To the Editor:
As I think back to 2014, I look at what we all fought for here in Bayonne. We all surely wanted a drastic change. In order to get there, though, we needed to have hope in a candidate, who we thought would bring about that change. We wanted people in office who truly represented us, the voters. We wanted people who would ask the tough questions, make the hard decisions, and put the community first. We did not want the same old, handpicked faces, or any friends or family. We wanted a mayor, and council, who would be a breath of fresh air and new directors in City Hall who would turn it upside down in terms of friendliness and efficiency. It is up to each of us to determine if we all made the right decision or not. I am personally happy that the new team was elected to office. There has certainly been great changes in terms of the openness and friendliness of the council and the mayor and yes, they do listen. What I have seen and heard, though, over the last couple of months is a different story and will make for another letter.
Nine months since the election and the Base lawsuits are settled and yes, it will be developed. Bayonne will see new tax ratables and hopefully construction jobs for Bayonne residents for years to come. It is up to us, the citizens to question and determine whether Bayonne residents get the first shot at these jobs. As the title of this letter states, the quintessential politician. We cannot all forget, that the HCDO handpicked candidate, Nick Chiaravalloti, was indeed the executive director of the development at the base initially. We should also not forget that he does work for the same firm that made money from settling the lawsuits, Weiner Lesniak. I ask the good residents of Bayonne to think about this. How can we elect to office someone who has one vision in mind, money? Where has this candidate been for the last eight years? Yes, he is smart, tactful but again handpicked. Did he fight with the rest of us this past election? No. Did anyone of you see him going door to door then? No. Has anyone seen him at past council meetings? No.
The friends, community leaders, and neighbors new and old whom I have met during the last year know that I am pro-Bayonne. We need someone in Trenton who can relate to our lives and who will respond and fight for our quality of life, seniors, and for education. How can we vote for someone who says he will fight for education in Trenton, when his own kids go out of town? How can we vote for someone who has only been vocal when handpicked and not when tough challenges arise? The HCDO candidates are like voting for ex-Mayor Smith in the sense that they are told what to do and what to say. They will stay in line and it is the same reason nothing will change, and the same reason that our country is the way it is. We certainly do not want or deserve the status quo. Vote Column C for change.
JOHN MILAN SEBIK