Dear Editor:
I’m running for the position of Council-at-Large because I believe the residents of Hoboken would be best served with an independent, strong-willed thinker on the Council who would balance the power of the mayor’s office. I pledge to advocate for families, children and teens and to creatively work on the problems of affordability, congestion and our limited open space.
Certainly that’s easy to say and much more difficult to do. I don’t pretend to be a savior for the those who want to stay in Hoboken but fear they won’t be able to afford to stay here. I don’t believe I can single-handedly turn the tide on the overdevelopment of Hoboken. And anyone who pretends to be a single Hoboken folk hero is full of himself. But, committed people, working together, can bring positive change.
I know from my experience as a mother of three young children, as a wife, as a basketball coach and a high school math teacher, I would bring the level of energy and commitment to the City Council needed to deal with the concerns of our people. I would work tirelessly to bring your issues to the City Council table.
I’ve lived here all my life. And in those 44 years, I have seen Hoboken through some of the best and worst of times. In some key ways, Hoboken is better now. For someone like me, who played punch ball in the street and “ace, king, queen ” down by No. 3 school, North and South Parks are like “little pieces of Heaven.” And I’ve enjoyed taking my daughters to the roller rink around the corner from my home these last couple of weeks. But, if we lose most of our families to a transient population of NYC workers, Hoboken will be only a shell of the great city it once was.
There are ways to stop this from happening. Just as there are shore communities who create laws to preserve the image of their community (high fees for summer beach passes, no eating on our beaches, no bath room facilities here – have you ever been to Bay Head?), so too must we do everything in our power to protect the image of our community. That image must include a diverse people who can afford to live and shop here! If elected, I would do everything in my legislative power to preserve our diversity by fighting to maintain and increase our number of affordable units.
If given the opportunity, I would be honored to serve you as a member of the City Council.
Terry LaBruno