Below is an email from Ravi Bhalla reflecting on what he terms a major victory for balanced and responsible development based on the events that transpired last week.....
Dear Friends, Last week, Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer scored a major victory for balanced, responsible development in Hoboken. In response to state legislation that would have given NJTransit carte blanche to develop over the Hoboken rail yards, Mayor Zimmer advocated directly to Governor Jon S. Corzine, who arranged a meeting for Mayor Zimmer with State Senator Paul Sarlo, the sponsor of the bill. At the meeting, Senator Sarlo agreed to pull the bill and not re-introduce it until Hoboken is satisfied with its contents.
Here are some of the news stories covering this victory for Hoboken:
http://bit.ly/HRNJTransit
http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2009/10/bill_giving_nj_transit_unlimit.html
This is a significant victory for local control over development in Hoboken. I joined Mayor Zimmer's team earlier this year because I knew she would always put Hoboken's interests ahead of those of developers. Together, we ran on a platform of responsible development in scale with the character and charm of Hoboken's community. NJTransit's proposed development would have overburdened our infrastructure and changed the character and skyline of our beloved City forever.
Most importantly, this victory shows Mayor Zimmer is not only delivering on her promises, but that she can effectively advocate at the highest levels of government in New Jersey to reach these goals. Too often we have seen political candidates say one thing and do another. Not only has Mayor Zimmer taken personal interest to make sure this out-of-scale development does not happen on her watch, she has shown no reticence to go to the highest levels of government to fight for Hoboken's interests. It is gratifying and refreshing to see such leadership at City Hall.I commend Mayor Zimmer on this lofty accomplishment, and look forward to working with her and my Council colleagues for a better Hoboken in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Ravi S. Bhalla
Councilman At Large ◦
