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A gnashing of teeth among NJ’s elite

Whining whitebread

a front yard in Harding NJ

I’ve previously written and posted photos to illustrate the conflict, to the point where I would have thought the targets of that criticism would be ashamed of themselves and lay low, but apparently some folks have no shame, see:

• NJ’s Landed Gentry – Open Space Has Become A Tool For The New Restrictive Covenants
• Keeping the Backyards of the Landed Gentry Green – With Public Funds Stolen From State Parks and DEP Environmental Programs
• The Political Geography of the Open Space Debate Is Baffling

But, if you want another example of that shamelessness, check out this letter to the editor from the head of the NJ Highlands Coalition, whining about the lack of State funding to protect the backyards of the nobility up in Harding:

 … open space preservation in the future is going to be difficult in a new world with hardly any funding available …

Harding Township residents have long supported preserving key lands in town that protect the character of our community …

Implementation language on a bill to direct spending of those dollars is currently being vigorously debated in Trenton, but there is a very real possibility that Gov. (Chris) Christie will veto that legislation. Indeed, his proposed state budget instead allocates some of those funds to paying salaries of state park and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) employees, and includes far less than the implementation bill to any acquisition.

Now we have a new paradigm that suggests the state and county will largely end helping purchase and protect open space. Towns and non-profits will be largely on their own.

Yikes! Poor Harding will have to survive all alone! Abandoned and adrift in that sea of wealth and social exclusion.

Gotta protect that community character! Keep out the riffraff.

I find this letter astounding – shockingly naive and selfish and parochial.

The author complains of a lack of funding from Trenton, yet the author was a leader of the gang that created the funding mess.

The public was never told before voting that the open space ballot question would steal funds from State Parks and core DEP water resource and toxic site cleanup programs.

I’ve spoken to scores of people about this, and virtually all say that they were not aware of any funding cuts and would never have voted YES if they had known.

The public is now finding that out, and is disgusted by the deception and shocked by the impacts.

Parks supporters and historic preservationists have risen up and gone to Trenton to fight to have their funds restored.

They will very soon be joined by those who understand the need to protect water resources, monitor and assess water quality, provide scientific support, and cleanup toxic waste sites – all DEP programs that were slashed by the open space ballot initiative.

Over 17 million people visit NJ state parks each year and there is a $400 million backlog in deferred capital maintenance – historic structures and facilities are literally crumbling.

The Open Space ballot stole ALL State Parks capital funds ($32 million/year) PLUS all revenues from leases and concessions that funded the operation of the Parks.

Did the author of this letter and her colleagues at the Keep It Green Coalition actually think that the Governor and Legislators would allocate open space funds to Harding, while closing state parks?

Did the author and the KIG actually think that their pet projects and staff would get funded while the tremendous needs of urban NJ continue to be ignored?

Did the author and the KIG forget all about how they marketed their Ballot Question with a deeply cynical and racist ad campaign that featured black children frolicking in parks? Stuff like this? Did they think urban Democratic legislators would simply forget all about that?

KIG advertsiment

Did the author and the KIG actually think that the historic preservation advocates would just fold up the tent an walk away?

When confronted with these choices and huge public outrage, what did they think State policymakers would do?

By treachery and manipulation and pure selfish greed, the author and the Keep It Green coalition have generated a backlash and created huge animosity that has done irreparable harm to their organizations, their individual reputations, and the cause of open space preservation.

And now they have to gall to point fingers and whine about the mess they made?

A Harding NJ front yard