Dear Editor:
So the Mayor now has another shady deal up his sleeve for the taxpayers in Bayonne. First, it was the Marist High School deal. Now, it’s the deal at MOTBY, that was signed 5 years ago but never executed by the purchaser as no money was ever received by the city. That land is significantly more valuable now then 5 years ago, whether it’s $30 million or $60 million dollars more valuable now, makes a large difference. That’s money that can be used to stabilize the tax rate for the city’s property owners. It’s not land to be given away to developers at bargain basement prices, so the mayor can reward friends and campaign contributors.
It’s almost laughable that the mayor’s rhetoric and campaign flyers all say he’s “pausing new development to study its effects on quality of life”. He said the same thing about Payments In Lieu of Taxes before the last election. After being re-elected, the floodgates opened to the developers and over 30 plus new pilots were granted since then. The question has to be asked, why enact a pause now? Was it because citizens in the city are finally getting wise to his dealings, and starting to create a backlash?
Do the citizens realize that once all these developments come to fruition, the additional tax burden it will cost them? Already, the school system has had to go out and purchase an older school at a cost of $6 million dollars, not counting renovation costs. The taxpayers have to pay for that, not state or federal grant money. At least two more school buildings will have to be purchased, or built, if even half of the projected new developments contain school age children.
Additional infrastructure, educators, police and fire personnel will have to be hired to compensate for the additional residents that will be moving in. Who foots the bill? The taxpayers of course.. It’s almost guaranteed that should the current mayor get re-elected, the so called “pause”, will once again turn to a “green light” for developers to get sweet-heart land deals, and unlimited “Pilots”. Is this what you want for our city?
The taxpayers in Bayonne have to wake up and say, “Enough is Enough”.
David Falandys
