Dear Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to address the upcoming Jersey City School Board Election which will be held on April 20th, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. As with any other election, this one is very important as well. This election will feature 16 candidates running for three trustee seats. This year there are three current school board members up for re-election. Two of them in my eyes, stand out amongst the field. They are Terry Dehere A-4, and Gerald McCann A-11. Both of these members have continued to fight for our students and for the residents of Jersey City. This was displayed once again when we had our open public budget meeting on March 29th. During this meeting we (yes, I am an elected member) had the opportunity to vote on a $10 million dollar tax increase, employee lay-offs of nearly 400 Jersey City residents, and reductions in school programs. I am proud to say that both Mr. Dehere and Mr. McCann voted “NO” on all three items along with me. How could anyone want to vote “YES” on any of these issues? Well, I am sorry to say that we lost the vote, 5 to 4. We need these two members re-elected along with Ms. Hiral Patel A-1. Ms. Patel, residing in Journal Square, is a community activist who has emerged with major concerns that will greatly affect our school district.
In the coming days and weeks before the election, you will see and hear from many people who live outside of “our” city who will be telling you how you should vote. These individuals will have various private “interests” that will cost us taxpayers millions of dollars and will have many “negative” effects on our students and residents of Jersey City for years to come. The last thing we need is for these outsiders to tell us what is right or wrong while they drive off to their homes miles away from Jersey City. If their concerns were true to them, they would move into our neighborhoods and help us.
At this time, I would like to ask you, my neighbor to consider supporting the following candidates for our school board: Ms. Patel A-1, Mr. Dehere A-4, and Mr. McCann A-11. All three candidates are running as a team that I proudly support who will take a strong stand for the residents of Jersey City! As an elected official here in Jersey City, I am very proud to be active with our community groups, senior groups, religious groups, little leagues, and the wide variety of events and issues that take place in our neighborhoods. If you know me, I am not just around during election seasons; I look forward to continuing these efforts along with this team which will allow us to continue moving Jersey City forward! VOTE “NO” ON THE BUDGET QUESTION.
Thankfully,
Sean Connors