I'm writing in response to Councilman Peter Cammarano's letter from August 26, 2007. I was shocked to read Mr. Cammarano's personal attacks aimed at Councilman Cunningham, and his clear disdain for the freshman council members' efforts to secure open-space funding. Everyone knows that adding more parks will require money. But Mr. Cammarano seems to be insinuating that the open space fund will be worthless, since the tax won't provide the windfall required to immediately fulfill everyone's open space wish list. I think it's a step in the right direction, and I would ask Mr. Cammarano how he proposes to address the open space problem - by relying on developer givebacks? Judging by our non-existent community center, the ballfield-cum-fenced "public" park at Maxwell Place, and the sad little parcel tacked on the end of the ShopRite parking lot, I'd rather the fate of Hoboken open space be in our hands, thank you.
If adding open space requires paying a little more at tax time, and the burden is spread out among everyone, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Since the open space resolution only puts the question on the ballot, ultimately leaving it up to the voters, I'm surprised that Mr. Cammarano would be against giving us the chance to decide it. If Mr. Cammarano is planning to run for mayor in 2009, as some have suggested, it's good to know up front that he's not willing to make the tough decisions necessary to add open space to our city. That makes my decision at election time that much easier.
Ross Snyder
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