Hoboken Pols Respond to Lautenberg's Death

Politicians at the local, state and national level who call Hoboken home released statements Monday to reflect on the life of five-term Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died Monday morning at age 89. 

Mayor Dawn Zimmer called Lautenberg “a friend of Hoboken,” and said flags would be flown at half-staff Monday in his honor.

“I had the great honor to work with him on everything from a rally on Pier A for marriage equality to advocating for Hoboken after Hurricane Sandy,” Zimmer said in a statement. “He was a true public servant and a friend of Hoboken. He will be sorely missed.”

Lautenberg, the last remaining World War II veteran in the Senate and a staunch gun control advocate, died at 4:02 a.m. at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell after a bout with viral pneumonia, his office said in a statement.

State Assemblyman Ruben Ramos, a Hoboken mayoral candidate, called Lautenberg a “close ally” and an “institution within the institution of the U.S. Senate,” who would not be easily replaced.

“New Jersey has had no advocate as persistent as Sen. Frank Lautenberg,” Ramos said in a statement. “His aggressive pursuit of important initiatives from gun control to marriage equality has earned him a reputation as a fighter for social justice.”

Hoboken resident Bob Menendez, who has served with Lautenberg in the U.S. Senate for the past seven-plus years, said in a statement that he was shaken by the loss of his good friend and ally.

“Whether it was his landmark drunk driving law, the 21st Century GI Bill, or the “Toxic Right to Know” law empowering the public to know what pollutants are being released into their neighborhood, [Lautenberg] was a fighter for New Jersey’s working families and the causes he believed in,” Menendez said. “And, in death, New Jersey’s love and admiration for him will not diminish.”

Lautenberg is survived by his wife, Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg; six children and 13 grandchildren.

The remainder of his term will be filled by a gubernatorial appointment.