The one thing three candidates running in the 3rd Ward for City Council agree on: the Ward has largely been forgotten over the years. What they disagree on is which candidate is best suited to help focus attention on the needs of the ward, while at the same time trimming city expenses so that taxes do not rise.
Independent candidates Debra Noble and Ray Greaves, the latter of whom is running on a ticket with Mayor Mark Smith, are trying to unseat incumbent Councilman Gary La Pelusa, who is seeking his second four-year term.
The 3rd Ward is the northernmost part of the city bordering Jersey City. As Greaves pointed out, it represents the gateway to Bayonne from Hudson County and other parts of New Jersey.
“I did everything I said I was going to do.” – Gary La Pelusa
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While La Pelusa, who has served for four years, attempted to revitalize the 3rd Ward by establishing an annual celebration at one of its parks, his opponents believe he has not gone far enough to achieve cohesiveness and they are seeking to replace him in order to move the ward ahead.
Debra Noble
Noble, an assistant controller for a company in Secaucus since 2000, is a lifelong resident from Bayonne. She has served as state president and as a national executive committeewoman of the American Legion Auxiliary. She has served on the Bayonne Rent Control Board since 1995 and as its chairperson since 2006. She is also the co-founder and ex-chief of the Bayonne Fire Canteen, a volunteer group that aids firefighters and fire victims. She ran unsuccessfully last November in a special election for an at-large council seat.
In viewing the needs of the 3rd Ward, she said she believes there is a lack of development going on for vacant lots, in particular properties along Avenue E which have become an eyesore in the city.
She believes that this area could be developed into convenience stores such as a WaWa, and would be a better location than the current Quick Chek gas station being built between 52nd and 53rd Streets. She also envisions a community garden for a small lot near 50th Street on Avenue E.
“A community garden sign would promote the unity in our community,” she said, “and could be used as an educational tool for school children.”
Citywide, she said, taxes remain the overriding issue.
“For too long, we have had a mindset in Bayonne of ‘Let’s spend it and worry about paying for it later,’ ” she said. “This has led to overwhelming budget deficits, a city whose finances are a mess, and a population that can endure no more.”
She said the city needs a council that will be independent and unafraid to make tough decisions, regardless of how painful. This will require the city to adopt a sound financial plan and budgets that do not spend more than the city takes in.
She also says Broadway shopping district needs new ideas.
“The shopping districts as we knew them are a thing of the past – we need merchants on Broadway that have a vision and we need leaders in our city that will work towards the changes needed,” she said.
One proposal of hers would create a pedestrian mall on Broadway – possibly between 21st and 25th streets. A stage set up on weekends might provide a venue for local talent, and attempts to bring in more modern shops might reduce the number 0f 99 cent stores that exist today.
Ray Greaves
Ray Greaves is a director for the Transit Employees Credit Union and currently serves as an executive officer to the Amalgamated Transit Union NJ State Council representing over 7,000 members.
This is his first time running for public office, and in some ways, he understands that this can be a handicap.
“I don’t have a lot of name recognition,” he said. “But I am knocking on every door and attending different events, trying to meet people and listen to their concerns.”
Greaves sees his background in contract negotiations and mediation as a key tool in helping to curb costs in the city. He also has a number of contacts in Trenton and in Washington D.C., whom he has lobbied in the past for issues like living wage laws and increased transit funding.
He said one of his chief concerns is providing jobs for people in Bayonne and he will – if elected – work to find ways to provide quality employment.
“I’m running because I like to help people,” he said. “People have always been my priority, and I want to help keep those things that are good about Bayonne, such as its public school system and its services. I want these to be the best they can be.”
Quality of life for residents of Bayonne is one of the areas he intends to focus on, although he said citywide, the overriding issue will be taxes.
“This is a major concern in the city as well as in the 3rd Ward,” he said.
Like Noble, Greaves sees a critical need to build up the 3rd Ward, because it is the gateway to the city.
“I want to improve its appearance and build up its landscape,” he said. “I believe the 3rd Ward Broadway businesses are the best in the city.”
But he said people need to be made aware of the cultural diversity that exists here, the numerous food establishments and other businesses.
“I would like to have a cultural day,” he said. “In Hoboken, they have festivals, and I see no reason why we can’t have them in the 3rd Ward in Bayonne. This is a lost part of the city and I think we need to change that so that people know what they can find here.”
Gary La Pelusa
As incumbent councilman, La Pelusa has clear advantages – as well as distinct disadvantages. He is well-known in the 3rd Ward, both from his business as a landscaper and from four years as councilman. But with so many people concerned about rising taxes, he knows he has to work to keep his seat.
A lifelong resident of Bayonne, La Pelusa has a degree in communications from Seton Hall University, but has taken on a career as a local businessman.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve done over the last four years,” he said. “I’ve butted heads with the administration, and I’ve always done what I thought was the proper thing to do.”
He believes in his first four years, he has been a watchdog for the community, someone who has done his best to keep down taxes and to avoid the city getting into even deeper financial straits than it is in.
“When I first came on the council, then Mayor Doria had a five-year plan that called for the city to bond for $25 million and raises taxes every year to cover expenses,” La Pelusa said. “We did bond for the first couple of years, but even then I believe I helped reduce what we bonded for, and eventually, we didn’t have to bond at all, and we did this without any major tax increases.”
Even in a year when being an incumbent could be seen as a disadvantage, La Pelusa believes he has lived up to expectations.
“I did everything I said I was going to do,” he said. “While I haven’t won every battle, I stood up for what I believed, and I think I can continue in that role.”
Some of his successes including helping Bayonne Medical Center stay open when the hospital was on the brink of being closed by a bankruptcy judge. He also takes credit for helping to jettison a deal that would have sold a portion of the former Military Ocean Terminal to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and by his action, the city was open to get a better deal for the same land from PortsAmerica.
He said he still opposes tax abatements to new development and deep discounts for the sale of city land. His record also shows that he supported union labor agreements for anyone doing work for the city or its redevelopment zones.