Asbury Update:
Due to health reasons, I have been unable to attend and participate in
the Springwood Avenue Advisory Committee Meetings since in February.
Unfortunately, there's no going back after that long! But, while I was going,
it seemed very obvious that it appears to be Highly Controlled by the City,
which I didn't think would happen going into it! The People who will make the
Final Decisions are the SAME People who are running, or controlling, the
Waterfront Redevelopment, so I'm very skeptical if ANY Real Good will happen
out of it. But don't get me wrong, some VERY good People are ON the Committee!
It's just that THEY have NO final Vote to really GET what they think, or know,
is right for particularly the Poor in the City!
The
City Manager, Two Council People (The best ones, fortunately), People
from Community Development & Social Services, the entire
City Redevelopment Team (About 5 People) and others all regularly
attend the
meetings. This not only takes up so much time that many people can't
even get
input in, but it totally controls even what CAN, or Might, come out of
the
process in the end!
The Bottom line is that I fear that it'll be virtually close to
Impossible to get any REAL Low Income Affordable Housing in the end, or,
possibly, any real "Living Wage" Jobs out of the process for the Current
residents of Asbury Park.
Asbury Works, the current City Arm of Hiring and Workforce Operations,
mostly
gets people $8-10 per hour jobs, and doesn't have any significant link
to
create any noticeable other Employment, such as STEPS has done for
decades in Lakewood,
under the Leadership of Mike McNeil. By the way,
Father Bill McLoughlin of Holy Spirit was one of the
People who worked on getting $25,000 Affordable Housing
Units for Trenton in the Past, which is STILL being done there,
and in other Cities! WHY hasn't he been Invited to
the Process?
Back to the Housing. I suggested numerous times while I was
participating that in order to get REAL Affordable Housing, that the Committee
would need to:
1.
Get
the City to Donate
Land to defray the Costs
of the Housing
2.
Have
Organizations like Habitat for Humanity provide Free Labor
These types of things have produced REAL "Affordable Housing" in Trenton in the past, to
the tune of $25,000 Units! I thought
that was no longer possible, but within the last Month I heard on the News that
Housing has again been opened to the Poor in another City in that same Price
range. I just don't think that our Council, or our City Manager, either WANTS
Housing that "Effective" in helping the Poor, nor do they even WANT the Poor to
continue living here any more!
Definitive
PROOF that the City People WANT the Poor to LEAVE (Be Gentrified) the City is
that the City Council and the Entire City Administration, particularly the City
Manager, have consistently been 100% against even Considering enacting a
Rent Control Ordinance since 2001, when the last Council got in! And three of
those People are on the Council still now, and those same persons Vote 100% AGAINST the Poor
99.9% of the time!
So, to
sum it up, 4 Years after the Waterfront Redevelopment has been signed, NOTHING
has yet been done to help the Low Income Working Class People here! The Redevelopers
have even lied, over and over, and haven't even hired 20% of the Workers for
the Construction from the Asbury Park
Workforce! And the former Council, including our current Mayor, Kevin Sanders,
DID include IN the Redevelopment Agreement that Asbury Partners has to use both
Asbury Park Workers and Contractors! But they NEVER enforced it, and are still
NOT doing so!
So, to
Sum it up, we still have NO
Serious Plans for:
- Low Income Affordable Housing
- Rent Control to protect the Poor
(And Middle Class)
- A Serious Program to Create Living Wage
Jobs
And although I have
repeatedly brought up, Over & Over again, all of the above points
to the City Council, the City Manager and numerous City Leaders, they
consistently REFUSE to do anything Humane and Effective to help the
Poor by including their Needs in the Redevelopment Process!
Ed Johnson is a good Man, and means well, but unfortunately he has
failed in his first year to stand up Against his Co-Electees on his
Ticket when it comes to Issues of severe importance to the Low Income
Minorities here in Asbury Park! He spoke of a "One Asbury Park",
yet has only firmed up that there are THREE Asbury Parks! One for the
Incoming Rich, One for the Middle Class hanging on by their teeth and
One for the Masses of the Poor Population who have absolutely NO Chance
of being here 5-10 Years from now!
Asbury Park's Story has become a Reality echoed by the Message being handed down by Asbury Partners and their Puppets in City Hall and on the City Council that "Only the VERY Strong shall Survive and even BE here in Years to come, and we're Glad it's that way!" Even many, many current Homeowners and Businesses are very fearful of what will even happen to THEM! It's NOT only the Poor who will be eliminated!
Peace
be to you all,
Steve
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