Dear Editor:
Hoboken’s City Government faces enormous challenges: a top heavy budget, decaying infrastructure, inadequate accountability, and a need to deliver essential services more effectively and efficiently. These same challenges face the Hoboken Public Schools. As three experienced board members we, like Dawn, have faced tough decisions. A week ago last Tuesday Hoboken voters entrusted the job of fixing Hoboken Public schools to the Kids First team and we thank you for that trust. A week from next Tuesday, Hoboken voters will pick a Mayor and Council team and I urge you to vote for Dawn Zimmer for Mayor, Carol Marsh, Ravi Bhalla, and David Mello for Council. I leave it to others to talk about this team’s great past record on city issues, and new ideas for Hoboken. I want to talk about how – alone among the major candidates for Mayor and Council – the Zimmer team took a stand for better education in Hoboken.
Under New Jersey State Law, the Hoboken Mayor and City Council have very little control over what happens in the schools. That’s why worn out slogans like “making sure our kids get a quality education” coming from Mayoral contenders mean nothing except when backed-up by action. And the most important thing they can do to make a real difference in the success of our schools is supporting candidates for Board of Education who share your values. Dawn and her ticket supported Kids First because they all share Kids First’s vision for Hoboken’s schools. Dawn and the team she picked put Kids First ahead of their own campaign at a crucial time, donating their headquarters, their campaign staff, and, despite the financial burdens imposed by their own race, their own money, because they understand how important our schools are to the future of our city.
And on April 21, only Dawn Zimmer and her team among the major candidates for city office were there with us fighting for the great schools Hoboken kids need, and our community deserves. Leaders lead all the time, even when self interest would suggest a different path. Dawn Zimmer was there when the school community needed her. I urge those who supported Kids First for so long, to remember that on May 12th.
Sincerely,
Theresa Minutillo
Rose Markle
Carrie Gilliard