Dear Editor:
The 4th Ward is an important ward in the City – it’s the microcosm of Hoboken with its diversity, just as Hoboken is the microcosm of New Jersey. The 4th Ward needs Councilman Mike Lenz, a long-term resident raising his family on Monroe Street and committed to improving the community and city he calls home. The City of Hoboken needs Councilman Lenz as the fifth vote on the City Council to continue the positive change of the last year. In the next seven months, City Council will make critical decisions that will determine the future of Hoboken. We will either continue the progress of the past year or turn back the clock. We cannot afford to go off course and jeopardize the progress: lower taxes, an honest and funded budget, and balanced development that benefits the community in the 4th Ward and the entire City of Hoboken. Councilman Lenz’s budget acumen is essential to the 2011 budget process, and his fifth vote will shape the course of development in Hoboken as three Zoning Board seats are decided in December.
It is important that we have Councilman Lenz as Chair of the Finance Committee in assisting the Zimmer Administration and the City Council majority continue the honest, open, and prudent budget progress of this past year. Our six month transitional budget resulted in a five percent tax decrease and increased efficiency in personnel and staffing. If we lose Councilman Lenz in November, the strides that have been made in taking ownership of Hoboken’s finances will be lost. It is only since May 2010 that Hoboken regained control of its finances from the State of New Jersey. The City is finally turning a corner, righting its financial ship after years of financial mismanagement, but there is more work to be done. Tough decisions have to be made to continue to create efficiencies, bring down costs, and lower taxes.
This past year, we have seen the beginning of real change. Mike supported Mayor Zimmer’s plan to build the most important flood pump first and sponsored an ordinance for EmNet technology to help solve the rest of the flooding in the 4th Ward in a cost effective way. His critical support of bonding ordinances reduced interest costs to the city, saving over $75,000/month in just one transaction! The 4th Ward cannot afford to lose the momentum and risk going back in time. Councilman Mike Lenz’s fifth vote is critical to sustaining the incredible progress of the past year and continuing to improve the lives of 4th Ward residents and all residents of Hoboken. Please support Mike Lenz for 4th Ward Councilman Nov. 2. Thank you for your consideration.
Peter Cunningham, 5th Ward City Councilman