Dear Editor:
It was the Saturday before Election Day. Everyone at Hoboken United was simultaneously keyed up and exhausted. We should be doing this or that! Lots of second guessing. We needed a break, and we got one.
Hudson County Freeholder and Hoboken United’s Impresario in residence, Maurice Fitzgibbons, had planned an event! An authentic, antique wooden trolley, with a steel grated back porch for more daring riders, awaited us near the PATH train station.
Candidates and volunteers all participated in hanging red, white and blue bunting, as well as campaign signs and flags around the trolley. Local resident and volunteer, Perry Belfiore, took charge as the bell ringer and off we went! Mayor Elect David Roberts, Councilpersons Soares, Ramos and Marsh and State Senator Bernie Kenny hung on the back platform for dear life as the trolley careened the corners and even managed to squeeze pass the double parked cars. We turned Hoboken from north to south and east to west. Pleasantly surprised onlookers waved and cheered us on.
It was a great treat to explore, at leisure, all parts of town, the very old, the brand new and engage the positive vibes from the rich assortment of people of all ages, races and ethnicities. Community diversity has been the foundation of Hoboken United campaigns for the past three years.
During my first (hopefully, not my last) trolley ride through Hoboken, I began to detect a turning point in attitude in the smiles and good cheer of our neighbors, an unspoken “we can do this!”
Thanks to all of you who volunteered and offered support, the trolley of hope continues its journey. No doubt, we will be challenged. As a community, we are moving out of what was basically a municipal government of “one man rule” to the more jagged edges of democracy and inclusiveness where progress is slower. It is time to share our ideas and agree to respectfully disagree and exercise the patience and civility that a democratic system requires. Get on board!
Jean Forest