With last week's article on 916 Garden, we are no doubt faced with another costly blunder. And it is still not over! How much more can we take. I say none, zero, zilch, nil. This not only affects those that park at 916 Garden, but the city as a whole. With what was touted by the city as...state of the art and first of its kind; will solve our parking problems; to.. .let's dissolve the authority and bring it in house to control (and spend) the money, and lastly, appoint somebody locally to manage parking, we are now faced with virtually no solution but more posturing and more waste.

As president of the Hoboken Police Department's PBA, I am compelled, to inform Hoboken's community of a serious increase of violent crime plaguing our City.

Throughout the year, I have spoken at council meetings and sent dozens of letters to our elected officials, all of which have gone unanswered, warning that increased violence in our neighboring cities will eventually spill over and like a virus infect our community. Even after the February murder of Ismar Mineros, an 18 year old resident, gunned down in our City, again I called for the hiring of more police officers. My pleas were dismissed and unanswered.

By way of saving Hoboken's St. Mary Hospital, the City Council is about to kiss goodbye our best chance of keeping an emergency room in town.

Unless it's gone already. Here's the story.

As I reminded readers in a previous letter, when Bon Secours first announced that it was dumping the money-losing hospital, another health care company said it would take over the emergency room. That's really the only hospital facility we need right her in town. But the Mayor made a lot of noise about saving the entire hospital with a city takeover. Hence the plan to stick taxpayers with a fifty million dollar bond. And when taxpayers expressed concern about repaying the bond, he said, `Don't worry; if it's not turning a profit by the end of 2007' - I think now they're saying in two years from now – `we can always sell the property to developers.'

Ramos needs to explain this

November 15, 2006

Letters to the Editor - Jersey Journal

Each week I think the Roberts administration can't get any worse at mismanagement and misrepresentation, and each week the news reports prove me wrong. I'll leave others to make sense of the 916 Garden St. parking garage debacle. Today I'm writing about "Hospital Authority asks for $52 million."

Now don't get me wrong, I support having a hospital in Hoboken - as it was promised by Mayor Roberts - at no risk and no cost to the Hoboken taxpayer. It's just been obvious to most of us for months that that is never going to happen.

Reading the Journal Online story this week, a casual reader might think that Councilman Ruben Ramos Jr. has finally come to the same conclusion. He is reported as saying that it is troubling that the council was expected to vote to guarantee $52 million in bonds with only five minutes notice and no one from the board present at the meeting.

"We want them to be accountable to us," Ramos said. And bravo for Mr. Ramos.

But how does he square his newfound sense of fiscal responsibility - after seven years on the council - with the fact THAT IT WAS MR. RAMOS who was the sponsor of the ordinance he objected to?

Sadly, he doesn't seem to think he has to explain himself to anyone. One more unsupported claim and hope the public turns to the next issue.

Remember the parks, parking, and balanced budget that got Mr. Ramos re-elected in 2005? Gone in a puff of smoke. Just like the promises about St. Mary Hospital.

TONY SOARES HOBOKEN

All his answers ring so hollow
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Jersey Journal

Dear Editor:
Hey, isn't it comical that Sen. Robert Menendez took the time to write a big letter to The Jersey Journal outlining his ideas on how to secure the United States from terrorists. In his letter, he knocks "the government." But, excuse me, isn't he "the government" he is knocking?

We must ask Mr. Menendez, instead of writing long-winded letters, just what exactly is he doing about terrorists. Ah, but you will get no answer because Menendez's ideas on how to control terrorists are right up there with his ideas on how to control the hazardous commuter vans running through Hudson County. Nada, nil, in other words - nothing !!!

MARSHALL POLIZZI HOBOKEN

Dear Editor:
I say kudos to Lane Bajardi and Rick Kamber for rounding up their communities and constantly applying public pressure on City Council to vote in favor of what's best for their communities'.  We should further challenge the Administration and City Council to work harder in creating a balance between what is best for the City of Hoboken when it comes to public policy and the budget. You simply cannot just steam roll the public to fund a deficit!

 Dear Editor:

Dear Editor:
In a letter published in the August 20th issue of The Hoboken Reporter, Luis Torres charges that City Council members who defeated the ordinance authorizing the city to use eminent domain to seize the two businesses at 1012-22 and 1032-40 of having "caved into special interests to thwart redevelopment." What Mr. Torres neglects to mention is that the "special interests" in this case are the people who live on the block and don't want to see its unique character spoiled by tasteless, oversized condo buildings, its trees and cobblestones ripped up by construction vehicles, its limited access blocked with endless traffic jams, and the end ` of any parking on the street by family and friends from out of town.