Two unrelated things

To the Editor:
I wish to respond to Leonard R. Kantor’s letter to the editor. In that letter, Mr. Kantor suggests that I favor tennis balls over libraries. I never said any such thing. He is putting words in my mouth that I never spoke and thoughts on paper that I never wrote.
Let me make three points:
1. In 2004, the County of Hudson worked on plans for upgrading tennis courts in several county parks, because the county received a major grant to do so. This had nothing to do with a decision made by the City of Bayonne in 2009 – five years later – to close two library branches.
2. In 2009, the City of Bayonne made a decision to close two library branches for budgetary reasons. This had nothing to do with a decision the County of Hudson made in 2004 – five years earlier – to upgrade tennis courts by using a major grant.
3. Two different levels of government made two different decisions five years apart about two unrelated things. That’s a fact. People have the right to favor or oppose these decisions. However, the point remains that the two decisions have nothing to do with each other.

JOSEPH E. RYAN
Public Information Director
City of Bayonne

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