People will be inclined to ask why am I doing this if you are advocacy blog that generally supports the majority of positions of the current Administration, why are you posting up their banner for free when the PBA position is contrary what is assumed to be yours?
The answer to this can be broken down as follows: I support the Mayor in that she made a difficult decision and is trying to keep to at least part of her campaign pledge to lower the tax burden for the citizens of Hoboken. Sure, her pledge of a 25% municipal tax cut was too aggressive and I am not denying that fact. However, in order to get to that goal of tax relief, Hoboken must operate more efficiently and the only way to get there is to reduce personnel costs.
Mike Russo and Beth Mason have been systematically criticizing the Mayor for not delivering on her 25% tax cuts but when she finally makes a move in the right direction they both balk. In other words they are all talk. Nothing but a pair of flapping gums, or should I say in Bajardi parlance flotsam and jetsam. Those two are simply not serious about the Hoboken taxpayer.
Mike Russo and Beth Mason can't have it both ways. "Double sham" on the two of them.
Now, whatever my detractors might say about me I am not a cold and unsympathetic man. I do understand that layoffs mean hardships for those on the list. I also understand that due to Union bumping rules that the lower level officers will be the one's effected. To this I say that the Mayor is on record saying that if retirement happens the number of those laid-off will be reduced. This was brought up in a story on the MSV Blog: http://hobokenhorse.blogspot.com/2010/09/city-hall-police-retirements-saved-jobs.html.
The levels of police officers were less about 5-6 years ago then they are today and Hoboken wasn't beset by a crime wave then and I don't expect it to be now. Attrition was mentioned as an alternative instead of layoffs but that supports the notion we could do with fewer policemen in the first place.
So even though the PBA ad is perhaps contrary to my opinion I am putting it up because quite frankly I don't think it will impact the Mayor's decision one bit. I also support the right for dissension on my site so why not put up a banner for the PBA. I put up links for all political candidates in the past so this is not a major departure from my editorial stance.
I think that even though the PBA has a right to say whatever they want, a more constructive approach would be to stop giving money to Paul Swibinski and figure out how to get the numbers to where the Mayor wants them in a constructive dialogue. I like Vince Lombardi but his notion that Zimmer has a vendetta against the police is flat out wrong. The Mayor's layoff plan is a business decision, a tough one at that but still a business decision. ◦
