Last night's debate was a collegial exercise in democracy that, on the whole, yielded few surprises. But it was very interesting, informative and fairly important.
The incumbents, Loretta Weinberg, Valerie Vanieri-Huttle and Gordon Johnson were the more prepared and polished. They won the debate nicely; but I'll give the challengers Clara Nibot, Frank Cifarelli and Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz credit for passion, sincerity and conveying a sense of decency that I don't sense from many in the national Republican "leadership".
What saved the incumbents from these three interesting/good folk was the fact that they were/are clearly not machine candidates; so the attacks and critiques thrust at them really had nowhere to land.
The most applauded and amusing moment of the debate can be seen in the following video snippet.
The closest thing to a blow was the accusation that Gordon Johnson was a "dual office holder" which, while technically true, didn't amount to a hill of beans in Johnson's case given the facts and his particular circumstances. Though I'm sure he won't be running for city councilman at large again when this term expires and am equally certain that he'll vote for any tightening of the ban on dual office holding even if it meant he would have to resign one of his positions.
If you wish to see the whole debate simply click below....
.....and btw, if you use oil to heat your home, you definitely want to watch the above introduction to find out how to get a 10% to 30% discount!!!
Today's Bergen Record gave a generally accurate cursory accounting of the evening...with one small exception. The article (http://www.northjers...= ) says,
"The sides differed in their opinions on stem cell research and Governor Corzine's proposal to sell the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway -- a debt reduction plan known as "asset monetization."
The question of "selling" the turnpike was actually a point of some contention during the debate. The Republicans used that characterization while the Democrats denied that Corzine ever said he was "selling" anything. As one who was initially highly skeptical; this debate actually moved me (a bit) to a wait and see position!
It may turn out to be a minor quibble depending on what finally emerges after Corzine has had a chance to market, get feedback and finalize his proposals; but I object to the use of the word "sell" as if it was a settled fact.
