Valli6
01-13-2010, 05:22 PM
Have you'all heard about this?
A bill that would require a 10-year waiting period between referendums seeking to make certain changes to municipal governments passed the state Assembly Monday and now awaits the governor's signature.
The bill gained state Senate approval last week. Sponsored by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union, and state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Middlesex, Somerset and Union, the measure aims to limit the frequency with which residents can vote on a citizen-initiated public question that seeks to change the size, term length or method of election of a municipality's governing body.
Currently, such questions can be voted on every two, three or four years, depending on the circumstances. If signed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine, such a question could only go before voters once every decade.
The bill is of particular interest in New Brunswick, where last November residents voted on a plan to increase the size of the City Council and create a ward system.
Members of Empower Our Neighborhoods and several other citizens groups from across the state quickly banded together to oppose the bill last week.
"We all really mobilized really quickly to try to defeat the bill. Now we can hope that our outgoing governor will not sign it," said Charles Kratovil, a spokesman for Empower Our Neighborhoods, who was in Trenton observing voting on Monday.
Kratovil said 10 years is an unreasonable amount of time to wait between public questions, and he argued that the bill amends the wrong statute and thus will lead to confusion and court battles.
The bill passed by a vote of 21-15 in the state Senate on Thursday, gaining just enough votes for a majority in the 40-member body. It was an equally close call Monday, when the bill passed the 80-member Assembly by a vote of 41-34.
Kratovil said he and the coalition of other citizens groups will now try to convince Corzine to veto the bill.
A spokesman for Unite New Brunswick, which opposed the ward change last November, could not be reached for comment. But Mayor Jim Cahill said last week he supports the bill, arguing that governments need time after an election such as the one held in his city last November to focus on doing the work of government. January 11, 2010
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100111/NEWS/1110344/1003/NEWS01
A bill that would require a 10-year waiting period between referendums seeking to make certain changes to municipal governments passed the state Assembly Monday and now awaits the governor's signature.
The bill gained state Senate approval last week. Sponsored by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union, and state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Middlesex, Somerset and Union, the measure aims to limit the frequency with which residents can vote on a citizen-initiated public question that seeks to change the size, term length or method of election of a municipality's governing body.
Currently, such questions can be voted on every two, three or four years, depending on the circumstances. If signed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine, such a question could only go before voters once every decade.
The bill is of particular interest in New Brunswick, where last November residents voted on a plan to increase the size of the City Council and create a ward system.
Members of Empower Our Neighborhoods and several other citizens groups from across the state quickly banded together to oppose the bill last week.
"We all really mobilized really quickly to try to defeat the bill. Now we can hope that our outgoing governor will not sign it," said Charles Kratovil, a spokesman for Empower Our Neighborhoods, who was in Trenton observing voting on Monday.
Kratovil said 10 years is an unreasonable amount of time to wait between public questions, and he argued that the bill amends the wrong statute and thus will lead to confusion and court battles.
The bill passed by a vote of 21-15 in the state Senate on Thursday, gaining just enough votes for a majority in the 40-member body. It was an equally close call Monday, when the bill passed the 80-member Assembly by a vote of 41-34.
Kratovil said he and the coalition of other citizens groups will now try to convince Corzine to veto the bill.
A spokesman for Unite New Brunswick, which opposed the ward change last November, could not be reached for comment. But Mayor Jim Cahill said last week he supports the bill, arguing that governments need time after an election such as the one held in his city last November to focus on doing the work of government. January 11, 2010
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100111/NEWS/1110344/1003/NEWS01