To the Editor:
As the financial woes for the city of Bayonne continue, it is clearer than ever before that Bayonne needs fiscal responsibility.
It needs leaders that want fiscal responsibility and who have the determination to see it through, along with the courage to implement the necessary actions.
Mayor Davis, business administrator Joe DeMarco, and the city council allowed MOTBY land sales at $1 million per acre.
That is nearly half of what the previous administration obtained per acre of city owned land, and that was considered a low price, which then candidate Davis hammered Mark Smith for. So why is Davis selling off city land at half the price that he considered too low just a year ago?
Taxes have now been raised once again to address city budget shortfalls, and you can bet that an even bigger tax hike is coming next year. Citizens of Bayonne, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are ways of dealing with these issues without clobbering home and businesses owners over the head with ever-rising taxes. Doing so only leads to the flight of businesses and homeowners
from the city, and higher rents for residents who do not own property. We are all affected. No one escapes the detrimental effects of out-of-control tax increases. What Bayonne needs is stabilization and a plan to reduce costs and to do things more efficiently. A plan to bring in corporations that will pay taxes and employ city residents, not a 30-year tax abatement for corporations that want to build apartment complexes. What does the city get out of that except increased costs via city services for those additional residents?
It is time for the people of Bayonne to realize that things can change, we can turn this city around, we can have a vibrant city that utilizes our prime location, instead of selling it away at bargain prices. Other cities are being revitalized by using sensible fiscal plans for their budget, which restores confidence in residents and business owners by showing they will not be taxed beyond what they can afford. These things are all within our grasp. We only need for the people of Bayonne to call upon its leaders to get serious about these needed changes, or put people in charge that are capable of doing so.
So I have to ask these questions: Will Mayor Davis and his team change course and steer Bayonne in the right direction? Does he have the determination to make the tough decisions necessary to reform the budget? Or will we continue on the current path that will lead to more debt and even eventual bankruptcy of the city? The people of this city are fed up with current fiscal policy. One way or another that policy is going to change.
ANTHONY ZANOWIC