Dear Editor:
I have had the privilege of working closely with Beth Mason for almost a year. Like many, I knew of Beth Mason, her charitable work, her dedication to public service, her role as an open government activist on behalf of the citizens of Hoboken, her tenacity and ferocity at city council meetings exposing corruption, challenging the status quo, regardless of who was sitting in the hot seat. For the past year and especially the past three months, I have worked with Beth to help get her message about change, transparency, open government and professional competency out to the citizens of Hoboken. In this time, I have found Beth to have an amazing capacity for work, a mastery and detailed understanding of a broad range of issues facing our city such as integrating development and our master plan, flooding, hospital finances, senior issues and affordable housing just to name a few. No other candidate has this unique combination of business skills honed in the private sector, an understanding of the extremely complicated issues facing our city and a proven track record of personal integrity and constantly fighting for transparency and open government. (The now infamous Solomon Dwek also visited Beth and she told him in no uncertain terms she did not operate that murky world political/business favors.)
Hoboken is truly at a crossroads. Our national, state, and local economies have been battered by a financial crisis rivaled only by the Great Depression. Our City finances are being strained by the expense to repair crumbling infrastructure, falling tax revenues, declining state and federal aid. The city is has guaranteed, and is obligated to make good on, $52 million worth of bonds sold to acquire a money losing hospital.(In fact, Beth proposed an alternative hospital plan more than 2 years ago that would have preserved and strengthened it’s role as a provider of health care while reducing operating costs.) Due to a combination of failures of leadership, poor judgment, and mismanagement we find ourselves slipping deeper and deeper into a hole that might some day be too big to get of. It’s worth noting that since 1937, 543 cities in the United States have gone bankrupt. It can, and in fact does happen.
There is one candidate in this race with the drive, determination, work ethic, skill and understanding of issues to lead Hoboken in this very perilous time. That person is Beth Mason. I encourage all voters to please think very carefully about their choice for mayor on Nov 3.
Dave Carty
Co-Chair, Mason for Mayor