Dear Editor:
It is often said that Hudson County Politics is a full contact blood sport that shows no mercy and takes no prisoners. Rarely we are surprised by allegations of political vendettas, trickery and or paybacks. This is all palatable by us because we rationalize our reality by believing that each politician is still operating out of their love for their city and in its best interest. Watching from the sidelines, Hudson County politicians seldom put bad politics over good policy decisions. Even the most selfish of interest can be outweighed by those feel good projects that bring people together. However, that has all changed since I read last weekend’s story in the Jersey Journal regarding Mayor Zimmer’s killing a project in the Southwest section of Hoboken that had Sandy Relief Funds earmarked for its creation. This new revelation flies in the face of good policy, rational politics, or anything this author has witnessed. Mayor Zimmer’s allegations regarding Governor Christie’s administration, the Rockefeller Project and Sandy aid catapulted Hoboken into the center of controversy.
After eight months of silence, Mayor Zimmer appeared on every MSNBC talk show, news channel and her sound bites hit print media across the nation all proclaiming that she had a duty to come forward in order to protect Hoboken residents. While no can outright reject the legitimacy of the mayor’s disclosures, I just find it difficult to reconcile these accusations in light of Mayor Zimmer’s silence and her policy pursuits on the local level. Even after the alleged Shoprite incident, Dawn has enjoyed quite a comfortable relationship with the Governor’s office. Whether it was the mysterious sale of Hoboken University Medical Center (HUMC) that came with a great deal of controversy and money from the Christie administration (http://hoboken411.com/archives/16237), or the mayor’s connection to the law firm at the center of the hospital deal, Bridgegate and Mayor Zimmer’s sensational allegations—Wolf & Sampson or Mayor Zimmer’s basis for nixing the 44 Units of Sandy Proof housing; something is seriously wrong in our great city. It is often said, “Where there is smoke, there is fire.” Hoboken is on fire and Dawn is fiddling.
Yours truly,
Tony Caraballo