Beauty

Beast

A word to the wise: your harshest critics are those who may have your best interest at heart. Those are the ones who had faith in you from the beginning and were not just looking for a job in the City.

It is more important to engage our County and State Officials to modernize the Perth Amboy Train Station and stop dragging their feet. And what of the eyesores of the old municipal buildings bordering High, Fayette, and Rector Streets. We can’t imagine the conditions on the inside.

I remember the Perth Amboy Council urging a Meeting for the Freeholders to come to Perth Amboy to address the homeless problem and why our neighboring towns are not doing their share to help these people in their municipalities.

Our County and State Representatives come for commemorative events and also they’ll show up to support certain tickets for local elections. I know some of these officials have gone to our neighboring towns to discuss their specific issues. These three quality of life issues are some of utmost importance.    

We saw the Facebook posts that were made by a Councilman, but chose not to publish them. They had nothing to do with the problems facing our City.

People always talk about men degrading women. I have seen a lot of women do more damage to other women.

We were very thrilled when they tore down the old, dilapidated structures on State Street and even more thrilled when we saw the newly built Target facility. But, we’ll be even more thrilled when those complexes are completed with employers who will hire Perth Amboy residents. 

Right now, many of the new businesses sprouting up are temp agencies who take people to out of town jobs. 

I know it’s been said: if you have people employed here, they will eat here and shop here.

Everybody knows about the horrendous parking situation. 

Beauty

Beast

Another concern is the additional traffic hazard when the Seaman Street Elementary School opens up by the Public Safety Complex in front of the Firehouse. This will be traffic jam galore when that school is let out. Lord, we only pray.

Then again, there’s quality of life. You have no idea what I’m thinking when people are blasting their radios so loud, they could wake up the dead.

This is only a sampling of our concerns. This is what those running for Council Seats should think about.

So, to all of the candidates running for the first time or reelection, what is your strategy to address these problems?

Four years from now, I don’t want to see these same problems existing on High Street, where the old Courthouse, Police Station, and First Aid Squad buildings are covered in moss and mold. 

We don’t want to have a situation with our streets having a sinkhole like they had on one of the side streets in South Amboy three years ago when a car was swallowed up.

The only reason we are bringing all this up is because we love Perth Amboy, its Waterfront, its history, its beauty.

Concentrate on what can make Perth Amboy even more beautiful. Get after Zombie House owners. Work with the banks to revitalize abandoned properties. Track down the persistent garbage dumpers.

Enough of this internal feuding of the Democratic Party. What is being accomplished? Not everyone agrees with everyone. You don’t have to agree on everything to work with someone. The beauty of the United States is the loyal opposition. It’s okay to disagree with someone, but respect their opinion. No one is right all the time. So much more can be accomplished when everyone works together for a common goal.

Don’t hide the beauty of the Waterfront by overbuilding it with high rises. You won’t believe people who have visited the town had no idea we had a Waterfront.

It’s time we set aside petty differences and work together.  Perth Amboy can get back to their glory days. 

C.M. &  K.M.