HOBOKEN – Councilwoman Beth Mason sent an e-mail to constituents on Friday detailing her opinion on the $102.3 million 2012 budget, which was introduced by the City Council earlier this month.
In the e-mail, Mason says that the budget includes an inflated tax rate and an unnecessary $19 million budget surplus.
“My position is simple,” said Mason in the e-mail. “You are being overtaxed, and it is time to cut the tax rate and return the surplus immediately.”
In the e-mail, Mason suggests that Mayor Dawn Zimmer and her City Council allies should reduce the six figure salaries of the mayor and directors by 10 percent, immediately freeze all travel and conventions, and eliminate the Public Safety Director position.
“The reason is simple, if you leave money in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats they will just find ways to spend it,” said Mason. “These tough economic times have forced many Hoboken residents to make tough decisions and live within their means. It is time for City Hall to do the same.”
Mason also listed ways in which the city spent money, such as an all inclusive trip to the Super Bowl and “lavish” trips to Atlantic City at “swanky hotels, casinos, and restaurants.” This appears to refer to a trip some officials took to Indianapolis to study the effect the Super Bowl had on that city in preparation for the game being played in Hudson County in 2014, as well as the League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City last November. The trip to Indianapolis was not all inclusive, city officials said in February.
Mayor Zimmer declined comment on the e-mail.
Council President Ravi Bhalla said that Mason’s statements were “grossly misleading.”
“The councilwoman’s claims are largely false,” said Bhalla. “They ring hollow and frankly at this point she’s starting to sound like a broken record. She continues to issue press releases that are either misleading or outright lies to the public.”
Bhalla said that the claim about long trips to the Super Bowl was false.
“This is just another example of how unfortunate it is that she is typically not being honest with the public,” said Bhalla. –Stephen LaMarca