Dear Editor:
It was recently reported that the last survivor of the tragic Triangle Shirt Factory Fire passed away. This illustrates that a tragedy does make changes in law.
I hope that doesn’t happen in Jersey City. Yet, I was appalled when the tenants of Newport, who invited me as a guest speaker, revealed the conditions that they are living in. Besides the lack of heat, shoddy construction and inadequate fire conditions, the tenants feel that public officials are ignoring their needs.
They have every right to feel that way. The city has not provided housing inspectors. They were told that the developer is doing self-inspections. When they contacted the state, they were told that no developer could do self-inspections. So where do they turn to?
The tenants should register to vote and have their collected voices felt in the next mayoral race. Hopefully, it doesn’t take a tragedy to address a public concern.
Yvonne Balcer