Dear Friends and Neighbors,
My opponent has no relevant experience or plan to run on, so they are putting out mailers and emails to spread confusion and fear and are hoping that 2nd Ward voters aren't smart enough to figure out the truth. While I was out talking with voters last night, I spoke with a neighbor who has been receiving these mailers and emails, and she asked me to address the attacks and outright lies my opponent is hurling at me in this election... but she made me promise to be brief. So for her (and I am sure for many of you as well!), I’ve put together these brief responses:
REGARDING MONARCH
I have been leading the fight against Monarch since 2011 because I believe our waterfront belongs to the public. I have always been in this fight and I always will be, and you can count on my vote in 2020 to finally put this fight to bed. Unfortunately, my opponent wants to jeopardize all the work we have done together in this important fight by demanding that an unrealistic project with a $50M price tag be a requirement under the already agreed terms. This is a material change that will surely sink the entire agreement. Help me dispel the fear and confusion they are spreading by getting the truth to your friends and neighbors.
REGARDING UNION DRY DOCK
Advocating for the Union Dry Dock project was the first thing I did when I was elected in 2015 because I know how important our waterfront is, and I have never stopped. Unfortunately, my opponent believes the only way she can win is to confuse people into believing that the Council somehow could have taken action sooner. It was sadly not a priority of the prior administration until too late, and those of us who take Eminent Domain seriously, as I do, understand that we are, and always have been, moving as swiftly as we responsibly can.
REGARDING PAY-TO-PLAY
We must never allow the political corruption which plagued Hoboken for decades to ever happen again. That is why I have a demonstrated track record always fighting for more transparency, better campaign finance laws, and fair elections. But again, my opponent is looking to spread fear and confusion by distorting the facts. The truth is that she is the one skirting Hoboken's campaign finance laws – taking more than is legally allowed by parties with a vested interest in development projects. Something I have never done, and will never do.
REGARDING OPEN SPACE
I am a passionate supporter of green space in Hoboken, I know how vital it is to our city's ecosystem, to the health of our community, and to the beauty of this amazing city we all call home. But rather than focus on the many acres of parkland I am fighting to secure for our city, including along our waterfront and at Harborside park, my opponent would rather you focus on a law my Council colleagues and I supported this year that sought to clarify existing, ambiguous language in our zoning code pertaining to accessing the land in the middle of each developed block (“Donut hole”).
As you can see, my opponent has no experience or real plan to run on, so she and her team are resorting to dirty tactics to scare and confuse voters. For those of you familiar with Hoboken elections, we have seen these tactics before, in fact many times. My opponent and her team are taking cues from some sort of playbook, one that is familiar to all of us, but it certainly isn’t the “reform” playbook. With only eight days to go, I am still expecting more attacks including from the Operating Engineers Local 825 PAC, the one my opponent received an endorsement from, that funded 13% of the mayor’s campaign in 2017, and that ran the attack ad against Councilman Doyle a year ago this week.
Please help me fight the lies and attacks by sharing this with your neighbors and signing up to volunteer between now and Election Day. If you somehow can't find the time, please consider making a donation to help me get our message out about our great track record working together and our plans for Hoboken’s future. No amount of time or donation is too small.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions on this or anything else that is important to you. You can email me or call me anytime at 201/208-1674. And please join me tonight from 730-900pm at Stingray Lounge to help me celebrate my birthday and for a much needed reprieve before we brace for the final week of the election.
