They represent all walks of life, visit for a number of reasons, and talk about diverse topics.
Mostly, they just want someone to listen to them and take them seriously.
They are mainly Bayonne residents, but can also be Bayonne business owners, or out of towners looking to pitch an idea or service.
They’re all visiting on the first Tuesday evening of each month at James Davis’s “Meet the Mayor” program.
Davis has been holding the event every month since August, soon after he took office, save for Nov. 4, when the general election preempted the get-together. His program is a continuation of the Meet the Mayor initiative begun by his predecessor, Mark Smith.
Interested parties come, sign up with name and topic, and see the mayor on an almost one-to-one basis. “Almost” because the mayor usually has a city attorney present and possibly another member of his administration. This is done to assure that answers can be given quickly and efficiently, according to Davis.
Eight people signed up for the Dec. 2 Meet the Mayor event. The topics included job hunting, payment of teachers’ retroactive checks, the egress and ingress of driveways, safety of city residents from speeders, and landlord-tenant issues.
Third Ward Councilman Gary La Pelusa and city attorney Karla Garcia sat through most of the sessions with Davis. Chief of Staff Andrew Casais handled the ebb and flow of visitors, and when there appeared to be a bit of a gridlock, Casais, Garcia, and Business Administrator Joseph DeMarco met with attendees independent of Davis.
On most Meet the Mayor nights, other administration officials are present for questions, including those from police, housing, community affairs, public works, and municipal services.
“The residents of Bayonne have a lot on their minds and I want to provide them with the opportunity to get the answers to their questions,” Davis said.
He said the interactions with residents were about “making government more open and accessible to the public” and about “learning firsthand what we’re doing right, doing wrong, and how we can improve.”
Davis said the Meet the Mayor nights, along with town hall meetings, are about having transparency and accountability for residents.
Energy help
When Yuri Polonsky of NYS Energy Audits saw the mayor he described his organization as one that assists low-income families with their energy and energy-related issues like heating units and roof repair. Although based in Brooklyn, Polonsky said the group helps New Jersey residents, including those in Bayonne, because they receive funding from Public Service Electric & Gas.
Davis liked what he heard and asked Polonsky to make an appointment for a daytime visit within a couple of weeks, to further discuss the program and its promotion to Bayonne residents. [
“I love this town, but there are some issues.” – Chester Nigowski
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Making progress
Chester Nigowski of 42nd Street said, “I love this town, but there are some issues.” Among them were a need for his street to be repaved, to have sewer lines maintained, and to have crosswalks redrawn where they no longer are visible.
“The elections are over,” Nigowski said. “You’re my mayor. Let’s get things done.”
But the most important issue he discussed was an increase in speeding drivers throughout the city.
“People are driving crazy,” he said. “People are flying through this town.”
Davis said he would try to address the problem, and hoped that it could be part of a broader goal for his police department.
“We need to build up our Traffic Division,” Davis said.
Nigowski said, “You’re my mayor and I will do anything to keep the city the way it’s supposed to be.”
Job seeking
Bayonne resident John Hagans, 44, was next with a basic request: a job. He said he had been trying to obtain a job with the city’s Public Works Department, and was hopeful he still could.
With a resume with Hudson County Public Works experience on it, a Class A commercial driver’s license, and Occupational Safety Health Administration certifications, Hagans believes he could serve the city well.
The numbers weren’t working for him, though, as Davis explained he had received close to 500 resumes from job seekers since taking office five and a half months ago.
“This is one of the problems that plague the city,” Garcia said. “Bayonne is in a bad budgetary situation. There is no budget for it at this juncture.”
Davis did, however, suggest Hagans apply to the city of Bayonne’s Human Resources Department and submit his resume to be in the mix for when hiring picks up. The mayor also said he is in the process of starting a website that employers can visit, pull resumes, and link up with Bayonne job seekers.
Housing issues
George Demetrios and Maria Athans had housing and parking issues. Specifically, they asked the mayor about city regulations that governed parking spaces for the drop off and pick up of residents.
“We’re losing all this parking – and it’s crazy,” Demetrios said.
Demetrios also queried the mayor about having “no feeding” signs put up by his city housing building for cat lovers who feed strays. He mentioned the recent rabies case in Bayonne as a concern.
La Pelusa said the city wants to pass ordinances regarding the issue, and that its due diligence effort was under way, researching what other towns have done and talking with their representatives.
“What we want to do basically is get it done and get it right,” La Pelusa said.
Demetrios invited the mayor, his councilman, and city attorney to his tenants’ association holiday party this week.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.