My favorite part of the article was Healy's quote at the end (and yes, that's sarcasm):

"These developers would not come and build here without these abatements, and they have helped make the city successful..."

What bothers me about this statement is that it is out of date. Had this statement been made 10 years ago (and maybe even as little as 5 years ago), it would have been spot on. But things have changed. Today, that statement couldn't be farther from the truth.

We've already passed that moment in time when the city needs to entice development here (at least in downtown and along the waterfront). Developers are now interested because they see dollar signs; not maybe I'll take a risk and it will pay off , but let's get in while the gettin' is good dollar signs.

I do not believe that Donald Trump is a pioneer. He's more of an opportunist, and it's worked well for him. KHov is not taking on their very first condominium tower in their history because they hope and pray that it's going to pay off. Field's Brothers and Metro Homes are picking up site after site because they think that they could possibly be on to something. Lefrak isn't expanding Newport based upon spectulation, they know from 20 odd years of experience exactly what to expect.

So I have to whole heartedly disagree with Mr. Healy. If the city stopped handing out PILOTs to large developers building on prime land in downtown Jersey City, those developers wouldn't suddenly go away. They may threaten to, but in the end I think we would all find that these threats are empty. But of course they are working now.

Here is the conundrum for me. Does Healy really believe what he is saying or is it just the convenient answer to rationalize his change of heart? When he campaigned, he certainly sang a different song. Is he simply making excuses or has he discovered that truly governing is hard and often requires unpopular decisions so succumbing to PILOTs is simply the easiest way out? Either way, it doesn't say much for him as an affective mayor as he's either out of touch or he's simply a poor leader.

Listen, I love the fact that Jersey City is rising. I love the fact that I have gotten in on something that is both exciting and fascinating. What I don't love, however is that the city seems to simply be deferring many of it's responsiblities and rights over to people (and companies) simply because they are willing to build more ratables. As I've said a number of times on this site alone, it's short term thinking that is going to cost everyone in the end. There is a price to be paid for all of this and the tax increases (on all three levels) that we have experienced this year are just the beginning.

9% RISE FOR JERSEY CITY
Healy wants 'better way' in county budget burden
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City taxpayers will be asked to dig even deeper in their pockets when the county unveils its 2006 budget on May 11, according to financial projections obtained by The Jersey Journal.

The county tax rate in Jersey City is expected to rise by more than 9 percent - from $1,194 to $1,303 per $100,000 of assessed property value. For a homeowner with a property assessed at $200,000, the increase means a jump of $218 a year in county taxes.

Read the article here.