SID will enhance West Side; Don't do any business with China | Letters

A Special Improvement District is in the works for Jersey City's West Side. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)

SID on West Side will ensure success of area

There are positive changes finally happening in the West Side area which has been long overdue. The development of the special improvement district (SID) can only enhance and ensure the success of both our businesses and neighborhood of West Side Avenue.

For those long-time business owners that pride themselves in the success they have achieved without the city's assistance, they may not want this additional support for West Side.

They would only view this support as an additional tax on their business without guarantee of success. No one ever supported their struggle to survive, so they do not anticipate the SID to help their cause but only to negatively affect their tax dollars.

In contrast to this perspective, there are also many businesses, like mine, that supports this rational approach to invest into cleaning up and beautifying West Side to stimulate the much-needed economic growth in the area.

These dollars can help further increase business for every merchant in West Side. Cleaner streets, better lighting, and increase safety measures for West Side will increase the foot traffic to encourage newer and long-time residents to come out and shop at West Side.

The West Side merchants cannot afford to lose future businesses to Downtown or to larger developments planned on Route 440. Every business owner needs to remove their blinders and create marketing strategies to take advantage of the new residents of West Side to get them to shop and dine in the area. Increasing West Side's visibility through marketing and cleaner, safer streets will create a better future for all business owners.

I believe that it's time for every business and property owners to take pride in West Side Avenue. The uniqueness of West Side is that it is positioned well between excellent education institutions, St. Peter's and NJCU. This area has become the cultural laboratory for these students and can create business opportunities for them as well in providing services for both students and their faculty.

West Side's strength is in its diversity. With more ethnically diverse population looking for value, West Side Avenue has become an attractive place that can offer professional and retail services for transient population of Jersey City to establish their roots. A good example of that is, this area now has the largest active Filipino community in all of Jersey City.

The special improvement district (SID) is the initiative that can ensure and sustain the success of West Side's future. The members chosen or elected to this board will be accountable to the businesses and property owners of West Side.

Institution of community events to celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood could only generate interest for more people to shop and dine at West Side. These enhancements could ensure that the West Side businesses and the community do not lose out to Downtown or other areas where their own SIDs help improved the cultural flavor and overall marketability of the neighborhood.

Henry Racelis, Racelis Realty, Jersey City

Walk away from China trade

It is appalling that any American Corporation, i.e. Apple, Microsoft, etc.. would engage in any type of business dealings with the Republic of China, when they are intentionally killing and poisoning our youth with their mass influx of  Chinese made fentanyl. How many families have suffered from this crisis? This is the gratitude we receive for making them a world power.

The "new global order" that Bush 41 to Obama envisioned was to look the other way, while the Chinese  grew richer by emptying our steel mills, manufacturing base, pharmaceuticals, etc.  This naïve vision hurt the middle class by exporting jobs at the expense of the American people.

In return, they have given us contaminated blood pressure medication, toxic pet food, toxic toys, poisonous sheetrock, etc.  Those American corporations who fall prey to cheap Chinese labor are deluding themselves. China demands intellectually property and innovation from corporations, so they can replicate the process, so they can sell it themselves to their countrymen.

It is cheaper for them to steal. Nothing happens in that  Communist country without the consent and knowledge of President for life Chairman XI.  It is time to draw the line, when one country is purposely addicting our nation to opioids, in their quest to be the number one super power, it is time for American Corporations to walk away.

Helen Nicpon, Rutherford

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