Issue 177: Almost turkey time
Plus, the League of Municipalities (aka the worst party you've never heard of, or have actively gone out of your way to avoid hearing about), and more!
Good morning! Another slow-ish local news week, as it seems as though many of us are still shaking off the hangover of the election and/or just prepping for the holidays. As it winds up, today’s newsletter probably starts off pretty slow but ends on a few juicy questions — not my intent, but so it goes. Anyway, enjoy the quieter times, and as always, thank you for reading! — Amy
It’s (almost) turkey time
Coming up awfully soon is one of the great American holidays that most people actually really get into — yeah, we also have the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, maybe Memorial Day, but in terms of days that people all over, regardless of background or religion come together to really celebrate, Thanksgiving is a huge deal. And what’s the biggest part of Thanksgiving? Turkeys, turkeys, and more turkeys. Can’t have Thanksgiving without turkey or at least a turkey-like substitute. C’mon.
The undisputed king of turkey giveaways in Hudson County is, of course, Union City Mayor and State Senator Brian Stack. If you’re new to the area, I genuinely encourage you to keep an eye out for this project, where he aims to bring a turkey to every single family in Union City, regardless of financial need. The ensuing distribution is as absurd as it is awe-inspiring, with somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 turkeys being distributed to residents by an army of workers. There’s even a short film about it (there’s actually several short films about it, but here’s one):
As someone who was a vegan for fourteen years, I get a little squeamish about just that many dead birds at once, but I suppose that’s my thing to work on. As the story goes, Stack got his start giving out free turkeys decades ago as a teenager, when he got the idea to distribute frozen chickens to people in his neighborhood (which look, is a perfectly normal thing for a teenage boy to do, ok? kids these days do a lot of crazy stuff like that). He’s scaled it up every year since until the present, when it’s in the remarkable stage that it’s in now.
Lots of people like to get really snarky about Stack’s free turkeys (hey, me too!), and point out that it’s just cheap politics, akin to trading a rock solid, frozen bird for votes. To which I say, yup. But also, it’s an absolutely incredible task, and more politicians should give away more things for free, period. Look, 95% of politicians are craven lunatics who only care about surviving until their next election and will do whatever they can to advance their own careers over the constituents they supposedly serve; if along the way, some family gets a free turkey out of the deal, I say why the hell not. I see very little evidence that the politicians who deride Stack’s giveaway are any better at their jobs or care more for their communities than he is/does, and if getting a free turkey from your mayor gives you joy and helps you out, you should absolutely go for it because why not. Would I prefer squeaky clean politics and electeds who are judged purely on the basis of what they deliver in the capacity of their jobs? Absolutely! Am I going to get that in my lifetime? Never.
Anyway, I love Stack’s free turkey giveaway and I will not entertain any criticisms of it during this time. This is a Hudson County staple, basically like lighting the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center or whatever. What, you’re gonna criticize the Rockefeller Christmas tree? I’ll bet you the politics of that thing are absolutely awful were you to scratch the surface. So, just let people enjoy their free turkeys. (Also, I know — every year I write an appreciation of Stack’s turkey giveaway and every year it infuriates at least one reader. But I am unstoppable. I like people getting free things.)
Meanwhile, over in Jersey City, there seem to be fewer turkey giveaways than usual (which really surprises me given that we are in a perpetual election cycle over here). A few years ago, I’d walk by multiple stores and organizations daily that were practically begging me to take a turkey as I made my way to work, but the pickings are a little more slim this year. I’m guessing inflation has caught up with a lot of the well-meaning turkey-givers.
Still, I would not doubt that as the days tick down closer and closer to Thanksgiving, there will be free turkeys available for everyone if you keep your eyes and ears open. Please — if you can afford your own dinner, let people who aren’t in the same position get theirs first. Obviously, don’t go to a food pantry or Catholic charity if buying a turkey is no big deal for you. But historically, there’s been so many retailers, politicians, and other groups giving them out all at once that I often personally get offered multiple turkeys every year just because there are so many left over with no place to store them1. So if you have the freezer space, maybe you pick one up if it comes your way and donate it to a food pantry once things calm down a bit, or also I think it’s fair to enjoy it with your family as long as people who really need it have gotten theirs first.
Meanwhile, someday I will have the time and bandwidth to start giving out free side dishes and desserts to all the residents of our county. Because honestly, I find turkey to be kinda gross, but I do love a good pumpkin pie. Maybe some Mac and cheese? Or what about building solidarity among our vegetarians and vegans by hosting a free Tofurky giveaway? The possibilities are endless. (A late arrival to the list I was writing below, Riverside Church, actually includes sides with the turkeys they’re giving away, which is awesome!)
So without further ado, here is a list of some Thanksgiving giveaways happening in Jersey City that are still upcoming:
Jack & Ronnie McGreevey Civic Association - Turkey Giveaway
Free turkey giveaway by the Jack & Ronnie McGreevey Civic Association for Jersey City families on Monday, November 25th at 12 PM. Join us for the annual Turkey Giveaway hosted by the Jack & Ronnie McGreevey Civic Association on Monday, November 25th, 202412:00 PM
73 Martin Luther King Drive, Jersey City, NJ (Full disclosure, this is Jim McGreevey’s civic org.)
South Hudson Civic Association (this is Bill O’Dea’s civic org) will be giving away turkeys:
Gallo Center in Lincoln Park
Saturday, November 23rd
10am
Riverside Church (317 Third Street) will be giving away a free Thanksgiving Dinner Box. “Come and receive a FREE Thanksgiving bag filled with a turkey and all the essentials for a complete Thanksgiving dinner!” First come, first served, Monday, November 25th at 7pm. For more info: 201-798-0642.
“The Archdiocese of Newark’s Mercy House is gearing up to distribute hundreds of free turkeys to families in need during its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway. Giveaways will take place this season at the organization’s locations in Newark, Jersey City, and Elizabeth.”
More info: https://www.nj.com/essex/2024/11/the-mercy-house-to-provide-free-thanksgiving-turkeys-to-those-in-need.html and here’s also a link to Mercy House.
Jersey City Puerto Rican Parade Thanksgiving Giveaway
Seventh Day Adventist Church
240 Montgomery Street, Jersey City, NJMonday, November 20th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
“You must be registered to receive the donation. Please email jcprhac@gmail.com for registration. You are not registered unless you receive a confirmation.”
Meanwhile, if you’re looking to donate food for the season, here’s a good list of places that are actively looking for donations for Thanksgiving.
The League of Municipalities
If you’re looking for any of your elected officials next week, chances are they’ll be at the League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City, a yearly meetup of local NJ elected officials, lobbyists, and businesses that want to do business with them. I mean, with a majestic name that sounds straight out of Batman, you’d think this was something pretty cool but instead — well, good lord, this thing sounds horrible. Or rather, it sounds like something that is a good idea as an idea — sure, municipalities coming together to discuss shared problems and solutions sounds reasonable — but in practice is probably the swampiest swamp there ever was.
I say that in part because I’m generally in a pretty grumpy mood these days, but also picture this scene: you’re at a hotel somewhere on the Atlantic City boardwalk in November (so it’s freezing out, and forget sitting on the beach), and you’re in a large conference room probably built and decorated in the 1970s and very infrequently updated; it is filled with mostly chubby, middle-aged white dudes wearing ill-fitting suits making small talk with other chubby white dudes and people who want to sell them goods and services and win local contracts worth millions of dollars. The only potentially good thing is also the very worst thing about the event: free alcohol flowing in abundance — everywhere, constantly. Repeat this scenario many times over the course of a few days — different hotels, different rooms, same mix of people and loads of booze. It’s not a big shock that the organization that sponsors the conference has to have a sternly worded Code of Conduct posted on a dedicated page of their website, including things like:
Professional conduct includes using care in words that you choose. Harassment, even harassment that a person believes is a “joke,” is unacceptable behavior. Sexist, racist, and other exclusionary jokes are unacceptable and offensive to those around you. Excessive swearing and offensive jokes are not professional behavior and violate the League code of conduct. Retaliation for reporting harassment is a violation of the Code of Conduct.
…which leads me to believe that some really awful people were making some truly awful “jokes” quite often at earlier iterations of the event. A special section titled “In Case of Sexual Assault” also lives on that page ominously.2
Anyway, if you’re the kind of person who wants to know how sausages are made, I guess this could be of interest. I’ve honestly never understood why this event doesn’t draw more protesters but I’m guessing just not that many people even know it exists. But while I used to think it was solely for top level politicos and the business departments of municipalities, now it seems like every candidate and every low level elected makes an appearance. Just when every other industry in the country seems to be moving further away from events like this for all the trouble they generate, this conference seems more popular than ever with NJ politicians. Weird.
Feral of the week
LOOK AT THOSE SPOTS!!!!!!!!!! <3
ICYMI
The governor’s race is starting in earnest, finally, with Congressman Josh Gottheimer announcing on Friday and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill expected to announce on Monday.
Locally, Eleana Little announced her run for Ward E city council.
The city is creating yet another SID in Journal Square, this one to pay for the Pompidou. While the city is trying to style this as a tax on high-rises, it’s also a tax on the businesses that are in the area, many of which are small businesses holding on for dear life amidst soaring rents and other costs. Yes, the Pompidou, if it ever actually happens, will bring in more people to that area which will supposedly result in more business for those places, but you have to kind of wonder whether or not tourists to an art museum will really want to shop at a Halal market, discount store, or any of the other places that have been the life’s blood of that neighborhood for years.
One more note on various Pompidou/election matters: it’s extremely weird to me to watch James Solomon, who is running for mayor and probably the top contender for the job right now, who is also is in the process of putting together his slate not get more support from his fellow council members who, one would assume, would like to be on his slate? I mean, do Yousef Saleh, Mira Prinz-Arey, and Denise Ridley really have connections with deep enough pockets to fund their runs for re-election? Can they seriously do it alone? Will Solomon put people on his slate who disagree with him on such a pivotal issue? If he does, how much does that erode his core political identity?
This is honestly an issue every year and I don’t know why we don’t come up with a better way to deal with it. The person/group doing the giveaway orders some big amount of turkeys for the giveaway. The 100+ turkeys — frozen solid and hard as a rock — show up on the day of the event, and there’s a mad scramble to distribute them over the next 5-6 hours before they start to thaw. Then, inevitably, the organizer is left with a dozen or more that don’t get picked up, and since they don’t do turkey giveaways year round, they don’t have freezer space to store them. Cue panicked phone calls to anyone nearby — hey, want a turkey? please? please come take this turkey off our hands???? — until they’re all gone. I really don’t want to know how many wind up in the garbage, just because the organizer, exhausted after doing this all day long, just wants to go home and doesn’t have any place to put them.
The only NJ event that is potentially more cursed than the League would be the Chamber Train, an actual physical train (it honestly took me longer than I care to admit to understand that this was a real train) filled with politicos and lobbyists, that travels from NJ to Washington DC in February. That event, that boasts “Everybody Who is Anybody in New Jersey Walks the Walk” (“the walk,” in this context, meaning the walk back and forth on the train as it travels between the two destinations) is boasting that next year’s event — the first in five years — will have “more networking – and fewer speeches” (great???). It, too, has a very ominous Code of Conduct page. I mean, I guess it’s good these places are stating these codes up front, but I have never been to a professional event that needed to do this, so uhh, I feel kind of mixed about the whole thing.
I love the code of ethics warning about
“excessive” swearing. Only in New Jersey.