To the Editor:
For those of you who are frustrated at the ongoing disappearances of businesses from our city of Bayonne, let me recount a recent story. This past Saturday morning, right before heading out of town for the weekend, I discovered a dead car battery. After deciding to purchase a new battery and continue on my trip, I attempted to take my business to Advance Auto Parts on Rt. 440 South, across from the South Commons shopping center. I was informed by the sales associates that although they advertise free battery installation, they were prohibited to install batteries because of city ordinances. After further inquiry, he was not able to explain as to why this was not permitted.
This handcuffed Advance Auto Parts and forced me to take my business to another auto parts/service retailer in Jersey City. Therefore, this is solely a municipal issue, not a county or state issue. I cannot comprehend as to why our elected officials felt they could not allow businesses to install products that they sell. Let this letter serve as notice to any of our elected officials who had part of passing this ordinance to please publicly explain the reasoning behind it.
I would also like the residents of Bayonne to realize that this example is only one of many reasons why businesses have difficulty surviving in our city. Don’t let our elected leaders fool you to believe that the only reason for this is a bad economy. Especially now with a sputtering economy, we should do all we can to make it easier to conduct business and stimulate the economy without foolishly spending trillions of dollars, which we or our future generations will never see.
Enough is enough. It’s time to demand more from our elected officials and explanations or repeals of such idiotic ordinances. I wonder how many ordinances are passed without any public knowledge. How does the City Council properly and officially inform the people they supposedly work for and represent of any new ordinances?
I am sick and tired of paid elected officials doing business without much public disclosure for the time they are in office before dedicating much of their time to their reelection campaign or before they prematurely resign after making deals to advance their own political careers.
This country was founded by great leaders and public servants who fought and risked everything for the public and were fed up with unfair taxation by an absentee government. Today, residents of this city and state have become complacent and indifferent to the endless corruption, incompetence and insincerity of our so-called leaders. I urge everyone to research and read some of the many books written on the subject of corruption in the State of New Jersey. If we demand more, then don’t see any results, let your voices be heard by simply and quickly voting them out of office. It is up to us to demand they maintain a standard and continually raise the bar on that standard of competent representation that we deserve and pay for.
ALEX RODRIGUEZ