Dear Editor:
My name is Laura Miani and I am a Candidate for Council at Large on the Vision for Hoboken Slate. I am a married mother of two. I have 25 years experience on Wall Street, mostly as an Institutional Equity salesperson at a boutique brokerage firm. I am currently a trustee at the Stevens Cooperative School where my daughter is in fourth grade and my son is a recent graduate.
I am running because I continue to be outraged by the lack of progress on open space in Hoboken. This is the fifth season where children cannot play soccer on Sinatra field. Through the eyes of a child, that is an eternity. The planning and execution of 1600 Park was disgraceful. That project was stalled for two years in the name of public safety, with the sad irony that it is still a dangerous walk. Park Avenue is already in need of repair by the field. Parents must now juggle to get children from Mama Johnson Field, to the High School, to 1600 Park, all with no public transportation options between those locations.
The administration’s response to flooding has been another disappointment. The mayor has flip-flopped on whether we need 1 flood pump or 4, meanwhile wasting time and money on a program called “EmNet” which uses sensors to confirm what we already know: Hoboken is flood-prone. We need to get the pumps and work with our neighboring cities to develop an integrated solution. In fact, we should have started developing such a plan after Hurricane Irene. Why is it that only now we are coming up with the grammatically dubious “Are You? Hoboken Ready”?
Meanwhile, as our Assemblyman, Ruben Ramos has secured funding for improvements to Elysian Park, has worked to make parking regulations more flexible for municipalities, and has created an emergency loan program for Hoboken to purchase the additional flood pumps. Comparing the accomplishments of these two candidates over the last four years, the choice is easy. Ramos, who has worked with 120 legislators across the State to solve problems for our city, or the status quo administration who blames lack of progress on City Council.
Are you prepared to make a change? For Hoboken’s future and the children of this town, please take the time to look into the issues. On November 5 vote Ramos for Mayor (3J) Miani (1K) Gonzalez (2K) and Mindak (3K) for Council at Large.
Respectfully,
Laura Miani