Citizens of Hoboken:
Under true democracy, group decisions are made by majority vote. In the US, we seldom experience democracy; “representatives” decide for us. What happens when elected officials fail to represent the majority? We have seen the results in Hoboken: our town handed over to developers; our quality of life jeopardized.
On May 8th, candidates Daniel Tumpson for Mayor and Helen Hirsch, Alice C. Misiewicz and Cheryl Fallick for City Council-at-Large are committed to implementing the following platform:
DEVELOPMENT: Problem: Parking/traffic problems, air pollution, construction noise, reduced open space. Exclusion of citizens from government decision-making process has allowed Hoboken to be sold out to developers. Platform Solution: Moratorium on aspects of development controlled by city government until Planning Board creates new Master Plan, with environmental impact assessment included, and Master Plan is approved by voters in binding referendum.
ZONING: Problem: Developers have achieved high success rate obtaining variances. City scale increased as board interprets “prevailing height” as tallest of surrounding buildings, not shortest. Crowding exacerbated by huge developments. Increased stress on city’s infrastructure. Platform Solution: Reform zoning board so law is enforced to maintain existing city scale. Moratorium on zoning variances by enforcing law’s “no variance if the public is harmed” stipulation. Interpret “prevailing height” restriction as: build only to shortest adjacent building, not tallest.
TRAFFIC: Problem: Current administration working to open streets to “stealth highway”; project would normally require federally mandated Environmental Impact Study; Port Authority & state agencies bypassing E.I.S. by dividing roadway into segments, calling each “local improvement”; completed stealth highway will inundate communities with traffic. Russo released traffic study recommending city build connector roads to tie north-south commuter traffic into Hoboken’s streets (accessed through widened 14th street and extended 15th street) and has already lined up county funds to implement. Platform Solution: Work with other communities collectively demanding Environmental Impact Study be conducted before new road construction approved; analyze traffic in Hoboken as part of City Master Plan; to be put to voters for approval or rejection. Facilitate improvements in public transportation such as light-rail system. RENT CONTROL and AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Problem: Rent Control needed to protect tenants from being priced out of their homes; Rent Control laws attacked three times (twice each by Russo and Roberts) in last decade; each time attacks stopped with referendum protest petition. Agreements between landlords and NJ Department of Community Affairs allow landlords of federally subsidized housing to evade local rent control and jack up rents. Platform Solution: Strengthen rent control; overturn landlord-DCA agreements in court to restore affordable rents through rent control; lobby state to re-impose rent control on all housing built since 1987 to protect all tenants from displacement in tight housing market and maintain community stability; put any changes to Rent Control on ballot for voter approval or rejection.
PARKING: Problem: Current Administration has ignored an opportunity to build garages on the periphery of the city and instead builds garages into residential areas, causing traffic, noise, air pollution and evicting tenants from their homes to make room for more parking. Hoboken Parking Authority claimed it couldn’t build garage on Observer Highway because ground contaminated and sold the land to a developer; same piece of land approved for high-rent apartments. City built 916 Garden automated garage and St Mary garage in residential areas. Platform Solution: Put brakes on development to stop worsening parking problem. No parking garages in residential neighborhoods. No seizing of private property to create profit-making ventures (such as parking garages). Public approval by referendum required for any action requiring eminent domain. Consider peripheral garage locations for dealing with existing problem.
PUBLIC INFORMATION–CITIZEN INPUT–EXECUTIVE POWER: Problem: Often documentation necessary to evaluate proposed ordinances/resolutions of City Council not available before council votes; public input on ordinances only guaranteed immediately before final vote; citizen input contrary to administration shouted down or ignored; park spaces / streets changed without public notice or input. Russo Administration has closed parks to public between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. with no cause or public process and has hired out police officers as private security guards. Platform Solution: Reform public meeting process so citizens are given information needed to reach informed decision before ANY resolutions / ordinance readings occur; major changes in policy will require extended period of citizen information access/discussion and will not be enacted without approval by voting majority; public parks will be reopened during night-time hours; police will not be hired out as security guards.
For more information, please access our web-site: HobokenCitizens.org.
Daniel Tumpson