hosted by Michael”, is posted as a short-term rental on Airbnb, having housed a steady docket of various guests for the past eight months. According to the site, 23 reviews from a variety of guests date back to August 2020 several months into the global pandemic, while state-mandated travel restrictions were in place. Reviews for the unit have been posted by tenants from areas that include Canada, Washington State, Ohio, California, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida.
proud Hoboken homeowner,” and has served on the City Council since 2015. We reached out to DeFusco, who ultimately confirmed to
TAPinto Hoboken that the listing was in fact his apartment. DeFusco also confirmed that he had been traveling, but would not offer any further details on the record regarding the duration and destination of his travels. However, it has been established that the Councilman did travel to Colombia at some point during the period in question. Furthermore, the Councilm
Hoboken Councilwoman-at-Large Vanessa Falco. Facebook photo.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
” … This past year has been a difficult one for residents, students, senior citizens, teachers, first responders, and parents. I am not sure how he feels his absence is appropriate or why. During the pandemic, it was, and still remains an all hands-on deck approach in keeping residents safe,” said Councilwoman-at-Large Vanessa Falco.
“From delivering food, checking on senior citizens, providing education and awareness of testing and vaccines, my council colleagues have all contributed immensely during these difficult times. I unfortunately cannot say that Council member Defusco was a part of our collective efforts during the pandemic. Despite having conversations with him, he never once mentioned that he was out of the country and/or not living in Hoboken and I find that so disingenuous.”
The news is troubling to some Hoboken officials.
“Since last summer, Councilman Michael DeFusco has notably been absent from Hoboken – absent from signing-up seniors for vaccines, absent from volunteering in the community, absent from supporting our struggling small businesses, and absent from certain City Council meetings and several community meetings, Council members Jim Doyle, Emily Jabbour, and Phil Cohen said in a joint statement. Now, we know why. As elected officials, we’ve been doing our jobs representing our constituents, safely and in-person when appropriate and safe to do so, helping our City recover from the pandemic. At a bare minimum, Michael owes his constituents a full and complete accounting as to why he’s been an absentee Councilman, with overseas travel to COVID-19 hot-spots during the height of the pandemic. If he’s unable to do so, perhaps he should no longer serve on the City Council.
Press Releases
BREAKING: After 7-1 Council Vote for AG Led, Renewed Investigation into the 2017 Racially Biased Election Flyer, Councilwoman Fisher Says Many Unanswered Questions Remain April 13, 2021, 12:10 pm | in
BREAKING: After 7-1 Council Vote for AG Led, Renewed Investigation into the 2017 Racially Biased Election Flyer, Councilwoman Fisher Says Many Unanswered Questions Remain
It has been over three years since an ugly, racially biased flyer against one mayoral candidate and portrayed as being sent by another mayoral candidate was found on the windshields of cars in Hoboken, four nights before the 2017 election. An investigation immediately commenced by Hoboken Police and just a few days later, with a difference of only 500 votes between these two candidates, a new mayor was elected. At its meeting on April 7
Hudson Reporter
Hoboken City Council asks state to take over 2017 flyer investigation
Hateful flyer case remains unsolved ×
The Hoboken City Council adopted a resolution asking Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to take over the investigation into an illicit 2017 flyer.
As Hoboken prepares for the November mayoral election, unanswered questions loom from the last, because an investigation into an anonymous midnight flyer distributed just days before the 2017 election remains unsolved.
The City Council is seeking the help of the New Jersey Attorney General and Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
The flyer
At the center of the investigation is a midnight campaign flyer, which appeared on car windshields just days before the mayoral election in which now Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Councilman Michael DeFusco, Councilwoman Jen Giattino, Commissioner Anthony Romano, and residents Karen Nason and Ron Bautista vied for the office.