I’m going to make this as short as possible…
I believe Mayor Roberts should resign as mayor of Hoboken. It is obvious he does not represent the citizens of this town. Worse, he is negligent. I’d even say he’s incompetent. If we want this town to move forward, repair the damage, and build a better future, we need anyone but our current mayor to lead the way. Only by removing himself can Roberts better this town and let a real leader and manager move to undo the damage he caused.
If he will not resign, I’d move for a recall.
Is it possible to do a recall? Do you know how that would be done? I would be in favor of it if there was a way to do it.
I don’t see why not. It worked for California. I’m sure if there was enough political will of the people, it could be done.
I think brevity is great however why not include some facts. A history of incompetence or negligence. I am by no means a Roberts fanboy, however asking for a mayors resignation without beginning it with a fact base makes no sense. Spell it out a little and add some value to the people that are reading this.
Tony D,
You have a point. Here goes:
1. There have been NO park space built according to the Master Plan. We are still waiting for this mythical Pier C that was supposed to have been under construction by now. Plus, the 1600 Park Ave “park” hasn’t even been started despite having funds alloted to it for at least a year. And the Southwest section of Hoboken was promised a 6 acre park and even though some groups are pushing hard for open space, they hardly can claim to get 1.5 acres of continuous space.
2. Over paid city employees like the fire and police commissioners. One board of education member is reported to get paid $180,000 a year.
3. Many of these city employees have a conflict of interest with the public good; they either own construction companies, consulting firms, law firms, and real estate - many of them landlords.
4. We have no parking solution. Thousands of condos are going up but little parking to accommodate them. It has become a safety issue as people are hurt left and right by hit and runs - possibly due to the poor visibility drivers face when navigating our streets. Plus, the one parking solution that could have worked was botched when the city prematurely and poorly executed the take over of the automated garage Garden Street.
5. Despite the Freedom of Information Act, the Citizens for Open Government, and other safe guards, the city of Hoboken REFUSES to provide its tax payers with information requested regarding land deals, abatements, legal agreements, and other financial transactions. When they the few documents were released, they blacked out most of the text making the act of releasing the document of waste of paper, ink, money, time, effort, etc. In effect, they deliberately withhold information to the public - even when asked to disclose it!!
6. Sewage problems. Letting the sewer system get this dilapidated is egregious! Hoboken has been fighting floods for YEARS! And with the uncontrolled construction - courtesy of this administration - it has made it worse. Moreover, there is no natural place for the water to go (i.e. parks) and the 80 to 120 year old system can’t handle it all. When the town floods, you drive through or walk in water contaminated with human feces; typhoid fever and bubonic plague are just a few infectious diseases that can be transmitted that way. I’m surprised the CDC hasn’t knocked on the Mayor’s door yet.
7. Complete and total financial mismanagement. Not only do we NEVER have a balanced budget each year without some sort of “sneaky” deal to sell municipal property. There are always abatements given to developers for “one time” tax fees that plug the shortfalls but that model assumes constant construction will happen; with the real estate market taking a hit, growth slows. In fact, there is at least one project that has stopped all together and now it looks like a total waste that attracts pests and other things. The government doesn’t cut spending either - especially to the highest paid people like the ones I mention above; we still have 4 arts festivals a year but we can’t balance the budget. Plus, there are inefficiencies in the way money is spent; has anyone thought of using mechanized street cleaning instead of paying someone to shovel it in a can? The cost of one machine is less than that of a person when you factor health plans, pension, and salaries. Also, the town doesn’t capitalize on revenue like it should; 10 or 12 dollars a year for parking is stupid when you can charge 50 a year and it might even cut down on the cars that help solve the other problem; have they even studied supply and demand? And one last point on the money mismanagement: total government shutdown. Remember that? Yeah… I do… what an embarrassment!
So there you go, Tony D. I hope this helps shed light on my point of view. I appreciate you taking the time to write, though. You’re right in thinking that detailing my opinions would better serve this site and the readers; I hope I was thorough enough. I’ve probably left a few things out but I think you get the general idea. Let me know if I missed anything, though.
also you can add that millions of dollars go to hoboken public schools and we are one of the lowest rated systems in nj. where is the money going? and wasn’t there an article in the hudson reporter stating that hoboken wants to get rid of a bunch of teachers?
i always wondered how he got re-elected. maybe he’s friends with bush’s friends?