Dear Editor:
Recently, a friend of mine asked “What’s happened to Beth Mason”? Well, to me, that answer is easy: nothing. The Beth who is running for Mayor is the same Beth I have known and supported for many years.
Since being elected as Second Ward Councilwoman in 2007 to fight for the interests of the taxpayers and residents, Beth has voted “no” on each and every one of Mayor Roberts’ wasteful budgets, including the one that came up after the Mayoral race began. Beth pushed for an independent forensic audit of the City’s finances; she also proposed that one of three world-class restructuring firms come in to give the City advice about how to improve its operations and save money. At the City Council meetings, Beth takes the time to question each and every expenditure publicly, and to push back on those that make no sense. She asks tough questions and demands answers. When she decided to run for Mayor, Beth realized that as a Councilwoman she is only one vote; as Mayor, and with the help of her Council team, she will be able to enact the agenda that she has been fighting for.
As chair of the Master Plan subcommittee, Beth fought to include open space and affordable housing in development plans. In the recent Church Towers vote, Beth addressed the affordable housing issue head-on. Faced with a resolution that already had the support of a Council majority, but that contained no requirement that Church Towers maintain its affordable housing status, Beth added that requirement before voting to allow Church Towers keep its PILOT during a transition period. If you want to see the resolutions and judge for yourself, please visit her website, www.bethmasonformayor.com.
Lastly, in picking her Council slate, Beth recognized that we live in a diverse community, and that in order to govern, she needs people with the rights skill sets from across the City to help her fix a broken City Hall. To me, this is an act of leadership, which is what I want in a Mayor. I have met her ticket and am very impressed by them. Anthony Pasquale is a retired senior executive of AXA, one of the largest insurance companies in the world, who has overseen budgets many multiples the size of Hoboken’s. Vinny Addeo, a senior official with the International Association of Machinists, AFL-CIO, understands that municipal labor costs are a significant issue; he will join with Beth to address those costs. To me, bringing business and labor together to help address our City’s finances is a brilliant move, particularly since nearly 80% of our municipal costs are wages and benefits. Raul Morales is a young lawyer and leader of our Hispanic community who has worked in Washington, an important qualification when we may need to look outside our City limits for financial assistance.
So that’s my answer. The Beth for whom I am voting on May 12th is the same Beth I have always known.
Sincerely,
Randy Brummette