If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It

But who said it isn't broken?
'SPEAKER POWER' - Guest Column
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  • New Brunswick High School graduation rates, already well below the state average, dropped from 76% to 70.5% in 2008.  Nearly half of New Brunswick public schools fail to meet NJ Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
  • A massive kickback scheme in 2006 shut down the city's Housing Rehabilitation program, a service which helped low to moderate income families maintain their homes, for a year and a half.  Out of control corruption left the most vulnerable households in the lurch.
  • A 2002 investigation by the Community Empowerment Project forced current Mayor Cahill to admit he had been illegally overcharging his New Brunswick tenants for years.  Cynically violating the very rent control laws the city administration has been attempting to take credit for in the current campaign.
  • Former New Brunswick Mayor Lynch only just got out of prison for fraud and tax evasion charges.
These are not the hallmarks of a functional local government.

New Brunswick, sadly, has little of the political diversity or direct representation that makes a democracy strong. In fact, New Brunswick has not seen a competitive local election since the 1980s.  Furthermore, New Brunswick has dozens of vibrant, functional neighborhoods that continue to go without adequate representation in local government.

It is the Lynch/Cahill administration and not the voters who decide elections.  Three out of five current city council members were selected to serve out the unexpired term of their predecessors, competing in an election only after they were given the advantage of incumbency.

This lack of democracy has had an adverse effect on the quality of government in New Brunswick. While it is true that the city is not actually burning down, the current system is broken, and it is time for us to fix it!
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