To the Editor:
It is wonderful to see the people of Bayonne come together and organize. One of the main issues I believe that most people want right now is a cleaner Bayonne. On Friday August 22, there was a signup held at a local business All Fit Studios at 196 Broadway. Lisa Miller Kawalek started a Facebook page called Beautify Bayonne and it immediately attracted major attention. The goal of all the groups is to keep Bayonne clean and attractive. I intend on being involved and I urge all who want to play a part to please visit Deb or Lou.
As evidenced by the growing numbers of people showing up at the past two council meetings and Board of Education meetings, the people of Bayonne are showing that they do want to be involved in the success and growth of Bayonne. It is a very encouraging sign. No more will Bayonne’s future be dictated only by our politicians. The people of Bayonne demand to be involved and know about every deal that affects Bayonne’s future.
What was very noticeable at this past council meeting agenda was that there were certain resolutions on the agenda involving contracts but there were no names of the firms or dollar amounts of the contracts. I was not the only person to notice this and many people actually questioned it. The answer given was that there was a lag time between the council caucus the previous week, opening of the bids for contracts and the updating of the agenda etc. I hope that in the future the council will make it a priority to update the council agenda in order to give the citizens of Bayonne ample time to do their due diligence also regarding any and all items that are on the agenda. If there are three items that I stood for during my own campaign, they were transparency, accountability and accessibility in city government. I will say that the council has definitely been very open to meetings and on short notice and they are very responsive through email also.
It is sad that there are some people out there who expect the town to be turned around in a heartbeat. Yes, there are definitely areas that can be attacked and reworked immediately but as with any municipal government, there are many moving parts. I have faith in the new administration and I believe that in due time, we the people will see the difference. Yes, this is only my own personal opinion. I urge all to continue to get involved in any way possible. I am sure that there are many board positions to be filled and that is definitely one way to get directly involved, gain experience and play a part. Email your councilperson. Everyone deserves a seat at city hall.
JOHN MILAN SEBIK