West New York: An Important Message from Dr. Count Wiley!
A valid and common question often pitched to individuals who, like me, are actively supporting the Together We Can campaign is why we decided to put ourselves in the public spotlight for a political endeavor. In my case, the answer to that question is service. When you are a doctor, it is in your blood to serve people, to be there in their time of need. Being a doctor in the community, I hear the cries of our patients and the stress that they are under when they cannot find an answer to their problems or don’t know where to turn for help. When you are an elected official, you have the responsibility of listening to the people and doing everything in your knowledge and power to make the correct decisions, serving the people unselfishly, putting one’s one political agenda aside.
That is why I have made my support for Dr. Felix Roque and the Together We Can campaign public today.
The good, hard-working residents of West New York are losing their homes due to a 47% tax increase. Even someone as I, who am fortunate enough to be financially stable, could not have prepared for this increase. Most residents are on fixed incomes and already work two jobs. The financial stress has the capacity to destroy families and marriages. Most of these residents also take care of their elderly parents, who will also be thrown out on the streets with nowhere to go.
The increase would almost be justified if the Vega administration could point to community benefits that the money residents are struggling to give to the government is going towards paying. To pay all these taxes and have a shortage of police, no ambulance services, and dirty streets is an insult. These outcomes are all due to mismanagement, a lack of responsibility and capability of doing the job. Being an elected official is more than just shaking hands and giving good speeches—it’s sacrificing yourself, being a humble leader who is compassionate and puts himself second to the people. The actions of this present administration show the opposite intention—the recent firing of 22 police officers and 100 town employees, the lack of ambulance services, potholes, filthy streets, lack of community programs for the youth and elderly, and the list goes on.
All this with a 47% tax increase.
Where are all these dollars being spent? On high salaries and multiple jobs for himself and his political cronies.
West New York is a democracy, not a dictatorship.
The present mayor runs the town as if it were his own. These officials need to be reminded that it is not a right to hold office. It is a privilege given to the by the people—one which the people can take away when they see fit.
The town of West New York is in dire straights. Businesses are closing down every other week in an area that has historically been known to be profitable to conduct business in. There are many residents crying out for help or some kind of relief from the municipal government and they are visibly lacking a response. As mentioned previously, many of them are under major financial stress, in danger of losing their homes, and are working two or more jobs to makes ends meet. They find themselves unable to do anything about the present dictatorship due to constraints of time, money, and family.
No matter what background we are from—doctor, lawyer, business owner, laborer— we all have a responsibility to give back and service our fellow man. For many the constraints of their employment make their contributions necessarily smaller, but because I am fortunate enough to have the time and ability to dedicate myself to this, it is my heart’s desire to service the people of West New York and involve myself in the Together We Can endeavor— to correct the injustices of the previous administration and bring back the security and stability of West New York, and make sure our town can stand on its own!
* Dr. Count Wiley is a chiropractor practicing in North Bergen for the past seven years and in West New York for the past two. Besides his medical education, Dr. Wiley holds degrees in political science and public administration. He is married and is the proud father of four children.
