Dear Editor:

Yes "Smith's name may be familiar to long-time Reporter readers" because Hoboken's Court sentenced her dog to death and she appealed to a higher court and won on the grounds that the court disregarded the law under which they persecuted, oh excuse me, prosecuted her. But newer Reporter readers may find her name familiar because of a 2004 letter to the editor that was published in the Reporter, the Jersey Journal and the Urban Times. In that letter, Ms. Smith 'reprimanded' Mayor Roberts for not responding to an invitation to the 2004 NAACP Freedom Fund Awards Dinner and suggested that voters remember that "monumental snub" the next time they voted. Mayor Roberts' apology to Smith was printed in a subsequent issue of the Reporter's letters to the editor.

Well Mr. Mayor, a year has passed and another NAACP Freedom Fund Awards Dinner is scheduled for April 3rd at Casino In the Park. You're up for re-election this year so I only have one question to ask - have you got your tickets yet?

Also, if family background has relevancy in the campaign for the May 10th election (get ready for a wild ride 3/20/05), let me give you some background on Ms. Smith's family. The Smith name has a legacy of service to the city, county, state and country. Ms. Smith's mother, the late Sarah Lee Smith was a city school crossing guard, a recreation aide, a case worker and Director of H.O.P.E.S. Multi-service Center. Her father, the late Leo H. Smith Sr. served as a Hoboken Housing Authority Commissioner and Vice-chairman, Deputy County Registrar, member of the Hudson County Parole Board, Vice-president of the Hudson County Labor Council, member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a member of the Selective Service Board under two presidents.

These are just some of the facts that I would like the public to know about my Great Aunt and my Great Grandparents.

LaShaunda Ross