Dear Editor:
Once again we are treated to another self-righteous diatribe by the savior of the Weehawken waterfront, Mr. Eric Conger, a prominent member of the FWW whose self-appointed “mission” is to dictate the terms of waterfront development to the majority of this township (See Mr. Conger’s letter of Sunday, May 13, 2001). To divert the public’s attention from this fact, who does he blame? Mayor Turner, the town leader with an actual “mission”, not self-appointed but mandated by the voters. In order to generate the type of hysteria all activist groups of this type inevitably rely on in order to be taken seriously, FWW has cast him as the evil, heartless mayor, beholden to shady developers, anxious to send our waterfront into a “cloud of construction dust.” (Mr. Conger truly is a frustrated actor…or screen writer!).
Interestingly, for those of you who are not aware, New Jersey Transit has already been approved for an extension of their light rail system through Weehawken and into North Bergen via the old, unused tunnel at the base of the cliffs near 48th Street. Transit proposes to construct an elevator on Boulevard East to provide access to the light rail along the waterfront. Isn’t it rather odd that we haven’t heard one complaint from FWW accusing that particular “development” as having as “negative” impact, even though it will undoubtedly alter the traffic flow along Boulevard East? Is it because Mr. Conger is afraid to confront a billion-dollar corporation, finding the mayor of our small town an easier target? Is it because he and his elitist friends will benefit from this elevator in their daily commute? The fact is, groups like FWW are highly selective about which development they approve and which they don’t. The portions of Jersey City and Hoboken adjoining the Hudson River (which are at ground level, unlike our town) are five times as developed as the Weehawken waterfront can ever possibly be. A decade and tens of thousands of new waterfront residents later, it is the mayor of our region’s smallest town who gets the brunt of criticism for a sensible, manageable plan. It will ultimately be up to the citizens of Weehawken to make their own decision regarding who has their interests at heart. I hope they are not deluded into believing it to be Eric Conger and company, who have yet to discover the real Weehawken beyond our view.
Mr. Conger has at least admitted one fact, he and the FWW are indeed acting like “spoiled brats”. As an educator, I offer my own expertise regarding the best method of dealing with spoiled brats…ignore them completely.
Gary Nicol, M.A., NMRT