Open Letter to

the Perth Amboy Council

Hon. Lisa Nanton

President, Perth Amboy City Council

Dear Council President Nanton,

I write to you as a resident in an outcry regarding the conduct that you have allowed to take place at the recent Caucus and City Council meetings held on March 7th and 9th, respectively.  As President of our City’s legislative body, it is your duty to ensure that proper decorum is upheld.  I can respectfully submit that I witnessed you fail to uphold the duties of your office, while you sat silently and allowed our Law Director, Mrs. Arlene Quinones Perez to be personally attacked on several occasions.  Although not isolated events, as Mrs. Quinones has been the target of frequent persecution, the past two meetings have left me truly concerned about the direction the City Council is going under your leadership.

On Monday, March 7, 2016, during the caucus meeting these same individuals, who seemingly take issue with anything going on in the City, went up to speak on agenda items.  As usual I sat in the audience listening to everything that was said, took notes and planned to follow up.  I was appalled at the comments made during the public discussion on agenda item 145, which was a resolution authorizing Mrs. Quinones Perez, through her firm, to continue to perform the non-salaried responsibilities that fall to her as the Director of Law. One of the individuals, who once claimed your current title as Council President, used vulgar language during his comments.

It was extremely disappointing to see you not exert any form of authority to control the situation.  In fact, you allowed this individual to continue his disrespectful tirade for an additional minute.  It should have come to no surprise that the comments made at the following council meeting were even thought to have ever been uttered, considering the lack of leadership you demonstrated and the behavior you have enabled.

At the Council Meeting held on March 9, 2016, the same individual who once served as a legislator of our City government claimed Mrs. Quinones Perez “sees dollar signs and her mouth drools.”  Madam President, that is no way to speak about a woman, yet you did not call him out of order or even interrupt him.

As you know I supported Mrs. Quinones Perez’s appointment and I am aware you have never supported her in her role as law director or seemed to care about her astounding credentials.  Let’s put those opposing positions to the side and look at this issue from a non-political perspective.  Not only is Mrs. Quinones Perez a highly respected professional in the State of New Jersey, she is also a WOMAN, a MOTHER and a HUMAN BEING.  She is not an animal.  I am outraged that you have allowed ANY woman to be degraded, disparaged and disrespected in such a manner.

I implore you, Madam President, to put your personal politics aside to restore the credibility and integrity of not only your office, but the entire City Council as well.

Respectfully,

Lionel Giron