Dear Editor:
I am writing to respond to a letter that appeared in the Hudson Reporter by Jake Stuiver on April 8. Mr. Stuiver’s letter was no more than an attack piece riddled with inaccuracies and outright falsehoods.
Mr. Stuiver distorts and twists the facts to his liking in an attempt to sow discontent.
In his letter, Mr. Stuiver confuses Mayor Zimmer’s no-bid contract to Emnet, for flood sensor technology which cost the city over $160K of taxpayer money, including travel expenses for the Indiana-based company, to tell us exactly what we already knew – that a significant rain event combined with high tide will create flooding in our ward. I am 100 percent against this taxpayer waste.
The idea to upgrade and fix our existing parks in the 4th Ward as the city’s responsibility stemmed from my campaign in the fall of 2010. Again, Mr. Stuiver fails to recognize that the previous 4th Ward councilpersons, Michael Lenz and Dawn Zimmer, failed to even mention that the responsibility to fix these two parks lies solely with the city.
Mr. Stuiver also incorrectly labels Mr. Danny Tattoli as a developer. Mr. Tattoli is a businessman and a valued member of our community. Mr. Stuiver again twists the facts to suit his purpose.
Mr. Stuiver is mistaken about Mr. Tattoli’s contribution to my reelection campaign. Mr. Tattoli’s sole donation was $1,500 on May 10, 2011, as reported on my election report filed with NJ ELEC. Mr. Tattoli contributes to Hoboken’s local, state, and county elected officials as is his right to do so. Ironically, Mr. Stuiver, as campaign treasurer for Michael Lenz, neglects to include the fact that Mr. Tattoli also made a contribution to the Lenz campaign.
Accusing me of being bought-and-paid-for is as ludicrous as someone implying that Mr. Stuiver’s $3,850 in campaign contributions to Mayor Zimmer helped him secure his seat on the Hoboken Housing Authority. If one was to follow Mr. Stuiver’s line of logic concerning political contributions, they might conclude that Mayor Zimmer is in his pocket.
How can anyone take Mr. Stuiver seriously when his accusations are false and his facts are wrong? Mr. Stuiver has an agenda and is apparently willing to distort the facts to achieve his goals, but I stand by my record.
Here are issues I’ve fought for since I took office:
• advocated and won support to reprogram $3 million in grant funding for a 4th Ward Park
• advocated that Mama Johnson Field be upgraded with proper drainage and new turf
• upgraded both pocket parks in the ward with new playground equipment and safety surfaces
• added new stop sign to increase pedestrian safety at Harrison Street and Observer Highway
• rerouted NJ Transit buses to ease traffic flow in neighborhood
I truly feel that the 4th Ward is a great place to live and I am proud of the accomplishments and gains that have been made since I took office.
Sincerely,
Tim Occhipinti
4th Ward Councilman