Dear Editor:
For the first time in a long, long time, I’m proud of this town.
Roberts’ victory over Russo proved that ordinary citizens can’t be deceived forever and that politicians who thrive on fear and intimidation one day will find themselves naked and powerless the next. We’ve proven that decency does matter.
It’s an amazing and profound lesson in civics we can be proud to share with our children.
It did not come easily. At first, Russo attracted the “political crazies” who eagerly responded to his hate-filled attacks. Then came the ambitious professionals, businessmen and politicians who were willing to look the other way when offered the opportunity for advancement. They created an appearance of legitimacy and helped set up a regime that made hundreds of others fall into line out of fear of jeopardizing their livelihood and reputation. Russo, the perennial “wannabe” in Hoboken politics, quickly became the king of the hill.
But then he went too far. His control over Hoboken wasn’t enough, and he made his move on County government. It was there that he met his political match in men like Bernie Kenny, Bob Janiszewski, Bob Menendez and Maurice Fitzgibbons and others — men who could not be so easily intimidated. The tide had turned, a tide that swelled with the victories of Ruben Ramos and Tony Soares and finally became a tidal wave under the leadership of David Roberts.
No, it did not come easily. For those who never have the experience of being targeted by Russo’s vicious attacks, it’s hard to imagine how painful and debasing it was to endure. But Roberts did more than endure, he fought back, he championed a cause, and with the support of dedicated workers and thousands of voters, he won.
In a larger sense though, in defeating the Russo machine, we all won whether our vote went to Russo or Roberts. True Roberts won’t have any quick fixes on the problems that plague us. There will still be too many buildings and too few parking spaces. But what we will have is a city government that listens, that cares and that is not biased by political loyalty. And we’ll have a mayor who believes himself to be the servant of the people, not its master.
Ross London