Transparency in Government
Honesty with Voters

Did you know? 

Victor Kaminski's election signs are being stolen The city of Linden has not been working in good faith to catch the thief either. Victor was forced to file a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act Request) to get cooperation from the city to view security camera footage from the Linden Fire Department's camera's on Dewitt. 

Victor was finally able to get the Police to work with him to obtain the footage, but they supplied a down sampled poor video quality video on the thief from the furthest camera.

Victor has asked for better quality video from the cameras that were closer to the sign that was stolen at that location to catch the thief. 

This is still ongoing as of 10/23/2024 however the footage we received today does show what appears to be a husky Spanish male in shorts that parked in the bank's parking lot which then walked over to steal the signs. Could this be my opponent, Alfred Rodriguez? 

At this point we cannot positively identify him to say for sure, however the height and stature do seem similar and we are working on getting better video evidence.

I plan to ask the bank for a copy of their security camera footage to get a better copy from their end since that is where the vehicle parked. I am also waiting on seeing if the Police will provide the better camera footage from the correct camera this time with a higher quality video and possibly more than 57 seconds of footage to see the vehicle driving away.

Did you know? 

Linden is Creating ONE new Liquor License The city of Linden is creating one new liquor license available at an auction. I don't know why they call it an auction when it isn't widely advertised or easy to find out about like they did with the cell tower auction. They always seem to do this when they want a specific person or company to get it and want to seem transparent. 

This was buried on the City of Linden's website and unless you are monitoring the site, you'd never know about it. It's as if only those in the know, in the need of a liquor license are able to get one transparently. I'd love if it they show how many different bidders there were and what the offers were at the end of the day here. We all know Cap's Kitchen was trying to share the liquor license of the establishment they own next door which is a big no...no... suddenly the city council offers to create ONE new liquor license for auction. https://linden-nj.gov/notices/public-notice-for-plenary-retail-consumption-license-bid/

Did you know? 

These updates have been made to the Linden website on 10/17/2024. 

Linden has redrawn the election district maps 1/25/2022 and so the revised versions available on the city website were wrong. It may have been an honest mistake but the links have been removed to the old wrong maps on this page https://linden-nj.gov/documents/city-of-linden-ward-maps/ which now has a redirect to the download page from the city engineering dept. 

I made a stink about it because it was frustrating for me and so many other people wanting the ward maps and I was directing them to incorrect information which I discovered. After sending an email to the Linden City Clerk, the Union County Clerk, the Union County Clerk Election Board I received a bunch of emails and a follow up from the Board of Elections which said I was wrong, Linden is displaying the correct maps, but that was only since they made the website change. Anyway, the correct maps are now visible and available for download after I made a stink where they did act quickly to correct the issue after I asked if the voter rolls were also incorrect for the 9th ward.

They previous older Revisions from 9/9/2019 did not include the pond area and the Vocational school and all the streets to Wood Ave from there. Those areas were added back into the 9th ward. 

When I grew up I believe the Deerfield School #9 area used to be in the 9th ward, now it is in the 10th only 1 block away from where I live. 

All the newer revised ward maps can be seen here: Revised Ward Maps.

Did you know? 

The previous 9th ward councilman Armando Medina moved out of the City of Linden and therefore had to give up that position which he served for many years. His replacement Alfred Rodriguez appointed by Mayor Armstead happened after scrambling to find someone he could trust to vote how he wants and as it turns out that has happened thus far. Although this may sound conspiratorial, that is why you have been receiving so many calls from Mayor Armstead's phone banks, mailings to support him and signs placed on properties for sale or resident's lawns without even asking permission. I received a few complaints about that.

Mayor Armstead has claimed to have no political aspirations and loves the city of Linden with no plans to move. This has been exposed to be untrue when he rushed in to replace Donald Payne Jr. who died, then made arrangements for a family member to take his position as Mayor in the event he did win that election and had to give up his position as Mayor to run for Congress. He does have high political aspirations but wants his family to control the city of Linden as you may have noticed.

Did you know? 

Antisemitic Remarks from Linden Mayor: Mayor Armstead is currently being sued for finally being caught on tape for his antisemitic remarks against Jews and his hiring practices against Jews and White people. The mayor was very passionate and exploded blurting out his antisemitic racist rant to prevent Hasidic Jews from getting on the Board of Education giving up some of that control his friends and family currently control and he doesn't want to lose a penny of money from that sector of tax money either.

It's been a well known bad secret that the mayor dislikes Jews, Whites and anyone who doesn't fit into his preferred identity. People in his circle have looked the other way or never gathered evidence to prove it which doesn't make them any better. Well now someone did record his public rant. Armstead finally admitted to the accusations caught on tape, followed by not trying to avoid taking responsibility for his actions and pointing at the whistleblower with claims of extortion instead. Read the story here 

Did you know? 

New Marijuana Packaging Factory in town The temporary Appointed 9th Ward councilman Alfred Rodriguez who replaced Armando Medina is already creating a record for himself voting Yes for every issue the Mayor has wanted. One of those things is to build a major Marijuana packaging factory in Linden near the Swan Motel. 

It's already difficult to drive down any street in Linden and not smell weed smoke coming from the car in front of you, and off the street in every public area. The kids are already getting access to it, there is no stopping that now. 

Today's marijuana is medical grade and much more powerful than that from times gone by. 

These drugs are getting stronger as we see more meth entering the scene. Drugs can ruin any city quickly, especially the narcotics. This isn't a rant about marijuana, it is about keeping it off our roads or near the school and out of the kids hands who may not be able to handle the much stronger medical marijuana or the damage it may cause to their developing mind and body, along with those far stronger and outright deadly drugs like meth and fentanyl which everything, including the weed is being laced with by dealers and very small amounts of fentanyl can kill. 

Did you know? 

Mayor Sought Out Rubber Stamp Replacement: The previous 9th ward councilman Armando Medina moved out of the City of Linden and therefore had to give up that position which he served for many years. His replacement Alfred Rodriguez was sought out and appointed by Mayor Armstead after scrambling to find someone to vote how he wants and as it turns out that has happened since making his new appointment. 

Although this may sound conspiratorial, that is why you have been receiving so many calls from Mayor Armstead's phone banks, mailings to support him and signs placed on properties for sale or resident's lawns without even asking permission. I received a few complaints about that.

Mayor Armstead has claimed to have no political aspirations and loves the city of Linden with no plans to move. This has been exposed to be untrue when he rushed in to try and become the replacement for Donald Payne Jr. who died, then made arrangements for a family member to take his position as Mayor in the event he did win that election because he would have to give up his position as Mayor to run for Congress and he was ready to drop Linden like a hot potato to do it. 

Mayor Armstead has high political aspirations but wants his family to control the city of Linden if he is ousted or leaves as you may have noticed.

Did you know?

Linden's 6th Ward Councilman, Not a Linden Resident  The Mayor and City Council has been lying to residents to keep one of the Council members in their position by stating he still lived in Linden in the ward he is supposed to represent? John Roman will no longer be the councilman for the 6th Ward but as of when? He is Living in Aberdeen and working for the City of Aberdeen while drawing a salary from the City of Linden as well. But this isn't the first time such things happened. 

As a matter of fact... that leads me to the next Did you know? 

Did you know? 

Mayor Gave Himself a Raise Because he Deserved it, BUT.... City of Linden Mayor Armstead gave himself a 36% pay raise without ever mentioning that during his election campaign of course. This increase in salary immediately after being reelected shows he planned it. 

Worse yet, did you know Mayor Armstead made that pay raise retroactive as he begins his 3rd term as Mayor? Senator Nicolas Scutari is looking to pass legislation to prevent this despicable behavior after this blatantly self-serving act by the Mayor of Linden. 

The Mayor brushed it off and justified it claiming he saved the city the cost of hiring a City Manager and an Assistant to the City Manager and then renamed those positions for optics to City Administrator and Assistant Administrator. 

Now while that part is true, He didn't say he had plans to hire a City Administrator and Assistant Administrator when he gave himself that raise. Now that a little time has passed and the attention span of the public has cooled off a bit, that has changed. 

The interesting part here is that these positions require they be residents of Linden. This is very important because one of the duties are to check on all Linden City employees to ensure they are residents of the city to continue employment with the City of Linden. Are you ready for the juicy part yet? Mayor Armstead waived the residency requirement for the City Administrator which he plans to hire which will NOT be Living in the City of Linden herself. The Assistant city Administrator position is still open if you're looking for a job. The page says the City of Linden Administrator job is open however we believe he has already made his decision, unless the leak of the information that she doesn't live in Linden is causing too much of a headache for him. The job posting has an expiration date for submitting your application set for February 6th, 2024.

Did you know? 

City Council Votes to Build High Rise in Sunnyside: The Linden City Council and Mayor Armstead have voted to replace the Kessler rehab center and the Laundromat with another high-rise housing building across the street from the 9th ward right on Saint Georges Ave. 

Just think how this will affect the already horrible traffic and terrible road and traffic conditions, let alone removes a laundromat used by many of the city's residents. Victor wants to find ways to improve traffic on Stiles Street to Route 1&9. Is it wrong to think that it shouldn't take 30-45 minutes to get that far?

This constant development and the backroom deals the Mayor has been witnessed negotiating with developers in out of town bars secretively doesn't build much public confidence that the taxpayer's best interest are in mind. Especially when those developers get tax breaks for years before the city of Linden sees one red cent of taxes. "Just in case you've been wondering how all the commercial and residential housing developments being built haven't lowered your taxes, rather the opposite." 

(Note: Linden has been providing housing for the illegal immigration population dumped into Linden, but it has been kept quiet, until now.

Did you know? 

City Council Plans to Bring Back Garbage Tax After Elections: Right NOW, the rumor mill has it that the Linden Mayor and Council members are working on a way to separate garbage waste pickup from your taxes so they can bill you separately for it. One should be asking the hard questions, like what our high taxes are paying for now and where that money will be diverted. Our property taxes should be paying for these services. The Linden recycling program rakes in Millions of dollars every year for the city, what are they doing with the money as they cut back trash pick-ups. Linden repealed the Garbage tax in 2017, it looks like they will be revisiting that unpopular idea soon after Elections.

Did you know?  

Mayor Brags about Not Raising Taxes, then Raises Taxes and has been: Linden city Council and Mayor recently voted to raise Linden's property taxes by 2% but was planning on raising it by 6%. I didn't think it was possible either since former Gov Christie placed a cap on how much municipalities can raise taxes each year but apparently the city can raise it 2%, the Linden school board can raise it by 2% (the Mayor has people/family close to him in those positions unless you vote them out), and if the city of Linden can get the county to raise it at the county level they can raise it by 2% as well, for a grand total of 6%.

Are you getting that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach yet?

Did you know?

City Auction to Build Another Cell Tower in Sunnyside: I wonder why they call these auctions when only one company was trying to get it. The city of Linden is holding an auction for a land lease to build a cell tower. The location is no longer considered to be in the 9th ward, it is at the Fire Station Address 320 West St. George Ave., Linden, NJ 07036 and the corner of Dewitt Terrace. I am not certain if it is behind the fire station or if it is for the strip of land at the light between the fire station and the bank, the documents aren't clear, and most people wouldn't be able to learn of this to raise questions with how they go about posting it and random documents and few detail spelled out in plain English. At this location it appears there is already a cell tower.

Did you know? 

Linden Airport on the Chopping Block as Mayor Sells off Linden to Developers: The rumor mill has it that the Mayor has been overheard while meeting with developers, making plans to get rid of the Linden Airport to build warehouses and other projects on its land.

If you want a vote against this, then you know what to do right? Vote for Victor Kaminski as your representative for the 9th ward. One vote may not make a difference but if we get enough opposition to the rubber stamp votes for every project the Mayor proposes, others on the council may be willing to grow a spine and do the same. It's not a bad idea to Vote now to replace the 1st ward council this election as well. Let's make the scales of the balance of power more thoughtful.

Did you know? 

Green Space Park Preservation Funding Payback Self-serving politicians in NJ added a question to the ballots a few years back and managed to get the voters to pass a green acres program law. 

This law was described as a way to preserve open space and parks and would grant the politicians the ability to create a new tax and raise that tax if needed, only if the voters agreed to pass it.

So the devil is in the details, and they use the money to yes, make a few nice parks or improve them but much of the money has gone to buy useless land from people so they won't build on it, or to buy the rights from those with lots of land who have already built it up so they can't build it up anymore... Yes a cash giveaway to rich folks who don't plant to build anymore if they sign away the rights, not to build anymore. But wait... this wasn't only for rich people, municipalities like Linden have signed away rights to build on land the city owns in exchange for money. 

What did Linden do with that money exactly? Who knows, ask your Mayor and council members that have been around that long.

Now is there anything wrong with what they did? Nope, because they followed the wording of the law which says they could sell the rights to build on their own land requiring preservation of open space and parkland, if they violate that agreement there would be fines, reimbursement penalties and such. I suppose posting this sign in 2020 was all about.

So now that the city of Linden realized it made a mistake, in a state with the most expensive land and wants to use taxpayer money to Destroy the park next to Linden high school to expand the vo-tech building spending a million dollars just to "re-acquire" the rights to build on their own land not including cost of improvements.

• My question is how much did this blunder cost linden taxpayers?

• How much did Linden get for selling off the rights to begin with?

• What was the money used for?

Today Linden wants to spend $1,000,000 One Million just to get the rights back to build on their own land. I just want to know how much that mistake or blunder cost linden taxpayers due to blindly supporting schemes like this to get money quick for whatever reason, not worrying about the consequences, only to deal with them later down the road after they realize they need to use the land and signing those rights away didn't serve the community well.

This isn't for the whole park/pond area, only for the large open grass space the kids usually play on or practice on near corner.

Why and how much money did they take to make it preserved space to begin with? Now they are spending a million just for permission to build on it? I bet they didn't get anywhere near that when they gave up the rights to their own land with this dopey scheme.

UPDATE:

I assume they pushed this through, so yes, a building will be built where this sign stands but I can't locate any information about it. Can anyone find out what happened at this meeting on 3/26/2020

Either way, this was just recently posted on the city site that they will be doing a lot of work around the pond. I couldn't see any reference in the plans to it including constructing a building on this strip and it only speaks of "Getting money from" the green acres program to fix the park after they pay all the money to the green acres program in fines and penalties to buy back the rights to build on it again.

https://linden-nj.gov/notices/njdep-green-acres-public-notice-jakes-law-program/

From what I can tell the Mayor and City Council will pay the fine to get the rights back to build on the corner property, but then they filed for aid from various sources to work on the pond and the area around it. Perhaps it was enough to make up for the losses, or perhaps the building on the corner to expand the vo-tech school will simply be covered by the tax increases.

Another interesting factoid, did you know as of 2019 redrawn election maps, Wilson park is no longer a part of the 9th ward and was moved to the 1st for some reason, along with the streets along side it on the diner side here. The interesting thing is I wouldn't be surprised if the Mayor and City Council created a special assessment tax to all the property owners around the park to pay for some of these improvements because they will be the ones to "benefit" from it.

Are you liking Victor's Did you know? section of this site so far? Victor Kaminski will be sharing more with the public on a page dedicated to these issues as well as positive stories we hope to share more of.