The Jaffe Briefing - April 12, 2018
OUR TAKE ON THE NEWS IN NEW JERSEY
TRENTON - Senate President Steve Sweeney wants to teach the new governor who is really in charge of the Statehouse, blocking confirmation votes for at least two of Gov. Phil Murphy's Cabinet members. This smack down could delay the approval for at least two months for Lamont Repollet, the acting education commissioner, and Zakiya Smith Ellis, the acting secretary of higher education. Both officials zipped through the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Sweeney blocked them at the door. As these Democrats publicly squabble and stall, Republicans watch from the sidelines, enjoying another mouthful of popcorn.
CAMDEN - For decades, there's been a bike sharing program in Camden. If you see a bike, and it isn't chained up, hey, help yourself. But now, as the city enjoys the beginnings of a renaissance, the Coopers Ferry Partnership thinks its time for a real bike sharing program that is actually legal. It features an app for a smart phone, GPS-enabled bikes, QR codes to unlock the bikes and riders actually paying a $1 an hour for the privledge. Philly.com describes the program as Uber for bicyclists; we see this pilot program as a huge step forward for Camden when the program launches May 1.
STATEWIDE - You can find a Walgreens or CVS on virtually any road in New Jersey. Pretty soon, you may also see medical marijuana dispensaries dotting our congested landscape, as state officials may approve nearly 100 of these businesses under a revised plan to kick start the state's medical marijuana program. There are only five such dispensaries now open in the state, under the lukewarm direction of Gov. Chris Christie. The state plan would allow for 92 more, as well as 15 marijuana growers across the state. The final numbers really depend on demand, which all can assume will be on a tremendous upswing.
TRENTON - It's amazing it has taken until April 2018 for this law to be passed, but let's still make sure to celebrate that school administrators must now warn other districts about teachers accused of sexual abuse. Now, under the law, school leaders are required to do a detailed investigation of job applicants, with full disclosure. It is all about ending the common practice of "passing the trash," in which school officials silently pass along god-awful teachers accused of sexual misconduct to other districts to avoid lawsuits. Disgusting? Yes. But, hopefully now it's history.
SOUTH JERSEY - If you live south of Camden, in odd places like Salem and Cumberland, you rarely run into those foreign people from North Jersey. And the gap between north and south continues to grow - especially when it comes to wrangling money from Trenton. Rutgers-Camden shows there's also a big disparity in the amount of municipal aid, with poorer towns in South Jersey getting as much as 37 percent less than the poorer towns in North Jersey. One RU professor says he has discovered this huge disparity between 2008 and 2016. What gives? Well, it could be North Jersey lawmakers have more juice in Trenton, or perhaps the state wants to invest in areas with the biggest potential for job creation. Or maybe it is because real estate value is higher up north. Or, heck, maybe no one ever noticed.
WASHINGTON, DC - Who says you can't fight for New Jersey on multiple fronts? Gov. Phil Murphy is bolstering New Jersey's presence in the nation's capital, bringing in a young gun to fight against proposals that could hurt the state. Kirtan Mehta, the new director of federal affairs, is strategically located at Murphy's Washington office near the U.S. Capitol, NJ.com reports. The 34-year-old lobbyist takes the reigns as the state battles efforts to end New Jersey's expansion of Medicaid and wrangles more funding for the Gateway Tunnel project. Good to see a lobbyist fully focused on the public interest.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
LIDENHURST, N.Y. - Eight years ago, a 16-year-old local boy caught a glimpse of a blue 1971 Volkswagen bus. Kyle Crospey slipped a note inside the window, describing the iconic van as his "future car." Then, he forgot about it. So imagine his surprise when when he got a call from an Oakland, Calif. man, Newsday reports. That man's father, who bought the van new in 1971 and took it on many cross-country trips, had passed away at age 82. The son found the note in the VW log book and decided to give the van to the wide-eyed teen, now 23 years old, with two stipulations: Restore it and use it for "plenty of adventures." Crospey, a local English teacher, calls it "fate." Moral of story: Never underestimate the value of a handwritten note.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1988 that singer-turned-restaurateur Sonny Bono was elected mayor of Palm Springs, CA with 4,842 votes. What's next? A bodybuilder for governor?
WORD OF THE DAY
Newfangled - [NOO-fang-gəld] - adjective
Definition: Of the newest style or kind
Example: Now, how the heck does this newfangled thing work?
WEATHER IN A WORD
Sixties!