Dear Editor:
My name is Jim Doyle, and I am running for City Council with incumbent councilmen Ravi Bhalla and Dave Mello on Mayor Zimmer’s slate. I am writing to introduce myself and ask for your support.
For the past 26 years, my wife Leah Healey and I have lived in Hoboken. We have watched as the city has outwardly changed, but in many ways it has stayed the same. We are still a community that, at its core, has many people who genuinely care about the city and preserving what makes it special.
I have been involved in the community over the years in many ways. My introduction to activism came in the early 1990’s, during the successful struggle to create a publicly accessible waterfront in the city. Now, twenty years later, after many struggles led by many people, our waterfront is almost entirely open to public. I certainly cannot claim the credit for the waterfront, but I believe my involvement has made a difference.
Some of you may know me from the Hoboken Harriers Running Club, which I’ve led since 1996, and the charity events we’ve put on over the years. I’ve been the race director for the HOHA Classic race for its 15 years, which benefits the Jubilee Center in town.
In 2004, when the city revised its Master Plan, the urgent need to create new active park space was highlighted. To address this need, Hoboken Parks Organization was conceived. Led by my wife and with some friends in Hoboken, we have fought for the acquisition of land for parks. HPO grew to over 400 people, starting with fighting for a ball field at 1600 Park and against a high rise development at 900 Monroe (which was a potential park site in the Master Plan). HPO was instrumental in acquiring the 1600 Park land, and now the ball field is built and open, under Mayor Zimmer. That is one of the many reasons why I support and am running with our mayor. She promised that park, and she has delivered. And there are more to come.
After Mayor Zimmer took office in 2009, it was gradually revealed that our public hospital was in dire financial condition. To make matters worse, the former city administration had provided it a $52 million guaranty which was in jeopardy. The impact on our taxes would have been devastating. I was appointed by Governor Christie to the board of the hospital management entity and played an important role in effectuating the sale and transition of the hospital to a private company, which freed us from the $52M guaranty. And I saw firsthand the mayor’s dedication and how tirelessly she worked, along with the support of my running mates, to make that happen.
The mayor and my running mates have faced significant obstacles in the past 4 years – State financial supervision, the hospital, Superstrom Sandy – and overcame them. Please give us the chance to keep moving the city forward, not to turn back the clock. Vote for the Zimmer Team on November 5.
Jim Doyle
City Council Candidate, on the Zimmer Team