As we continue to wrap our heads and hearts around losing someone close to so many of us, the best thing we can do to honor Jen’s memory is move forward together as a community.
In the words of one of her friends, our tribute to Jen is to “live like Jen, and give like Jen.” Much of what is included in this newsletter reflects themes like public safety, open space, and our farmer's markets, she deeply cared about and were central to her service.
In today’s newsletter:
- TONIGHT @ 530PM: Rescheduled Public Safety Community Meeting
- TONIGHT’s City Council Meeting: A Somber Moment and Return to Serving
- Northwest Park: A $100M Investment Deserving Better Care
- Reporting Street Light Outages
- Good News on the Waterfront!
- 15th Street Construction Update
- Update on the Uptown Farmer's Market Under the 14th Street Viaduct
TONIGHT @530 PM - RESCHEDULED PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNITY MEETING
Your voice matters. Please join tonight, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall. Without strong public input, critical issues often go unaddressed. With more voices in the room, we stand a better chance of achieving the safety and proactive solutions our community deserves. #MoreVoicesAreAlwaysBetter If you cannot make it in person, you can Residents can watch the meeting live at Hoboken’s YouTube page.
This meeting was prompted by the random, violent attack in Church Square Park on Halloween afternoon—a troubling tipping point for many residents. Since then, I’ve spoken with another family who experienced a frightening situation when a man aggressively tried to grab the handle of their stroller from the nanny. Incidents like these make it clear that we need a more proactive, community-centered approach to public safety.
In our recent City Council public safety subcommittee meeting, attended by CM Paul Presinzano, CM Joe Quintero, and myself, we discussed, again, with Police Chief Aguiar and Public Safety Director Ferrante the need for community policing and foot patrols in Hoboken. Chief Aguiar shared details about staffing levels before they were reduced by Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi in 2009 when Hoboken’s finances were under state control. Since then, our population has grown significantly, yet police staffing has not.
We agreed Chief Aguiar will present a new growth plan for the Hoboken Police Department, projected for December or January, that outlines staffing needs and costs to better address the community's concerns adequately. In the meantime, after several years of being understaffed by 15-20 officers due to retirements and country wide reduced interest in becoming a police officer, the city is expected to be near full staffing levels by January. This alone should bring immediate benefits to our public safety response.
TONIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING: A SOMBER MOMENT AND RETURN TO SERVING
Tonight’s City Council meeting at 7pm will be a somber one as we gather for the first time without our friend and Council President, Jen Giattino. My colleagues and I will each share some words to honor her memory, and I encourage anyone who wishes to pay tribute to Jen to join us. There will be an opportunity to share your own thoughts and memories during the public portion at the end of the meeting. You can watch the meeting on the city's Facebook and YouTube channels (click).
To allow space for reflection, many agenda items have been moved to a later date. However, a few notable items remain including, among others:
- Willow Avenue Redesign: A contract with Michael Baker International will authorize design work for the Willow Avenue safety improvements. I have requested a full traffic study of the area, including Park Avenue, to address the northern ingress and egress routes to and from Hoboken.
- Northwest Park Improvements: Several contracts are on the agenda to address infrastructure needs at Northwest Park, including sewer line repairs, installation of shade structures in the play areas, and a new large movie screen for community events.
- Potential 15th Street Light Rail Station: A contract with NJ Transit will initiate a modeling analysis for a proposed light rail station at 15th Street, which could greatly enhance public transit access in Hoboken’s uptown.
- 13th Street Redesign: Design work for the revitalization of 13th Street, spanning from Washington to Willow, is also on the agenda, aiming to improve safety and accessibility in this vital corridor. I am not sure why the block between Hudson and Washington was removed from this, but will be following up to ensure it is included.
- Salary Ordinance Updates: A proposed ordinance introduces new titles, including Urban Forestry positions, as well as a range of adjustments to increase salary caps to better attract talent across departments. While these updates may align with the city’s evolving needs, the timing raises questions—especially as we’re focused on expanding public safety resources. Additionally, we were not provided with a clear financial breakdown of these changes, nor has there been a discussion on whether hiring full-time employees or contracting out these services would better address the city’s needs.
NORTHWEST PARK: A $100M INVESTMENT DESERVING BETTER CARE
Our parks are more than just green spaces; they’re essential community investments in Hoboken’s quality of life. This is especially true of Northwest Park, our city’s largest park at five acres, which opened just over a year and a half ago. With a nearly $100 million price tag, including significant infrastructure and resiliency features, Northwest Park was meant to be a model of urban sustainability and a source of pride for Hoboken. Yet, it has been mired in construction defects and due to a lack of regular oversight, has been left unkempt and overgrown, with landscaping that no longer reflects the investment our community made.
I recently spoke with the administration and learned that a maintenance plan was supposedly in place, included in the construction contract as a responsibility of the landscaping subcontractor. Yet, in practice, it seems there was a lack of oversight to ensure that these commitments were kept. I’m glad to hear there’s now a plan for a full pruning and upkeep project as early as next week, but these efforts are overdue.
This situation is a reminder of what happens when city leadership treats our parks as photo ops rather than long-term commitments. As someone dedicated to the care of our public spaces, I believe we need a clear, proactive system of accountability to protect our parks and keep them beautiful. If we’re going to invest in these spaces, we owe it to our residents to maintain them, ensuring they remain pristine and vibrant assets for all to enjoy.
REPORTING STREETLIGHT OUTAGES
Lately, I’ve received several messages about streetlights that are out across the city, including multiple lights along the waterfront just north of the Hudson Tea building. Street lighting is essential for safety, so if you notice a light out, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly to report it.
However, you can also report outages directly to PSEG, which often speeds up the repair process. Here’s a quick guide on how to do it:
- Find the Pole Number: This is the most important piece of information when reporting a light outage. The pole number is usually located between 5 and 8 feet up on the pole and looks like one of these:
- Visit the PSEG Streetlight Outages Website: https://psegnj.streetlightoutages.com/public/default.html
- Navigate the Map: Click the small arrow in the upper left corner to zoom in to your location. Move around the map to find the exact location of the streetlight pole.
- Report the Issue: Once you find the pole on the map (marked with a green dot), click on it to open an information box. Enter your name, email, and phone number, and briefly describe the issue (e.g., “light doesn’t turn on” or “flashing light”).
According to PSEG’s website, most repairs should be completed within a few days. On the map, orange circles indicate lights that have already been reported and are in the process of being addressed. If you want updates on a light that’s already been reported, simply click the orange circle, and you can add your email to receive status updates. Thanks to everyone who’s been proactive in reporting these outages—having the pole number and reporting promptly makes a real difference in keeping Hoboken well-lit and safe.
GOOD NEWS ON THE WATERFRONT!
The barricades along N. Sinatra Drive near the dog park have finally been removed—hooray! Ironstate has completed the necessary repairs, fulfilling their responsibility for maintaining the walkway and seawall from 12th Street up to the Monarch site near 15th Street. This improvement is a relief for everyone who uses this beautiful stretch along the waterfront.
This situation highlights the lack of and the larger need for proactive maintenance of our public spaces and infrastructure. The City hasn’t conducted underwater inspections of the walkway and supportive structure in at least the nine years since I was elected—essential maintenance that, in comparison, is routinely handled by the 15th Street Cove Homeowners Association that hires divers every 2-3 years to inspect the walkway behind the Hudson Tea complex and has invested $2M in repairs in that same period.
As Chair of the Climate Action and Innovation City Council Subcommittee, I am actively working to ensure we have a comprehensive, structured plan for the upkeep of Hoboken’s waterfront walkways. I’ve requested that the administration establish regular inspections and repairs, including requirements for private owners to maintain the sections they manage. Our waterfront is one of Hoboken’s most valuable public assets, and it deserves a reliable system of care to ensure safety, accessibility, and uninterrupted enjoyment for all residents.
Currently, Colliers is evaluating the walkway and supporting structure from Sinatra Park to the skate park to develop a thorough repair plan. Our goal is to begin these repairs in the spring, with the hope that any barriers will be down by summer. Given federal regulations that restrict river work from January to June due to migratory seasons, some of these repairs may need to overlap with the Sinatra Drive expansion and Phase I of Maritime Park. Ideally, these projects should be coordinated to avoid repeat disruptions and maximize resources by addressing multiple needs in one comprehensive effort.
My commitment to forward-thinking, long-term infrastructure solutions is not new. In the past, I led the effort to restructure our water contracts, introducing regular, annual upgrades to our aging water infrastructure—a critical, proactive measure for Hoboken. More recently, I’ve also pushed to ensure our 5G pole upgrades align with Hoboken’s needs by incorporating security cameras in public spaces wherever possible. These initiatives are part of my ongoing commitment to making sure Hoboken’s investment in infrastructure is thoughtful and maintained efficiently, proactively, and with residents’ quality of life in mind.
15TH STREET CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
As we’ve seen before, street construction in Hoboken often uncovers unexpected utility conflicts that slow down progress. This was the case with the Washington Street upgrades in 2018, where unanticipated underground issues added a full year to the timeline. Despite our ongoing efforts to build an updated inventory of utility plans, contractors working on 15th and Garden once again encountered outdated information on what was beneath the street. This has led to unforeseen utility conflicts and, as a result, construction on 15th and Garden will continue until January 25th—“just in time for the PATH closure,” as many have pointed out. Unfortunately, this impacts both nearby neighbors and everyone affected by traffic backups on Park Avenue.
Looking ahead, construction will move to 14th Street next summer, with a project planned to close the street between The Madison Bar & Grill and SoulCycle to build gate infrastructure similar to what’s underway at 15th and Garden. Currently, the plan is for this work to take place during July and August. I have urged the administration to insist on a plan from NJDEP to ensure the work is completed within a two-month window—from July 5th (after the expected July 4th fireworks) to Labor Day (before school starts). This includes lengthening workdays, as the current schedule often ends around 3:30 p.m. Additionally, I’ve called for a better upfront traffic assessment to manage flow and mitigate disruptions, as well as coordination with NJ Transit to ensure pedestrian safety and traffic flow for buses and other vehicles throughout the construction period.
To further support these efforts, I’ve asked the city and county to provide all engineering plans that they should already have from the 2018 Washington Street upgrade to help prevent any surprises during this critical work. Our main thoroughfares are essential to keeping Hoboken moving, and it’s imperative we advocate for Hoboken residents. We can’t simply let NJDEP operate on their timeline without proper accountability. I’ll continue pushing for a streamlined, efficient process that ensures safety and minimizes disruption for all.
UPDATE ON THE UPTOWN FARMER'S MARKET UNDER THE 14TH STREET VIADUCT
Over the weekend, I, along with my City Council and County colleagues, began receiving form emails from residents concerned about the future of the Uptown Farmer's Market – almost 300 so far. Let me be clear: there are no plans to move the Uptown Farmer’s Market, nor are there any backdoor deals in play. Our County Executive, Craig Guy, confirmed this directly in a response to a resident that I was cc’d on:
"Good morning XXXX, I'm County Executive Craig Guy, and WE ARE NOT MOVING THE FARMERS MARKET. Period, full stop. Kindly join us in an upcoming discussion so we can keep this community tradition and service available while also providing our new pickleball community with a much-needed amenity. I’ll personally attend the meeting to show my commitment to fresh food and a good pickleball game. —County Executive Craig Guy"
The focus, as I see it, is on ensuring that this county-owned public space is well-maintained, respectful of all users, and optimized for the community’s needs. After speaking with stakeholders, including Commissioner Romano, it’s clear that balancing the needs of the Farmer's Market and the emerging pickleball community is essential. Some concerns I’ve heard include disarray left behind after the Farmer’s Market wraps up on Saturdays, and the need for a more consistent setup of the temporary pickleball courts during non-market hours. I plan to attend the upcoming meeting, where I will join our County Leaders in their commitment to keeping the Uptown Farmer’s Market. Our community deserves a well-coordinated space that respects both tradition and new activities, and I’m committed to seeing that balance achieved.
We all continue to feel the profound absence of Jen Giattino every day. As someone said at her wake, “How can someone who was everywhere, all the time, suddenly just not be here anymore?” If you know of anyone Jen was helping who might not be on our radar, please let me know as soon as possible so we can step in to continue her work.
Jen’s mom, Judy, and her husband, Joe, both shared with me how moved they were by the outpouring of love during her viewing and funeral. They said they couldn’t believe that one person could do so much, for so many, for so long. She leaves behind a legacy that is both a great loss and an incredible inspiration to all of us.
For those unable to attend the funeral, the words spoken by both Monsignor Michael from Saints Peter & Paul and Rabbi Scheinberg from USH were truly moving. Rabbi Scheinberg beautifully captured Jen’s approach to public service by likening it to her love for jigsaw puzzles—finding those special pieces and connecting them perfectly. You can read a transcript of his remarks here: Words of Remembrance for Jen Giattino of Hoboken - Rabbi Robert Scheinberg. We are also planning a future public memorial service to honor her legacy.
As a reminder you can honor Jen’s memory by making a contribution to non profits that were close to her heart including: Family Promise of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hoboken Homeless Shelter, and Garden State Community Development Corporation | - all organizations who help the most vulnerable members of our community with a focus on those who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. Additionally, please send your of Jen stories to [email protected] (click to send). It can be as short as a quick email, or as long as a chapter in a book. A group of Jen's close friends are gathering these memories, while they are still fresh and raw, to honor Jen’s legacy and share with her family and our community in the future.
Please continue to keep Jen’s family in your thoughts and prayers. She will always be with us in spirit, a reminder of the difference one dedicated person can make. As always, please share this with everyone you know who may be interested and reach out any time on any issue important to you: 201-208-1764 or [email protected].
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