Perth Amboy Steps Out as a Leader Again

At the council meeting this week, Mayor Wilda Diaz passed by executive order Best Price Insurance Contracting for the city. This cost savings measure was passed by the school board this year, and has already saved them $3 million.  Only 2 other NJ cities have passed this cost savings measure, Paterson and Plainfield.  Mayor Diaz came into office by mobilizing the youth of Perth Amboy, ousting ex-Mayor Joe Vas in a major upset. Vas is now serving 6 years on corruption charges. When she got into office in 2009,  she passed 5 corruption busting laws to help Perth Amboy rise above its corrupt past and move forward embracing good clean and open government.  A Home News Tribune editorial said that her ethics reforms made Perth Amboy a model for others. And she is continuing this leadership tradition embracing the cost cutting law. All the laws she passed are model reform and cost cutting laws by The Citizens Campaign, a group whose founders also live in Perth Amboy. And who are my parents. Its pretty exciting when people do the right thing. Finding ways to save and not cut services is important for the city.

Set your google alerts for Perth Amboy

It made me really happy that my list of Best New Jersey Burgers was in my google alert this morning for Perth Amboy. Google alerts are pretty cool. You can get an email every day on any topic you choose that has been posted to the web. I use google alerts for news on my city. I suggest everyone set up a google alert for their own city to know what is going on. And of course, if you dont get any information on your city that way, you need to ask why. No news aint good news. Press releases promote the city, and inform and engage people so they can participate. Submitting your own stories about your city is a good solution to this problem. Take this free Citizen Journalism Class online and learn how to write stories and publish using hyperlocal news sites.

This is a collective

A pop up art show is sometimes a one night only affair, in a vacant office, or in a thriving business- the point is that the show appears in a nontraditional space. I want to start doing pop up shows. I have a few friends that I have been working with to form a type of collective to contribute to this effort- in making art, in deciding the themes, in promotions and in --the fun stuff- the party. If you would like to participate as an artist or help promote, or be invited to the pop up show, please do. Send me an email at cpozycki@gmail.com. Oh, this is a xmas card I designed.

Flat Iron Tavern, New Brunswick Ave

My friend Jim Curran, a DJ from Monmouth County, is coming over tonight to help me fix my Christmas Tree, which keeps falling over. After we get this tree fixed I am bringing him to the Flat Iron Tavern, a cool dive bar in Perth Amboy with a great juke box. Its in a real Flat Iron style building. I like to eat at the end of the bar where the building is really narrow.  The Flat Iron's Lumberjack burger is on my list of New Jersey's Best Burgers. The Lumberjack, with 3 slices of pork roll, is served with seasoned waffle fries, a tart macaroni salad and extra pickles.

Happy Holidays from Perth Amboy!

This is the Perth Amboy City Hall pic i snapped the other day with my droid. Its the oldest operating municipal building in the country. Its the truth. A 2007 NYTimes post reported that Mayor Bloomberg had claimed the NYC City Hall was the oldest, but he was busted! Its really fun to go to council meetings here. Actually, there are alot of historic sites in the city we residents occupy. Like Proprietary House, the Royal Governors Mansion. I've been to community meetings there! We're holding meetings in a haunted house (you know what I'm talking about if you watch Ghost Hunters, who frequently do ghost hunting there.)