Weiss: One Asbury has intelligence, tenacity, humility
'Every other team has a seemingly myopic view of Asbury Park, and has failed to articulate how to fix our city'
Editor, the Asbury Park Sun:
People have asked me why I so passionately endorse the One Asbury city council ticket. Myra Campbell, John Moor, Joe Woerner, Talesha Crank and Amy Quinn embody the qualities that Asbury Park desperately needs in order to move past so many governing mistakes. The One Asbury ticket is motivated, engaged and smart.
As an attorney, I am often in contact with law enforcement, politicians at various levels and local community groups. I do not believe our current city council has properly scrutinized finances, or taken the initiative to sufficiently collaborate with county and state officials who are needed to help our city. These deficiencies are present in the city’s health insurance premium accounting debacle, multiple other crises and out of control crime.
Can you go to city offices and read a current code or see it online? Nope. Nobody even seems to know the most current ordinances about when we can walk our dogs on the boardwalk.
The current council has not shown the effective leadership or ability to scrutinize finances that should be rewarded with another term. The incumbents’ own colleague, Jimmy Bruno, has not endorsed them! Where was the oversight and scrutiny from Loffredo, Henderson and Sanders as our city dived into outrageous debt? Why did they approve broken budgets? Why are the city’s code officers so lenient on violations committed by absentee slumlords?
Amy Quinn is uniquely qualified to resolve many of the scourges of this city, starting with “slumlords” that dot every district. She has devoted her legal career to promoting safety and appearing in landlord-tenant courts. Amy can transform our city code office to deal with these slumlords. She has literally been in court thousands of times, fighting for safe, clean and proper housing.
Each person on the One Asbury ticket has a sixth sense for ethics. There is much to celebrate with the One Asbury ticket: Myra fought for proper Springwood Avenue repair and brought the human face of ineffective city oversight to the attention of the current council. Talesha has advocated for the safety of our community by promoting cutting-edge ordinances for operation for convenience stores, something that is being upheld by the NJ Superior Courts in 2013. John Moor knows the city budget like the back of his hand. He has worked and lived in this city for well over 30 years as the deputy director of public maintenance. He knows where there is financial waste. Joe Woerner, a teacher in Neptune, is recognized for his work for the environment. But what is widely under-reported about Joe is his uncanny ability to collaborate with county and state officials, from both sides of the political spectrum to bring funding to Asbury Park. He clearly recognizes how to work with the Monmouth County Freeholders, and with state congressmen and senators. Every other team has a seemingly myopic view of Asbury Park, and has failed to articulate how to fix our city.
Amy Quinn and One Asbury will improve our quality of life.
— Daniel L. Weiss, 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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