Dear Editor:
My name is Mike Lenz and I am the current 4th Ward Councilman. Please allow me to tell you a little more about myself and my campaign for the 4th Ward.
I’ve lived in Hoboken since 1987. I’ve really come to love this mile-square part of the world. I love our traditions, our neighborhoods, and the diverse community of people who make Hoboken, Hoboken. Call me crazy, but I also like the world of community politics – and have since my college days. Some days it’s like a reality show without a camera crew; but it’s one that has a real impact on people, which is why I keep plugging away at it. The 4th Ward has been my neighborhood since 1997 where I live with my wife Laura Keating and our three sons in a three-unit row house we renovated on Monroe Street. We’ve built a life here that we’re very happy with – Ben attends High Tech High School, Tim goes to St. Peter’s Prep and Jonny is a second grader at Hoboken Charter School. We support the boys’ schools and also their Boy Scout Troop, Cub Pack and soccer teams (I even coached for several years).
Over the years, I’ve been an elected member of the Hoboken School Board (for two terms totaling four years), campaign manager for various reform candidates, and – in a fit of optimism – was interim Chief Financial Officer for the City of Hoboken. I earned a BA in Economics from Michigan State University; studied taxation at NYU’s Graduate School of Business; practiced as a CPA in New York and am now a Certified Municipal Finance Officer in New Jersey – after 250 hours of classes and passing a two-part exam.
After many years of supporting reform candidates while our kids were growing up, I asked to be considered to fill the council seat vacated by Dawn Zimmer when she was elected Mayor last November – and was honored to be appointed by a vote of the Council later that month. Now, I’m running in the November election to fill the last seven months of her term. Seven months may not seem like much, but they’re going to be important months – the person who fills this seat could be the deciding vote on a council divided between those who generally support the Mayor’s agenda and those who too often oppose it. If re-elected to the Council, I will continue to stand for the residents of the 4th Ward and work with the Zimmer Administration to bring the progress that Hoboken needs: honest budgets, lower taxes, balanced development, higher quality of life, a park in the 4th Ward, and finally an end to flooding. By working together, we can make Hoboken sustainable and even better as we move into the future. I am proud to be working for all of you.
To learn more about me or my campaign for the 4th Ward please visit www.lenzforcouncil.com or call 201-588-LENZ (5369). See you around the 4th Ward!
Mike Lenz
4th Ward Councilman