Dear Editor:
Regardless of whom one supported in the June mayoral runoff election, the recent events that led to the resignation of former mayor Peter Cammarano are ugly and sad. The original election, as well as the June run-off, was hard-fought, divisive, and extremely close.
Whether or not you believe that Mr. Cammarano and his forces “stole” the election or not, one thing is clear. Dawn Zimmer was either the first choice of the majority of Hobokenites or the first choice after Mr. Cammarano. Given that all three of the City Council candidates running on her ticket won, I suspect the former. But I’m willing to acknowledge it’s an open question that may never be resolved.
But the last thing Hoboken needs right now is yet another divisive and nasty election, this time with the whole world closely watching. The best message we can send is for no other candidates to throw their hat in the ring, and have the entire community of Hoboken unite behind Dawn Zimmer. Why? Because what we need at this moment in our history is integrity. While some have questioned Ms. Zimmer’s experience, I’m not sure we should want someone with significant Hudson County political experience. Even the appearance of associating with corruptness is unacceptable. Ms. Zimmer is smart, honest, owes nothing to anybody, does not take money from developers, and has grown tremendously since first being elected to the City Council. And I know for a fact that she is wholeheartedly committed to the welfare and well-being of all of Hoboken.
The history of any town includes one or two key moments in time. Moments with the potential to change everything that comes next. This is one such moment for Hoboken. We can tell the watching and mocking world that we are united in our desire to end corruption, we are (for the moment) putting aside petty differences, and we will march forward with our heads held high. We will also be sending that same message to any political machine that wants to control our fate.
And the wonderful thing about this country is that if Ms. Zimmer doesn’t lower our taxes and put us on the right path, we can always vote her out of office next time. But for now, for once, let’s unite for the good of our entire community.
Steve Sternberg