Zimmer Stands By Governor During Press Conference

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer will stand by Gov. Chris Christie in Trenton at 12:30 p.m. today, when the governor will discuss the "Mayor's Toolkit" in a press conference. 

According to the Star Ledger, the 33-bill package serves as the governor's biggest move against public employee unions. Among his proposals are raising the retirement age from 62 to 65. The governor also proposed a 2.5 percent limit on the annual increase of employee contracts for all local workers (including police, firefighters and teachers).

Hoboken is still negotiating police labor contracts. City Council voted down the contracts, which would have included a 12.4 percent increase in salary for all officers and ranks, spread over several years. Because the officers have been without contracts for nearly 2 and a half years, the retroactive pay would have been close to $3 million. 

City Council went into a closed session during last week's council meeting to discuss the contracts and will also discuss the matter during a special meeting—called for by Mayor Zimmer—tonight at 7 p.m.

Another proposal Gov. Christie is making is to move School Board elections from April to November. Earlier this year, Councilman-at-Large Ravinder Bhalla made that proposal but it was not adopted by council.

Zimmer will also go to Trenton on Wednesday when she will appear before the Local Finance Board and ask that Hoboken be freed of its state fiscal monitor. The state set up the monitor, who has had authority over the city's budget, in 2008 after the city council was unable to agree on a budget. The council has now passed a budget and Zimmer will argue that the monitor is no longer needed.