Zimmer Celebrates One Year In Office

This week marks the one-year anniversary of Dawn Zimmer's tenure as Hoboken Mayor. Being the first female and the first Jewish mayor, as well as serving during the worse economic recession in decades, she has already made history. 

But what has she accomplished, and what's still left on her to-do list?

On Monday morning Zimmer spokesman Juan Melli sent out a long list of the mayor's accomplishments, such as appointing a business administrator and passing a budget that accurately reflects the cost of running Hoboken (roughly $100 million). Zimmer's campain promise to cut taxes 25 percent in her first year in office did not come true in the 2010 budget. 

After the city hired Arch Liston as Business Administrator, state fiscal monitor Judy Tripodi was removed from her post overseeing Hoboken's budget. Tripodi was appointed by the state because the city's previous city council and mayor were unable to properly manage the city budget. According to the city's press release, Zimmer "successfully argued for Hoboken to be released from state fiscal monitor oversight."

Technically, the city is still under a loose form of state supervision, because it still has to send in monthly fiscal reports. Zimmer and Liston have said that that would probably end in September. 

Zimmer has also made sustainability and making the city more bike-friendly an important part of her agenda. According to the press release, Zimmer doubled the amount of bike racks around the city, and has added bike lanes in several places. In an effort to combat the parking problem in town, the city to launch the nation's first city wide car sharing program. 

"Many residents had lost faith in their government," the city's release stated. "Mayor Zimmer made it a priority to restore integrity and fiscal discipline to government while enhancing quality of life for residents."

In the interest of cutting costs, Zimmer announced recently that 36 city employees—of which 18 are police officers—will be laid off. It's not yet clear who will lose their jobs, because the plan needs the state's approval first. 

"This the hardest decision I've had to make since I've entered public life," Zimmer said during a press conference announcing the layoffs. She said the plan would save the city $2.5 million annually.

In April, Zimmer was one of two Hudson County mayors to endorse Gov. Chris Christie's 2% cap on tax increases and 33-bill "toolkit" for reducing municipal expenses. The Republican governor kicked off a series of town hall meetings in Hoboken in April. 

On Aug. 1, 2009, Zimmer was sworn in as acting mayor after losing a run-off to former Mayor Peter Cammarano in June of that year. Cammarano resigned after he was arrested on July 23, 2009, as part of Operation Bid Rig. After serving as acting mayor for three months, Zimmer won a four year term as mayor during special elections in November 2009, when Second Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason came in second. 

In January, the Jersey Journal named Zimmer one of the 25 most influential politicians in Hudson County. 

Opening Pier C Park, fixing the soccer field and finding a permanent solution for the municipal garage are some of the issues that will have to be resolved in the coming years. 

"I'm proud to represent such a resilient community that is so focused on positive change," Zimmer said in a statement on Monday morning. She said she is looking forward to working more with directors and City Council to make the Mile Square "even greater."

Stay tuned for a follow up about Zimmer's first year in office, for more information on her accomplishments and what's left on her to-do list.