Dear Friends,
I need your help more than ever to keep our City moving forward.
From now on, I am going to be sending you regular updates
on the issues facing our City, and letting you know how your voice can
make the difference.
Tonight the Council will be voting on some important issues.
Please come and speak up if you can, or send an email to me at dzimmer@hobokennj.org and your City Council representatives
to ensure that they are listening to your voices.
First Items on Tonight’s City Council Agenda (See details below):
- Corner Cars at Risk
- Speaking up in Support of Clean Elections
- Big issues on the horizon
- On the fun and festive side: Happy Chanukah!
1. Corner Cars at Risk: Just yesterday several moms wrote and told me
they gave up their cars and are using Corner Cars to reduce expenses in these tough economic times. They told me this program has made the difference between being able to make ends meet, or being pushed out of Hoboken.
This innovative program is changing over 1,000 people’s lives, helping to
alleviate our parking problem, and bringing revenue to the City.
Please come tonight or email and let the Council know that Hoboken
needs to follow through on its 8-1 vote this spring that clearly supported
the Corner Cars agreement.
By casting that vote months ago, they made a commitment to the people
of Hoboken that have already signed up for the program, and they need to
follow through on that commitment. Many participants are rightly furious
that they sold their cars based on the Council’s previous full support of
Corner Cars, and now some Council members seem to be inexplicably
changing their positions and opposing the continuation of the program in
the agreed upon form.
Please ask the Council to cast two votes: One vote in support of a temporary resolution that provides a bridge to the ordinance that will provide parking spaces for the program until the end of the 2-year contract. The ordinance is important because Corner Car participants and potential new members need to know that they program will be here for the duration of the two year contract.
2. Speaking up in Support of Clean Elections: As you may have heard,
after the recent 4th Ward election a referral was made by the Board of Elections to the County Prosecutor’s office as a result of an investigation by the Superintendent of Elections.
The County prosecutor has referred the matter to the Attorney General for review and a determination as to whether a criminal investigation should be commenced.
Councilman Bhalla and 5th Ward Councilman Cunningham have sponsored a resolution urging the Attorney General to conduct a full and complete investigation so that we can find out whether the allegations made are true or false.
If the allegations are true people must be held accountable in the interest of having free and fair elections.
You might remember that in 2007 a very similar resolution passed 9-0 that
called on the Attorney General to investigate any possible evidence of wrongdoing in my City Council election. As a candidate I believed it was my responsibility to fully support and cooperate in any investigation and knew that I had nothing to hide.
The resolution in 2007 was passed based on unsubstantiated allegations made by the candidates in the context of a civil election challenge. The matter was never before any law enforcement agency because there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing with respect to either of the two campaigns.
In this case, the matter is before the Attorney General as a result of an
independent investigation by Marie Borace, the Superintendent of Elections
and a referral voted upon by the Hudson County Board of Elections.
These facts make the proposed resolution before the Council even more appropriate and necessary than the resolution that passed 9-0 with my support in 2007. Those who incorrectly believe that there was wrongdoing in 2007 should be the strongest supporters of this resolution.
If wrongdoing occurs chronically in Hoboken elections that is the strongest possible argument for working to put a stop to it right now.
3. Big issues on the horizon: Today I am meeting with Applied and engineers on the waterfront issues. Tomorrow I will be making an announcement regarding the Police.
I am also headed down to Trenton to meet with the State Health Commissioner to advocate for Hoboken University Medical Center. We have some excellent opportunities for the sale of the hospital that will ensure that it remains an important service for all Hoboken residents and removes our city from its $52 million bond guarantee. The board will soon be making a recommendation to the community regarding the sale, and I hope you will come and support this effort.
4. On the fun and festive side: Happy Chanukah! (Tonight is the first night of the holiday). Tomorrow night I am looking forward to the opening night of the Mile-Square Theater’s holiday show, the City’s holiday craft fair will be held this weekend at the Monroe Center. Please come support Hoboken’s arts community while you get your holiday shopping done and enjoy a number of family programs throughout the weekend. The Hoboken Dance Academy production of the Nutcracker is this weekend too!
Wishing you and your families a very happy holiday season!
Mayor Zimmer
