Dear Editor: Pick up any issue of the Reporter, and you are sure to find letters complaining about something wrong in Hoboken. From personal and political attacks to complaints about dirty dog runs and feast bombs, this page has seen them all. I should know, for I have written a few of them myself. Positive letters do appear of course, but generally they are either heartfelt and inoffensive (e.g. “Thanks to the fireman who was so considerate of my mother”) or political in disguise (“Oh thank you Mr. Mayor, the flowers were so lovely”). Too seldom does a letter break the mold, like one from a born and raised Hobokenite thanking a yuppie for some act of consideration, or from a newcomer praising the competence, professionalism and integrity of the public workforce in Hoboken. Perhaps this letter will be a surprise to some. I am writing to express my admiration and gratitude, unreservedly, to the people who work in the Hoboken Building Department generally, and particularly the Construction Official, Al Arrezzo, the Fire Inspector, Ray Falco and Joel Mestre, the Zoning Officer. As a first time homeowner and an occasional critic of city hall, I approached the renovation of my home with some concern. There were many willing to assure me, based on scant personal knowledge, how inefficient and corrupt I could expect to find those would oversee my construction. Instead I found knowledgeable, professional and committed people, from top to bottom who were committed to insuring safe and proper construction. They were certainly busy, even overworked at times, but at all times they treated me with the respect and concern you would show a neighbor. Don=t get me wrong. They were not always easy to satisfy, and their insistence on particular issues cost me thousands of dollars. At the time I was quite distressed by this. But, after some reflection, in each case, I would come to understand that their decisions were carefully thought out and always well justified. How can you put a price on going to sleep at night knowing that your building, and each neighboring building, is safe? Which brings me to my other point. Over the years, other public employees (police, firemen, crossing guards, the people who collect money for tickets, etc.) have been professional and helpful, above the call of duty. Shame on me for not writing on those occasions. Notable among this group has been the people who conduct housing inspections. As with the building department, they were tough with me, but respectful and fair. This housing inspection group, under Jude Fitzgibbbons, is now under attack by the mayor (who is sparring with Jude’s brother Maurice). The mayor says he is closing this operation to save money and get the politics out of the department. It may be gone by the time this letter sees print. If so it would be a pity. The people who work there may have gotten their jobs through politics, I don’t know. But they did a professional job with me, and I doubt either Maurice or the mayor asked them to cut me a break. Dealing with Hoboken Housing inspectors, I again felt like a neighbor as well as a property owner. The mayor’s original plan was (in my opinion) a bad one. He would replace this local department with state employed inspectors. This made me consider my dealings with United Water, which replaced a municipal department a few years ago. They are rigid, unresponsive and arrogant beyond belief, just like any public utility monopoly, or state agency. The mayor’s new plan is far worse. Now he wants to move the responsibility for housing inspections onto the already overworked shoulders of the Building Department. Yes, the same people I complimented so highly in the first part of my letter. Of course the mayor claims he is just saving the taxpayer’s money. But he has said that before, yet costs seem to rise. I’d hate to think that he’d lower the quality of service for all of us, in two different departments, just to stick it to a political opponent. If that were shown to have happened, I guess I’d have to go back to writing critical letters. Michael Lenz