Dear Editor:
If there were ever any questions of whether Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer has the mettle to serve as Mayor of Hoboken, they were laid to rest with her stunning victory for responsible development at the Hoboken rail yards. Specifically, Mayor Zimmer, in response to state legislation that would have given New Jersey Transit carte blanche to develop over the Hoboken rail yards, advocated directly to Governor Jon S. Corzine, who arranged a meeting for Mayor Zimmer with State Senator Paul Sarlo, the sponsor of the bill. At the meeting, Senator Sarlo agreed to pull the bill and would not move forward until Hoboken is satisfied with its contents.
Although this achievement has been minimized by the Mayor’s opponents, Senator Sarlo’s concession to Mayor Zimmer is a significant victory for local control over development in Hoboken. It also shows Mayor Zimmer is not only delivering on her promises, but that she can effectively advocate at the highest levels of government in New Jersey to reach these goals.
Too often we have seen political candidates say one thing and do another. Not only has Mayor Zimmer taken personal interest to make sure this out-of-scale development does not happen on her watch, she has shown no reticence to go to the highest levels of government to fight for Hoboken’s interests. It is gratifying and refreshing to see such leadership at City Hall.
I commend Mayor Zimmer on this lofty accomplishment, and look forward to working with her and my Council colleagues for a better Hoboken in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Ravi S. Bhalla
Councilman-at-large