In an editorial, Hoboken resident Joshua Sotomayor-Einstein expresses his dismay on how the municipal government has handled rat control.
The exponential increase in Hoboken’s rat population has finally caught up with City Hall.
While some say political office has long attracted vermin, it was not until recently that elected leaders in Hoboken began addressing the (several years long and) obvious explosion in the rat problem.
Of course, the first ‘solution’ offered by the ‘parks and rec’ obsessed virtue signalers that are many of our elected officials was wastefully spending the public’s purse on pamphlets instructing people how to better close their garbage bins.
Now the ‘wise heads’ of city hall would like to mandate that buildings, small and large, use new garbage cans and bags.
This cost, of course, will eventually be passed on to residents but importantly, City Hall’s proposed solutions ignore the fact that this city council itself has created more affordable housing and greater food access for rats than for any human residents.
Street eateries and the rat hotels that are corner “bioswales,” are the cause of the explosion in the rat population.
Ending street eateries and cementing over the infested pockets of corner curb side dirt and weeds is a huge part of the actual solution. Before street eateries and the bioswales Hoboken’s rat population was lower, after giving them greater access to food, greater cover to hide in and under from which to dart out, the rat population exploded.
While none in City Hall will say it aloud, thousands of Hoboken residents have seen rats running around and under street eateries and coming from the dirt patches called bioswales.
The meager poison program the city has solicited will not stop the rise in rats. At best it will temporarily arrest, not the total number, but the growth rate of the rat population.
A more intensive extermination plan combined with eliminating the rat habitat and de facto outdoor rat cafeterias city hall has created, will lower the population permanently.
Until then Hoboken is stuck both with the rampaging rats in the streets and those in City Hall (living on government cheese) and ignoring the problem they created.
Why does the author state that affordable housing adds to the rat problem?
Sounds pretty biased there.
Are you all edging that the neediest and middle class cause rats?
You state: “This city council itself has created more affordable housing and greater food access for rats than for any human residents.”
This is so so offensive.
TS-Hoboken
I think vast of majority those reading this post are intelligent enough to understand what the author (btw he signed his name) was saying.
However if you are not please feel free to be triggered or at least pretend to be.
I am looking forward to the day when you can walk down any street, without a rat crossing your path. I think we are owed that much for the taxes we pay.
Serious problems don’t get handled until someone makes a ‘stink.’ Now let’s see our officials address the lack of any recreation programs for teens all summer that last more than an hour or two. Didnt Jessica Lezcano come in saying she was a former lifeguard, so where is her push for affordable swim programs that she knows are so important? So many teens in town can’t swim. (Anyone else tired of seeing city officials arranging carpools with their mom friends out of town? We’re paying foor them to do this. They can afford private garages and we can’t.) Where are the recreation arts programs in summer for all ages? So far we haven’t gotten a single one for summer. Nada. Not everyone plays sports. Here is what a newspaper quoted Jessica as saying over a. year ago: “Coming into Hoboken, Lezcano has ideas for potential new activities the city can offer, including theater, art and music programs in addition to the roster of traditional sports. Lezcano, who also speaks Spanish, is also excited to engage with the community and hear from residents about what they want to see.” Oh RLY?
The rats should pay the rat tax I already pay the Homer tax.
– Homer J Simpson
This loser again? Shouldn’t he be planning to avenge his Orange Rat God?