Dear Editor:
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Arlette Braxton and Lora Moore for highlighting the amount of time Mayor Zimmer and I spent in the Housing Authority helping resolve the two water-main breaks over the past few weeks.
As Ms. Braxton and Ms. Moore pointed out in their letter last week, Mayor Zimmer and I were on the scene working to inform residents about the situations and keep them apprised as to when they would be resolved. In both instances, I went to the location of the water-main breaks immediately upon receiving phone calls about them from Housing Authority residents and helped Mayor Zimmer coordinate with Housing Authority Executive Director Carmelo Garcia and Public Safety Director Angel Alicea as well as emergency-management and Housing Authority maintenance personnel to assist in their efforts any way I could.
As Mayor Zimmer noted in her letter last week, we all learned a lot from some miscommunication amid the first water outage, and the second was resolved much more quickly. For that reason, I understand the frustration residents felt at the unconscionable length of time they went without water during the first break. That was why Mayor Zimmer decided that, while she continued making phone calls to coordinate with emergency responders and monitor the repair status, it was equally important for us to go through the buildings that were without water and get the residents up-to-date information on what was going on and when they could expect to have their water back.
I certainly share Ms. Braxton and Ms. Moore’s appreciation of anyone who gives out bottled water to residents during an outage, and am equally grateful to Public Safety Director Angel Alicea, who put forth outstanding efforts on behalf of the Zimmer administration.
I am deeply committed to being responsive to issues in the Housing Authority however and whenever I can, and I will always welcome comments and feedback from residents as I continue to try to learn how to do a better job. In the meantime, I do appreciate Ms. Braxton and Ms. Moore pointing out how hard Mayor Zimmer and I worked to facilitate information flow among residents during the two water crises, and to get the problem solved.
Sincerely,
Jake Stuiver
Hoboken Housing Authority
Board of Commissioners