“A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation,” -Adlai E. Stevenson.

Stevenson is an American politician noted for his intellectual demeanor, eloquent oratory, and promotion of liberal causes in the Democratic Party. On Wednesday, April 13^th, 2011, a similar eloquence was recited to a young group of girls who attend Hoboken High School.

On the second floor of the historic Hoboken Public Library, Hoboken’s 38^th Mayor, Dawn Zimmer, stood tall as she reached out to the girls of the community. With intentions of speaking as a female role model, Zimmer showed more than girl power. She talked of the responsibility of leadership, the heart and focus it takes to succeed, and the passion one should allow themselves in order to make change.

“Never let anyone hold you back. Don’t let people pull you down. Don’t listen to that voice of doubt. Take small steps and feel the fear. Put yourself out there. Explore your interests and try new things. This is how you will make changes," Zimmer said.

Like a tree’s roots spread wide underneath the earth to build a sturdy foundation, it is necessary to develop roots of your own when seeking to achieve success. Dawn Zimmer is Hudson County’s first female mayor. Although, she expressed truthfully, politics weren’t her first focus, Zimmer states that her love for community and to serve others couldn’t hold her back from the position, and in turn, the power to make changes. She thanks her father’s encouragement for attending the University of New Hampshire, where she studied communications.

“Without my focus in communications my writing skills wouldn’t have been quite as good. Ironically, everything I studied in school helped me build the foundation to get me to where I am today."

Zimmer originally started out as a councilwoman with concerns of Hoboken’s need for more parks and greenery. Fighting for what many saw as unimportant, Zimmer knew that without solid ground or the “roots” to build and rebuild Hoboken, the community wouldn’t flourish.

A tree only has one trunk that leads to many branches. In life, many learn that while on the journey of growing up, it is better to be a master of one rather than a jack-of-all-trades. Dawn Zimmer spoke to this group of young girls about how to focus in on their goals. In her experience as a councilwoman and mother of two, she emphasized the importance of balance.

“I was naïve and had no idea what I was getting myself into," Zimmer admitted. "I had no choice but to become vulnerable in the situation. I love my job and I like working, but I learned that at the end of the day I wont make everyone happy, and that’s ok, because when you learn to accept life, balance comes with it. I’m truly happy."

Every day and every week there will be challenges to face, but when concentrating on a positive outcome, those challenges pass with integrity. It takes a strong will and a sense of self to allow one to make it through the hard times. Where a tree trunk leads to branches that reach towards a sky of hope, successes can be like flowers that blossom and open up the possibilities of endless change.

Today, Dawn Zimmer is working on creating a volunteer program that will be interactive with teenagers of Hoboken, where they can plant trees throughout Hoboken, clean up the parks and streets, promote recycling, dog clean-up, and encourage more cyclists for less traffic. The Hoboken High School girls were more than enthusiastic about volunteering to be a part of Hoboken’s green machine team.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRISTA KELLY

For further information on how to volunteer, please visit Hoboken’s website http://www.hobokennj.org/.

With a big thanks to Dawn Zimmer for this motivational speech, we would also like to give special thanks to the Hoboken Library’s director, Linda Podles, and Laura Knittel, Hoboken’s Community Outreach Specialist.

This Square Mile has an opportunity to broaden the horizons of Hoboken’s youth by supplying poetry readings and book discussions, teen creativity clubs, art seminars, and so much more! If you would like more information, please check out the Hoboken Library’s website (http://hoboken.bccls.org/). Dawn Zimmer is one of many empowering people in Hoboken, if you have an inspirational story to tell hMAG please contact us!