Move ed bd elections back to April
As concerned citizens in the Jersey City community, we are writing to express our strong support for the return of school board elections to their traditional April timeslot. Recent events surrounding the Jersey City school board have been deeply troubling, and we believe that restoring the elections to their rightful place in the spring is a crucial step in addressing the dysfunction and lack of accountability that has plagued the Jersey City Public Schools District.
Since the Board of Education elections were moved to November, we have witnessed a disturbing breakdown in the board’s ability to effectively govern. From ethical complaints to criminal convictions, the net loss to our children continues to add up. The meetings have devolved into what can only be described as playground squabbles, with board members failing to focus on the pressing issues facing our schools.
Perhaps the most egregious example of this dysfunction was the board’s recent approval of a $1.1 billion budget without public participation. Because the elections are now held in November, we are told, the public isn’t afforded a thumbs-up/thumbs-down say in the budgetary process, which is a clear violation of the public’s trust and undermines the very principles of democratic governance that should be the foundation of our school system.
By restoring the school board elections to April, we can help to address these issues and restore a sense of accountability and transparency to the district. The April timeline aligns with the traditional school budgetary cycle and ensures that the board members are directly accountable to the voters who elected them. This, in turn, will help to foster a culture of responsible governance and a renewed focus on the needs of our students and families.
Further, the April election timeline is crucial for maintaining high levels of civic engagement and voter participation. The November elections, which are typically dominated by national and state-level races, can often overshadow the importance of local school board elections. By returning to the April timeline, we can ensure that our community members are fully engaged and informed about the issues facing our schools, and that they have a meaningful voice in shaping the future of our district.
We urge the Jersey City Council and the trustees of the Jersey City Board of Education to place a referendum on the ballot this November to weigh the electorate’s desire to return the elections to April. This is not just a matter of restoring order and accountability to the district, but a crucial step in ensuring that our schools remain responsive to the needs of our students and families. The future of our children and our community depends on it.
Vernon Richardson, Diane Atwell, Elna Mukaida, Kathryn Moore and Mary Miraglia, Jersey City
Get moving on Bergen Arches
Editor’s note: The Jersey City Division of Transportation Planning will host the second public meeting and open house to solicit input on the initial concept designs for the Bergen Arches at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 11, at Dickinson High School, 2 Palisade Ave. No registration is required. For information, go to https://bergenarchesstudy-jerseycity.hub.arcgis.com/.
Conversations about the reactivation of the Bergen Arches have been going on for decades but never seemed to result in any action.
The state provided $100,000 to produce a study of the area and the result is now being discussed at recent public meetings at Dickinson High School. The next meeting is on April 11. It’s finally getting serious, but I suspect it’s years away from action due to lack of funding.
There’s no reason a bikeway and pedestrian trail can’t share the space with an express busway which would provide a connection with downtown from Journal Square. Non-polluting buses could be used, and Columbus Drive could be used to connect with the light rail and ferries across town because it’s wide enough to accommodate an express busway.
VIA could also have access. Feeder buses could connect to it from the north and south of the Square. All this could be done with minimum funding and fairly quickly.
The biggest issue will be safety/security mitigated in the form of police patrols and proper lighting.
Light rail is also an option but is prohibitively expensive today and any funds are dedicated toward extending the line into Bergen County, so it looks like a nonstarter.
An express busway could also connect with the Essex Hudson Greenway all the way to MetLife Stadium and the mall just in time for the World Cup games.
The coming population explosion in the Journal Square area means that mass transit options other than just PATH and existing bus routes must become available to minimize Manhattan style gridlock.
So, let’s finally get the space reactivated as a local transit connection with the potential to be much more by linking existing destinations.
Roger Heitmann, Jersey City
Quigley on wrong side of ‘the line’
Joan Quigley’s column on April 2 argues for continuing “the line” in New Jersey primaries. She favors this special privilege for the party leaders. She thinks that “the line” is a simple on-the-ballot endorsement and is a fair way to give voters more information.
I disagree.
Signs and websites are enough. Every primary candidate and every political organization is allowed to have campaign signs, and in my neighborhood, those signs sometimes show “tickets” for local offices where the candidates mutually endorse each other. But on Election Day, all campaign signs must be at least 100 feet away from the entrance to the polling place.
Polling places are neutral ground. Ms. Quigley wants county’s party organizations to continue to have the exclusive right to put one last “sign” directly on the ballot, which is blatant electioneering.
Dennis Mancl, Bridgewater
Hacks’ quid pro quo?
My sincere gratitude to former Assemblywoman Joan Quigley. In her op-ed, she clearly explained to me why I need a bunch of political hacks to tell me why I should vote for their preferred political hack.
The question is, what does the chosen hack have to offer in order to win the party endorsement?
John Caffrey, Maplewood
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