Gov. Christie Joins Rats in Raritan (No Joke)

NJ Gov. Chris Christie (Jan. 2010 at Inaugural)

Governor Christie is holding a Town Hall meeting today in Raritan Township, the second in his “government reform” campaign.

The campaign kickoff was yesterday, just coincidentally on the same day the Assembly held oversight hearings on his $400 million education funding debacle, so some have called the whole thing a diversion.

But that is dangerous – because there is a perverse Christie policy agenda that is escaping scrutiny.

I realize that clean water and public health stories don’t rise to the level of political scandal in NJ news circles, but Christie’s Raritan visit should shine a light on a recent controversy in Raritan Township that has statewide consequences. That dispute is a perfect example of how Christie’s agenda is “A Race to the Bottom – with No Brakes or Steering Wheel“.

The Raritan Township Committee recently became an outlaw by defying DEP stormwater management regulations (see: Raritan Twp. Committee rejects requiring dumpster covers; faces DEP penalties)

Remarkably, the Town picked a fight over DEP requirements for lids on garbage dumpsters, which are designed to minimize production of that foul liquid called leachate.

Leachate not only smells horrible, it pollutes nearby streams and attracts rats and other disease carrying vermin.

So basic 19th century public health measures are at stake in DEP’s regulations.

Raritan would rather return to 19th century conditions than comply with DEP – the epitome of the Christie reform agenda.

Even more remarkable is that Town Council members are fully aware of this and still refused to comply, calling DEP regulations an “unfunded state mandate“.

Here’s a flavor of the gutter level of the debate:

After [Committeeman] O’Malley voted no, when asked by another committee member whether he “felt good” that the municipality is now out of compliance, he said “Yeah, I do.”

“Since 1900 Dumpsters haven’t been covered and we’ve managed to survive,” O’Malley said, smirking.

[Committeeman] Kuhrt said water from Dumpsters brings rats and leads to health hazards.

This entire dispute hit the local newspapers, which I’m sure made Raritan Township residents proud. Raritan, home of the defiant Rat Brigade!

So, transitioning from local events, let’s get back to Christie’s “reform agenda”.

Christie issued Executive Order #4 which deals with “unfunded mandates” back on his first day in Office. That Order invited exactly the irresponsible, ideologically driven, rebellion that is going on in Raritan:

WHEREAS, the New Jersey State Government has imposed such unfunded mandates in order to improperly transfer responsibility for providing certain services to local governments, in an effort to meet the State’s balanced budget requirement;

So, after manufacturing a bogus issue to divert from the real causes of local property tax increases,  the League jumped on the Christie bandwagon.

Many of the “state mandate” targets of the League are environmental requirements.

Democratic Assemblyman John McKeon, also [**sorry, former] Mayor of West Orange, chairs the Environment Commitee which held hearings last week (see: “Race to the Bottom – With No Brakes or Steering Wheel” .  McKeon seemed to be competing with his local colleagues to see who could be more foolish in rolling back state requirements.

Of course the League of Municipalities’ panel of local officials didn’t mention the embarrassing Raritan case.

Instead, the League used their key witness, the Mayor of Hamilton Township (Mercer County) to attack the DEP stormwater regulations.

That choice of Hamilton mayor was hugely ironic, because Hamilton Township is doing a horrible job implementing those regulations.

An outstanding recent Report by the Delaware Riverkeeper focuses on Hamilton. NJ licensed professional engineers reviewed the Town’s performance and found serious violations that have contributed to flooding and water quality decline. (see: “New Jersey Stormwater Management Implementation – A Case Study of Hamilton Township“

And here’s the Raritan story – read it and weep :

Raritan Twp. Committee rejects requiring Dumpster covers; faces DEP penalties

RARITAN TWP.- The Township Committee defeated a motion to adopt an ordinance requiring Dumpsters to be covered to prevent health hazards; the measure had been mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) so now the township is out of compliance with its discharge permits.

The ordinance would have required that Dumpsters that are outdoors or exposed to storm water be covered to prevent prohibiting “spilling, dumping, leaking” so contents do not end up in the storm sewers.

“We didn’t want this, we were required by the DEP,” Township Administrator Alan Pietrefesa told a resident who was concerned how the township engineer’s office would be able to enforce the ordinance.

“Since 1900 Dumpsters haven’t been covered and we’ve managed to survive,” O’Malley said, smirking.

Kuhrt said water from Dumpsters brings rats and leads to health hazards.

http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-co…