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I'm glad to hear you like the ideas too, jaah37.

How you proceed is up to you of course, but I suppose you could talk to BJ's regional or corporate offices if local management is unresponsive.

While you're trying your hand at that, approaching Councilman Steven Fulop directly may be a smart idea as you suggest -- and please feel free to present any of the ideas I have suggested.

You may want to consider sending him an e-mail with your concerns along with a link to this JCList thread, the Google cart map, our growing collection of cart photos and anything else you find relevant.

At last check, Mr. Fulop could be e-mailed at work via fulops@jcnj.org or via his website at info@stevenfulop.com. His JCList profile also lists his personal Netscape e-mail address as well if you would like to try that route.

You also made a number of good points about the local ordinances that already exist about shopping carts.

I suppose you could call the police non-emergency line about what's been going on or even the JCPA about the illegal "parking" of carts all around the city.

I am guessing officers on patrol have bigger fish to fry than addressing all of the cart gridlock on our sidewalks (but it couldn't hurt to see what they have to say about it when you give them a ring).

Final thought: Whether you're approaching BJ's management or Mr. Fulop, you could also consider creating a free online petition that members of JCList and those across Jersey City could sign.

I believe free online petitions can be made at such sites as PetitionSpot.com (or PetitionOnline.com or iPetitions.com or wherever's hot for that sort of stuff these days).

But before you go to that much trouble, you may just want to get Mr. Fulop on the horn.

As soon as he realizes this is a pretty rampant problem across his ward and given his personal focus on the beautification efforts of the Newark Avenue corridor and beyond, I am quite sure he'll be interested in zeroing in on a smart solution with you and the JCList posse.

Good luck!

P.S.: According to the city's website, Steven Fulop's phone number is (201) 547-5315 and the phone number of his council aide, Althea Burnheim, is (201) 547-5283. Hope that helps!

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Awww shucks, thank you for the compliment.

I figured it couldn't hurt to throw some constructive ideas out there into the mix.

Definitely feel free to make them your own and run with them.

Between the efforts of you, elvis, jaah37 and the other concerned JCListers, I am hoping that everyone's neighborhood cart concerns will be eradicated sometime soon.

Best of luck in your mission!

Skeptical review for housing 'reform'

Sunday, June 29, 2008
By JAMES AHEARN
RECORD COLUMNIST

Roberts says that RCAs contribute to racial and economic segregation, with poor blacks in cities and well-to-do whites in suburbs.

NEW JERSEY is about to terminate an innovative procedure through which affluent suburbs subsidize new housing in struggling cities. The suburbs pay the cities to assume part of the suburbs' affordable-housing state quotas.

Everybody involved benefits. The suburbs benefit because they don't have to allow excessive development, depleting scarce open space. The cities benefit. The families who move into the new homes benefit. So do the developers who finance the housing and the carpenters and plumbers, masons and electricians who do the work.

In the two decades these "regional contribution agreements" have been permitted, 120 upper- and middle-class suburbs have sent $216 million to the cities, resulting in construction or rehabilitation of 10,400 housing units.

Fifty-three cities and older suburbs have received RCA money. They include, in North Jersey, Paterson, Garfield and Passaic. Paterson got nearly $8 million from Wayne for 455 units, at $17,500 a unit. Garfield received more than $3 million from various towns for 136 units.

Trenton has built an astounding 1,400 homes. Newark, Jersey City and New Brunswick have also benefited handsomely.

Any move to build housing on this scale in mostly developed suburbia would set off determined opposition. Nevertheless, the Legislature has passed and sent to Governor Corzine a bill to abolish RCAs. And the governor, who campaigned for election promising to build 100,000 affordable units, is likely to sign it. Why?

Because, in the words of the chief sponsor, Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, a Camden Democrat, RCAs are "blood money." They let affluent towns pay to "make affordable housing go away."

That is not quite accurate. Such towns have a substantial remaining obligation to provide housing within their borders, equal to half of the original quotas. They can game the system, using various techniques to reduce that obligation, and reform is overdue. But it need not be total abolition. That is what is in prospect, however.

History

Some background: In 1975, the state Supreme Court set a national precedent in a case brought on behalf of poor black residents of Mount Laurel in Burlington County. It was then a largely rural township, but with mushrooming suburban development unaffordable to the plaintiffs, who lived in dilapidated shacks.

The court held, unanimously, that developing municipalities must make "realistically possible" their fair share of the regional need for housing affordable to low- and moderate-income families. However, not much happened for eight years. Then the court put teeth in its ruling.

It declared that towns could be required to adopt inclusionary ordinances, permitting developers to build at higher density than usual, in return for making 20 percent of the units affordable. And if towns didn't comply, developers would have a "builder's remedy" to compel action.

To head off criticism that it was meddling with issues customarily resolved through the political process, the court invited the Legislature to seize the initiative and pass a law dealing with these issues. It did so in 1985, creating a Council on Affordable Housing with rule-making power and, in a political compromise, authorizing regional contribution agreements.

The new law, including the RCA section, was upheld by the court. So RCAs have been approved not just by the Legislature, controlled then by Democrats, but by the governor at the time, Thomas Kean, a Republican, and by the Supreme Court, whose chief justice was the formidable Robert Wilentz, a Democrat.

Segregation force

Now Speaker Roberts says that RCAs are intrinsically flawed, that they contribute to racial and economic segregation, with poor blacks in cities and well-to-do whites in suburbs.

The bill to abolish RCAs passed the Assembly with four votes to spare, on a largely party-line vote, with all Republicans opposed. In the Senate, it passed last week by the minimum 21 votes, all cast by Democrats.

What might seem surprising is that Democratic members of the Legislative Black Caucus, representing cities that have benefited from RCAs, voted to end them. There is a reason. The bill included the first of what is promised to be annual, $20 million appropriations for urban housing.

The money will come from a big new fee to be imposed on all commercial development in the state to finance affordable housing. At 2.5 percent of the value of each such project, if the fee had been in effect last year, it would have raised $163 million.

The state League of Municipalities contends that $20 million will fall far short of what is needed to replace RCAs. Six months ago, the Council on Affordable Housing raised the minimum regional contribution to $70,000 per unit, up from $35,000. At $70,000, construction or rehabilitation of 520 units a year (the 20-year RCA average) would net the cities $36.4 million.

Further, the bill will replace arm's-length negotiations by municipal equals with decisions made in Trenton by politicians and a whole new housing bureaucracy. This does not look like progress.

James Ahearn is a contributing editor and former managing editor of The Record.
Page 1 2 >> Fit story on 1 page

Roberts says that RCAs contribute to racial and economic segregation, with poor blacks in cities and well-to-do whites in suburbs.

NEW JERSEY is about to terminate an innovative procedure through which affluent suburbs subsidize new housing in struggling cities. The suburbs pay the cities to assume part of the suburbs' affordable-housing state quotas.

Everybody involved benefits. The suburbs benefit because they don't have to allow excessive development, depleting scarce open space. The cities benefit. The families who move into the new homes benefit. So do the developers who finance the housing and the carpenters and plumbers, masons and electricians who do the work.

In the two decades these "regional contribution agreements" have been permitted, 120 upper- and middle-class suburbs have sent $216 million to the cities, resulting in construction or rehabilitation of 10,400 housing units.

Fifty-three cities and older suburbs have received RCA money. They include, in North Jersey, Paterson, Garfield and Passaic. Paterson got nearly $8 million from Wayne for 455 units, at $17,500 a unit. Garfield received more than $3 million from various towns for 136 units.

Trenton has built an astounding 1,400 homes. Newark, Jersey City and New Brunswick have also benefited handsomely.

Any move to build housing on this scale in mostly developed suburbia would set off determined opposition. Nevertheless, the Legislature has passed and sent to Governor Corzine a bill to abolish RCAs. And the governor, who campaigned for election promising to build 100,000 affordable units, is likely to sign it. Why?

(Click below to read the rest of this long article)
http://www.northjersey.com/news/njpolitics/22577014.html

A moment with Bret, once and (maybe) future mayor

The Jersey Journal 's Politicial Insider
Saturday, June 28, 2008

Former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler is not cheap and he says he has the credit card bill to prove it. Oh, yeah, he says he is also busy building a grassroots effort to return to City Hall.

- If you don't want to read about Schundler's interesting response to a column about a meeting he had in a Jersey City restaurant that he says wrongly made him look bad, skip down to the paragraph that begins with the small black square where he begins to talk about why he decided to run for mayor. Otherwise, continue to the next paragraph and you don't have to go back to the Main Menu.

When last we discussed Bret, the once and (he hopes) future mayor met earlier this month with Sandra B. Cunningham and her political advisor Joe Cardwell at the Liberty House restaurant in Liberty State Park.

It was said that the group was seated behind some flora suggesting a clandestine session. Schundler wanted Cunningham's support and that when Cardwell said he would not get it, the reports were that the mayor stood, tossed $8 representing his share of the bill and excused himself. It was also noted that at some point, Mayor Jerramiah Healy ran into the group who may run against him next May and stopped to say hello.

Schundler had a different take on the event. First, yes there was a meeting. After that he supplied a different script.

He said he wanted to make the point that one should be careful who provides information. As the election approaches, he expects those who plan to run for mayor will escalate attacks on each other.

His concern was the perception people may get from the column anecdote of him tossing money on a table.

"I don't want people to think that I was acting truculent because I never threw any money," Schundler said. Truculent is an adjective meaning angry or pugnacious.

"What can you get there for $8?" he asked. Well, perhaps a Liberty House salad if you were watching your weight, I suggested.

The former mayor said the bill was more like $300 and that about six people were at the table - mostly all her people, including former Hard Grove Cafe owner Dominic Santana.

You picked up the tab for everyone, I asked?

Well, no. He had the plastic, and everyone else gave him the cash - that was probably tossed on the table. The words "frequent flier miles" flashed in my mind.

"And it wasn't behind plants," he added. "It was out on the patio, pretty much in view of anyone."

Schundler said Healy, and Councilman Peter Brennan, did join them at one point.

"It wasn't a short meeting, in fact Joe Cardwell and I stayed a bit after everyone left," Schundler said. Brandy and cigars? Wheeling and dealing?

He also suggested that Cunningham did not reject his request for support.

"She wanted to wait on who to support until September when she would decide on what she would do (as far running for mayor herself)," he said. Now, that's interesting.

C'EST MOI, C'EST MOI, 'TIS I

So. Why does Bret Schundler want to run for mayor of Jersey City again? What made him decide to return to Hudson County politics?

"I thought that by being mayor, I can make a difference in my community and serve my neighbors," he said in Hallmark fashion. The point is that he is a very credible candidate in what will be a heated municipal election.

After a career on Wall Street, the former all-state football player from Westfield was mayor of the city from 1992 to 2001. He left for an unsuccessful run for governor in 2001 and did not get the GOP nomination for governor in 2005. The question remains, why the need to be mayor again?

Since the 2005 gubernatorial run, besides getting involved in ventures that help organize political campaigns and other ventures, Schundler says he has been teaching public policy at The King's College, located in the Empire State Building.

When the Harvard graduate is not in Aristotelian exchanges with students, Schundler has been traveling overseas and lecturing foreign officials about government through university exchanges or the Manhattan Institute in response to requests and invitations by think tanks in other nations.

Mostly Eastern European visas are stamped on his passport. Just before last Christmas, he was in Poland at a conference involving a third of that nation's mayors. About a month ago, he was in Albania lecturing.

While teaching urban policy and lecturing on the principles of local government, Schundler felt it strange to be talking about it rather than practicing it. City Hall on Grove Street was looking good again.

NO SHINING CITY ON A HILL

How does he see the state of Jersey City government?

"What is happening is the city is moving back into machine politics," he said. "(City ) spending has has been averaging about 6.5 percent a year," said the former mayor. "I had it at 1.5 percent."

Schundler said the city budget is out of control because of patronage, what essentially lubricates a political machine.

"Promotions are more the function of who is the buddy of the mayor rather than by ability," he said.

And what of the claims of lower city crime rates?

"We had a lot more cops on the street," said the former mayor who added that those friendly with the Healy administration were more than likely to spend their time inside station houses.

"The murder rate is twice what it was when I was in office," said Schundler, who seems to be building up his campaign arguments.

The former mayor and gubernatorial candidate has been busy talking to other potential mayoral hopefuls about the upcoming election. Among them is Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop who - should he run - would draw from the same voting pool as Schundler. apparently, There can only be one from Downtown.

Most likely the talks are about talking the other guy out of running or potential coalition efforts to put together a slate of candidates for the City Council. Schundler said he is starting to rebuild his campaign organiation the way he has in the past, through grassroots effort.

"I've been talking to many community groups and I'll be visiting many more," he said.

Can he repeat his past success in this city? His last victory saw a great deal of support from the city's black and Hispanic voters. The question is whether they will go for him again.

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what does this mean exactly? If i make a big down payment for example and only pay say $1000 a month for mortgage and $500 for maintanence. Does that mean my monthly property tax will only be $150? $1500 * 10%(the new rate).

Is this for real?

It amazes me how timely the comedy was, despite the fact it was almost 33 years ago.

I remember watching the show when it first aired. My parents had gone to sleep so I snuck a peek. I was 8 so it blew my little mind away. I couldn't BELIEVE they were broadcasting it! It was so "racy" to my little eyes.

It's in the Newport mall. Everything there is its own special kind of bad.

Even with this so called renovation, all the 'nice' stores are the crappiest version of that store in existence.

Hard to botch a Godiva store, though...

Bland and flavorless? Are you kidding? The tacos at Downtown Taqueria bring back me to the taquerias I visited in the Yucatan, Quintana Roo, and Jalisco.

Taqueria rocks. If you don't think so, well, all the better for me and my friends.


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Thanks for the heads-up! I'm watching it right now. What a great tribute. A classic, indeed!

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Sooooooweeeeeet! Thanks. Classic.

Sorry to hear that everyone in this thread has had issues with Jon's Cleaners.

I had problems with them also, and posted about my experience on 3/31/07 (see post). I also filed a complaint online, and I hope others will do the same.

This place sucks. They sell marked up shop-rite brand stuff??? I tried handing the cashier person a plastic reusable bag I brought from home, and she looked completely puzzled. The charged me for apple juice by the pound!!! We only realized when we got home that we had been charged $8 for apple juice. This place has nothing on A&P

Everyone who has had an issue about this place should contact the local Chamber of Commerce and/or the Better Business Bureau. They shouldn't even be allowed to conduct business with the way that they mistreat their Customers...

If you haven't I hope you're getting a refund since the work was never done. I can't understand how they could charge for a service that was never performed.
Them not allowing you to try the dress on was clearly a red flag, but sometimes we miss those things in our haste which is what happened here.
I cannot understand how a business can run and be successful when there is a clear lack of integrity in how you conduct yourselves judging from the other responses about this place.

I'm a parent too although my Sons are now young Men. I wish I knew of a reputable place but I don't. You can maybe try your luck at www.sittercity.com or www.care.com. I'm not sure what's available but I do know that you can do background checks. I'm sure you're already looking to take her elsewhere. That is pretty scary...Good Luck!

Lipsi is a waste. He bends over for the devleopers...I wish Fulop was our councilman.

anyway...i looked at Canco...great ideas...nice space..area is not that bad...but prices are wayyyy toooo high and the mainteneice , prop tax are allso way tooo high. Lower your prices by $50,000, reduce parking fees and maybe you will sell more.

FYI for all those novicves out there....I am in real estate...when a devloper committs to a project like this...the legit ones have the financing up front...regardless of the mkt...they can afford to finish the project and whatver doesnt sell, they will rent. It obvious Coalco ran out of $$$$ and sales are horrible...so they have no $$$ to finish project. This is not a good sign!!!

I had my daughter in Baby Galileo on Grove St. I dropped her off with 3 ounces of breast milk and a full bottle of juice, when I picked her up 7 hours later they gave me back all the liquids...juice and milk. On her daily report card it said she drank 3 ounces of milk, so either they fed her someone else's brest milk or they just make stuff up on the report cards...SCARY.

I wish I had seen this post earlier. As jerseygirl said, STAY AWAY FROM THEM. Following is my experience today.

I gave them one shirt to shorten the sleeve. After taking it back this evening, I found out that they did do anything. I even compared it with another shirt (same brand, same fit, same collar, only difference is sleeve). I also did comparison before giving it to them. So I knew what's the difference.

I went back, told them that it was not shortened. The guy insisted that they did it. I explained why I'm so sure. He didn't want to listen. He even said that I might have bought another shirt and came back to get a free alternation. I was shocked when they said that. It's an insulting. The only reason I needed to shorten this shirt is because I wore it once and feel it's bad to give it back to the store. I changed all other shirts I bought in the same order.

The guy said he could find the fabric they cut off from my shirt. I waited for more than 10 minutes. He came back saying he couldn't find it. How can he find anything? They didn't do it at all.

He even said I don't know what I'm talking. I suggested that I can bring my other shirt, so he can compare. But he didn't want to see it.

At the end, the guy agreed to do the shorten. But after what happened and what he said, I'll never go back again. I'll tell my experience to my friends and suggest them not to go to them.

FYI, for shirt laundry, another cleaner in Newport, Newport Dry Cleaners (201-626-3333) charges less than them, $1.50 for one shirt.

Tonoght, Saturday Night Live will rerun the October 1975 premiere with host George Carlin.

oh and by the way I remember this night........the sirens down duncan were astronomical .......maybe 30-40 police cars/DTs/EMTs.....It was crazy

I live a couple of blocks from duncan projects to.
and I think sosha is right as far as what goes on there stays there.

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What is really unfortunate is all the holes in the Hudson River waterfront walkway. Also, a handful of the older developments will do their best to keep the walkway from ever getting completed.

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I'm definitely impressed by anyone riding in that direction. It's not so much the 10 miles, but isn't there an almighty, gut-busting uphill between Edgewater and the GWB? I used to do that ride when I lived in Manhattan. Ride up Riverside Drive, then over the GWB. Once over the bridge, I'd either hang a right and head up 9W towards Nyack, or left and down River Road towards Hoboken/JC. I remember the awesome downhill on River Road, where you could easily hit 45 mph. Nowadays, that would be insane with all the traffic on River Road - actually all the Gold Coast overdevelopment has taken out much of the joy in riding a bike on this side of the Hudson.

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I live around the corner on Varick and I daily have kids hanging out on my stoop, but those are the older, middle school kids. Sometimes, I will have school employees taking their smoke breaks there as well. If you work during the day and aren't at home you probably won't have any issues with the school.

As far as Pathmark goes, it has served my family and I very well. They are very good for things like cereal, milk, and packaged stuff or diapers and toilet paper. There also is a pharmacy inside that seems to function quite well. Also, at the shopping center is a Hollywood video which we rent the occasional new release from. The staff there is sweet and tries really hard to be helpful. And, ya know, the liquor store is functional as well. It doesn't carry organic beer or anything but they can fill your basic needs and hey, it's right outside your house. In terms of safety, I have never ever had a problem at this shopping center and I go there often.

The intersection at Monmouth and Bright can be a little hairy sometimes but it's not much different than the rest of downtown.

Mathias,
it's insane that JC and Newark are inaccessible to each other by foot or bike. I'd be happy to petition for the walkways to be cleared and show up at the appropriate meetings, is there an organization that is working toward this? If not, there should be one.

Central bank body warns of Great Depression

Batten down the hatches boyz & girlz, she's getting ready to blow!

Don't say I didn't warn ya!

That's funny I thought this was a downtown Jersey City LIST. Why tempt us with these places in Siberia! Is Bergenline Ave. even in this city?

I guess I'm the only person who didn't like this place. The food was bland and flavorless. I rather go to real Mexican restaurants where actual Mexicans would take their families (Bergenline & Central Ave). They should turn this place back into a bodega.

I have lived on Bright for about a year and a half and love the area. My units bottom level is basement/garden level and experienced only one incidence of flooding. I do have to say it was only during the record breaking 9 inches we had in April last year. We probably would have been fine if the two building sump pumps were in place at the time. Our Federal Flood Hazard paper work shows that we are not in a special flood hazard area, but a lot of downtown is. Just make sure you invest in a good sump pump or check to see if your building has one.

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Well that's all fine and dandy but when you want to take it to the next level....

Crochet a Shoulder Tote from your old plastic Grocery Bags

If your pantry's overrun with plastic grocery bags and you're feeling crafty, break out the crochet hooks and turn the bags into a tote bag like the one pictured. Split your bags into colors (like the red Target bags in one pile, white in another), and cut the bags into strips to make your "yarn," and hook away. I got to hold one of these in my hand, and what I'd normally write off as a cheesy craft turned out to be sturdy, stretchy, and actually quite a cute conversation starter.

Here's the whole bag:






http://www.marloscrochetcorner.com/Plastic%20Bag%20tote.html

http://lifehacker.com/372002/crochet- ... er-tote-from-grocery-bags