Council Worries About 'Appearance Of Impropriety'

Hoboken's City Council got involved in a lengthy discussion about the city's "appearance of impropriety," during last night's meeting.

Second Ward councilwoman Beth Mason introduced a resolution to void a contract to hire special legal counsel Paul Condon during the Feb. 27 council meeting, because she said Councilmen Ravinder Bhalla and Peter Cunningham should have recused themselves from that vote. (In the end, the issue was tabled and Condon keeps his contract)

Bhalla and Condon rent the same office in a building on Newark Street. Therefore, Mason said, Bhalla has a direct interest in the financial success of Condon's law firm. 

"The council was not made aware of a close working relationship," Mason said. 

Bhalla denied all these allegations, claiming that there is no relationship between him and Condon. The two law firms do not share any finances, Bhalla said. Before the last meeting, Bhalla asked Corporate Counsel Michael Kates if he should recuse himself from voting. Kates told him this was not necessary, because the two law firms were completely separate and Bhalla felt that he could be objective about Condon. 

"I have an obligation to vote," Bhalla said. "I was elected to vote."

Although there may not be a real conflict, at least there was the "appearance of impropriety," according to some members of the council as well as the public.

"We're coming out a very bad year," said Third Ward councilman Michael Russo. "We need to be held to a higher standard."

Mason said that Cunningham was in violation of Hoboken's pay-to-play ordinance, because he received a campaign contribution from Condo and there's a "close relationship between the Condons and the Cunninghams." 

Cunningham was absent and didn't have the chance to respond, because he had to attend his mother-in-law's funeral. Councilman Michael Lenz couldn't attend the meeting because of another funeral.

Although Mason originally asked to void Condon's contract, that proved to be difficult. The issue around the contract—which awards $29,000 to Condon to prosecute the Lt. Andriani case—isn't about Condon or the content of the contract. 

"We've already acted on the contract," Kates said. 

"Really, you should have recused yourselves," Councilwoman Theresa Castellano said. All the other council members would have voted in favor of the contract (the contract was passed unanimously during the last meeting). "Your friend would have gotten the job."

After a ten-minute break and a amendment to Mason's resolution the issue was tabled. Bhalla abstained. 

Councilwoman Carol Marsh, who served as council president for the evening, urged the council to table the issue and called it "completely inappropriate" to continue the discussion in the absence of Cunningham and Lenz. 

"It makes me very sad," Marsh said about the discussion.