Slaughterhouse Why

At the Sept 22 BOT Meeting, County Executive DiVincenzo presented his plan to continue killing deer in South Mountain Reservation this Winter. Last year 213 deer were killed at taxpayer expense in the Reservation. In addition, the County admitted an additional 5 deer were shot and "not recovered", but left to suffer.

I have heard from at least one resident who witnessed the horror of a deer so badly wounded that one of his limbs was dangling from his body and it was bleeding profusely. At the meeting on Monday, I urged Mr. DiVincenzo to stop this senseless suffering and explore non-lethal means of controlling the deer population. Doing some very quick research online, I learned of some very successful programs for immunocontraception to control deer fertility that have been proven effective.

Immunocontraception is a very effective and inexpensive form of contraception that is delivered remotely by dart, which prevents fertilization. One of the most successful methods I found is a vaccine called PZP which has been used successfully in Connecticut, Maryland, NJ, NY, Ohio , VA and Washington. Two of the largest studies were performed on Fire Island, NY in conjunction with the Humane Society and National Park Service, as well as a study in Gaithersburg, MD where the birth rate for deer was cut by 72 percent with PZP.

In addition to the moral injustice of killing the deer, there is the financial objection that, according to the Star Ledger, the deer slaughter last year cost the taxpayers $60,000 for the killing of 213 deer. That works out to a cost of almost $300/deer. The implementation of an immunocontraception program is estimated to cost only around $60/deer according to some studies. Also, if done properly, an immunocontraception does not need to be done indefinitely each year, as with a hunt. Some studies have shown immunocontraception vaccines to still be effective as much as 5 years after injection.

Finally, if moral or financial reasons aren’t enough, there is the fact that hunting simply does not work as a sustainable solution to reduce or even control the deer population due to the principal of reproductive rebound. According to many documented studies, deer conceive multiple embryos, but the number of fawns born is directly related to nutrition and herd density. When herd density is temporarily reduced through hunting, there is reduced competition for food and the number of twins and triplets born actually increases. One study even showed that after a hunt, surviving females produced enough offspring to not only replace those killed, but enough to actually INCREASE the size of the herd. This is reproductive rebound.

So, for moral reasons, financial reasons and the practical reason that hunting is an archaic, barbaric and ineffective method, I urge the County to explore immunocontraception and other non-lethal means of controlling the deer population. Together, we have the opportunity to show leadership to our community with a forward thinking and progressive model which we can be proud of and which teaches our children that killing is not the answer. For the sake of the taxpayers and the deer, I hope real leadership can finally be shown.

STOP in the name of...

Public Safety! Lately, there has been some commentary about the new Stop Sign erecetd at the intersection of Redmond Rd and Harding Drive. I thought it would be worthwhile to share some background on process that was followed to install this stop sign and the justification for this sign.

Earlier this year, a couple residents who live at the intersection approached me (as the chair of the Public Safety Committee) about their concerns about this dangerous intersection which was completely uncontrolled. I took a look firsthand and agreed to place the item on the agenda for discussion at the next regular Public Safety Committee. The residents attended the meeting and explained their concerns. The Police Chief validated there had been 3 accidents at the intersection and the Committee unanimously agreed to recommend the Stop Sign to the full Board of Trustees. The Stop Sign was discussed at our next Conference Agenda meeting and the recommendation was made to create an Ordinance establishing a Stop Sign at the intersection. At two subsequent meetings, the BOT voted to approve the Stop Sign and no residents came to the meetings to speak against (or for) the sign. (However, residents in the homes surrounding the intersection were informed of the Public Hearing and the proposed Stop Sign by leaflets delivered to their homes).

Since the Stop sign has been installed, some people have actually complained about it. However, I find this quite surprising for a number of reasons:

1. If you travel West (up the hill) on Redmond Rd and want to make a left turn onto Harding Drive, you logically MUST stop in order to confirm there is no cross traffic on Redmond Rd. However, someone traveling through that intersection who is not familiar with the area might not realize that and could easily blow through the uncontrolled intersection. Installing a Stop sign there is logical and simply communicates to people that the North-South cross traffic has the right of way. (which is consistent with the rest of Harding Dr, as well as Mayhew Drive which runs parallel)
2. Placing a Stop sign at the westbound intersection with Harding Dr, is simply consistent with all other streets that intersect with it (Tillou, Twin Oak and Overhill).
3. Some people have actually complained that stopping "uphill" in dangerous, however, nobody has ever expressed that concern about all the numerous other "uphill" stop signs which already exist throughout the neighborhood. In addition, certainly, anyone who has ever been to a place like San Francisco is quite aware of significantly steeper streets with Stop signs (or traffic lights) on "hills".

As with ANY issue, there are always multiple viewpoints and perspectives. However, with this specific issue, I think that adding control to a blind uncontrolled intersection is a small price to pay and the right thing to do to prevent a potential collision and for the sake of Public Safety. I certainly welcome suggestions on other uncontrolled intersections in the Village that should be looked at similarly.

Goin' Cali

My wife, daughter & I recently returned from a very nice Summer vacation to Southern California. We flew into Orange County and stayed at the beautiful Hyatt Huntington Beach. The hotel is located right across the street from the beach and we even had a great oceanview from our room.

We spent our first day just relaxing by the pool and walking long the beach and into the town of Huntington Beach to watch the surfers. For our next day, we were up early (our bodies still on East Coast time) and got to Disneyland before it even opened. When the park finally did open, they corral everyone on Main Street until the "official" opening time and from there it's literally a sprint to the first ride to take advantage of the short lines. We had a great time & managed to cover the entire park in a day (thanks to Fastpass!). We had been to DisneyWorld many times and found Disneyland to be quite comparable with a few minor differences (Disneyland has the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Indiana Jones ride, plus Cinderella castle is MUCH smaller). Otherwise it is classic Disney, including the expensive food, screaming babies and complete exhaustion you feel at the end of the day!

Our next day, we travelled up to Los Angeles and explored around Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the infamous Rodeo Drive. We ended the day out in Santa Monica to explore the infamous pier and Third St Promenade.

The next day, we travelled down to Carlsbad, CA to enjoy Legoland. I wasn't sure what to expect with this part as I had read mixed reviews, but it turned out to be alot of fun a great place for my six-year old daughter where she even got to go on a roller coaster for the very first time - and loved it!

The following day was back to "Disney" by starting the day at California Adventure, a Disney park which is directly across the plaza from Disneyland. We had also heard mixed reviews of the park, but all in all we enjoyed it. It seems to be a slight hybrid of Epcot & Disney/MGM in Florida, with rides like Soarin' and Tower of Terror, in addition to some other more standard amusement park rides. However, the highlight of the park was "Toy Story Mania", which just opened this year in both CA & FL. It's very similar concept to the "Buzz Lightyear" ride at Disney, but here you play numerous virtual arcade games as you go through the ride wearing 3-D glasses. The technology & effects were very cool!

Our last day was spent back at the hotel, relaxing by the pool and enjoying the California sun before flying back to NJ and getting back to reality of work and school. Now, the job begins of identifying and planning for our next Summer destination!

Go Joe Go!

We woke up this morning to confirmation that Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his runningmate. This is a GREAT choice! It had been rumored for a few days that this was coming and I am very excited to see it become a reality. I have always thought that Joe Biden was a very intelligent and thoughtful person who has alot of interesting ideas. I've always been surprised that his previous Presidential campaigns went no where, so I am glad that he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Great choice!

Public Information and Transparency

In the July 31 News-Record there was an Editorial entitled “Knowledge is Safety”. In that Editorial it stated:

“The village would be well served if prepared information on serious crimes was posted on their official Web site or communicated through an official spokesperson, as the public has as much right to know about developing stories as local media outlets which receive detailed press releases within a matter of hours following reported crimes.”

As the Chair of the South Orange Public Safety Committee as well as one of the liaisons to the Public Information and Marketing Committee, I cannot agree more - Public Safety goes hand in hand with Public Information. In fact, the Public Safety Committee has already been discussing this exact topic over the past several meetings. As a result, the South Orange Police Chief is now working with the IT Manager to develop a process to be able to rapidly document and disseminate information about serious crimes via the Village website. This process should be live within the next few weeks.

In the past, reports of criminal incidents were often posted by people on Maplewood Online but often times some or all of the facts were misstated. Having an official place for the Village to share the facts about serious crimes is an important step in making residents aware of situations that impact them while also helping to control the rumor mill and ensure the FACTS are made available to the Public.

When I ran for office, one of the main issues I discussed was transparency in government and sharing of public information, which I felt was not readily apparent with the prior administration. This is one of the big reasons I devote much time to sharing my opinions here on this blog, responding to inquiries on Maplewood Online as well as responding to the many emails, phone calls or instant messages I receive from residents. Not everyone has the time to watch our meetings or come to our workshops and we have limited outlets that report real news in town. I serve as a Trustee FOR the residents of this town with no personal agenda other than to do what I think is in the best interests of the residents. I learned early on that you cannot ever make everyone happy. However, recently a resident shared the following with me, which I found to be incredibly inspiring and humbling:

A true politician is Someone who sees beyond the obvious. Someone who looks for ways not just to benefit one segment of his constituents, but tries to benefit all constituents. Someone who looks at an issue with a vision of what it means not just today but in the future. Someone who sees that compromise is not a weakness but a skill. Someone who actually understands all the facts of a problem. Someone that actually cares about the outcome of their decisions.

While certainly nobody is perfect and everybody brings their own perspective to every issue, as long as people are having a professional, respectful, open and transparent dialog about issues it can only help us build a stronger community. To that end, I think it is imperative that we continue to innovate in the ways that the Village communicates to the residents to ensure that residents are given the information to be properly informed. At the new Public Information and Marketing Committee, we are starting to discuss what has worked well and what needs to be improved and I am confident that we are going to continue to raise the bar on government transparency and public information for the betterment of South Orange. As always, I welcome your suggestions.

The highway's jammed with Broken Heroes...

After a MASSIVE traffic jam caused by an overturned tanker truck, we finally made it to the Meadowlands last night for the Bruce Springsteen concert after more than 2 hours. I was afraid we would miss the opening of the show (which normally starts around 8:30pm), but with so many people impacted, the start of the show was delayed until 9:30pm and we made it to our seats with time to spare. Concerts in the stadium are usually horrible because you spend the evening watching video screens. Fortunately, we had great seats on the floor in the 2nd row directly behind the "pit" (General Admission pen right in front of the stage). Ironically, we wound up sitting right next to a guy who claimed he was the boyfriend of Bruce's daughter Jessica, which made for some interesting conversation.

By my count, last night was now the 53rd Springsteen show I have seen over the past 24 years (first show was August 12, 1984 in the Meadowlands arena). It's amazing to think that over this time, I have seen shows in eight states (NJ, NY, CT, PA, GA, NC, FL, CA) and in places as small as the Stone Pony and as large as Giants Stadium. Some people have actually asked if I ever get tired of it and I guess it is just one of those things that if you have to ask, you either have never experienced it, or it just can't be explained to you.

As always, it was an awesome night and we had a lot of fun, especially with such highlights as Pretty Flamingo, Incident on 57th St, Jungleland, Jersey Girl and Rosalita!

Unfortunately, getting out of the Meadowlands was another nightmare. Having arrived late, we had parked on the very top level of the new parking deck by the arena. Once we got into our car, we literally could not move an inch for about 45 minutes. Finally, traffic started to flow and we made it home by 2:30am. With all the on-going construction for Xanadu and the new Giants stadium I have a feeling there will be a lot more traffic nightmares to come.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

re·spect /rɪˈspɛkt/
–verb
1. to show regard or consideration for.

For anyone who has watched some of the recent Board of Trustees Meeting, and particularly the meeting on July 28, there seems to be one member of the Board that needs to learn the meaning of respect. This individual shows no regard or consideration for their fellow members by often coming late to meetings and leaving early (and sometimes not showing up at all). This individual shows no regard or consideration for the public by passing notes and whispering side comments during the meetings. This individual shows no regard or consideration for their position by undermining negotiations for the sake of political pandering and finally this individual shows no regard or consideration for individuals who come to the meetings to be heard by often yelling at them and speaking to them in an arrogant, condescending and hostile tone.

I find this behavior abhorrent and completely unacceptable. Some people think they are entitled to respect by their position. However, some people need to learn they need to EARN respect by first having the decency to show respect to others around them.