The Englewood Report Is Back

by: The Englewood Report

Fri Feb 23, 2007 at 12:39:58 AM EST

Eventually, The Englewood Report closed its door.  Yet, as the French humorist Alphonse Karr once said, "the more things change the more they remain the same."  Nearly a decade later, Norman and I have decided to bring The Report back, with the very same mission as before.  And what mission is that?

Quoting from the Report's last edition on December 1998:

With this issue The Englewood Report winds up its fourth year of publication.  Our stated mission was and remains "to inform Englewood citizens about matters of concern which may not appear in the commercial press and to stimulate public interest in these matters"...

Local government (or any government for that matter), in the absence of adequate public attention, can too easily fall into the hands of persons with private agendas which may not coincide with the public interest.  Private agendas may include the accumulation of political power, ambition for higher office, personal vendettas, or simply ego gratification, not to speak of monetary gain.  It helps to make the right choices on Election Day, but even if we do, open and accountable government doesn't just happen.  It requires effective communication between us and our elected and appointed representatives.  Our officials are more likely to represent the public interest as opposed to any private agendas if citizens demand public input and full justification for important actions.

This final editorial remains prescient today.  If anything, overdevelopment within residential areas has accelerated within Englewood and throughout Bergen County.  Personal vendettas, such as the proceedings against former Health Director Violet Cherry, have cost Englewood taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Party Bossism, Big Money and Pay-to-Play have become top issues in local and statewide elections.  With the relationship between politicians and Big Money becoming ever the more entwined, it will take the participation of private citizens to effectively enact reform.

After all, informed citizens are the foundation of good government.  I encourage you to visit TheEnglewoodReport.com to find out more about the local issues concerning Englewood and Bergen County.  Likewise, we will encourage our readers to visit Blue Jersey, which has become a powerful progressive voice in New Jersey politics.  As Benjamin Franklin once said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."