Dear neighbors, family and friends,
This July is a special month for me not only because it is the anniversary of when I started calling Hoboken home 25 years ago, but it also marks four years since I decided to throw my hat into the ring and run for City Council as the Second Ward’s representative. It was with the support from many of you that I won my first election and it is your continued support and engagement that has allowed us to accomplish great things together for Hoboken ever since. I would love for you to join me on Monday, July 15th at Madison Bar and Grill to help me celebrate these important July milestones, but more importantly to help me kick off my re-election campaign!
Beginning today, I am officially running for re-election so that we can continue working together to make our Hoboken the best place to live for all of us.
I am incredibly proud of our track record because by working together we have touched on so many issues that have made a positive impact on Hoboken. To name a few:
- Saving taxpayers $30 million and putting an end to water main breaks by renegotiating our Suez contract to give Hoboken enough funds to upgrade our entire water system.
- Making Hoboken’s main street safer, more resilient and beautiful by completing the Washington Street Redesign and bringing back community sidewalk patrols.
- Defending our waterfront against private and commercial interests so that both the proposed Monarch and the former Union Dry Dock sites are developed as open space for public use and enjoyment.
- Keeping taxes low and ensuring fiscal discipline as Chair of the Finance and Revenue Committee by eliminating wasteful and excess spending while maintaining essential city services and supporting public safety.
- Advocating for our most vulnerable and longer standing residents to prevent displacement by hiring a tenant advocate, supporting an amendment to rent control laws that are favorable to tenants and extending PILOTs on low income housing units.
- Executing on a pedestrian safety plan for the 2nd Ward that includes traffic calming initiatives and upgrades to a dozen intersections.
- Adding a new dog park to the 2nd Ward in a neighborhood that has seen the highest residential and pet density increases throughout the entire city.
- Coordinating with the Board of Education to prioritize the massive enrollment wave in our school district, which has seen a 59% increase in grades Pre-K 3 to 6th in just eight years, in all planning and redevelopment actions the City undertakes.
- Fighting for and securing over $5 million in revenue for our city from private developments, including the Hilton Hotel project, by delivering financial expertise to redevelopment negotiations so the City is no longer the underdog.
- Supporting greater investment in resiliency as the lead Council voice on Rebuild By Design and backing the resiliency initiatives in the South West and North West Parks.
We still have more to do, but even more important is what lies ahead. We need to tackle together the issues being created by e-Scooters and create more of a culture of pedestrian safety in Hoboken. We need to find ways to continue supporting the success of local businesses and ensure their longevity in our City. But the biggest issue to me that lies ahead of us is making sure all future development addresses our community needs and makes sense for Hoboken.
I feel strongly in the power of working together to reach our common goals, which is why I hope you will join me to celebrate our achievements as I begin my re-election campaign on July 15. I understand some of you may have summer plans, but I am sure I will see you at a community event or knocking on doors with me soon.
Hoboken deserves leaders who advocate for their neighbors and I truly believe I have successfully been that voice for the past three and a half years. With your continued support, we can keep working together to protect and improve our Hoboken.
Thank you so much for your support! Please forward this to everyone you think would be interested and feel free to reach out to me anytime at 201/208-1674. I hope to see you on the 15th!
