--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "Gabrielle Obre"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>If its been slow due to shady dealings thats one thing. But if its
>simply red tape, financial situations, permits unplanned for I can
>understand that.
Maybe it WAS shady dealings. Secret deals with coffee truck vendors
and kicking dog walkers off a thoroughfare one doesn't own sounds
pretty shady.
> I think in general, any leadership in government should always be
> questioned. And it would be great if citizens were willing to talk
> more freely and intelligently about decisions and people in power
and
> not based on any personal affiliation or benefit. It would be great
if
> governments fostered citizen participation...meetings filmed,
> documents easily accessible and free of charge (PDF). My concern
about
> city dealings comes from being a NJ citizen all my life and
witnessing
> some pretty mediocre behavior coming from the dais.
>
> Ultimately what is beginning to bother me more is not the behavior
of
> leaders, but that of citizens. Long discussion, but we are basically
> trained to be unquestioning workers and consumers. its what our
public
> education was created to do.
You're right, which is why AP and the shore in general is ripe for an
alternative press. The Ledger thinks Jersey ends at the Raritan, the
Press has been utterly useless for ten years now, and the Coaster
seems well-intentioned but not given to much in the way of
investigative reporting. A weekly, like the City Paper in Philly or
the Boston Phoenix, would give writers the opportunity to fully
explain, magazine style, issues pertaining to a particular aspect of
city life - so instead of just reporting what was discussed at a
council meeting, the paper would give a complete background, like
Maureen does as AsburyRadio.com, and really explain why this matters
to the person reading, whether they're a doctor on Grand Ave. or a
tattoo artist on Main. Find out whether its red tape or shadiness
that's keeping things in limbo. Find out why so and so was indicted
or why someone was suddenly fired for no apparent reason. Education,
redevelopment, crime, social issues, health issues, everything could
be covered. And then you round it out with arts coverage. Make it
free so you can pump circulation to attract advertisers while also
encouraging people who don't normally read the news to do so. They
pick it 'cause Method Man's on the cover, but they keep reading and
find out why MM missed YET another deadline and then maybe they get
pissed off enough to go to the next council meeting.
I know, another pipe dream. It can't hurt to imagine.
------------------------------------
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