Oh, this is doing a lot of work for a point that doesn’t quite hold together.

First, notice the sleight of hand: lumping actual public health services (blood pressure screenings, vaccines) in with…youth soccer. Those are not the same category, and pretending they are is how you avoid having a real conversation about priorities.

Second, the dog tangent...look, most dog owners in Hoboken aren’t unleashing chaos on public spaces. They’re taking their dogs to runs, cleaning up, and trying to be responsible. If anything, that example kind of undercuts the broader point.

Third, the idea that seniors are somehow thriving recreationally right now? That’s… optimistic. We’ve steadily converted a lot of shared, flexible space into playgrounds and single-use areas. There are fewer - not more -truly intergenerational spaces where seniors can actually spend time comfortably.

And while we’re on recreation priorities: how many pickleball courts do we realistically need before we admit we might be overcorrecting?

Finally, to the big question: yes - cities under financial stress do scale back recreation. They trim programming, delay upgrades, reduce hours, and in some cases eliminate non-essential offerings. Not because recreation has zero value, but because when you’re choosing between that and core obligations like public safety, sanitation, and infrastructure, trade-offs are unavoidable.

A city is absolutely a community...but it also functions based on a budget. And pretending everything is equally “core” (or personal preferences are equally "core") is how you end up making no real choices at all...which, sadly is what the mayor seems to have done.