Zimmer Responds To Appleseed Letter

The has been surrounded by some controversy.

Last week, . for a public meeting about the process, before the deal is closed.

On Thursday,

Now, Mayor Dawn Zimmer has answered Appleseed, referring them back to the Hoboken Municipal Hospital Authority for more information and about the public hearing they asked for. (The letter is attached.)

Zimmer writes:

Dear Ms. Steinhagen:

Thank you for your letter expressing your concerns with the process being followed with regard to the proposed sale of Hoboken University Medical Center. I have always had a great respect for both you and NJ Appleseed, reflected in donations that my family has made to your organization in the past, and I appreciate your sincere interest in this matter.

Statutory authority with regard to Hospital matters resides with the Hospital Authority, not with the Mayor or the Hoboken City Council. My own involvement is in my capacity as a member of the Authority, on which I have but one vote.

Your letter was addressed solely to me and to the City Council. I have taken the liberty of forwarding a copy to Toni Tomarrazo, the Hospital Authority Chairwoman. I believe that she is the appropriate individual to address your concerns. 

In my opinion, any public hearings held by any entity other than the Hospital Authority would undermine rather than advance the objective of transparency. It is important that the public correctly understand the legal framework under which the process is required to be handled, and not be misled into believing that either I or the City Council have legal authority which we do not have. As I’m sure you understand, this framework (which was supported by the three of our current Council members who served on the City Council when the structure was established) was designed to prevent the inappropriate infusion of politics into Hospital affairs. It is critical for both the survival of our hospital as an acute care facility and the fiscal well being of our City that the process be insulated from the inappropriate political pressures that inevitably arise when an election is imminent.

With respect to the “rumors” that you refer to in your letter, I am unaware of any factual basis whatsoever for any of those claims, which have largely been circulated anonymously on internet blogs. I ask that you provide any factual information that you may have to the Hospital Authority as soon as possible. 

Sincerely,

Mayor Dawn Zimmer