Posted by Letters to the Editor on September 29, 2003 at 13:09:17:

In Reply to: Cunningham's biggest failing: Dividing the city posted by Letters to the Editor on September 29, 2003 at 11:11:25:

Thursday, September 25, 2003
Letters to the Editor
The Jersey Journal

As mayor of Jersey City it is my responsibility to inform taxpayers when their money is being used inappropriately. To spend tax dollars to launch campaign attacks is wrong, but that's exactly what Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise did when he recently sent thousands of county residents a letter in which he twisted the facts of how he raised county taxes.

In the letter, which ran in The Jersey Journal on Sept. 13, Mr. DeGise almost appeared unhappy that for the second consecutive year Jersey City has not raised property taxes.

Despite being cut by 80 percent in "Distressed Cities" monies from Trenton, Jersey City developed a smart refinancing plan, which spared taxpayers from shouldering any greater burden. This creative refinancing plan was done when interest rates were at a historic low - something I am surprised the county did not do in order to keep taxes low.

The refinancing option saved the city millions. Taxes were stabilized, a sound fiscal plan for the city was put in place in Jersey City for the next five years. Gov. James McGreevey's Department of Community Affairs in Trenton praised me and my administration for this innovative approach.

Secondly, the cost-saving plan was also voted upon and approved unanimously by the City Council of Jersey City, a body that includes Councilman Bill Gaughan, who also serves as County Executive DeGise's $100,000 per year chief of staff, and his political crony, Council President Harvey Smith, and Councilmen Junior Maldonado and Peter Brennan.

The smart fiscal planning by my administration resulted in the city being able to hire 50 new firefighters and 60 new police officers - all this without raising taxes!!

We're doing things the right way here in Jersey City, although it seems Tom DeGise would prefer we raise taxes on property owners to provide him and his Hudson County machine bosses with political fodder. The reality is Tom DeGise raised Jersey City's share of county taxes by $6 million this year.

Two weeks prior to the June 3 primary election, Tom DeGise announced a small reduction in county taxes. However, weeks after the election we discovered Tom DeGise raised your taxes. Further, since Tom DeGise took office he has spent $2 million of taxpayers' money to hire his campaign cronies to high-paying county jobs.

The people elected Mr. DeGise to fix problems, so he should stop pointing fingers and straighten out the county mess!
In 2001, Mr. DeGise lost the mayoral election, although he won the primary election, and most recently he lost Jersey City to Melba Walsh, a dedicated Bayonne community leader. Instead of using taxpayer dollars to fight the mayor of Jersey City, he should work with the mayor to solve our common problems.

Finally, I would not be surprised if taxpayers filed a lawsuit against Mr. DeGise's reckless use of taxpayer money to fund his most recent political attack.

MAYOR GLENN D. CUNNINGHAM Jersey City

:
:
: Cunningham's biggest failing: Dividing the city

:
: I can totally understand how two elected officials playing "dueling letters" can become tedious to the public, but a lie left unchallenged can be accepted as fact. So I reluctantly must respond to Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham's latest attack upon me, my office and my organization.

: County government has suffered some huge blows in the last several years. Misdeeds by its elected leaders and political feuds have dominated the headlines. It is easy and convenient to beat up on county government in order to deflect scrutiny on the failings of city government. I would like to simply point out that the first act I took upon taking office 10 months ago was to establish the county's first ever Ethical Standards Board - at the very time the city was simultaneously disbanding the one I helped to establish in my tenure as City Council president
:
: It is curious that Cunningham criticizes me for defending by mail the hard choices county government was forced to make thanks to the mess his hand-picked crew left behind.

: It was his unfair attack on me, mailed at taxpayers expense, that prompted my response.

: I wonder if the mayor will be so eager to defend his massive spending of taxpayer dollars on a race-baiting publication called the Urban Times News, or on the numerous junkets he has attended at our expense, or his attempt to raise his pay as soon as he took office - an attempt the state blocked.

: I could point out many of the policy failings of this Cunningham administration. His innovative "refinancing" was a masking of the saddling of Jersey City with tens of millions of dollars of new debt to cover operating expenses. I could point out that Jersey City is desperately lacking in the delivery of vital services. Our streets are dirty and pockmarked with potholes. Community-based policing is nonexistent. The dismantling of the neighborhood improvement districts has left a total void in the city's response to quality-of-life issues.

: But Glenn Cunningham's greatest failure as mayor has been his refusal to work to bring people together. Consensus is not in his vocabulary. I have never seen Jersey City as divided as it is today. The mayor's attitude, ego, rhetoric and fingerpointing style of management has divided people along racial, economic and geographic lines. Jersey City needs a leader of skill and vision to move us forward. Glenn Cunningham seems determined to pit us against each other and hold the city back.

: I'm going to continue to do all I can to improve the lives of the people I work for, and part of that is why I won't let Glenn Cunningham bully me. I've deeply cut the amount county government spends on taxpayer-paid-for public relations. If anyone wants to sue for that offense Glenn Cunningham ought to be the defendant.

:
: THOMAS A. DEGISE Hudson County Executive

:
:

Follow Ups:

• Links to the Original Letters GET NJ 15:33:38 09/29/03 (0)
• Re: DeGise misuses taxpayer dollars JC Voter 13:21:49 09/29/03 (2)
  • Re: DeGise misuses taxpayer dollars Ohhh please! 08:48:02 09/30/03 (1)
    • DeGise Needs A Shower Needs More Than That 10:40:10 09/30/03 (0)

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Comments:
: Thursday, September 25, 2003
: Letters to the Editor 
: The Jersey Journal 

: As mayor of Jersey City it is my responsibility to inform taxpayers when their money is being used inappropriately. To spend tax dollars to launch campaign attacks is wrong, but that's exactly what Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise did when he recently sent thousands of county residents a letter in which he twisted the facts of how he raised county taxes. 

: In the letter, which ran in The Jersey Journal on Sept. 13, Mr. DeGise almost appeared unhappy that for the second consecutive year Jersey City has not raised property taxes. 

: Despite being cut by 80 percent in "Distressed Cities" monies from Trenton, Jersey City developed a smart refinancing plan, which spared taxpayers from shouldering any greater burden. This creative refinancing plan was done when interest rates were at a historic low - something I am surprised the county did not do in order to keep taxes low. 

: The refinancing option saved the city millions. Taxes were stabilized, a sound fiscal plan for the city was put in place in Jersey City for the next five years. Gov. James McGreevey's Department of Community Affairs in Trenton praised me and my administration for this innovative approach. 

: Secondly, the cost-saving plan was also voted upon and approved unanimously by the City Council of Jersey City, a body that includes Councilman Bill Gaughan, who also serves as County Executive DeGise's $100,000 per year chief of staff, and his political crony, Council President Harvey Smith, and Councilmen Junior Maldonado and Peter Brennan. 

: The smart fiscal planning by my administration resulted in the city being able to hire 50 new firefighters and 60 new police officers - all this without raising taxes!! 

: We're doing things the right way here in Jersey City, although it seems Tom DeGise would prefer we raise taxes on property owners to provide him and his Hudson County machine bosses with political fodder. The reality is Tom DeGise raised Jersey City's share of county taxes by $6 million this year. 

: Two weeks prior to the June 3 primary election, Tom DeGise announced a small reduction in county taxes. However, weeks after the election we discovered Tom DeGise raised your taxes. Further, since Tom DeGise took office he has spent $2 million of taxpayers' money to hire his campaign cronies to high-paying county jobs. 

: The people elected Mr. DeGise to fix problems, so he should stop pointing fingers and straighten out the county mess! 
: In 2001, Mr. DeGise lost the mayoral election, although he won the primary election, and most recently he lost Jersey City to Melba Walsh, a dedicated Bayonne community leader. Instead of using taxpayer dollars to fight the mayor of Jersey City, he should work with the mayor to solve our common problems. 

: Finally, I would not be surprised if taxpayers filed a lawsuit against Mr. DeGise's reckless use of taxpayer money to fund his most recent political attack. 

: MAYOR GLENN D. CUNNINGHAM Jersey City 

: :  
: :  
: : Cunningham's biggest failing: Dividing the city 

: : 
: : I can totally understand how two elected officials playing "dueling letters" can become tedious to the public, but a lie left unchallenged can be accepted as fact. So I reluctantly must respond to Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham's latest attack upon me, my office and my organization. 

: : County government has suffered some huge blows in the last several years. Misdeeds by its elected leaders and political feuds have dominated the headlines. It is easy and convenient to beat up on county government in order to deflect scrutiny on the failings of city government. I would like to simply point out that the first act I took upon taking office 10 months ago was to establish the county's first ever Ethical Standards Board - at the very time the city was simultaneously disbanding the one I helped to establish in my tenure as City Council president 
: :      
: : It is curious that Cunningham criticizes me for defending by mail the hard choices county government was forced to make thanks to the mess his hand-picked crew left behind. 

: : It was his unfair attack on me, mailed at taxpayers expense, that prompted my response. 

: : I wonder if the mayor will be so eager to defend his massive spending of taxpayer dollars on a race-baiting publication called the Urban Times News, or on the numerous junkets he has attended at our expense, or his attempt to raise his pay as soon as he took office - an attempt the state blocked. 

: : I could point out many of the policy failings of this Cunningham administration. His innovative "refinancing" was a masking of the saddling of Jersey City with tens of millions of dollars of new debt to cover operating expenses. I could point out that Jersey City is desperately lacking in the delivery of vital services. Our streets are dirty and pockmarked with potholes. Community-based policing is nonexistent. The dismantling of the neighborhood improvement districts has left a total void in the city's response to quality-of-life issues. 

: : But Glenn Cunningham's greatest failure as mayor has been his refusal to work to bring people together. Consensus is not in his vocabulary. I have never seen Jersey City as divided as it is today. The mayor's attitude, ego, rhetoric and fingerpointing style of management has divided people along racial, economic and geographic lines. Jersey City needs a leader of skill and vision to move us forward. Glenn Cunningham seems determined to pit us against each other and hold the city back. 

: : I'm going to continue to do all I can to improve the lives of the people I work for, and part of that is why I won't let Glenn Cunningham bully me. I've deeply cut the amount county government spends on taxpayer-paid-for public relations. If anyone wants to sue for that offense Glenn Cunningham ought to be the defendant. 

: : 
: : THOMAS A. DEGISE Hudson County Executive 

: 
: : 
: :  


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