Good news! These guys look great, definitely not the same old, same old...

Does anybody know who else is running? It will be nice to compare and contrast. Is anybody else backing a ticket?

It will be nice to see all the candidates in action. Are debates or candidate forums scheduled yet?

Xerxes is basically right. In NJ, expired leases automatically convert to month-to-month tenancy under the same terms IF both parties continue to perform. If you pay your rent and the landlord accepts the payment, you're month-to-month and each must give 30 days notice to terminate.

Most landlords like to know what's going on, and get worried only when tenants are uncommunicative. If you talk to them, chances are good they'll be ok with your month-to-month plan.

Breaking a lease is not usually such a thing to be feared. There's no penalty to you if the landlord rents the apartment, and they must make reasonable efforts to do so once you give notice. You can give more than 30 days notice to help work that out. You can also help yourself out if you find a replacement tenant.

This is not legal advice - consult an attorney before you rely on it.

If some of the effort that went into keeping this thread going went into keeping the shelter going, the animals would appreciate it.

Running a shelter is hard work. You have to take care of other people's problems. And you do it because it's not the animals' fault if their owner doesn't want them, didn't train them, wasn't able to care for them, etc, etc, etc.

If you care for the animals, show up at the shelter and lend a hand. Or work with the Board to raise some money, run those spay/neuter and adoption programs. Help build the kind of shelter you'd like to see.

I've known LHS volunteers for years, but never went myself until the recent crisis.

I did my first volunteer stint and loved it. I won't be quitting my day job to walk dogs, but I saw good people working hard to take good care of cats and dogs who need it. If you care about the animals, don't blow the smoke on JCList, just go to the Shelter and do the work.

You'll have my personal thanks - but you'll get more than that from the animals you help.

It's not about blaming Dr. Epps for the state of our city, only about holding him accountable for improving the performance of our schools.

No single individual can do more to affect the quality of the schools than the Superintendent. Until the current year's state budget cuts, during Dr. Epps' tenure in the job, school funding has consistently increased, Abbott funding has better prepared students coming into the system, and the demographics most directly affecting opportunity (family income, poverty rate) of the student body have stayed steady or slightly improved.

If the current regime cannot bring improvement under relatively favorable circumstances, the chances of being able to do it in a more challenging environment are not promising.

Again, if he's the right guy for the job, why try to preempt an open examination of his performance and other possibilities?

We need public officials who will fight for Jersey City, not just roll over and "move on" at a hint of opposition. Dr. Epps' tenure has not been marked by success. If it was, he and his supporters would not have a problem with stacking his record up against other prospective candidates. If he had a record of success in improving school performance, there would be no public traction for a search. In fact, if his tenure was marked by success, the Board under his leadership would not have tried to illegally ram through an extension.

There are 28,000 reasons to fight. This is not about the folks at the top, but the kids in the schools.