Dear Editor:
I found Tom DeGise’s April 27 ad in the local daily newspaper to be utterly repulsive. In addition to the usual creative assemblage of statistics, a little sound, not much fury, and definitely signifying nothing, we are further insulted by his inane diatribe regarding Louis Manzo.
That DeGise could so contort the character, record and achievements of a man who has worked passionately and effectively for the public good for more than 20 years is shameful. And it is also very telling. To Tom DeGise, a candidate (Manzo) with a carefully considered and skillfully conceived plan of action is “selling snake oil.” A candidate who sets attainable goals based on fully informed research is construed as making “empty promises.” A candidate who continues to advocate for the people as a private citizen after an election is viewed as “turning his back on Jersey City and its problems.” And get this: to DeGise, a candidate who has a lifetime of administrative experience and documented accomplishments, including as a freeholder, a county health chief, an environmentalist, and a community activist, is someone “who believes he’s entitled to start at the top.”
City Hall is no place for such a divisive and cynical world view. First and foremost, the people are hungry for integrity in government. And for those who’ve forgotten what that means, I quote Merriam-Webster: “incorruptibility; soundness; the quality or state of being complete or undivided; honesty.” I’ve done my research on the candidates, read all the articles, scrutinized their ads, heard them speak, watched them in action, talked to folks in every ward — and in an overwhelming groundswell of support the word is out. Louis Manzo is the only man for these times.
I have seen this for myself. I have observed an extraordinarily dynamic and devoted public servant. This man does not make hit-and-run campaign “appearances,” he gets right into the fray and makes human contact. Every age, every race, every economic group, for hours at a time. He’s accessible to them. No pretense, no barriers, no one to answer to bue them. He’s genuinely interested, shares their concerns. A total connect. They can feel it. They know he won’t desert them. A man of action, for sure. Someone they can count on to keep his word. Someone to start bridging the dangerous gaps. Even the kids get to voice their needs. He writes them down. They are confident they will hear from him again. And so am I.
And so will you be, too, if you love this town, if you want to see all of it become the best it can be, if you want to have a good life here, be able to afford to stay and grow, if you want to be heard and responded to, if you want some relief, already. Send a resounding message on May 8th by electing Louis Manzo. You earned it, cleanly an decisively, and so did he!
Juli Barbato