In a letter to the editor, Jersey City Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano explained why “we now must finish the job in a runoff election” on Tuesday, December 7th.
Dear Editor,
Thank you to my volunteers and supporters who voted on Nov. 2nd! With your help, we decisively won 44% of the vote with my closest opponent coming in a distant second place at 29%.
With three candidates dividing the vote, we now must finish the job in a runoff election on Tuesday, December 7th.
I have been fighting for residents in Ward C for decades, long before we had the luxury of worrying about how to manage the successful growth and redevelopment of the greater Journal Square area. I have always been clear about what I care about: QUALITY OF LIFE.
What does that mean? It means clean streets and parks that are safe to walk down, access to the arts, and keeping Jersey City a place where everyday families can afford to live. I spend every day fighting for my constituents and will never stop.
On my watch, we’ve brought over $90 Million in arts related investment to Ward C.
I’ve also fought for Pershing Field playground renovations, Reservoir Park renovations, a pending brand-new park by the Courthouse on Newark Ave, Waldo Ave Parklet, upgrades to SGT B Anthony Park, renovations on Palisade Ave, and more.
I want my grandchildren to be able to walk to a park near them and have a safe place to enjoy all Jersey City has to offer.
While my opponent wants to dictate to YOU what your City should look like — I have listened to you and responded to the issues which matter to you most.
I do not want to take away your parking spaces, remove and prevent your use of driveways, raise your taxes, or risk increasing crime by defunding the police.
Instead, I want the focus of the next four years to be about your quality of life, your enjoyment and use of open spaces, controlling the ever-expanding development in Ward C, and the cleanliness and safety of our neighborhoods.
I make no secret of where I stand on these important issues, and voters face an important choice on Tuesday, December 7th. What kind of city do you want to live in? Thank you for your support.
Rich Boggiano
Jersey City Ward C councilman
Of course the councilman reaches out to his constituents when he needs their votes. Whenever we reach out to him, we wait weeks for a response only to be told that his email isn’t working, if we get a response at all. The councilman has been an obstacle to common sense street safety measures across our ward and a number of investments and improvements that he touts as his own achievements are actually a result of ward residents pushing forward plans that the councilman initially opposed. The HAP Investments project on Summit, which the councilman based his first campaign on opposing? He’s all for it now that he got a couple dozen parking spaces for his buddies and the developer agreed to keep a street open for parking. That should be an indication of where his priorities stand: cars over people, no matter how many promises need to be broken or people need to be injured.
If the councilman cares so much about quality of life, I would ask why he wasn’t out on the streets most weekends like one of his opponents, cleaning up garbage. I would ask why it’s up to residents to beg our city, county, and state to clear sidewalks of snow so that pedestrians have a safe place to walk in the winters. I would ask why our neighborhood has one of the lowest levels of tree canopy coverage in the city. I would ask why our neighborhood has one of the highest concentrations of high-injury network roadways in the city. The answer is that the councilman defines quality of life as the ease with which people can find parking and drive.
If anything, the councilman’s obstructionism and silence is dictating to residents what HE wants to see in the neighborhood, even when the majority of voices say otherwise.
Rich Boggiano is now the quality of life candidate? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Did Katrina write this piece or Shill Swibinsky?
His letter is exactly why he should be re-elected. In some cases, he might change his mind. That is called flexibility. His opponent talks about what he is opposed to but not how he would do in the same circumstance. It is very easy to be against. Blame the problems on one person. His opponent lost the vote in his own neighborhood to a plumber. Should we conclude that the plumber knows what he is doing? Based on the other letter we must say yes. Instead the plumber is supporting Councilman Boggiano. He must be a great plumber but also a good indicator of the Councilman’s opponent.
The interesting statement was about snow removal. The snow was not removed on Palisade Avenue where he lives. It was only removed on St. Paul’s where he leaves his house. Should we blame him or the City? Should he claim 29% of Journal Square is for him? There will always be opposition but in a democracy the winner prevails. So far the plumber is the winner. In December, Councilman Boggiano will be re-elected once again.
Thank you for your service to Jersey City but it’s time to step down. Jersey City deserves better and someone with specific plans. I’m sorry but telling us you care about quality of life in caps lock isn’t what we need.