Dear Editor:
My name is Dawn Zimmer and I am running for the 4th Ward Council seat because I want to give back to the community that I’ve come to love and have settled into to raise my family.
Outside of my family, this has been the greatest decision of my life. I have come to meet and learn so much more about the people of Hoboken and the great diversity that allows us to thrive. Although my friends warned me of the ugliness of Hoboken politics, the experience has only strengthened my resolve to serve on behalf of the many different people I have come to meet and now call friends.
As a community, 4th Ward residents need more active park space, more affordable housing, more restaurants, more stores, and with them more jobs. As we add new development, dramatically increasing the population of our neighborhood, we need to make sure that the flooding and traffic problems that plague our neighborhood get better, not worse.
Last Wednesday, the City Council voted to put off consideration of the flawed Southwest Redevelopment Plan so that the changes suggested by the Planning Board could be considered. I applaud that decision, but we must demand that the Council not only listen to the Planning Board, but also to the residents of the 4th Ward. As I’ve reached out to the people of the 4th Ward, I’ve heard many people talk about their concerns with the amount of condo development in our neighborhood. They have expressed support for my idea to assess the impact of all the proposed development on traffic and flooding. This way these problems can be addressed in a comprehensive way, and we’ll make sure we do not have building heights that tower over the rest of Hoboken.
If elected I will always vote based on the merits of the proposal. I will never cast rubber stamp votes to please political bosses, and I will certainly not follow instructions from politicians who don’t even live in Hoboken.
The time for responsible government is now, and I ask for your support on Tuesday May 8, ballot position 1C.
Dawn Zimmer