Route 40 (https://rtforty.com/author/sprouseb/page/26/)
Who among us hasn’t peed on himself while driving drunk, then been permitted to retire from his job as fire chief, then been allowed to collect “$671.86 per day for 241.5 unused sick days” he’d accumulated over the years? Also, did Rahway have a fire chief and a fire director, and were they both William Young?
Here is a small plot of land in Atlantic City’s Tourism District that happens to serve as a collection point for a lot of disused liquor bottles. Before we get ahead of ourselves, I have nothing against park-drinking.
Last fall we did a story on the problem of discarded hypodermic needles across the Tourism District, and now one City Councilman says he has considered a proposal to pull the rules allowing the needle exchange on Tennessee Avenue.
For the record, it’s the editorial position of Route 40 that well-run needle exchanges are humane, save lives and save money. But we also think if the state uses “unsafe” and “unclean” conditions as an occasion to take over local government functions, it should
acknowledge the needle exchange is in the Tourism District that it administers.
A big day in Trenton yesterday as various committees and legislative bodies etc. advanced bills on paid sick leave, pay equity, gun control and medical marijuana.
There’ll be a service interruption on the AC-to-Philly train line from April 9 to June 22 so you’ll have to take the bus to Lindenwold while they do track work. Lynda Cohen has further details, professionally reported, here.
A couple of Narcan stories in the news, since that’s so depressingly timely. Matt Skoufalos at NJ Pen has a piece on Camden County health systems teaming up to buy the opioid antidote in bulk, which could reduce costs on the list price by 50%. Meanwhile Assemblyman Herb Conaway said prison inmates who are addicted to opioids should be given Narcan when they get out of jail, since they’re often very susceptible then to OD-ing. Phil Murphy proposed raising the state sales tax, and Fitch Ratings called that idea a “positive step.” Never forget bond traders run the world.
The blogger formerly known as Wally Edge has an informative thing on the Republican contest to replace Frank LoBiondo, calling that process a “train wreck.” He says a deal was struck to get Hirsh Singh to run for Congress so he’d get out of the race for state senate. But the R establishment hasn’t gotten behind Singh and instead the race for the LD2 nomination has splintered. It’s kind of fascinating to read about the Republican contenders and count how many spent their careers in the public sector, or made their money as defense contractors or whatever. That’s how you know they’re the party of small government.
The editorial duo at Route 40 sat down with Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam and his Millennial Understander Beard to talk Bader Field, marijuana reform and the future of the city.
Chris Howard stepped down as executive director of the CRDA, and Matt Doherty was named to replace him.
For Trenton was so tired of Atlantic City, they sent the mayor of Belmar all the way down here to look after it…
The state assembly’s Labor Committee had a busy day yesterday, advancing two bills, the first a piece of equal pay legislation that would require women be paid the same as men when they do “substantially similar work.” Naturally that would be a calamity for the Republic. The Labor Committee also advanced the Workplace Democracy Enhancement Act that ensures “union representatives” have “greater access to the public employees they represent” including by talking to them on their breaks.