Update, 3PM: The county's open space tax referendum passed. From the office of Essex County Executive:
...voters endorsed increasing the dedicated tax for the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund in the Tuesday, November 6th General Election. According to the Essex County Clerk’s Office, the unofficial tally is 30,420 in favor of increasing the tax to 29,906 against the increase.
...or not. Essex County voters seem evenly split over yesterday's referendum for a 0.5% property tax increase to support open spaces. Last night, results from the polls were neck-in-neck, with "nos" inching into the lead, contrasting sharply with the l998 Green Acres referendum that won by nearly 26,000 votes. As of this morning, results were in from 91.5% of the voting districts, and the outcome still uncertain. A Baristanet tipster writes:
I'll be voting against these proposals. Though I'm a Democratic, tree-hugging, park-loving guy, I also pay taxes. It appears to me the Green Acres" fund is simply a cookie jar for Corzine and DiVencenzo to finance all sorts of unnecessary projects which bear their names, rather than preserving open space. Just in Montclair, they have funded millions (including Green Acres $) on the following:
1) tennis courts and dog park at Brookdale 2) new/renovated baseball field at Grove & Walnut 3) new baseball field, etc. at Mountainside park (including cut down of healthy 100+ year oak to make rook for the improvements!) 4) I'm sure there are many more...
But others in Baristaville spoke out in favor of the referendum: From The Star Ledger:
At the polls in Glen Ridge yesterday, Elizabeth Salerno shook off her uncertainty as she neared the Linden Avenue School, signaling she would vote for the open-space referendum."Everywhere you look, we're building, every little space," she said. "I think the county's so crowded.
"When you live in Glen Ridge, what's another penny?" Salerno said of a town where the average homeowner pays $15,427 annually in property taxes.
In dollars and cents, however, it was really more than that.
In Montclair, for example, where a new property revaluation is now on the books, the average residential property owner with a home assessed at $665,000 will see the county open-space tab increase from $66.50 to $99.75, or $33.25 more a year, according to the tax assessor's office.
Carolyn Davidson of Cedar Grove said she was concerned about taxes too, but not enough to vote "No."
"I've lived here 35 years," she said. "I'd like to keep the space open. I'd like to keep it available for all of us."
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Jeez, I complain about the water fountains and how the County cares more about dogs, etc. But I voted for this.
And for the record, once again-- all my issues/people lost. All of them.
The Prof is out of the mainstream.