Dear Editor:
Hats off to the oft-maligned Helen Hirsch and City Councilman David Roberts for their efforts to save the taxpayers of Hoboken over $350,000. Judge D’Italia’s ruling to overturn Hoboken’s longevity bonus payments as approved by our City Council was a much-welcomed decision.
When I first learned of the “longevity” payments and the controversial way in which they were approved (a 1-0 vote of the nine member City Council, with the one vote in favor being cast by the Mayor’s cousin, Theresa Castellano), I became quite concerned. Once again, it appeared that the current administration had not acted in the best interests of all of us taxpayers in its efforts to benefit a few City workers.
While I’m sure some of the hard-working City employees deserved every penny of their payout, I was troubled by the amount of money many of our top City officials were being awarded. It was also of grave concern that the attorney advising the City Council on this matter, Robert Murray, also was himself a recipient of a payout. Curious that he advised several Council members to not vote on the issue, yet he did not recuse himself.
I am gratified to see that Councilman Roberts had the fortitude and presence of mind to not only refuse the longevity payout set aside for him, but also to encourage Ms. Hirsch to institute the lawsuit. It is sad that it had to be resolved by the Courts. Must the public invariably engage lawyers before their rights are respected?
Fran Sachs