An open letter to Chris Campos:
As a matter of private philosophy, I have never publicly replied to any ad or story. However, after reading your ad in the “Hoboken Reporter” on October 28, 2001, your use of mistruth forces me to reveal the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
You (or your advisors) state that the 916 Garden project is an expensive failure.
The truth: You are half right. Yes it is expensive to fit 324 spaces on a small lot. It was made more expensive by those who made the 916 Garden Garage a political football and undermined the negotiations to get the project back on track. But no, it is not a failure. It is a necessity. That is why the commissioners received over 1000 requests for space in the facility.
Hoboken United has stated that I said that the garage would be operational in October 2000.
The truth: I did. The HPA was advised that they would begin parking real cars in the facility on September 21, 2000. I was wrong, because they were wrong. It never happened and has not happened yet.
You state that the previous administration “refused to hold HPA management accountable”…
The truth: The HPA is , by law, an independent body. The 916 Garden Garage became a political football during the campaign for Mayor and Council. But the truth was never sought. The word of a disgruntled commissioner was used instead of getting all the facts.
Now for the finale…
You state that the current administration restarted work on the 916 Garden Garage.
The truth: News to me. The much maligned HPA commissioners (prior to the arrival of the new commissioners) had completed negotiations with the Surety, responsible for a $6,300,000.00 Performance Bond to complete the job. Therefore, the only parties who have restarted the project are Surety, the HPA Special counsel, the HPA engineering consultants who worked diligently to get the project restarted and the Facilities Committee of the HPA. If credit is to be had, it belongs to us.
But the jury is still out. Today is October 30, 2001. The subcontractor has been back at 916 Garden Street since September 10, 2001.
That is 50 days ago and they are no closer than they were in October 2000, just before they were terminated. Most recently they promised the HPA staff that they would be testing real cars two weeks ago. Still no cars.
As an aside, you and your backer Tony Soares would be better Councilmen, though perhaps less successful politicians, if you knew what the facts were before you made statements based on hearsay or second hand “information.”
Donald J. Pellicano