Hudson County View
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Obviously I’m opposed to this … but my biggest concern is the limit to two hours. Two hours is two hours, it doesn’t say … at least 40 speakers can speak,” said Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) at this afternoon’s caucus meeting, which lasted about an hour.
He explained that for example, if one speaker is given an extra minute to speak, the meeting is then cut to 39 speakers overall, and so forth and so on, if the public portion will end after exactly 120 minutes.
O’Dea also wondered how only 40 or so speakers would be selected if 100 hands are raised on Zoom – the way all of the board’s meetings will be conducted until further notice after an 8-1 vote at a special meeting yesterday (Commissioner Fanny Cedeno (D-7) voted no).
Hudson County Commissioners looking to limit how much time the public has to speak during meetings
Updated Jan 12, 2021;
Posted Jan 12, 2021
The Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders holds its reorganization meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)
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The Hudson County Commissioners are looking to limit how long members of the public can speak during their bi-monthly meetings.
The commissioners, formerly known as freeholders, will introduce an ordinance Thursday that will cut down the amount of time the public can speak about issues that do not appear on the meeting agenda.
Public speakers are currently allotted five minutes each toward the end of every meeting to address the commissioners on topics not covered by agenda. Under the proposed ordinance, speakers would be limited to three minutes each.
Hudson Reporter
2020: Hudson County, on PAUSE
In a plague year, business as usual in unusual times
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A digital rendering of the latest residential complex Hartz Mountain received approval to construct in Lincoln Harbor
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Hudson County Commissioner Fanny Cedeno and Union City Commissioner Wendy Grullon march on Bergenline in calls for legislation to protect immigrants
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Hector Oseguera was born in Hoboken, raised in West New York, lives in Union City and works in Weehawken
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No mans’ land: In the early days of the pandemic, Jersey City streets were empty as residents quarantined and avoided others to curtail the spread of COVID-19. Photo by Marilyn Baer
Hudson County View
The Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders ended abruptly after just over an hour yesterday after four electeds left the meeting, opting not to listen to objections to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contract for the fourth session in a row.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The meeting, which started around 1 p.m., came to a close around roughly 2:15 p.m. – a far cry from the 12-and-a-half hour meeting last month where the ICE contract was renewed for up to a decade.
As usual, the freeholders moved through their agenda items swiftly and public comment began around 40 minutes, led by Jersey City resident Katia Oltmann.