Last November, Jersey City voters chose to create a public fund dedicated to the arts. They did not elect the members of the city council or the mayor to be arts judges.
Opinion
Posted inDowntown, Latest News, Neighborhoods, News, Opinion
Editorial: Is Anyone Home at 911?
It was 3:30 in the afternoon on December 5th when Bill heard screaming outside his Newark Avenue apartment. He looked out the window and saw an elderly man on the ground “with blood running down his face.”
Posted inLatest News, News, Opinion
Port Authority Unveils New Midtown Terminal Plan
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has unveiled a new plan for the proposed Midtown Bus Terminal project which will “completely reimagine the world’s busiest bus terminal and its connection to the Lincoln Tunnel.”
Posted inOpinion
Reflections
These are grim days. While new leadership will undoubtedly bring some change, it will not be the end of one chapter and the start of another. No, the streams of history will continue to flow, some stronger than others, some more visible than others.
Posted inBergen Lafayette, Latest News, Neighborhoods, Opinion
Editorial: The Council Should Vote No on Steel Tech
The City Council should vote no on ordinance 20-103, amending the Morris Canal Redevelopment Plan to create the “Berry Lane North Zone.”
Posted inLatest News, Opinion
Editorial: Mr. Mayor it’s Time to Lead on Exorbitant Food Delivery Charges
The problem of strangulating online delivery fees is a long-term problem. It needs a long-term solution.
Posted inOpinion, Visual Arts
Jersey City Arts Awards Lack Clear Standards
The Jersey Arts Council’s 2020 awards were deserved, according to arts critic Tris McCall, but the Council itself failed to justify its choices.
Posted inEducation
Editorial: It’s Time to Bite the Bullet on School Reopening
On Monday night School Superintendent Franklin Walker predicted that Jersey City schools would continue remote learning until February. Walker had previously targeted November for reopening. While some educators and parents are no doubt relieved by the news, we believe that Walker’s recommendation is a cop out.
Posted inVisual Arts
Op Ed: Vote Yes! Arts are More Important Now than Ever!
It’s not often that voters get a say in how they want public funding spent, and Jersey City is a leader in giving its residents a say in what is important in their lives.
Posted inOpinion
Op Ed: Administration’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance Has Too Many Loopholes
This Wednesday, the City Council in Jersey City will consider for a second reading (and likely a vote) an inclusionary zoning ordinance recently put forth by the Fulop administration. Unfortunately for the people of Jersey City, this ordinance is inclusionary in name only, with abundant carveouts and loopholes for real estate developers to skimp on building affordable housing units.
In early 2019, City Council members Joyce Watterman and Rolando Lavarro introduced an inclusionary zoning ordinance, and the Fulop administration introduced a competing one, which was widely considered to be more developer-friendly. To reconcile the two ordinances, an Inclusionary Zoning Committee was formed, composed of the majority of council members. This committee, led by Councilperson Lavarro, held a series of meetings over the course of the past year, which were open for public viewing. However, after the committee reached a compromise through this transparent process, Mayor Fulop and his team put forth a new ordinance, developed entirely behind the scenes and ignoring many key provisions reached by consensus in committee. This is the ordinance now being considered by the City Council.