Dear Neighbor,
Hello! My name is Kathy Mallow and I live in midtown. While I’ve not been here my entire life, I’ve lived in Hoboken since the late 1980’s, so I’ve still watched our town change in so many ways.
I am writing to ask you to support Dawn Zimmer and her City Council slate---Carol Marsh, Ravi Bhalla and Dave Mello---at the run-off election, June 9. Thank you to those who voted for Dawn and her slate on May 12.
There are many reasons why I’ve chosen to support Dawn and her slate. I’m impressed by Dawn’s intelligence, commitment and problem-solving skills. I believe she’s chosen a great group of thoughtful running mates with the necessary diversity of skills and talents. Dawn has chosen a slate that shares her genuine desire to listen to and work with everyone in the community. Here are a few other important reasons why I believe Dawn and her City Council slate will ensure Hoboken is run more efficiently and be a better place for all of us to live:
REDUCING TAXES REQUIRES AN HONEST AND SOBER PLAN - Whether you own or rent (with the high cost of taxes being passed down from a landlord to you), we are all affected by the mismanagement that led to a 47% local tax increase this past fiscal year. Dawn has distinguished herself on this critical issue from her opponent Peter Cammarano in two important ways:
First, Dawn is the only mayoral candidate to have published a detailed written plan to reduce our local taxes by 25% in her first year in office. Mr. Cammarano has pledged to reduce taxes but without actually touching the politically sensitive subject of how he would make necessary budget cuts. I respectfully urge you to review the details of Dawn’s plan to bring fiscal responsibility to Hoboken: visit http://www.zimmerforchange.com/ (or call 201-428-4239, or visit campaign headquarters at 618 Washington St.). Mr. Cammarano has published no such plan.
Second, personnel costs are 80% of our city budget. While Mr. Cammarano has remained vague on whether he would make personnel cuts to balance our budget, Dawn has been honest in saying that personnel costs must be reviewed as part of any budget balancing process. While Dawn does not favor reducing service levels for vital functions such as police and fire safety, she is open to exploring where administrative costs can be reduced and strongly believes Hoboken’s personnel costs must be benchmarked with those of similar municipalities. Her stand is responsible and honest. Mr. Cammarano continues to play politics on these hard issues.
ENDING PATRONAGE AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AT CITY HALL – Our city has four school principals and only three schools and has among the top five highest administrative costs per student in the state. Our Mile-Square City’s Police Chief has made more than Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly in New York City. This points to a city that likely has too much patronage at City Hall. Dawn and her City Council slate are the only candidates who are openly discussing ways to share as much information as possible in the most public way possible, about how the city really operates. Mr. Cammarano ran for City Council with the outgoing Roberts administration and not surprisingly, avoids directly addressing the need for real operational change. His voting record supports he is a part of that avoidance, choosing to cover up our missteps, rather than openly working to address and correct them. I would suggest his vote to support an underfunded budget last year, is one example. Most all of us would far prefer to not be working with a State Monitor. Despite how Mr. Cammarano presents the situation, to vote in favor of an underfunded budget as he chose to do, would have created far greater problems than our current situation.
OUR SCHOOLS - While Mr. Cammarrano again chose to remain silent, Dawn supported the winning Kids First slate in the recent School Board Elections. A Mayor needs a school board he or she can work with to improve education and reduce crushing school administrative costs. The health of our schools is a quality of life issue. Dawn is the only candidate to take a stand in the recent school board elections.
One last pitch: Fiscally responsible budgets, an end to nepotism and corruption, strong schools, and smart, balanced development are just some of the issues at stake in this election. If we want to restore our city’s health, Hoboken needs your vote for these long-overdue changes. I strongly urge you to vote for Dawn Zimmer for Mayor and Carol Marsh, Ravi Bhalla, and David Mello for City Council this coming Tuesday, June 9.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I hope you will join me in supporting Dawn Zimmer and her slate next Tuesday.
- Kathy Mallow ◦
