Editor, the Asbury Park Sun:
I’ve been a resident of Asbury Park since 2004. It has been both exciting and fulfilling to live here for the past nine years and see the amazing amount of progress that has been made in revitalizing the town. That said, I believe it’s time for more progress and, yes, change in the city.
The current city council in my own humble opinion has its way. They no longer listen to the voters of the city. I have attended numerous city council meetings and even got up to speak at a few. More often than not I find that it’s like talking to a brick wall. At best the current council members are politely dismissive if they do not agree with what I or another speaker has to say and at worst I’ve seen some of them (I won’t single anyone out) be downright rude.
I would remind my neighbors of the outcry a couple of years ago when it was decided to destroy all of the trees downtown. There were meetings. People spoke and asked them not to do this. They simply did not care. Every tree downtown was ripped out from the ground and replaced with the smallest saplings available. They also replaced the sidewalks in such a way that some restaurants lost space for outdoor seating. Really? Does anyone think that was necessary?
I have also sat through meetings to discuss the Bradley Cove property and the possibility of building townhouses there. Sometimes it just seemed like no one was listening.
I invite you friends and neighbors to remember this on election day and not vote for the incumbent ticket.
After reviewing the other tickets that are running for council, I believe the best one to be One Asbury. This ticket appears to be community-oriented organizers and neighbors. It is time for change in the city and I believe One Asbury is the right change.
— Paul Callahan, Asbury Park
[This letter represents the opinion of its writer and is not representative of any opinion of the Asbury Park Sun staff. All readers are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor to news@asburyparksun.com for our consideration. For guidelines on letter-writing and submission, click here.]
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