Dear Neighbor,
We are writing today to encourage you to vote in the upcoming June 9th Mayor/Council runoff. As property owners on Grand Street, we have a very large stake in this election.
As you may remember, in December of 2005, we came very close to the city seizing the factory and the self-storage buildings across the street through eminent domain. At the eleventh hour, we discovered that unless we organized ourselves and spoke out at the next City Council meeting (less than one week away), the vote would have more than likely favored tearing down the buildings and replacing them with 150 new condo units. Our lovely cobblestone street and our graceful, old trees would have been destroyed. Increased traffic (leading to even less parking) would have changed the quaintness of our block forever.
Luckily, our strong showing at the Council meeting was successful. The Council voted to table the request. Many of you came, wrote letters and spoke at the meeting. Our actions were a significant factor in the favorable vote. However, we understand the factory building may be for sale. The issue will come up again, and our neighborhood will be threatened!
Although Peter Cammarano voted no on this issue, he did not reach out to us prior to the vote, and now claims he was a strong advocate for us. This did not happen. We strongly believe that Dawn Zimmer and her slate of City Council candidates – Carol Marsh, Ravi Bhalla, and David Mello - will not allow this to happen again without our input. Any potential changes to our neighborhood would include our voices and our ideas in the planning process. There would be no behind the scenes negotiations. As Dawn states, “We must stop letting developers call the shots.” We agree!
The preservation of our neighborhood is not the only reason we support Dawn. This race offers a real opportunity to cleanse City Hall of its tired, bureaucratic, self-interested administrators who have ruled our city for far too long. Other compelling issues in this election include: the latest outrageous property tax hike, the continued costly overdevelopment, lack of parks and parking, and our quality of life.
Peter Cammarano has often voted with the Roberts administration, and we do not believe that he and the Council slate he promotes will support the changes our city needs. As stated in May 31st 2009, Hoboken Reporter, “ Peter was an honored guest of a fundraiser in Newark hosted by city councilmen and attended by Essex County powerbrokers”. This does not represent the chance for a clean break from old style politics. His recent ads that try to tie Dawn to Mayor Roberts tax increases are completely untrue and more accurately portray his track record – not hers.
The choice between the two slates is very clear – Dawn Zimmer represents a complete break from the past and offers a vision of what an energized, modern city can be.
Please consider these issues as you go to the polls on June 9th. Hoboken elections are often won or lost by only a few votes. Your vote counts.
Thank you
Leslie Rubman & Tom Pini – 1015 Grand
Ann Graham & Rick Kamber 1021 Grand ◦
