Junk-Food Politics

Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason hands out Oreos and Nutter Butters to people waiting in rain to apply for the city's affordable housing program. (Oct. 22, 2014)

Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason knows well enough that the way to constituents' votes is often through their stomachs. She arrived early on a wet Wednesday morning to cater to the nearly 1,000 people lined up outside Hoboken's Elks Club to apply for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. Many had endured hours of steady, cold rain to qualify for the rental assistance program.

Mason, whose own political ambitions are voracious, seized on the opportunity to expand her local base of support. But her breakfast snack of choice, Oreos and Nutter Butters, may not have settled well with many.