Dear Editor:
Last week, Hoboken achieved an important milestone. We won back the right to govern ourselves. The State Local Finance Board decided that it was no longer necessary for Hoboken’s fiscal affairs to be overseen by a State Fiscal Monitor. I want to take this opportunity to thank Judy Tripodi for her invaluable assistance to our City, helping us to identify and correct many of the unacceptable practices that led to our fiscal crisis.
With Ms. Tripodi’s help, we have made enormous progress in righting our fiscal ship, but there is much work left to be done. Our taxes remain far too high and, our government operations are not nearly efficient enough. My Administration will continue to work hard every day to make the changes necessary to move our city forward for the benefit of all its residents.
This past Monday, our Governor, Chris Christie, came to Hoboken to explain his proposals to help cities like Hoboken control their taxes and spending. He has asked our state legislators to promptly consider a constitutional amendment capping property tax increases at 2 ½ percent per year, as well as various measures to help municipalities control expenses so we can live within our means. Specifically, the Governor is offering us the tools we need to control our personnel costs, which represent almost 80 percent of our operating budget.
An amusing moment occurred when I accidentally introduced Governor Christie as Governor Corzine. I corrected myself immediately, but my mistake highlights the fact that it is so important for us to reach across party lines and do what’s right for our cities and our state. I strongly support the Governor’s proposed “toolkit” for municipalities because I believe it is critical to enabling Hoboken to chart a responsible fiscal future. Governor Christie is a Republican, and I am a proud life-long Democrat. But as I said in my remarks introducing the Governor, fiscal responsibility is not a Republican or a Democratic issue – there’s nothing partisan about being smart and responsible with the money entrusted to us by our citizens. Democrats and Republicans have differing philosophies on many important issues, but fiscal responsibility should not be one of those differences – it should be where we find common ground.
For more information about the Governor’s proposed tool kit, please visit our web site at hobokennj.org. Next week, look for my first Mayor’s Column on my Administration’s dramatic changes in Hoboken’s approach to development to ensure our city has balanced development that meets the needs of our community.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer