Dear Editor:
I am debating myself if I should or should not write this letter, but in view of the impeding election and the bunch of lies and misconceptions being thrown into it, I will like to contribute my little grain of salt into it. First the idea that we have to change our government body “because they are in office for 12 years,” or “I am running for office because I am a taxpayer,” or “because there are not enough businesses on Park Ave.” or you run for office “because you are tired of politicians.” These people are kidding or what? If you believe this is a reason to run, you are entitled to it, but to replace a experienced team by one as his own words “WIN don’t have a leader to follow” I prefer to repeat the good experience under the leadership of Mayor Turner. WIN arguments are so poor I think not even they believe in it. But worse is that you’re not offering coherent answers to what you are arguing, and you expect to have votes, and maybe be elected. Oh, God protect us from such a mistake.
To the lady that wants to run for office because she’s tired of politicians, I will remind you that if you are running you instantly turn into a politician. The same ones you are tired of. To the other lady, who wants to run because she pays taxes, so are another 12,499 more qualifying candidates for office. For the one that wants business on Park Avenue, where is the money. It’s not the town who opens and operates business, it’s business people and the customers like you and me who patronize that business in order to survive and prosper . We had seen many businesses that open and close because you and me don’t expend our dollar in it. So the town has improved the area the best so far, with new sidewalks, new lighting, tree planting, benches, garbage receptacles, with money obtained by grants, no taxes; and remember this area is shared by two towns we can improve our side, how about the other side? You can see it right now. So we should expend some of our money there and then more business will be attracted to it. And last but not least to the gentleman that through who knows what medium he envisions a low wages paying companies will be moving into Weehawken waterfront, it is a very negative way of seeing the future. I don’t want that negative thinking in our government; that is like the joke that you published in your paper the past week, “we going to have a light rail, with station and all, ferry with terminal and all but we will not be permitted to walk into it because this area will be a private enclave,” I will like to say that we are in the United States of America, and that will be the day that public transportation will be not accessible to all. To the ones that want an elevator to the bottom of the cliff, you imagine the cars dropping people off and the pick-up time will be a nightmare at the Boulevard East.
And as I read today in your paper someone mentioned the thousands of hours Dr. Goldman dedicated to oppose the waterfront development, I will like to mention the other thousands of hours dedicated people who volunteer their time to be part of the Planning Board, and are not only the hours that they stay into the wee hours hearing arguments from both sides on this issue but also the tons of plans, arguments, lawyers briefs, minutes, studies from both sides, the developer experts, and our experts, comparing notes to reach into a comprehensive plan that not other town as long as the river has reached. Not to mention hearing lawyers that tried to derail what we have accomplished and tried three times again to do so and being brought to High Court and every time the Judges have given the reasons to the Town and the Planning Board. These dedicated people do that, with no pay or salary and any other retribution (some of these members have accumulated almost 20 years of service on this Board, longer than the 12 years Mayor Turner and his team have been in office, so they are not handpicked by them.) And we do that because we are taxpayers and we like to have a voice and our input on how this town is run, not rubber stamp. Out of the five running on the WIN ticket I remember seeing only one of them at some meetings so the other four are echo, echo, echo.
I can go on and on but I will leave it here with one more last thought. You want a town with inclusion for all? Don’t look too far. I am a Hispanic of Columbian origin, same as one person of the WIN team, but being Hispanic or not don’t give the right to use this as title to run. This right you had to attain it as being part of the community, being involved in a positive manner contributing tot he betterment of all, not with promises to any one group. If you want a position, you have to earn it, participating, very simple word to say and not difficult to achieve. So when it is time to vote, go for the experienced, get the facts, not the runaround with words but not accomplishments. Luis Anthony Rosas