Dear Editor:
I am writing as an active and concerned 4thWard resident to call on all Hobokenites who care about reform to do anything and everything they can toward electing Mike Lenz on Nov. 2.
This is an absolutely critical election. I’m very concerned that election fatigue after a recent string of reform victories is distracting many people from the unbelievably high stakes we have before us. This is not just a ward race; this is a citywide election whose outcome will have repercussions for each and every member of our community for years to come.
Mike Lenz is an extraordinarily talented and knowledgeable councilman who has brought enormously valuable skills and insights to the position over the past year. He has been attentive and responsive to concerns in the ward.
What’s more, Mike is the fifth and deciding vote in Mayor Zimmer’s five-vote majority, and the importance of that role cannot be overstated. Walking the streets of the ward in recent months, I’ve seen and heard how much the mayor’s supporters appreciate the changes that are under way.
For example, we’re seeing the installation of a downtown flood pump that is expected to alleviate flooding by 80 percent. Taxes are going down – not yet by enough, but we’re finally headed in the right direction.
Smart development is being planned that respects the desires of the community for reasonable-size buildings and a long-needed southwest park.
And we’re getting improved public transportation and innovative parking solutions.
Dawn Zimmer is truly delivering “change that works,” and Mike Lenz is a necessary part of her team. Maintaining a council majority is absolutely essential to continuing the progress.
Each and every Hobokenite who cares about reform and believes in the mayor’s agenda must fight tooth and nail to win this election. We are facing an opposition that is highly motivated, hungry, and energized for a return to the ways of the past that created so many of the problems we now face. We cannot allow them to roll back the progress we have made. The choice is very simple – continued progress or a sharp, swift reversal of everything we’ve accomplished.
Please come to the headquarters at 60 Madison St. and volunteer, as often and energetically as possible. Send a donation, as large as possible (within the $2,600 legal limit, of course). And if you live in the 4th Ward, please make sure you come out and vote for Mike on Nov. 2.
Mike’s longtime service to this community has helped bring us to a place we never would have reached without him. In order to keep moving forward, we need to pull out all the stops and win the election on Nov. 2. This is our shared responsibility as a community, and I am personally imploring you to stand up and help fight this very important battle for all of us.
Jake Stuiver