Here is a press release I received form the Beth Mason Campaign on Beth's Plan for Hoboken:
MASON RELEASES DETAILED PLAN TO GOVERN THE CITY
Click to Read Beth's Full Plan for Hoboken!
Hoboken, NJ-- Fiscal responsibility, government transparency, increased public safety and "green" initiatives are the highlights of Beth Mason's plan to run the city when she is elected mayor on November 3rd.
Mason issued her platform today for running the city and the plan places heavy emphasis on financial responsibility and openness in government. Taming the city's out-of-control budget is Mason's top priority - one that should not have been put off until after Election Day by Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
Mason says by applying fiscal discipline, she can cut taxes by 25 percent, but added: "Every day we delay in addressing the budget makes it harder to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, at the current rate of spending under Acting Mayor Zimmer, our city is on pace for a tax increase of 15 percent. This is unacceptable."
Mason says she will suspend salaries for the Mayor and City Council until the city has a budget. "There is no reason to pay elected officials who are not doing their job properly - and the biggest job we have is to craft an efficient budget," she said. Mason said her fiscal recovery plan will include scaling back directors' salaries - which she says are now comparable to what directors in New York City earn. "My administration will end this practice by paying salaries that are scaled for Hoboken, not Manhattan," says Mason.
The Second Ward Councilwoman also says she will fight for the city's fair share of county tax dollars. Hoboken's county taxes are second only to Jersey City's, she notes and the city is not seeing a fair return from Hudson County.
Mason says fiscal responsibility also includes paying down the city's growing debt. The debt service payment in the 2009 budget is $7.75 million with an additional $1 million a year in debt service going to finance the Parking Authority's debt. "I will pay down and refinance bond debt to make sure we are getting the best interest rates possible," says Mason.
TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT
A former President of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government and co-founder Hoboken's People for Open Government Beth Mason is committed to the principles of transparency and openness, and says all hiring practices in her administration will be open and transparent. "I will publish open positions in local newspapers, as well as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and employment websites such as Monster.com, in order to find the most qualified people to run our city. We must expand our search for qualified personnel to help manage our city."
To protect the public's safety, Mason says she will put more police on the streets by putting more emphasis on foot and bicycle patrols. She also wants to encourage high-tech crime fighting by creating an interactive map on the city's website so residents can be made aware of crime in their neighborhoods.
Mason also wants to ensure that fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and carbon monoxide detectors are up to code and functioning in every multi-family building. The city has suffered some devastating fires the past few years that endangered people's lives and left scores homeless. "People's lives are valuable and my administration will put in the extra effort to keep everyone safe. We will work in conjunction with the Hoboken Building Department to make sure our housing inspector have all the tools they need to do their job," said Mason.
The councilwoman also said she would like to create and utilize a reverse 9-1-1 system that allows city government to contact residents to let them know of emergencies, road closures and flooding issues.
Mason said she will protect neighborhood integrity by creating more open space and recreational opportunities and by vigorously opposing NJ Transit's plan to build a 70-story tower and two 40-story towers off of Observer Highway; she also opposed plans to build 40-story buildings at the North End of town. She noted that she has already started a statewide plan to fight state legislation that would give NJ Transit control over local zoning laws.
Mason's "green" initiatives include replacing street lamps and traffic signals with more efficient lighting and exploring the feasibility of placing solar energy panels on schools and government buildings utilizing federal and state grants. Click to Read Beth's Full Plan for Hoboken!
My comment: At least here is an example of the mostly positive campaign that Beth Mason should have been doing all along. Of course there are still the shots taken at Dawn who holds the position that Beth so covets but at least it is a step in the right direction. In the first Mayoral election in May Beth released a very vague platform on her website and as a result came in third place. The next question is for voters is do you trust that Beth will attempt to carry these out? It is fair to ask the same question of other candidates of Dawn Zimmer as well. Dawn has had her positions out on her campaign website for several months now.
Special note: A few weeks ago, I had a very civil conversation with Beth Mason. She had called me to thank me for deleting a post that said she was a crook. Her thanks to me was genuine and showed me the other side of her beyond all this negative campaigning she has gotten involved with. Even though Beth is not my first choice for Mayor I don't think she is a crook but I have disagreed with her recent voting record and the message and style of her campaign. No matter how much experience one claims to have it doesn't matter if you don't trust that they will best represent your viewpoint. When this election is over I hope that whoever is the winner will get the support of those who did win to move Hoboken forward. ◦
