Hoboken Housing Authority Commissioner Resigns

Hoboken Housing Authority Board of Commissioners member Jake Stuiver has resigned, effective Monday.

In a letter to Mayor Dawn Zimmer and City Council President Peter Cunningham, Stuiver tendered his immediate resignation in an effort to bring "to close a protracted holdover extending from my term’s official end eight months ago."

Stuiver, a former commission chairman, thanked the council for unanimously approving his appointment to the body in 2009. He noted that much was accomplished in the ensuing four years plus, including the establishment of tighter accountability and disciplinary guidelines for Housing Authority managers; his raising of "fundamental concerns" about the controversial Vision 20/20 affordable housing redevelopment plan; the passage of the agency’s first Pay-to-Play reform policy; the city's annual Health, Nutrition and Fitness Fair; fighting for "fairness and transparency" and making sure professional-services contractors serving the agency are held accountable.

Stuiver said there were some rough patches during his term, noting that "against a resolute opposition, the dais often proved to be a rather lonely place."

"While the last 18 months of my tenure on the board have been extremely challenging and at times painfully disappointing, I did not sign up for this expecting [it] to be easy," he wrote, referring to the contentious debate over the Vision 20/20 project, during which he was called a "bigot" and a puppet of Mayor Zimmer. "I deeply appreciate the strong and empowering support that came throughout the community as I attempted to bring oversight, accountability and professionalism to the Housing Authority."

Stuiver thanked Hoboken residents for giving him "moral support" that "played an extraordinary role in my ability to maintain my composure and determination to press onward."

"I sincerely believe that I leave the Hoboken Housing Authority in a far better position to reach its true potential than I found it four years ago, and am proud of the policies, changes and new traditions I helped establish," he said.

Stuiver said it was time for him to move on.

"It has been a genuine pleasure serving the City of Hoboken, but the time has come to move on with my life and focus on other priorities," he said.