Battlefield may end MOM battle

The state Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Parks and Forestry has apparently given " thumbs down to the Monmouth Junction route's proposed crossing" of the Monmouth Battleground State Park, according to the Asbury Park Press.

A May letter from the division, the paper says,

cites adverse effects from commuter trains on the park — which is crossed by rails where a freight train runs — and from more drivers using Route 522 to reach a proposed station in Manalapan near the park.

The effort to upgrade the Monmouth Junction line across the preserved battlefield could be prevented by federal officials, now that the DEP has rendered an opinion about the effects, a prominent historian said.

"They can't proceed without the permission of the New Jersey Historic Sites Council, and if they approve, the National Parks Service would not approve," said Garry Wheeler Stone, Monmouth Battlefield State Park historian.

The Post and Press will have more on this story as it develops.

Corzine: No MOM in Middlesex

The Home News Tribune is reporting that the governor has killed the MOM line -- or at least the portion running through Jamesburg, Monroe and South Brunswick. A victory for common sense and New Jersey taxpayers.

"It will be the MO line, not the MOM line,'' he said to applause from to an audience of Middlesex County residents.

Check the South Brunswick Post and The Cranbury Press pages on Packetonline for updates on Monday.

The Cranbury Press

Time to fight the train

Crossposted from Channel Surfing:

Things have been quiet on the MOM line front for a while, but as we reported a few weeks back, a rally is scheduled for Friday in Manalapan designed to get the ball rolling on the train line again.

The Asbury Park Press weighs in today with its standard editorial supporting the project and encouraging rail supporters to turn out in force.

It essentially mirrors our argument of a few weeks ago, when we called for MOM opponents to set up their own counter rally. To my knowledge, however, nothing's happening.

That's unfortunate -- and foolish. The Manalapan rally will help create the impression of grassroots support that will have no counterweight without an anti-MOM rally.

That could give gives MOM supporters a leg up, as we argued in April:

What is needed is a competing rally, bringing residents of the three Middlesex County towns together to remind NJ Transit that the western route is not only the most expensive but also faces serious opposition.

The key is to remember that:

Supporters are hoping to control the terms of debate. Opponents in Middlesex
County shouldn't let them.

-- Hank Kalet

Editor's Note: A story is a story

Crossposted from Channel Surfing:
As I get older, I've found myself growing more intolerant of intolerance. The differences in people are what make them unique and the choices they make are their own, so long as they don't harm anyone else. That's my basic philosophy of life, I guess.

That's why the calls and notes I received following our publication of a story on a Monroe gay couple's civil union ceremony so disconcerting. There were cancelations of the paper and some choice words offered -- including one letter writer who essentially compared me to the wicked of Sodom -- but that's fine. We ran the story because it was a good story on an important topic.

And I'd do it again next week.

What troubles me, however, is the level of vitriol -- the hatred out there for people just trying to live their lives. Their union has no impact on the rest of us. It is no threat to my marriage, nor do I suspect it threatens anyone else's. (That the state has not seen fit to call civil unions marriage is a travesty and another example of the Legislature's unwillingness to lead.)

Frank and Stephen love each other and their love makes the world a better place. Can the same be said about Brittney and Kevin? Or about any of the other five-minute marriages that have become a Hollywood staple?

But I digress. The issue that came up was about my politics and whether it affects what I assign and where I place it. Essentially, I was accused of having an agenda.

Here, in it's entirety, is the Editor's Note I wrote as a response for today's edition of The Cranbury Press:

A story is a story

Angry readers are a given in the newspaper business.

After all, not everything we do casts everyone in a positive light and not everyone might agree with the positions we take on the Town Forum page.

Politicians, for instance, tend not to like stories that raise questions about their actions or shed light on their failures. And I've lost count of the calls and e-mails I've received over the years regarding my criticism of the president and the Iraq War.

So it shouldn't have surprised me that some readers took offense at a story on Monroe's first civil union that ran on Page 1 of last week's paper.

The piece, which included a Page 1 photo and several photos on the jump page, told the story of Stephen Lourie and Frank Pisciotta's 30-year relationship and their decision to take advantage of the state's new civil union law.

I received several calls complaining about the story — one called it "garbage" — and a handful of readers canceled their subscription.

One sent me this note, which is probably representative of the negative comments I'd received:

"I just canceled my subscription and I hope many more do! When The Cranbury Press sees fit to announce on the front page about a bunch of homosexual old men
it's time to go. There are so many more important things going on in our community but it's obvious you have another agenda other than reporting on what people really care about."

Nearly everyone accused the paper, or me directly, of having an agenda, of using the news columns to push my point of view.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, I believe that gays and lesbians should have the right to marry — as I've written in my Dispatches column on numerous occasions. I believe a lot of things, but I never let my political beliefs color my news choices.

Iraq is an example. I have been a vocal critic of the Iraq War, but that has not prevented us from running stories on returning soldiers who remain supportive of the mission — most recently in February, when former Jamesburg Borough Councilman Carlos Morales returned from a five-month tour of duty in southern Iraq. The Morales story ran up front because it was an important news story with a local angle.

It is the same reason that we assigned the civil union story that ran on Page 1: It was news. It was the first civil union in Monroe under the state's new and controversial civil union law.

It was that simple. No agenda, just a commitment to presenting the news — even if it makes some readers angry.

Let me know if you agree.

-- Hank Kalet

The Cranbury Press

It's the district's responsibility

Crossposted from Channel Surfing:

The Monroe school board wants to explore its options before deciding how to pay for a new high school -- yes, pay for a new high school already approved by voters.

The problem is that the $82.9 million approved by voters in 2003 is about $36 million less than the building is now estimated to cost. Part of the cost hike is due to a slower-than-anticipated process surrounding a complicated land swap between Middlesex County and the township that needs state Green Acres approval -- a delay that has pushed back the start of construction.

As we said in an earlier editorial, there is plenty of blame to go around on this and it is incumbent upon the board to get the project moving.

The increased price tag, however, has added another wrinkle to a controversial project (there is some opposition to the land swap locally and among the state's environmental community). Were the state to give final approval tomorrow, the district would still need to figure out how to pay the balance of the project -- or whether it might have to scale back its plans.

The board has asked its Finance Committee to look into the matter and may turn to the township for help.

That raises some concerns. The township already has done as much as it can -- the land swap made a lot of sense and helped save the district on property acquisition. To ask the township to get further involved would be an abdication of responsibility on the part of the board: A township contribution to the project would not necessarily safe taxpayers money, but would allow the district to reduce the amount for which it seeks approval from the voters. This would be disingenuous -- a bureaucratic game of three-card monte.

It also would be a financial mistake: The board can charge Jamesburg for a portion of the interest on the high school project, because Jamesburg accounts for about a fifth of the student body; the township cannot. That would lessen Jamesburg's potential contribution (I don't wish to imply that the district should soak Jamesburg, but that the borough should pay its fair share).
In the end, I think there is only one legitimate option: Scale back the design for the new school, cutting its potential pricetag, and ask voters to fund that figure. It is the only fair thing to do.

-- Hank Kalet

The Cranbury Press

A boost in aid

Crossposted from Channel Surfing:

Aid figures are out and it appears that the governor is keeping his word to suburban schools. South Brunswick is looking at a 5 percent increase ($20.16 million from $19.2 million), Monroe ($4.33 million from $4.2 million) and Cranbury 3 percent ($727,735 from $706,539) and Jamesburg a whopping 8.3 percent ($3.96 million from $3.66 million) -- not huge increases by any stretch, but more than any hike in a long time.

While the aid increases should help offset the need for some property taxes, they remain far below what is necessary to help growing districts like Monroe and South Brunswick keep up with the particular intersection of enrollment hikes and inflation with which they must live.

Consider, however, that South Brunswick will be looking at a budget of something in the neighborhood of $125 million, meaning that state aid makes up just 15 percent of the total. The percentage in Cranbury is about 6 percent.

For the state to address the property tax problem, it will need to address this funding flaw. I don't know what the correct number is, but if the state paid about half the cost of education in a district like South Brunswick, it would cut between 50 and 60 cents off a $2-plus tax rate. The same kind of percentage cuts would be felt across the state.

That said, the state would need to come up with the money for the aid -- either by raising taxes or through some other creative, but sustainable way of raising revenue.

I don't know if this is the correct approach, but it a drastic approach, a wholesale revision of the way we do business as opposed to the nibbling at the edges envisioned by the four joint committees.

-- Hank Kalet

The Cranbury Press

Fire elections snafu

From Channel Surfing:

I received an e-mail this morning questioning why we didn't write a preview of the fire district elections in Monroe. The answer? We were unable to track down the budgets and commissioners until after our deadline on Thursday. (We intended to get something up on the Web late Friday, but that fell through the cracks.)

I offer this not as an excuse. The information is public so we had a responsibility to get it.

I offer this as another example of the problems with New Jersey's governmental structure. There is something inherently wrong with having a government entity -- in this case, one that levies taxes -- that is as inaccessible as most fire commissions. Our reporters attend occasional meetings, but getting information at other times is nearly impossible -- this goes not only for Monroe, but for South Brunswick, Jamesburg, Plainsboro, West Windsor, nearly every fire district that I've had the misfortune to have to cover in my 17 years as a reporter and editor.

Monroe is supposed to be reviewing whether to consolidate its districts, maintain the status quo or abolish them altogether. I vote for abolition. At the very least, the independent fire commissions should be required to file all budget information with their municipal clerk's office, which would make it more accessible for voters to peruse -- and reporters to track down.

The Cranbury Press