Ruben's Misfire

In a letter to the HR, Ruben Ramos complains about the installation of a traffic light at this dangerous corner.

GA knows elections aren't won by praising one's opponent.  A candidate must impress upon the public that they will do a better job than the other guy.

In this case, the guy's a gal: incumbent Mayor  Dawn Zimmer, and the candidate is Assemblyman Ruben Ramos.

Which is why I was scratching my head at the letter Ramos and running-mate Laura Miani put in this week's Hoboken Reporter.  (Note neither running-mate Joe Mindak nor Eduardo Gonzales would sign it)

It was plain D-U-M-B.

Ruben's first point:

On Tuesday, the City announced that the construction at 1600 Park will be further delayed for additional testing of the soil...After five years of waiting, the latest delay is inexcusable. We need to stop sitting on our hands and get to work to make this long-promised park become a reality.

(1) In other words, Ramos complains because the opening of 1600 Park has been delayed to guarantee the safety of the public which is "inexcusable".  Boo hiss. 

This is what actually happened (City Hall press release).

During construction of 1600 Park, the contractor encountered unexpected debris, organics, and softer than expected soil conditions based on previous analysis and testing.

In other words, subsoil conditions were found during construction which were not determined in earlier testing. What would Ramos and Miano suggest?  Forging ahead and not adapting the structural engineering of the park for softer soil? Did the Mayor create the subsoil conditions?  We already know she makes the sun rise in the East and set in the West.


Would Ramos prefer another Sinatra Park-type collapse from a project that was poorly-planned and inadequately designed?

Sinatra Park was built on 100-year old timber pilings a.k.a. a shipworm-smorgasbord.  GA saw those structural design plans when doing a renderings for a grant proposal and I've never seen a worse set of structural drawings- I wrote about it back in November of 2010, An Anecdote About Something Missing.

The Sinatra Park structural drawings were alarming in their absence of engineering design and scope. 

These are the renderings I made in 2010.  The kind of disaster you see in the photos is exactly what the Mayor wishes to PREVENT.

Zimmer's legacy will be Parks that don't collapse or sink into oblivion, like Sinatra Park.

That's always been the problem with Old Guard, like Ruben Ramos.  They kick the can down the road, even when it comes to matters of public safety.

Ruben's next point was a flat-out head scratcher.  You ready for this one?

Since she took office, the Mayor has held up construction for studies on the site and stalled the project for installation of a traffic light. 

Ummm...  a traffic light at a busy intersection across the street from a park is a problem for Ramos and Miani?

As the mom of a kid who will  be playing in 1600 Park, GA would like to THANK whomever is responsible for installing that traffic light- from the guys who dug the foundation and ran the power, to it to the Mayor, to the County.   I don't care WHO did it.  The installation of a traffic light at a kids' park is not about politics, it's about SAFETY for KIDS (and adults).

What kind of nudnik would turn that into a negative?

Ummm...   Of course Ramos will have to bash the Mayor about something.  But making our streets safer to cross and our parks safer to play in? 

Better luck next time, Ruben.  No wonder neither Mindak nor Gonzales would put their name on that stinker...  yikes.