Husband, father of four, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and proud Hoboken councilman for more than 20 years.
Hoboken, NJ, USA
Joined January 2011
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Hoboken’s 3rd Ward Councilman: Dr. Michael Russo retweeted
Hoboken, N.J. has called a Special City Council meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. via Zoom to meet in closed session on labor relations and vote on a $1,274,028 level-funded retiree prescription drug plan with Judi Rx (formerly Capital Rx) covering 523 Medicare-eligible retirees and dependents starting Jan. 1, 2027. @CityofHoboken
Sponsored by Councilman Steve Firestone and noticed Friday by Council President Ruben Ramos Jr. and Mayor Emily Jabbour, Resolution A1 projects $1,013,600 in annual savings compared to Hoboken's current Medicare Part D retiree pharmacy plan and states the switch is a change in funding and administration, not a reduction in union contract benefits.
The $203 per-member monthly rate ($1,274,028 a year from the Self Insurance Fund) includes $146 in expected net pharmacy claims ($647 gross claims minus $501 in rebates and Medicare Part D subsidies), a $27 Judi Rx admin fee, and a $30 Tokio Marine aggregate stop-loss premium.
While the resolution text calls the plan a "fully insured premium structure," the attached Judi Rx proposal warns on page 21 that it is a level-funded arrangement with limited aggregate stop-loss protection and "should not be presented as a fully insured premium product." Tokio Marine's stop-loss coverage caps out at $491 per member per month — meaning 100% of net claims above $491 PMPM revert to the City of Hoboken.
Hoboken homeowners tracking municipal budget and health-benefit costs can check whether their property is over-assessed at gardenstate .ai.
Hudson TV asks: Should Hoboken switch its 523 Medicare-eligible retirees to the level-funded Judi Rx plan to save a projected $1.01 million, or does the uncapped claim risk above $491 per member worry you? Reply SWITCH PLAN or TOO RISKY.
#Hoboken #HudsonCounty
For the full story and more investigative reports, visit hudsontv .com
HoBOOken Haunted House!
This is the haunted house my civic association used to do. If I did do it again for 2027 and you’re interested in volunteering text me! 201-401-9687
youtu.be/RVJX93Hpzsw?si=AO4B…
In August, the City Council voted 7-2 to reverse the Grand Street Pilot citing a slew of resident complaints, lack of data, and traffic nightmares. Now, City Hall has published a survey to collect resident feedback. Please fill it out ASAP! arcg.is/8Hree1
Let me be clear: I need as many residents, particularly those in the Third Ward, to fill the survey out as soon as possible. If Mayor Jabbour and her administration will not respect the wishes of the Council, I hope that the voices of neighbors like you will reach them.
We continue to push for an end to the Grand Street Pilot Program in accordance with the will of the City Council/our residents. In the meantime, because of my advocacy, the Adams Street Survey now more accurately reflects residents’ diverse modes of transportation!
Please tell the City how you feel by taking the survey at survey123.arcgis.com/share/c…
and make your feelings heard about parking, loading zones, pedestrian safety and more. Only with your voices in the conversation can we do what’s best for all of Hoboken!
From the shores of Rodi Garganico, a small seaside town in Puglia, to the streets of Hoboken: happy Italian-American Heritage Month and Viva Italia from the entire Russo family!
I will not stop putting pressure on City Hall to respect a coequal branch of government.
Please keep calling and emailing the Mayor's office to tell them how this unnecessary Grand Street pilot has affected your life.
In January, Mayor Jabbour bragged about the notion that outsourcing our Corporation Counsel would save over $150,000 a year (source: Hudson County View). (Threaded, 1/3)
#Hoboken names former JCRA Executive Director Diana Jeffrey as corporation counsel hudsoncountyview.com/hoboken…
(2/3) Now the Mayor has brought the Corp Counsel role back in-house, replacing her political friends at DeCotiis with an internal Corp Counsel whose last job paid around a $200,000 base salary. I assume she will not be working alone and will require additional staff.
Time to address some of the Mayor's Grand Street talking points. Keep telling City Hall how you feel; they need to respect the will of a 7-2 City Council vote and the will of the people!
I predict that come October the Mayor will declare that the pilot will be permanent due to the feedback the city received and the cost of returning the street to its original design.
Grateful that local media is covering this Grand Street story. Our first responders have had major trouble with the pilot design, and that is first and foremost a public safety issue.
Yet another reason why the City Council voted 7-2 to reverse!
Last night felt like a win for residents, as the City Council voted 7-2 to immediately reverse the Grand Street pilot program. Unfortunately, that win was quickly ripped away. [Thread 1/3]
[2/3] Mayor Jabbour and her administration are refusing to comply with the mandate of the City Council and Third Ward residents, telling local media she will “continue the pilot as planned.”
Has the Grand Street bike lane pilot negatively impacted you? Come speak at tomorrow's City Council meeting and make your voice heard!
Last year, I ran for Hoboken Mayor in a crowded field where every single candidate ran on affordability and made it the cornerstone of their campaigns. Though I lost a hotly contested runoff, as your 3rd Ward Councilman, I’m still committed to making Hoboken more affordable.
Councilman Presinzano and I proposed amendments lessening this burden—no layoffs, pay reductions that only affecting director-level positions, less healthcare costs for no benefit reduction, keeping more surplus, & more—but the Mayor and her allies chose a different direction.