Ed Mecka
Hoboken Police Captain Ed Mecka (retired) is a 28 year veteran of the Hoboken, New Jersey Police Department.
But retirement hasn't stopped Ed from doing what he does best, investigations into political curruption and managing his Hoboken Community Activist website "edmecka.com"
New Jersey's OPRA "Open Public Records Act" and OPMA "Open Public Meetings Act" are the citizens' window into the inner workings of New Jersey government.
The Open Public Records Act "OPRA" provides guidelines for the dissemination of “public” government records. Not every government record is “public” and there are restrictions. But for the most part, OPRA does a good job in providing record access. Unfortunately, sometimes even the simplest request for a "public" document can be a nightmare for many citizens. If you know your rights under OPRA and the record is “public”… you should have an easier time getting the requested information. Go to www.edmecka.com to learn more about OPRA.
The Open Public Meetings Act “OPMA” sets a standard for government meetings, i.e. City Council meetings, Freeholders meetings, etc. Go to www.edmecka.com to learn more about OPMA.
Questions? A contact form is available on www.edmecka.com
While most Hoboken residents settled into and savored the last remaining dog days of summer, Mayor Dave Roberts continued to shakeup the Hoboken political landscape.
At the Tuesday, September 7th Hoboken Board of Education meeting, board members appointed community activist RON ROSENBERG to the board. ROSENBERG replaces 12 year board veteran DAVID ANTHONY who resigned his elected board position to become the board Secretary.
During the previous week, the political rumor mill was churning at full speed with talk of board member DAVID ANTHONY's resignation and ROSENBERG's appointment to the vacated seat. While most longtime political observers barely raised an eyebrow, a meeting in the Mayor's CIty Hall conference room erupted into a heated debate between DAVID ANTHONY and the school board president CARMELO GARCIA. GARCIA suffered a broken hand when he punched a door in a moment of anger.
At the Board meeting JOHN MADIGAN, who is a Hoboken parent, acting PTO President of the Calabro School, and a Board of Education employee, said "It is clearly illegal" referring to the David Anthony appointment. Madigan went on to say that Board discussions should take place before the public, or else patronage and political deal-making runs rampant.
The highlight of the evening was a statement made by Board member Jack Raslowsky who said, "I think there is a need for us all to have some honesty and transparency with this." But he added that there has long been a political aspect of governance that involves discussion between board members.
He said many of the people who were critical of the board Tuesday have been guilty in the past of benefiting from the political process.
"The political process was fine when we were running for election, the political process was fine when we sought out endorsements, but now all of the sudden it's dirty and problematic," he said. "You can't have it both ways."
It was amazing how the room immediately settled down after Jack's words. Funny how a little self reflection can work wonders.
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