Paul Bellan-Boyer

Jersey City

1. It's a real city: jobs, housing, transit, culture, services all accessible.
2. It's diverse in ethnicity and income, and has a good balance between lifelong, long-time, and newer residents.
3. Vibrant ethnic communities, especially: Arab, South Asian, Chinese, African, Filipino, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Haitian
4. Growing spirit of change and increased community involvement
5. It's a beautiful place, on New York Harbor and the Hackensack River, with all the advantages of NYC next door

1. Poverty and lack of opportunity for far too many
2. Corruption, ineffectiveness, and unresponsiveness of many parts of city and county government
3. Trash, litter, cleanliness
4. "Gated communities" - new development NOT integrated with the rest of the city