 |
| In a letter to the HR, Ruben Ramos complains about the installation of a traffic light at this dangerous corner. |
GA knows elections aren't won by praising one's opponent. A candidate must impress upon the public that they will do a better job than the other guy.
In this case, the guy's a gal: incumbent Mayor Dawn Zimmer, and the candidate is Assemblyman Ruben Ramos.
Which is why I was scratching my head at the letter Ramos and running-mate Laura Miani put in this week's Hoboken Reporter. (Note neither running-mate Joe Mindak nor Eduardo Gonzales would sign it)
It was plain D-U-M-B.
Ruben's first point:
On Tuesday, the City announced that the construction at 1600 Park will be further delayed for additional testing of the soil...After five years of waiting, the latest delay is inexcusable. We need to stop sitting on our hands and get to work to make this long-promised park become a reality.(1) In other words, Ramos complains because the opening of 1600 Park has been delayed to guarantee the safety of the public which is "inexcusable". Boo hiss.
This is what actually happened (City Hall press release).
During construction of 1600 Park, the contractor encountered unexpected debris, organics, and softer than expected soil conditions based on previous analysis and testing.In other words, subsoil conditions were found during construction which were not determined in earlier testing. What would Ramos and Miano suggest? Forging ahead and not adapting the structural engineering of the park for softer soil? Did the Mayor create the subsoil conditions? We already know she makes the sun rise in the East and set in the West.
Would Ramos prefer another Sinatra Park-type collapse from a project that was poorly-planned and inadequately designed?
Sinatra Park was built on 100-year old timber pilings a.k.a. a shipworm-smorgasbord. GA saw those structural design plans when doing a renderings for a grant proposal and I've never seen a worse set of structural drawings- I wrote about it back in November of 2010, An Anecdote About Something Missing.
The Sinatra Park structural drawings were alarming in their absence of engineering design and scope.
These are the renderings I made in 2010. The kind of disaster you see in the photos is exactly what the Mayor wishes to PREVENT.
Zimmer's legacy will be Parks that don't collapse or sink into oblivion, like Sinatra Park.
That's always been the problem with Old Guard, like Ruben Ramos. They kick the can down the road, even when it comes to matters of public safety.
Ruben's next point was a flat-out head scratcher. You ready for this one?
Since she took office, the Mayor has held up construction for studies on the site and stalled the project for installation of a traffic light.Ummm... a traffic light at a busy intersection across the street from a park is a problem for Ramos and Miani?
As the mom of a kid who will be playing in 1600 Park, GA would like to THANK whomever is responsible for installing that traffic light- from the guys who dug the foundation and ran the power, to it to the Mayor, to the County. I don't care WHO did it. The installation of a traffic light at a kids' park is not about politics, it's about SAFETY for KIDS (and adults).
What kind of nudnik would turn that into a negative?
Ummm... Of course Ramos will have to bash the Mayor about something. But making our streets safer to cross and our parks safer to play in?
Better luck next time, Ruben. No wonder neither Mindak nor Gonzales would put their name on that stinker... yikes.
He wanted to remind everyone he was running for mayor.
ReplyDeleteHe did.
He also reminded everyone why they wanted to forget he was running for mayor.
As bludiamonds might say, "Mission accomplished?"
GA
ReplyDeleteShe obviously isn't trying to give Descartes a run for his money. Just hope she doesn't get sympathy because others bash her on line w out explaining their reasoning. She was chosen for a reason. Lets not make it easy for RR to run her past the voters without legit scrutiny
Putting her name to this idiotic letter is reason enough for me, and it may be for others.
DeleteMiani (and Mindak) signed up for this ride with Ruben and that's more than reason enough to criticize their judgement and intent not to mention this bizarre letter.
ReplyDelete1600 Park will become a reality due in no small measure to the work of visionary citizen-activists, who sued to prevent the City from selling this parcel, courageously adding their names to a lawsuit at a time when to do so often had severe consequences rendered by the corrupt old guard. Ramos didn't help then and he's not helping now.
ReplyDeleteThe traffic signals were needed because of the grade of the viaducts. Cars would come over the crest (probably too fast) and not be able to stop in time for pedestrians. With a park there, you can't take any chances. Now the first thing they will see is the traffic signal and they know they should stop. As for the stadium lights, once you dig into the ground more than a few feet, you are are the mercy of whatever was thrown in there 100 or more years ago.
ReplyDeleteSpot-on, Anonymous. Also, whenever a traffic light or stop sign is added, the state gets involved and since Willow (and Park?) Avenue is / are county roads, the county probably needed to approve as well. All of those hurdles were cleared, but not so with the council minority who would rather take risks with our kids lives than approve a stop light. This is the position and these are the people Ramos is aligning himself with in his letter.
DeleteRamos or his handlers are counting on low-information Hobokenites not knowing any part of this history - as well as other similar examples - and they assume that all B&R's are all for keeping the legacy of nepotism, corruption and graft going.
BIG mistake on their parts.