To the Editor:
I am writing in support of a friend of mine, John Sebik. We originally met in first grade and remained childhood friends for many years. I have heard recently that there are people who are attempting to mar his reputation and thwart his attempts to make Bayonne the place it used to be when we were kids.
Growing up, I considered John to be the brother I never had. My family considered him the same. I was a third generation Bayonne resident and we both went to Saint Joseph’s Grammar School. His parents worked hard to afford sending the entire family to Catholic school which explains John’s sense of morals, based on a strong family foundation. He was an altar server at St. Joe’s and was always reliable and vigilant in his duties. I can remember seeing him leave his seat to fill in without being asked when another altar server failed to show up. In fact John was one of the most reliable and responsible individuals I knew as a child, with a sense of priority beyond his years.
In class, John always did thorough, efficient, quality work. He was often the first one to complete class work and tests, but never at the expense of quality. He was worthy competition in class and always raised the bar to make me work harder. His love for learning has not changed.
John was generous, conscientious, bright, talented, and appreciative of the things he had. He held high standards for himself and is a better person for that today. His sense of integrity and doing what was right for the sake of it, instead of for notoriety, inspired me.
John Sebik brings a unique set of qualities to the political arena which, unfortunately, has been absent for years. These qualities include integrity, honesty, intelligence, motivation, compassion, and commitment. Slanderous remarks and character defaming comments are the hallmarks of incompetent politicians. Those individuals lack the intelligence or organization to present a platform or address the issues that concern the citizens of Bayonne. When you have nothing to offer, you attack your opposition. It takes the intellect of a primate to complain. Complaints are loud, interesting and edgy. But constructive, innovative thought comes from introspective, intelligent individuals. Compliments and even constructive criticism take more work, energy, and thought. Lazy people don’t usually compliment. They sling mud. Beware of those people, no matter how familiar you might be with their practices, who only offer to educate you on their opponents’ imperfections. That will not revive the Bayonne we loved as kids. That will only ensure the status quo. With John’s leadership, passion and determination, the Bayonne we knew could return. I assure you that John Sebik’s fight will be about possibilities, creativity, growth, development, and teamwork, built on an impressive foundation of integrity, honesty, and ethics. Join him. Support him. Brainstorm with him. Be a part of making Bayonne better. Good luck John!
ANDREW PROKOP III