Dear Editor:
Our action-packed election season has drawn to a close, and now we’re on to the task of actually governing, and setting our city on the right track.
I congratulate Mayor-elect Cammarano and Councilpeople-elect Bhalla, Marsh and Mello on their hard-won victories, and wish them well in their endeavors to take Hoboken in a new direction. The momentum behind government reform is overwhelming, a fact Mayor-elect Cammarano seemed to acknowledge in his embrace of reform rhetoric.
I started out this tumultuous election as Beth Mason’s campaign manager. While that effort was unsuccessful, I am thankful for the opportunity it afforded me to meet so many wonderful people who all care deeply about our community, even when they don’t always share precisely the same vision.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to Beth for the trust and faith she placed in me, and for her continuing efforts to serve our community. Her vision, experience and passion for good government will prove assets to the new governing body, and, in turn, to all of us. I also wish to thank Vinny Addeo, Raul Morales II and Anthony Pasquale, three outstanding citizens I was honored to serve. Working with them opened my eyes to aspects of our community I previously knew little about, and I’m grateful for the openness with which they allowed me into their lives. I hope they remain active – Hoboken is lucky to have them, and I am lucky to call them friends.
I am also grateful to Dawn Zimmer, Ravi Bhalla, Carol Marsh and David Mello for welcoming me into their fold during the runoff. The battle between the Mason and Zimmer camps became quite bitter, and the graciousness with which the Zimmer team and their outstanding campaign staff accepted me was extraordinary. I pay special acknowledgment to Michael Lenz, a man whose commitment to the improvement of our community is as sincere as it is inexhaustible. Don’t let anyone tell you differently, including me.
Although the election’s first round obviously didn’t turn out as I expected, getting to know Dawn over the past month was indeed an honor. She was a great candidate who ran a great campaign, and as a Fourth Ward resident I look forward to continuing to work together. I’ve begun repairing relationships in the rapidly narrowing “reform split,” and engaging in a fruitful dialogue on the road to a reunited reform movement. We are more alike than different, and it’s time to focus on the common ground.
I am also thankful for the time I’ve spent working with Councilpeople Theresa Castellano and Michael Russo, and Michael’s mother Michelle, who all love Hoboken sincerely and worked overtime to help make it a better place.
Most of all, thanks to the voters who came out four times to chart our community’s course, and to all the candidates – including independents Frank Orsini, Tom Vincent and Ryn Melberg, and the victorious school – board slate – for giving them something to vote for. Here’s to the new mayor and council – let us wish them well on the difficult road ahead.
Sincerely,
Jake Stuiver
Mason Team for One Hoboken Campaign Manager
Dawn Zimmer volunteer