The Hoboken Tax Reform Coalition
Open Letter to Mayor Dawn Zimmer
Dear Mayor,
Politicians are famous for using terms like "Open and Transparent Government" but you never hear much about that after they win. Dawn, you have shown some progress with attempting to be open and transparent and for that you should be congratulated. At least you are attempting to be transparent about some of the issues i.e. the budget workshops.
With that being said, there is a ways to go and I would like to make a recommendation. Utilize the Hoboken website to inform your constituents where you and Hoboken stand on current issues. Make the website be a resource for you to illustrate where you stand and what you are doing to assist Hoboken in becoming a better place to live.
- Taxes; when will they be reduced? Which year?
- Budget; what are you doing to reduce?
- Flooding; when are the pumps going to be installed?
- The pier; when will construction start to repair?
- Open Space; what is the plan?
- Development; where do we stand with the Lackawanna project?
- other: there are many issues to many to list.
Lastly, not everyone has a computer, so this recommendation is only valid for a certain percentage of the Hoboken population. I would recommend writing about the issues and mailing them out quarterly in the form of a newsletter.
Keep the town informed and maybe, just maybe, we can all assist and help this town become a better place to live, work and enjoy.
Sincerely,
David A. Liebler
Views: 1
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dave Kaplan on -
Taxes; when will they be reduced? Which year?
I can answer this. They'll be reduced when we can reduce the budget for personnel. I hope your next open letter will be a call to right-size the police force -- if you are truely interested in lower taxes.
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Permalink Reply by David A. Liebler on -
RealDealHobo, as you can see the administrator has removed your poor attempt to slander my name and the names of others in Hoboken, but the fact remains that you are a coward and a bully. There was no reason to have brought all these people into a simple blog post when all I was doing was asking the Mayor to let us know what is currently going on. Being a Zimmer supporter is terrific but being a fanatic blogger is entirely wrong. You have crossed the line and we all deserve an apology. Expose yourself and let everyone know who you are.
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Permalink Reply by scott m siegel on
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1) Taxes will reduced when we finally stop paying massive differed expenses such as the Municipal Garage and Mayor Roberts $4.2mm early retirement fiasco. Keeping wages constant or cutting them (layoffs etc) would also provide tax relief.
2) Wages-and head count. That's 70% of the budget. Putting services online can reduce headcount and costs. Maybe shutting down City hall 1-2X a month could be considered. Enact the police audit. David- why don't you come to the Council meeting on Wednesday and speak up? Investigative and departmental audits are mandatory.
3) Construction on the 1st pump is imminent.
4) When we get funding. Or David to you propose raising taxes to fund it?
5) See #4.
6) Over my dead body.
7) So you want to raise taxes and expand government? Someone has to write and mail the newsletter. How many trees do you propose chopping down?
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Permalink Reply by David A. Liebler on
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Steve, I am glad to see that you chose not to stab me with the keyboard right off the bat and for that I thank you.
I was actually interested in your comments as there was some insight to the current set of affairs in Hoboken. The issue I have in MY opinion and MY opinion only, is the office of the Mayor of Hoboken should be telling us this information for herself and for the good of the town and not you through a blog.
People (including those who do not have computers) should be aware of what is going on and through better communication between the Mayor's office and the town. We should not have to go to "other websites or hear things second hand" the city should inform us with a status report on the issues.
Hoboken Revolt members you need to understand something; this was actually a valid point. I was not sarcastic, nor was I offensive to the Mayor for suggesting that we have better communication. I was polite. Whether or not I worked or volunteered for anyone else is irrelevant. Your site is becoming a very defense blog for Dawn, which boarders on slander and cyber bulling. If you want to have decent dialogue, then you need to be understanding that others have their opinions and they are allowed to express. You are allowed to have a different view, but be civil or you are just a bunch of people talking to yourselves and this becomes your chat room. Remember your mission (no matter who is Mayor) REDUCE TAXES and hold the Mayor/City Hall accountable.
Lastly, Steve I applaude you on always attending the city council meetings but I am just not sure I can handle those old benches for 4-6 hours to wait to talk to the city council. I will though write a letter to Mayor Zimmer with my comments, suggestions and offer to volunteer and be a part of any volunteer communication committee for the aid of City Hall/Mayor to increase communication to people of Hoboken. I hope that is enough for you and ask that you stop bashing me every chance you get as well. Thanks in advance. David
scott m siegel said:1) Taxes will reduced when we finally stop paying massive differed expenses such as the Municipal Garage and Mayor Roberts $4.2mm early retirement fiasco. Keeping wages constant or cutting them (layoffs etc) would also provide tax relief.
2) Wages-and head count. That's 70% of the budget. Putting services online can reduce headcount and costs. Maybe shutting down City hall 1-2X a month could be considered. Enact the police audit. David- why don't you come to the Council meeting on Wednesday and speak up? Investigative and departmental audits are mandatory.
3) Construction on the 1st pump is imminent.
4) When we get funding. Or David to you propose raising taxes to fund it?
5) See #4.
6) Over my dead body.
7) So you want to raise taxes and expand government? Someone has to write and mail the newsletter. How many trees do you propose chopping down?
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David- the words I use here and at city meetings are my own. No one writes my speech. Please call me Scott, my youngest brother is named Steve.
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Also did you watch (I know you didn't go to) the budget workshops? We are currently under NJ State supervision (Judy Tripodi). Judy, not the Mayor put the budget out. I have spoken to mayor Zimmer and am quite sure that her budget would look different. Until Judy leaves there is little Mayor Zimmer can do. At the workshops items such as I mentioned were discussed in greater detail. You can't simply wish away 30+ years of poor fiscal mismanagement in one budget cycle. Additionally things like the pump are covered during Council meetings. If you can't sit for 5 hours it does stream live on your computer. RealDealHobo bashed you, not me. I merely answered your questions. If you have specific ideas on how to cut spending lay them on the table and let's have a real discussion. If the opposing side can't/won't go to meeting to express their views then shame on you. It's not easy to have the guts to stand up there (I did it when my slate was in the minority). In America all sides have the right to heard. Stop complaining and get your butt out there.
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Permalink Reply by TJ on
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Why are some of you responding by asking Liebler personal questions? It's been made clear he worked for Raia - but Liebler is neither an elected official nor the mayor.
He is asking the same kinds of questions that Hoboken Revolt has asked of candidates - and now he is asking the mayor. Is the current administration not allowed to be criticized? I voted for Dawn but this kind of reaction is nonsense. Even if Liebler is asking for political reasons, certainly lots of questions are asked partly for political reasons. They are real questions that deserve answers...
And why are some of you answering FOR the mayor??? Geez, she has a staff to do that, who we are paying.
Grow up.
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Permalink Reply by Lincolnlogger on -
scott m siegel said:Also did you watch (I know you didn't go to) the budget workshops? We are currently under NJ State supervision (Judy Tripodi). Judy, not the Mayor put the budget out. I have spoken to mayor Zimmer and am quite sure that her budget would look different. Until Judy leaves there is little Mayor Zimmer can do. At the workshops items such as I mentioned were discussed in greater detail. You can't simply wish away 30+ years of poor fiscal mismanagement in one budget cycle. Additionally things like the pump are covered during Council meetings. If you can't sit for 5 hours it does stream live on your computer. RealDealHobo bashed you, not me. I merely answered your questions. If you have specific ideas on how to cut spending lay them on the table and let's have a real discussion. If the opposing side can't/won't go to meeting to express their views then shame on you. It's not easy to have the guts to stand up there (I did it when my slate was in the minority). In America all sides have the right to heard. Stop complaining and get your butt out there.
I wish people would realize this regarding the Board of Education budget as well. The "Real Reform" group wants to slash and burn the budget, when slow, steady, careful progress needs to be made. Cutting things quickly has a way of incurring unnecessary expenses.
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Permalink Reply by SmartyJones on -
David,
The mayor answered many if not most of what you have listed here in an audio interview last month with Mile Square View.
It's listed as the comprehensive interview and comes in five parts. She answered five pages of questions.
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Permalink Reply by David A. Liebler on
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Thank you for the information. I look forward to reviewing. It is not that I feel the Mayor does not want to answer these questions, but there needs to be a better way for her to transmit this information on a consistent basis to the entire city and not on 'one-off'" interviews that the city never hears about. This would lead to more clear and concise outbound communication from her and city hall. As residents we all the right to this information. Let's face it, there are many serious problems in our city and the mayor has one of the most difficult tasks of her life.....fixing Hoboken.
I suggest to the people that have her ear, to reach out and make suggestions on better ways to communicate to all of Hoboken via the website and other means. Thanks, David
SmartyJones said:David,
The mayor answered many if not most of what you have listed here in an audio interview last month with Mile Square View.
It's listed as the comprehensive interview and comes in five parts. She answered five pages of questions.
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Permalink Reply by robert randall on
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A few thoughts -
1. Like all of us, Mr. Liebler has the right to post here either anonymously or openly. He has chosen to post openly and that choice should not subject him to personal attacks. But by using his real name he attaches whatever credibility he himself has to his posts. That makes his background fair game. Pointing out the fact that he worked for both Cammarano and Raia is not a personal attack - its factual information relevent to the sincerity of his views and possible motivations for expressing them. For example, given his affiliations it would not be outrageous for one to suspect that Mr. Liebler would like the Mayor to provide more official information as means of providing her opponents with a better target to attack her.
2. As far as I know, neither Mr. Siegal nor anybody else on here has ever claimed to be speaking for the administration Rather it is the opponents of the administration who assert that anybody who is known to support the administration is "speaking for it" every time they express their own views on blogs or at council meetings. At the last CC meeting, Mr. Russo referred to MSV as a "Zimmer blogger" implying that the blog somehow spoke for the Mayor. We should all
Mr. Liebler asserts that he speaks for himself, despite his past political affiliations. If he wants that claim to be taken seriously, he should not, at the same time assert that posters like Mr. Siegal answer for the Mayor rather than for himself.
3. Whatever his motivations in expressing his views, and given his past affiliations I consider those questions fair, Mr. Liebler's point that City Hall needs to adopt a better communications strategy through which more information is imparted regularly and officially is well taken. It is my hope that, in addition to the myriad of other matters that the Mayor has on her plate, that this is something she is working on as well.
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Permalink Reply by David A. Liebler on
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I appreciate the comments and concerns that you may have in reference to my past political contributions. I also appreciate you not attacking me and being civil. My point to this entire blog entry is if the city had a message board and current information pertaining to the status of the issues (similar to a project management style of relaying information) the town could be more informed and make suggestions. This would be a more transparent government.
With that being said, I can understand why so many people would be concerned as this would put the Mayor and city hall more accountable to their actions and leave it open for conversation and political attacks. But isn’t that what we want?
Don't we want to know everything that city hall is doing for us? Isn't this open transparency that they all campaign about? We should hold all elected officials accountable for their votes and opinions on the issues as this effects us everyday.
Whoever sits in the Mayor's position should be held to this type of accountability and it should not matter who you voted for! While working on Peter's communication transition team we all suggested this as well as live streaming of the city council meetings, for those that did not want to attend the marathon meetings. This was a great suggestion that was implemented immediately and from what I gather is working out nicely. We just need more of the same and that is my point and not a political ambush. Dawn has the toughest job in city hall and she should be commended on her recent efforts, but there is a way's to go in being more transparent. My suggestions, I believe are valid and it should not matter which team I was on, as I would have made the same recommendation to whoever won.....as I did already to both Peter and Frank Raia, which they agreed. With that being said, the mayor should request a volunteer committee to assist her in this effort. There are many PR, Marketing and Web savvy people who work in this town who would volunteer. I am one of them and not some bitter person who did not get a job.
For the record, I was not bitter about not getting interviewed for the job, but rather disappointed with the process. Thank you, David.
robert randall said:A few thoughts -
1. Like all of us, Mr. Liebler has the right to post here either anonymously or openly. He has chosen to post openly and that choice should not subject him to personal attacks. But by using his real name he attaches whatever credibility he himself has to his posts. That makes his background fair game. Pointing out the fact that he worked for both Cammarano and Raia is not a personal attack - its factual information relevent to the sincerity of his views and possible motivations for expressing them. For example, given his affiliations it would not be outrageous for one to suspect that Mr. Liebler would like the Mayor to provide more official information as means of providing her opponents with a better target to attack her.
2. As far as I know, neither Mr. Siegal nor anybody else on here has ever claimed to be speaking for the administration Rather it is the opponents of the administration who assert that anybody who is known to support the administration is "speaking for it" every time they express their own views on blogs or at council meetings. At the last CC meeting, Mr. Russo referred to MSV as a "Zimmer blogger" implying that the blog somehow spoke for the Mayor. We should all
Mr. Liebler asserts that he speaks for himself, despite his past political affiliations. If he wants that claim to be taken seriously, he should not, at the same time assert that posters like Mr. Siegal answer for the Mayor rather than for himself.
3. Whatever his motivations in expressing his views, and given his past affiliations I consider those questions fair, Mr. Liebler's point that City Hall needs to adopt a better communications strategy through which more information is imparted regularly and officially is well taken. It is my hope that, in addition to the myriad of other matters that the Mayor has on her plate, that this is something she is working on as well.
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