetary information for departments and agencies should be made available online for citizens to review? It sounds like you would agree with that as well?
Tony Chiappone: Sure, I see no reason why departmental budgets couldn’t be provided online
The Public Advocate: How do you think some of these ideas could be implemented? Do you think it’s possible to implement them in the current city structure; to get this information online?
Tony Chiappone: I know that ah, I think you attended the last BLRA meeting? In which Joe Nichols mentioned that he’s right now in the process of putting a lot of the BLRA documentation and information online. So I think that already is in the works. I think that part of the problem is I know that our webmaster for the city of Bayonne website I don’t believe he is paid to do that, he does that on a voluntary basis. You need to; you being in technology you know you have to pay somebody to input the information and to maintain it and to adjust it. That does take a lot of work and it is time consuming. But I imagine if somebody sets up the proper formatted system that each department could designate someone to basically upload the information so that it is placed in the right category. So I think it’s something that really should be done.
The Public Advocate: I agree. On a number of occasions citizens have expressed their concerns with the amount of debt owed by the City. Is there a detail or some sort of documentation about the amount of debt that the city owes?
Tony Chiappone: Yeah there is.
The Public Advocate: How do we get a hold of that?
Tony Chiappone: You can ask Brian DellaBella of the financial department and I am pretty sure he would have that in disk format.
The Public Advocate: And that will include the agencies in the city, such as the parking authority and the BLRA?
Tony Chiappone: Well no, those various agencies have different budgets. The BLRA is a separate budget, so that you get from Joe Nichols and the parking authority you have to request from their director as well.
The Public Advocate:There are times when public meetings are scheduled very early in the evening, which precludes a good portion of taxpayers in Bayonne from attending. This has occurred notably with the City Council caucus meetings. Is it possible…
Tony Chiappone: Just on that note, for instance, the caucus meetings. Why they start at 5:30, our council meetings are at 7. The caucus meetings actually used to be at 2 o’clock and then we changed it to 5:30. There really is at that point, as you know from watching the caucuses they are very short and they’re basically a prelude to the council meetings so people do have an opportunity to pick any information that’s provided from a caucus, pick it up during the week if they are unable to observe it. If there was a big movement from the public, you know caucuses aren’t very well attended, as you see probably 2 or 3 people show up, but if there was a big public outcry to move the caucus itself to 7 o’clock I wouldn’t object to that.
The Public Advocate: Well I don’t know about 7PM, one particular person asked about 6PM, and I think I would agree with that too. You get into that little area where…
Tony Chiappone: For the amount of people that show up... the other reason for that too is on the caucuses a lot of time the directors are around after city hall closes so we would like to give them an opportunity to make the caucus and then go and not have that space in between. Of course at the council meetings they are obligated to be there. But just to point out what other municipalities do, it used to be in Hoboken their caucus would immediately precede the regular meeting, so there wasn’t even a week between. So talk about the public not having the opportunity to get the information and filter through it. And just recently as a matter of fact they eliminated their caucus entirely and just have regular meetings. With us you know we feel that we have the caucus the week before the council meeting this way everything is out there on the table as far as what’s going to be ion the agenda for the following week. People have to have time to get the information from the city clerks office, have time to contact the council members if they have any issues with the items, it’s a very open form of government that I feel that we have especially when you compare it to other municipalities.
The Public Advocate: Is there any possibility that Bayonne Board of Education meetings can be held in the Dorothy E. Harrington City Council Chambers so that they might be recorded & televised so that all citizens who are unable to attend physically can still observe the proceedings?
Tony Chiappone: Not in the council chambers, we are pretty busy in what meetings we have there, we have planning board meetings, zoning board, ABC board, a variety of meetings that go on but in negotiating the contract with cablevision a few years back I did allow for the provision that cablevision could hook them up to their channel and they currently to tape and to play their board of education meetings, and that’s something I brought up with Board of Education Will Lawson about televising meetings. Personally I think it’s something that should & could be done and when we have our first board of school estimate meeting in early March that’s something I am on the board with as well as Mayor Malloy, that’s a combination of 2 council members and the Mayor and 3 members of the Board of Education and we go over the budget. I think at that meeting that would be a good time for you to bring up that issue because I agree absolutely that Board of Education Meetings should be televised. They have the ability to do that right now.
THE FUTURE OF BAYONNE
The Public Advocate: What do you believe are the most important qualities that our next Mayor should possess?
Tony Chiappone: I think that the most important quality that not only the Mayor but any elected official is the ability to attend with care and concern for the town which we live in. The ability to be understanding of people’s issues and concerns because everybody has different problems and a small problem for one resident might be something that’s really important to them. It’s that understand of the average persona nd what they are going through on a day to day life. And I think a genuine caring of the city, I think if that’s your foundation that you care about the city, that they love the city as many of us do. I think there is a foundation for doing the right thing. I think that the other thing you want to keep in mind as an elected official is to put everything out there, everything should be in the open don’t do anything behind closed doors aside form the negotiation meetings that happen behind closed doors put everything out there for everybody to see and to touch and to feel and discuss. I think that if you’re fair and you have a concern for the city and if you take into consideration everyone’s concerns I think you can lead the city in a positive way.
The Public Advocate: If you were Mayor what would you do different from what we have seen in previous Mayors?
Tony Chiappone: (laughs)
The Public Advocate: I know it’s a tough question.
Tony Chiappone: You know I think that the first thing… too many mayors are politically driven where they don’t want to make the tough calls because they don’t want to rub somebody the wrong way. There are tough cuts that could and should be made and I think anybody who is mayor certainly has to consider what to do. I think as far as I am concerned it would be a more people friendly government, more open, in fact I’d like to eliminate some of the politics that’s involved, I’d like to put more of, as you say, the average person on these boards, because I think that when you open up the doors and let everyone through there is less dissention because you have those people who would normally be dissenters at the podium you have them there as part of the boards. I think that lends for a healthy exchange, I think difference of opinion is good and I think that’s why it’d good to have a variety of different people from different backgrounds on these boards. So if anything in one word, in one thought it would be open government, more of an open government then has been there before and also thinking outside the box, you know lets look in directions that we haven’t looked at before in the way of generating revenues. Be innovative, we don’t seem to be very innovative on the government level, we need to be less political and more innovative.
The Public Advocate: That was a topic that was actually brought up on the Bayonne Public Advocate today, Stan actually posted an innovative use for the base and I would agree with that. My final question to you gives you a chance to be a bit of a visionary. I’d like to know what do you think the Bayonne of the future looks like?
Tony Chiappone: I think the future of Bayonne looks good, I think if we properly develop the peninsula where it’s mixed use, where we have some commercial entities that provide jobs for Bayonne. I think that the city is struggling as many cities do but I think that it has a character in which that most of the people here are good people and care about the city and I think the city will prosper at some time. It’s tough times now but I’ve always been an optimist and I believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel I thin good things are going to happen and I think this is still a great place for people to live in. Look where we live, so close to Manhattan you look at other cities to the north and about us and really as far as cities go this is a great city. We have so much recognition for our youth we have a multitude of programs for our seniors. We are close to transportation we have access to the cultural center of the world, Manhattan just across the water. We have so many opportunities and so much promise for our future so I’m an optimist and I believe that Bayonne will be headed for very good times and I hope to be a part of that change.
The Public Advocate: Assemblyman Tony Chiappone I thank you very much for your time!
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