Dear Editor:

As the election approaches, I hope the public realized that you can vote for candidates and not just tickets. I hope Ward E would consider Dan Levin, a true activist, who has been there for the community for years. Downtown is a better place due to the hard work of Dan Levin, his accomplishments are too numerous to list. I also hope Ward B voters consider, Esther Wintner, an independent candidate, a homeless advocate, who was even recognized by Mayor Healy for the work she did in getting grant money to hire police officers.

I also believe Councilwoman Richardson should be re-elected, as well as Rolando Lavarro. Both of these council people do listen to the public before they vote. I also think Sean Connelly, who is running for at large, should be considered. When the reval happens, there should be a person on the council that will be impacted and Sean Connelly, a downtown brownstone owner, fits that bill. When the reval happened in 1988, none of the council members were impacted like some parts of the city, especially downtown.

Finally, I want to clarify my statement on the election of the next mayor. For years, I have complained about the overdevelopment of the downtown area and redevelopment of Journal Square. Dr. Malik, on my cable show, speaknj.com shares my views on this subject, but I cannot ignore the great things Steven Fulop has done for this city and should be considered for mayor.

As far as Ward C, I made a commitment not to endorse anyone, but I am disappointed candidates, except Rich Boggiano, did not come to the debate. The public should hear candidates’ views. I hope everyone votes on May 14th.

Yvonne Balcer