10/28/2001
Hoboken Reporter

Dear Editor:

For the benefit of the public I must expose Mr. Lenz for his misleading statements in recent advertisements and interviews.

Mr Lenz complains about "Big Campaign contributions"

Truth: Mr Lenz had no trouble cashing those checks when he managed our campaign.

Lenz states that work on a new master plan has scarcely begun.

Truth: The Requests for Qualifications for a New Master Plan were ordered on July 1, 2001. Our first day in office. And the Mayor Appointed a citizen led Master Plan Advisory Committee.

Lenz alleges, The Planning Board Attorney is a Bergen County Politician.

Truth: Doug Bern is a Freeholder in Bergen County. Before being elected to that office he was a local attorney with clients in Hoboken and activist in his hometown where he fought off the construction of luxury townhomes over a natural watershed.

He was also just endorsed by the Sierra Club for his commitment to open space.

Lenz alleges that we hired an apologist for a local developer.

Truth: That apologist imposed some of the heaviest fines and health violations on that developer's construction site his first month on the job.

Lenz states that we ignored the twin buildings approved under the last administration at 101 Marshal Drive.

Truth: Ruben Ramos and I both spoke out against those buildings and Millennium Towers. We held community meetings and attended the planning board meetings in Hoboken and Jersey City to fight the approvals.

Here are some other items of reform Mr. Lenz doesn't want the public to know we have achieved in 100 days:

*The City Council along with Campos Appointed John Branciforte to the Zoning Board.

*The City Council along with Campos Appointed Councilwoman Carol Marsh, Beth Mason and Cassandra Wilday to the Planning Board.

*The City Council along with Campos Appointed Alan Cohen and Daniel deCavaignac to the Parking Authority.

*The City Council along with Campos Appointed Ines Garcia Keim and Monica Hetterick to the Rent Control Board.

*The City Council along with Campos Appointed Mr. Michael Pane as our attorney on Land Use and immediate zoning revisions. (Like the rescinding of the 100 percent lot coverage ordinance we adopted on October 17.)

*We announced a new park on Jackson Street so ALL City kids could have a place to cool off in the summer.

*Overtime is lowest it has been in eight years.

*We promoted more Minorities and Women to key directorships and Commissions than any other administration.

The truth is Michael Lenz hardly got involved in a Fourth Ward Campaign despite living here through three of them. Instead he opted to help someone in the uptown 2nd Ward.

I've never seen him at many of the local tree plantings, Street Clean ups or the Earth Day events that led to the creation of the gateway community Park on Observer Highway.

When it came to supporting the Western Alignment of the Light Rail Line, Mr. Lenz was not with us gathering Fourth Ward petitions or support.

I've never seen him at a Fourth Ward Block Watch meeting .

And finally, we are not padding the payroll with unqualified employees. The fact that Mr. Lenz is not employed at the Parking Authority is proof of that.

Anthony Soares
Fourth Ward Resident
City Council President