In an editorial, former Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer explains why she believes Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour and Jersey City Mayor James Solomon should not be blamed for the finances they inherited from their predecessors.
As the Mayor of Hoboken from 2009 to 2017, I’ve watched the budget crises facing Hoboken and Jersey City with a sad sense of deja vu.
I became mayor during an extremely turbulent time. My opponent in the 2009 mayor’s race had been arrested for taking bribes, and the fiscal irresponsibility of the preceding administration had resulted in a takeover of Hoboken’s finances by the State of New Jersey.
The State fiscal monitor had imposed a 70% increase in Hoboken’s municipal taxes (yes, you read that correctly!) to close the structural deficit.…