HOBOKEN — Hoboken politics will be jumping due to the six ward council seats up for election in May, including the 2nd Ward seat of City Council President Beth Mason, who frequently criticizes Mayor Dawn Zimmer. On Thursday, Mason announced her campaign website and some goals for her intended re-election.
She wrote:
Together we must:
-Finish important open space initiatives such as the design and construction of 1600 Park and Hoboken Cove.
-Work with Mayor Zimmer and the City Council to repair our waterfront completely.
-Continue to fight to cut wasteful spending such as international trips for City Directors paid for by taxpayers, multiple contracts for politically connected law firms, and raises for political consultants on the public payroll.
Mason herself has employed, at times, three political consultants, although she has paid for them out of her pocket.
Mason noted: “Finally, as you may be aware, at the February 16 City Council meeting Mayor Zimmer will introduce her 2011 Municipal Budget. Many residents are wondering what will become of Hoboken’s surplus. From the very day the surplus was uncovered I have been an advocate of using it to provide property tax relief. The current administration’s public relations team and the political blogs that support it are trying to rationalize why City Hall should be able to keep your money – even to the point of personally attacking those who oppose a more bloated government. Unfortunately for them this is not a discussion that will be resolved by mudslinging, but rather by examining what is right and what is wrong. This surplus exists because you were overcharged, repeatedly, on your tax bills.