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Editor, the Asbury Park Sun:

I support the One Asbury ticket for Asbury Park Council. Myra Campbell, Joe Woerner, John Moor, Talesha Crank and Amy Quinn represent a diverse cross section of the city with deep roots and a track record of positive civic action. I believe they can responsibly deliver needed course corrections.

I met Quinn when she was a candidate in 2009, while visiting to attend a council meeting. I was considering a move here and sensed that right before an election was the best time to get a concrete sense of local government and politics. I asked Amy lots of questions about the various characters, how she saw the trajectory of the city’s renaissance, and why she was running.

The answers left me impressed by her savvy and attitude. She was critical but civil. Things are getting better she explained, but she had tweaks in mind, fine-tuning more than drastic turnarounds. She didn’t sugar-coat problems she saw, but also didn’t scare me out of moving here. So later in 2009 I did make Asbury Park home, and my respect for Amy’s commitment to public service has grown year after year.

My love for the city and sensitivity to the complexity of its problems has sharpened as well.

It is too easy to fall into hyperbole during an election. I don’t view the current council as bad people. But being in office a long time can lead to a certain staleness, a fatigue that arises from general lack of appreciation for what a hard job it is, and lessened rather than heightened sensitivity to the public’s pulse. Bridges get burnt. Personal conflicts get written in stone. Sometimes new blood and fresh perspectives are needed.

Everyone can see that progress has been made, but sustained progress is brought about by the many, not a handful. Sometimes government needs to lead, and sometimes it needs to get out of the way. Knowing when to do which makes all the difference.

The current council has apparently alienated enough segments of the community that my unscientific political intuition tells me they’re not getting back in. The Keady/Palmer ticket promises big changes, but it is my opinion that their election could usher in political turmoil and scare away investors, impeding progress altogether. The One Asbury ticket strikes me as best suited to heal divisions, instead of multiplying them, and lead responsibly for the next four years.

We need more transparency in the city’s dealings with developers. Crime should be the business of every member of the community, not just the police. We need better communication, this being an age where people expect information instantly. Living by the sea, we should be ahead of the curve, not behind it, on environmental issues. Unity has to be built by respectful dialogue with all parts of the community, it cannot be assumed.

I’m convinced One Asbury can deliver on the vision in their platform (www.oneasbury.com). I think a change is needed, but as the old saying goes, don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

– Jeffrey Seeds, 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. Do not send attachments.]

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