Dear Editor:
Ever play the game Where’s Waldo? Remember the children’s book where you search for the character in stripes who, unless you spent a long time looking for him, could be nowhere to be found? That’s how I feel about our 1st Ward Councilwoman, Theresa Castellano. No matter how hard we look, Hoboken residents can’t seem to locate her. I received a flyer in the mail detailing her supposed efforts at reducing the noise in the 1st Ward – the most pressing issue this part of Hoboken, which has gotten progressively worse the past 16 years Castellano has been in office. Then why didn’t we see her at the well attended community meeting Mayor Zimmer hosted in the 1st Ward detailing the new noise ordinance designed to help curb the noise problem? Didn’t she feel she had anything constructive to add to the conversation? How about the Newark Street redesign community meeting? Or the other several meetings held by town hall with city residents? Is it because these meetings are spearheaded by Mayor Zimmer – someone our councilwoman seemingly refuses to work with? Does this justify a “Where’s Waldo” approach to solving our communities problems?
Someone should remind our 1st Ward Councilwoman that her responsibilities require her to work with Mayor Zimmer on a wide range of issues affecting the Ward, not just the problems affecting her own two block radius. My message to Councilwoman Castellano: a “Where’s Waldo” approach to the legitimate issues affecting Hoboken’s 1st Ward simply won’t suffice.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Gold