Asbury Park Press Nails Lesniak Housing Bill

by: the_promised_land

Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 01:54:45 PM EST

I can only guess at the reasons for the Press' position. But if you're a real conservative and not just a dittohead, you should support the general goals of the Mount Laurel decisions. It isn't so conservative to stop private property owners and, as is rather incredibly happening in Summit, Habitat for Humanity from building starter homes on their own land. http://www.nj.com/news/local/i...

Whatever the reasons, the Press' editorial nails what is going on better than anything I've seen so far, and should be required reading for everyone on this site.

First, as the Press reports, nobody seems to know what the bill actually would do. The sponsors may have some idea, but they aren't telling the public:

Exactly what the bill would mean for the future of affordable housing is anyone's guess. Many of the details about the ongoing role of the Planning Commission and how the program would be administered and monitored are unclear. The blanks will eventually be filled in, its sponsors and supporters say.

That in itself is troubling. But what the sponsors can tell the Press is that, whatever happens, it will actually REDUCE the number of homes built in NJ:

Bateman, responding to a question by the Press, said the bill would "probably" result in fewer affordable housing units in the state than are required under COAH. That can't be allowed to happen.

It also appears to create a bureaucratic morass that could be even more complex than COAH. This is a theme that Steve Lonergan is running with - as usual with looney tunes overtones. But on the substance he's actually right (ok, it's hard to admit that he's right on anything, but...) As the Press describes:

The bill, S-1, would transfer ill-defined authority for affordable housing to the State Planning Commission and allow towns to determine for themselves, through their master plans and zoning, whether they were meeting their constitutional obligation to provide housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents.

So the State Planning Commission - which is itself a mess - determines part of what's going on, and then towns also determine part of it for themselves. There is also some role for the Economic Development Authority in the bill. And another role for courts. And, no doubt, lots of work for lawyers.

The Asbury Park Press also gets the goals right:

Whatever form it finally takes, the overriding goal of reform should be developing a plan that increases the amount of affordable housing in this state. Every municipality should be required to provide its fair share, and a mechanism should be in place to ensure compliance. The plan also must be clear about funding sources.

Why is a Democratic Senator sponsoring a bill that, as his Republican co-sponsor admits, actually goes against these basic progressive goals, creating a huge new bureaucracy along the way? Why is all of this being hammered out in secret? And how do we get to the goals that the Asbury Park Press, of all places, has articulated so well? I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts...

APP on potential Adler/Runyan matchup

by: Jason Springer

Mon Jan 04, 2010 at 03:30:00 PM EST

In an arm-wrestling match against Adler - who is about half his size - he would do well. In debates with Adler, he could get sliced and diced.

APP questions if Dobbs is a flip flopper or an opportunist

by: Jason Springer

Mon Nov 30, 2009 at 01:00:00 PM EST

In politics, of course, 36 months is the equivalent of what scientists call "geologic time." Anything can happen between now and then. And it looks like it already has. Dobbs, sounding like every other "I voted for it before I voted against it" mush-mouth politician, declared himself in favor of an amnesty program for illegal immigrants this week - a complete reversal of his long-held public position. He also told viewers of the Spanish-speaking network Telemundo that "I am one of your greatest friends."

This from a man once described as illegal immigrants' No. 1 enemy, a man who once accused undocumented Mexican workers of bringing leprosy into the United States and who regularly railed on his program about how illegal immigrants threatened the nation's economy, security and well-being. His supporters must have whiplash this week.

Flip-flop or not, Dobbs, who owns a horse farm in Sussex County, will have his work cut for him should he decide to run for the Senate. For one thing, he's an independent and the electoral system does not favor independent candidates. For another, a Dobbs spokesman said this week that Dobbs really wants to be president, but considers a brief stint as a U.S. senator a necessary intermediate step. His opposition researchers should have fun with that morsel of opportunism.

Flip-flopper. Opportunist.

Dobbs would fit right in with Jersey politics.

Roberts slams Ingle for irresponsible journalism

by: Jason Springer

Thu Sep 24, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM EDT

For the past two weeks, Gannett New Jersey's Trenton bureau chief, Bob Ingle, has devoted his Sunday column to the kind of rumor-mill nonsense one generally associates with celebrity gossip rags - not some of New Jersey's largest newspapers. His latest doses of nonsense (Sept. 13 and Sept. 20) would have been laughable if there wasn't a chance someone would take them seriously.

Like most people, I generally ignore Ingle's inconsequential diatribes. But his latest assertions are so over-the-top inaccurate that a response is warranted.

Ingle professed to have "word on the street" knowledge of my motivations for stepping down as Assembly speaker. I'm not a journalism scholar, but I'm certain "word on the street" isn't solid sourcing. I'm surprised the editors of the Gannett newspapers would allow such irresponsibility.

Will NJ papers feel the pain of the latest Gannett cuts?

by: Jason Springer

Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 11:45:00 AM EDT

Newspaper publisher Gannett Co. plans to cut 1,400 jobs in the next few weeks, about 3 percent of the work force, as it faces a prolonged slump in advertising revenue.

Bob Dickey, head of the company's U.S. community publishing division, informed staff of the layoffs in a letter Wednesday. He told employees that "there have been some promising signs of a recovery, but the reality is the improvements are not broad-based and the economy continues to be fragile."

The majority of layoffs will come by July 9, he said.

The move follows a 10 percent cut at Gannett in 2008, which left the company with about 41,500 employees.

Credit where credit is due: the APP on affordable housing

by: Scott Weingart

Tue Mar 10, 2009 at 10:26:05 AM EDT

Apparently, the conservative editorial board of the Asbury Park Press—a Gannett newspaper—agrees with me:

In New Jersey, however, affordable housing is not only a social good, but a matter of law. Thanks to a series of Mount Laurel court decisions, New Jersey is the only state in the union to enshrine access to affordable housing as a constitutional right. Whether you agree with that or not, it's the reality facing lawmakers today. Those making increasingly loud noise about wanting to dismantle COAH have failed to offer a better alternative ? at least an alternative that will pass legal muster.

The APP goes on to criticize "public officials and politicians" like Republican Gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan, who "demagogue the issue." While Ingle may not quite match up with Lonegan when it comes to shameless demagoguery, he is certainly throwing sucker punches in the same weight class.

Indeed, Ingle's irresponsible screeching stands in stark contrast with the APP editorial, which offers a well-reasoned analysis of affordable housing issues in New Jersey. The piece identifies several real problems with current affordable housing rules that have Republican and Democratic mayors alike fighting with the state.

Sadly, we don't hear many calls for reasonable reform of COAH from Republican leaders these days.  All they have to offer are images of impalement, policy pyrotechnics, and campaign promises inconsistent with the oath of office to "support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey."

Gannett announces cuts including 2/3 of Statehouse staff

by: Jason Springer

Tue Dec 02, 2008 at 03:30:48 PM EST

Gannett (GCI), the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., reported Q3 revenue of $1.6 billion, a decrease of 11% over the year, while meeting analysts? expectations. EPS of $0.76 was lower than the market?s expectations of $0.78 and was down 25% over the year.

Gannett Co. Inc. is eliminating positions today at six newspapers in New Jersey due to declining advertising revenues and the severe economic downturn afflicting the state and the nation.

The company began notifying the affected employees this morning at the Asbury Park Press, the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick, the Courier News in Bridgewater, the Daily Record in Parsippany and the Daily Journal in Vineland

The latest casualties to media cutbacks are four Gannett New Jersey statehouse reporters: Tom Baldwin, Michael Rispoli, Lisa Ryan, and Greg Volpe.  That cuts Gannett?s statehouse bureau from six reporters to two, with only Bob Ingle and Michael Symons surviving the budget cuts.

The Chris Christie love fest continues

by: Jason Springer

Mon Nov 24, 2008 at 01:29:22 PM EST

It seems U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has become the political equivalent of the popular girl everyone wants to take to the prom.

Christie proved himself a man of conviction

Mr. Christie to the rescue?

Is it Christie's time?

Christie Gives Notice, and G.O.P. Gains Hope

An impressive resume

U.S. Attorney Steps Down in New Jersey, With a Record Disproving Early Critics

No easy road for Christie (Don't let the headline mislead you here.  The APP says that Christie has been a godsend as U.S. attorney and that he could be a transformative governor.)

Poll: Corzine doesn't deserve re-election

If not a mandate, Monmouth voters definitely sent a message

by: Jason Springer

Mon Nov 24, 2008 at 10:42:15 AM EST

This year, two seats now held by Republicans are up for grabs. If the Democrats capture just one of them, they will control the board for the first time in two decades. We believe voters would be better served by retaining the 3-2 Republican majority, re-electing Freeholder Director Lillian Burry, who, despite missteps, has done a creditable job during her first three-year term, and John Curley, a former Red Bank councilman who is seeking the seat being vacated by William C. Barham.

There is more work to be done on the freeholder board. It needs to conduct its meetings in the evenings, when more members of the public can attend. It needs to bid on professional services, particularly engineering and all types of insurance. And it needs to bring down legal costs. Having said that, the board has come a long way in the past two years. This year, it has worked well under Burry's direction and would work even better under the watchful eye of Curley.

The long-delayed election results that will give Democrats control of the Monmouth County freeholder board next year should not be interpreted as a clear mandate for change, as suggested this week by a spokesman for the county Democratic leadership.

County Democratic spokesman Mike Mangan warned the current Republican-controlled board not to help party loyalists "burrow in" to county jobs before Democrats assume 3-to-2 control in January by extending contracts, giving them new assignments protected by civil service or providing them with salary bumps. Good advice. But he added, "Voters have spoken and want Democrats in control." That's debatable.

Republican Freeholder Director Lillian Burry received the most votes. Democrat Amy Mallet's margin of victory over Republican John Curley was one-fifth of 1 percent. That hardly suggests county residents were clamoring for change. Mallet's success was due to the coattails of Barack Obama, name recognition gained from her failed 2007 Assembly bid and repeated promises that Democrats would be more fiscally responsible than Republicans. Humility here clearly is in order.

At some point they might want to actually give Mallet some credit for winning. The editorial also talks about Mallet's past assembly run helping her gain name recognition while conveniently overlooking the name recognition gained by the two Republicans because they were incumbents. And while we're on gaining from previous coverage, I assume they will be calling out Chris Christie for the coverage he has gained in the past few years for his potential gubernatorial run.  

The bottom line is that Democrats should make the change they were elected to provide.  They should continue with the progress that the APP even acknowledges has already been made. The Asbury Park Press should give the Democrats a chance to take office before they try to dictate the agenda once again. The voters already saw through their hypocrisy and responded by electing a Democrat to change control on Election or the next step might be their subscribers realizing and taking their money elsewhere.

APP endorses Varano, destroys Block

by: Jason Springer

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 10:07:09 AM EDT

Generally speaking, political challengers don't deserve to unseat incumbents unless they can present a compelling case for why they could do a better job.

In the Ocean County clerk's race, incumbent Carl Block, who is opposed by Democratic Mayor Jason Varano of Berkeley, has made the case for why he shouldn't be re-elected all by himself.

There are lots of reasons to send Block packing. Taken individually, some of them may not warrant repudiating him on Election Day. But taken together, a pattern emerges - of self-interest, partisanship, entitlement, slackness with tax dollars and violation of the public trust.

Asbury Park Press Endorses Obama

by: Brian McGinnis

Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 09:02:23 AM EDT

Here's the heart of their argument:

Obama and McCain both have portrayed themselves as agents of change. Obama's claim rings true. McCain's does not. McCain has opposed President Bush and the Republican Party on some issues, including campaign finance reform, global warming and the detention of prisoners held without evidence as terrorists. But on the two most important policy matters, the handling of the economy and the war in Iraq, McCain's views are barely distinguishable from those of Bush.

We aren't entirely comfortable with either of the candidates' tax cut proposals. But Obama's plan, branded as class warfare by McCain, would essentially revert to the tax rates in effect during the Clinton administration. It is hardly radical.

Wow! One of the state's right-leaning editorial pages has strongly and unequivocally debunked the silly idea that giving a tax cut to 95% of Americans is somehow socialism.

They also were not very fond of the pick of Sarah Palin as McCain's VP, not one bit:

There are two other key considerations that make us tilt toward Obama.

First, should he die in office, the nation would be in the experienced hands of Joe Biden. If McCain, who is 72 and has a history of cancer, should die in the presidency, he would be succeeded by Sarah Palin, whose selection as the vice presidential candidate calls McCain's judgment into serious question. She is not qualified to lead a nation facing its toughest challenges in decades.

Second, dramatic change is needed. That can best be accomplished with a president and a Congress from the same political party. The partisan deadlocks that have prevented Washington from taking decisive action on health care, immigration reform and other issues can't be allowed to slow measures needed to put the nation back on course.

As an aside, I'll just note that both the APP and the Philadelphia Inquirer have slammed John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as VP, saying it raises serious questions about his judgment.

This endorsement for Barack Obama for President truly sounds the death knell for John McCain's chances to win New Jersey this November. The only question now is how much of an effect will Barack Obama's coattails have down the ticket in the Garden State.

Bonus Quote of the Day

by: Jason Springer

Wed Sep 17, 2008 at 10:59:47 PM EDT

My first thought was Yikes! I can't imagine Jersey without the Ledger.  What will Christie do to keep his name recognition numbers up?

Marine One lands in Asbury Partisan Press parking lot

by: Juan Melli

Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 04:23:16 PM EDT

Bush's first visit to Monmouth county since he's been president started and ended at the Asbury Park Press -- the only major daily paper in the state to endorse his reelection campaign in 2004.

So the APP provided logistical staffing for the president's visit to New Jersey. I'm sure this won't affect their stellar record of objective journalism.

Abelow Slams Asbury Park Press

by: Juan Melli

Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 04:23:23 PM EST

This time, the Asbury Park Press featured a doctored photo of Governor Corzine on the front page of their Sunday paper. Corzine's Chief of Staff Bradley Abelow responded in an open letter:

Discussion and debate are critical in the formation of public policy, and often the information to fuel that debate comes from fair and objective offerings from the free press. That being said, I feel that many readers of the Asbury Park Press share my view that you did the readers - and your own reporters - a tremendous disservice with the accompanying fictionalized image in Sunday's story, "Hocking the Highways."

While working with photo editing software may be a useful tool for assembling gag photos or correcting minor imperfections, using it to manipulate the Governor - any governor - into a sinister character is not what we would expect from a responsible media organization.

Asbury Park Press: The editorial wing of the NJ GOP

by: Juan Melli

Sun Nov 04, 2007 at 01:14:53 PM EST

It seems they left an asterisk off the title of their latest shill piece, "We're voting for change", because they bury their real intent just a few paragraphs down that they're really only talking about Democratic incumbents:

The idea of throwing all the rascals out and supporting only the challengers is tempting. But there are some highly capable Shore-area incumbents, particularly among state Republican lawmakers.

And their admitted logic behind the endorsements? It's the same reason any partisan supports their party's candidate - blind power and control (emphasis mine):

Unless Republicans can gain control there - or at least come closer to parity - the prospects for change are grim. That's why we have backed all but one Republican candidate in the legislative races.

They've done away with judging candidates on the merits, as respectable and objective editorial boards do, and fallen back on pure partisanship:

While most eyes will be on the Senate race Tuesday night, it is important that voters fill as many Assembly seats with Republicans as possible.

It would be one thing if the editorial board couched its lean in the language of ideology, substituting every use of the word 'Republican' with the words 'conservative,' or 'fiscal conservative,' or even 'maverick.' But when a newspaper's editorial board so blatantly engages in partisan politics, offering blanket endorsements to candidates based on little more than which letter appears next to their names, it is an outrage. It makes a sham of the long democratic tradition of independent newspaper endorsements. Shame on the Asbury Park Press.

Call-to-Action: Kean Jr. Newspaper Endorsements

by: Martin

Sun Oct 29, 2006 at 10:34:01 AM EST

We need to work the media, both traditional (e.g., print) and nontraditional (e.g., internets, blogs), to ensure that Menendez defeats Kean Jr. in 9 days.  If you live in any of the areas served by these three newspapers, please take a moment to write a letter to the editor and let them know your displeasure with their endorsements, emphasizing the positives of the Menendez campaign. I've already written the Courier Post, who, despite serving a heavily-Democratic readership, have once again supported a Republican for state or nation-wide office.

1). Asbury Park Press:
http://www.app.com/a...

Letters to the Editor: yourviews@app.com

2). Courier Post:
http://www.courierpo...

Letters to the Editor: (scroll down on same page; fill in form)

3). Press of Atlantic City:
http://www.pressofat...

Letters to the Editor:
"We will not accept letters without your name, full address, daytime and evening phone numbers. Please remember: letters are subject to editing. The shorter the letter, the more likely it will be published. For full details of The Press letters policy, call (609) 272-7279. You can send your letter to:
The Press Editorial Page
11 Devins Lane
Pleasantville, NJ 08232
For more information, call (609) 272-7266 or 272-7267
letters@pressofac.com"
 

Media Laughables

by: Media In Trouble

Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:41:14 AM EST

One that we came accross is covering the Newark Mayoral race. Now we here in Blogistan don't have the luxury of hiring editors and such to get things like spelling mistakes and improper references out of our blogs. Any regular reader can see that once in a while something slips around here.

However that is not the case for "Big Media" blogs. They have editors at "Big Media." Lots of them. Maybe not covering the blogs themselves, but you would think that when they launch these blogs they send an internal email out and editors get those emails and perhaps they peruse the sites. I thought that was what editors loved to do, find errors and point them out. (Or am I confusing them with bloggers?)

In any case, below the fold I point out a few of these errors, if you are interested click through. At the very least its good for a Friday chuckle.

Asbury Park Press urges Ocean County freeholders to pass domestic partner benefits

by: Juan Melli

Fri Dec 09, 2005 at 07:57:37 AM EST

The Ocean County freeholders should drop their opposition to extending domestic-partnership benefits to county employees. This would finally allow a county Prosecutor's Office investigator dying of lung cancer to pass along her pension benefits to her domestic partner.

The freeholders have resisted the request by Laurel Hester of Point Pleasant primarily on financial grounds, citing the impact on the state's deficit-laden pension system. Freeholder John P. Kelly also has voiced concern that a domestic partnership resolution would violate the sanctity of marriage.

The freeholders are wrong on both grounds. This is a matter of civil rights, a matter of fairness. The state Domestic Partnership Act provides health and pension benefits for state employees and permits counties and local governments to do the same for their employees. The Ocean freeholders should join their colleagues in Bergen, Hudson, Mercer and Union counties, as well as more than 100 municipalities, in passing a resolution extending domestic partnership rights. The Monmouth County freeholder board should do the same.