Dear Editor:
Last November I had the dubious honor of going to City Hall to pay my taxes. As one of the few citizens who continues to pay full rate (i.e., no tax breaks, tax reductions or in-lieu-of-taxes), I continue to be amazed how I can possibly pay so much in taxes and get so little in return, especially in light of all the recent over-development that was supposed to make our tax rate nosedive.
While performing that odious task on that bleak and dismal November day (by definition, all tax days are bleak and dismal), I witnessed a pleasant surprise in the City Hall Tax Office. While tendering the symbolic representation of the sweat of my brow, Mayor Roberts came in, shook hands and personally thanked everyone for paying their taxes.
Now, 60 days after paying my taxes, this simple act still resonates with me. Imagine a Mayor of Hoboken being humble enough to extend the right hand of good fellowship to the home-owning peons who shoulder the burden of financing municipal government.
Having lived in Hoboken for 20 years, I’ve had the pleasure to meet many courteous and hard working civil servants. Unfortunately, the good of the many is easily overshadowed by the arrogance of the few.
While being no fan of the “trickle-down” economic theories of Presidents Reagan and Bush, Jr., I believe that civil decency flows from the top down.
Far more fundamental than the imposition and collection of taxes, words like “please” and “thank you” are the basis of a civil society. While the Mayor’s politesse did not improve my personal tax-to-service ratio, it did make a bitter pill easier to swallow.
In a larger sense, perhaps this simple act of common civility is allegorical of how to conduct ourselves through the Holiday Season and all the days of our lives.
Peter Rozano