Route 40 (https://rtforty.com/2018/01/)
The New Jersey Business & Industry Association issued a report on attracting and retaining Millennials in the Garden State, and the valuable NJ Spotlight reports that, after studying the subject over the past year, their recommendations ranged from improving college affordability to “just doing a better job of promoting the different well-paying career opportunities that exist here.” That sounds about right.
Phil Murphy said he wants a “new culture” at the Economic Development Authority and named Tim Sullivan to be the new chief executive. Sullivan is currently “deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development” and was a “top New York City economic-development official” under Mike Bloomberg, the valuable NJ Spotlight reports.
Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner, who’s demonstrated a real flair for this kind of thing in a short time, announced that an employee of the Atlantic County Office of the Superintendent of Elections is under criminal investigation, though the prosecutor didn’t say which employee or what he/she/it’s under investigation for.
Big Steve Sweeney wants a $15 minimum wage but not for farm workers, Ryan Hutchins and Katherine Landergan at Politico report, noting Sweeney’s “South Jersey district includes more farms than any other in the state.”
Christian (We Miss You) Hetrick reports that New Jersey’s “Big Six” state party and legislative committees spent $13.3 million on election campaigns last year, which maybe sounds like a lot until you consider that spending “from super PACs and other special interests” was $45.4 million. Just a decade ago, spending by “independent groups” was 1/142th of spending by the Big Six. Now outsiders outspend them 3-to-1. What could have changed in that time?
Claude Brodesser-Akner at NJ.com says legal recreational marijuana might not pass after a number of Dems in the state legislature said they were nos. But Nick Scutari, the bill’s sponsor, said, he still expected the bill to become law. “I think your math is wrong,” Scutari said.
Amazon announced the 20 finalists for its second headquarters (“HQ2”) and Atlantic City didn’t make the cut, but Philadelphia did and so did Newark.
Does anyone else think it’s a little gross–this spectacle of great American cities falling all over themselves to see who can give the biggest handouts to a multi-national corporation with a market cap of $622 billion?
Atlantic City Council has postponed a vote on a bond issuance that would have raised $55 million, $38 million of which would have been used to make health and pension contributions that state overseers deferred and that’s been accruing 10% interest per year.
Atlantic City Council will postpone a vote on issuing $55 million in new debt to pay for pension and healthcare contributions that were deferred in 2015, two councilmen said. The council had planned to vote on the second and final reading of the bond ordinance at the meeting later on Wednesday.
Pieces of the empty Atlantic Club casino are falling onto Pacific Avenue and a large crack has appeared on the Boardwalk side of the aging property, recent pictures show.