Hudson County Commission Chairman Anthony Vainieri is in his third, three year term as an elected county official, first when they were called Freeholders, and now as Commissioner. He has been the Chairman for the past six years.
On Thursday, February 10, he held his yearly, political fundraiser at The Waterside in North Bergen. Therein lies the controversy, at least among some in Hudson County, particularly the editorial board of The Jersey Journal.
You see, the Commissioners were originally scheduled to hold their regular meeting on Thursday.
When Vainieri’s fundraiser was postponed a week earlier due to an ice storm, it was rescheduled. But the only date within a reasonable timeframe that The Waterside had available was Thursday, February 10, the same date as the Commission meeting.
The Jersey Journal editorial was critical of Vainieri moving the meeting to this coming Tuesday, February 15, saying a political fundraiser should not have forced a scheduled meeting to change dates.
Chairman Vainieri disagrees, telling Hudson TV he had attorneys check the legality of the date switch, and they found nothing illegal about it, even though it was not done during a public meeting.
The question remains. Should a regularly scheduled, public Commission meeting switch dates in favor of a political fundraiser? Is the public somehow being taken advantage of?
Hudson TV wants to know your opinion. Let us know your thoughts.