Dear Editor:
To Members of the Jersey City Municipal Council: On Wednesday August 19th, there was very intense emotions at the Jersey City Municipal Council meeting. As I sat back and observed what was taking place in our city, I almost began to cry. While I may not know all of the facts with the expected merger of the JCIA into the DPW. One fact is hundreds of employees will be put into a tight bind due to the lack of future employment opportunities. There are many workers who are ex-cons who got their first job by working for the JCIA. Some would even say the JCIA helped keep these men and women from turning back to a life of crime. On the other hand, I do understand Mayor Fulop’s reasoning for wanting to merge the JCIA into DPW. He wants to reduce taxes and save tax dollars. However, saving tax-dollars on the back of hardworking men and women who many were given a second change is simply unjust.
While this issue was tabled, we still must do better as a city to ensure these hard working men and women are taken care of. Lastly, I do not support merging the JCIA into the DPW because of the risk of layoffs for many individuals who reside in my community. However, if the city can consolidate the two agencies and ensure the roughly 130 workers are taken care of, I have no problem supporting the merger which will save our city tax-dollars.
Demetrius M. Terry
Ward A Greenville Activist