Dear Editor:
On Tuesday Sept. 15th, I announced my candidacy for mayor in the upcoming special election on Nov. 3rd.
I am running for mayor because I love Hoboken. Twenty-five years ago, my husband Ricky and I moved here, when Ricky was accepted to law school at NYU and I had a dream to work in advertising. Because it was close to New York and had rent control, Hoboken was the perfect place for a young couple like us with no money.
Our first apartment, in Mrs. DeVincenzo’s walk-up building on 9th and Washington Street, was small, but just like many young people who come here it was filled with big dreams. While Ricky was in law school, I worked several jobs to help make ends meet. My first was as a junior public relations assistant paying $14,000 a year.
But my dream was to be in advertising, which at the time was a “man’s world.” I found out that it could often be an intimidating and unwelcoming place for a young woman like me. Despite this, through hard work I had made it to the top at age 31, as president of a mid-size Manhattan firm.
Between my business career and graduate school, I have had the privilege to work with more than 70 entities both public and private, such as: MCI/World Com, St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital, TWA and the New York City public school system under Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
My experience with these organizations taught me you have to be prepared to take on tough challenges, and that what matters most is making a positive difference.
After the birth of my two wonderful daughters, Shipley and Virginia, I gradually shifted my focus to activism and politics. I became the president of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, where we advocated for essential reforms such as open public meetings, access to government records and televised meetings. These causes were also central to Hoboken’s People for Open Government, which I helped found. When I felt I had accomplished all I could from the outside, I won a seat on the city council in 2007 representing the Second Ward.
As mayor — using my experience as a businessperson, as a Mom, as an activist for transparency and open government and as a Councilwoman — I will establish real reform, I will lower taxes and I will put people first.
It is time to make our city an even greater place to live, work, and raise a family. Let’s do this together!
Councilwoman Beth Mason