Caba Will Make Sure Perth Amboy ‘Gets Its Fair Share’ of Federal, State Aid for Public Library & Other Services

PERTH AMBOY, NJ – The city’s Public Library has lost $317,600 in annual state aid and it is not eligible for federal preservation grants because Mayor Wilda Diaz “neglects her duty to provide the most basic city services” for residents, mayoral candidate Helmin J. Caba said.

Caba, who is challenging Diaz in Dec. 15th’s runoff election, said his Administration would vigorously pursue federal, state and private grants. Caba and council running mates Rose B. Morales and Bienvenido “BJ” Torres Jr. “will make sure Perth Amboy gets its fair share of grants and aid to provide tax relief to  property owners.”

“Especially during this pandemic, public libraries are valuable sources of information and entertainment for families, senior citizens and students. However, our public library continually loses state and federal funding for new technology, better services and other improvements,” Councilman Caba said.

For the past five fiscal years the New Jersey State Library has deemed Perth Amboy’s library ineligible to receive annual grants of $63,518 from its Per Capita State Aid program, citing the library’s insufficient staff and deficient level of service.

The primary reason, Caba said, is Diaz’s failure to hire a new certified library director since the previous director was forced out in 2018. “Our residents cannot afford to re-elect a mayor who neglects her duty to provide the most basic services or hire qualified professionals to supervise city services.”

Perth Amboy recently missed out on new grants from the state Library Construction Bond Act, awarded in November to 38 other public libraries. And, the city’s Jefferson Street library, built in 1903, has twice failed to qualify for the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Sites that would make it eligible for federal preservation and restoration grants.

Caba and the “2020 Vision for Perth Amboy” Team plans to create a “historic district” that includes the 117-year-old library, and to pursue grants and financial aid that will offset the cost of municipal services. The complete platform is at https://2020vision4perthamboy.com.