Dear Editor-
I write to offer support and an endorsement of my good friend, Kurt Gardiner, for county Freeholder for the 5th District, which includes Hoboken and portions of Jersey City Heights.
When Mayor Dawn Zimmer and I first ran for elective office, we were not politicians, but rather citizens sincerely concerned about the direction of Hoboken, and wanted to serve to make positive change for our community. Last Friday’s sale of the Hoboken University Medical Center is just one example of how regular people focused solely on Hoboken’s best interests, can bring their respective talents to the table and achieve historic change for the City of Hoboken. It is also an example of how an ordinary person with extraordinary determination – Mayor Zimmer – brought together like-minded residents to successfully work for the greater good of Hoboken.
We must also remember that Hoboken is not an island unto itself. A large portion of our tax levy is County taxes that are impacted by the decisions of our county legislators, also known as Freeholders. It is important for us to understand the impact that policies at the county and state level have on Hoboken, and for well intentioned and talented residents in Hoboken to step up and run for elective office not just at the local level, but at the county and state level as well.
Kurt Gardiner is one of those persons and I humbly request you cast your ballot for Kurt tomorrow. For as long as I have known Kurt, he has been an honest, thoughtful, and humorous straight-shooter. Kurt does not pull any punches, even with me. There have been times where Kurt has disagreed with a position I have taken, and he never hesitates to call me and express his disagreement. Kurt is a courageous man who I believe has the intelligence, energy and ability to stand up to business as usual at the county level and advocate for the best interests of Hoboken and Jersey City residents.
My endorsement of Kurt is not a reflection of my views of our current Freeholder, Anthony Romano. For as long as I have known him, Freeholder Romano has been a professional and true gentlemen in all of our interactions. Freeholder Romano works very hard and I sincerely believe also has the best intentions of the residents of the 5th District. So you have two good candidates to choose from.
At this time in Hoboken’s history, however, our interests would be better served through the election of a qualified candidate emerging from outside the confines of traditional Democratic county politics. That person is Kurt Gardiner and I sincerely hope you will cast your vote for him tomorrow.
Ravi S. Bhalla
Democrats for Honest Government
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