Monday, July 30, 2012
A look back at last week's news and what's to come this week in the Rumson-Fair Haven area
Well, R-FHers, the sun is shining after one spate of erratic weather; and, all sorts of stories are brewing in the area. What’s been going on intertwined with what’s ahead … • We’ve been following Fair Haven’s Olympic swimmer Connor Jaeger. We talked to his dad, Fair Haven Borough Councilman Eric Jaeger, when he returned from watching his son win in the Olympic trials in Nebraska enough to secure a spot on the USA team in the London summer games. Then we paid a visit to the Jaeger home and chatted with dad, mom, Bernadette and sister Dana about life with an Olympian. Oh, and, of course, we got family dog Stella’s input, too. Connor started a blog last week, so we got an update from his dad and let people know what he’s up to and where to …
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
What's been going on and what people are talking about
Well, R-FHers, what a week it’s been since the Fourth of July. There may have been no fireworks, but there was enough action to light up the sky. And there’s more news to come. So, in keeping with the holiday and emergency mayhem that's kept everyone a bit off-kilter, we're running "Newsworthy ..." mid-week this week. Up to now … It all started when the Swimming River Reservoir water main pipes went kaput with a bridge collapse and so did area residents’ and business owners’ sanity under a boil-water advisory. Now you can drink the water, but you can’t water the lawn. I think we’ll live. What’d your moms always say about those starving children in third world countries? Then there was something else R-FHers can all live without, but don’t …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Housing advocate and municipalities try to prevent the state from taking their funds.
The battle between the Christie administration and the Fair Share Housing Center rages on. The two sides are going to court Friday over as much as $200 million in local affordable housing trust funds. So far, the Appellate Division of Superior Court has been kind to the Cherry Hill-based housing advocates, but this case could be a different story. To help balance the budget, Gov. Chris Christie recommended the state use the trust fund money. The administration appears to be within its legal right to do so, as the law creating the funds — and the developer fees that municipalities levy to subsidize them — specified municipalities had to “commit to spend” the money within four years. The clock strikes midnight on July 17. But as always, …
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Council on Affordable Housing earns reprieve as Supreme Court upholds appellate ruling protecting the state agency.
Gov. Chris Christie still cannot make the state Council on Affordable Housing disappear, now that the New Jersey Supreme Court refused to stay an appellate court ruling that barred his action. The June 12 ruling is not the last word on the case, since the high court only rejected the stay, not the governor's appeal. But it reaffirms that, at least for now, the council has exclusive jurisdiction over affordable housing regulations in the executive branch. In March, the appellate court found that Christie "exceeded his authority" under the state constitution by attempting to eliminate an agency created by the Legislature. Three months later, though, the council's former link on the state website still redirects to a page announcing "the …
Friday, March 9, 2012
Court rules that the governor lacks authority to reorganize an independent agency, saying future of Council on Affordable Housing is up to state Legislature.
A state appeals panel has overturned Gov. Chris Christie's reorganization of New Jersey's affordable housing bureaucracy, saying the governor lacked authority to abolish an independent agency. Christie issued an executive order in June 2011 that eliminated the state Council on Affordable Housing and transferred its responsibilities to the state Department of Community Affairs. Christie says he will appeal the decision. "We are obviously disappointed with the court decision, which only perpetuates the nightmare New Jersey has endured for decades with the COAH bureaucracy," said Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak. In its ruling, written by Judge Philip S. Charchman, the appellate panel said that the state Reorganization Act "does not grant …
Elaine Van Develde
2:48 pm on Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Thanks, Len! And thanks so much for your blog. Yes, the river is a real staple here. Most everyone has a few river stories from growing up around here. It's such a memorable spot for the "natives." more ›