Millburn Avenue Political Signs.

There are probably 150 or more political yard signs on the stretch of Millburn Avenue, from Morris Avenue to Ridgewood. 

Amongst them, is one sign near the high school. "Vote 'Yes,"  to end yard signs."

It's been a very heated town council race. 

It does seem like Millburn is facing the end of times.  I hope things work out.

Two cycles in a row now, the race has been between Democratic party establishment-approved candidates and disaffected Democrats who have been denied switching to registering as Republicans so they can run. The town council for years now has been ignoring citizen input that wants to stop the housing construction going on and the plans to comply with the Fair Housing demands that prior TCs for decades have been kicking the can down the road on. One side is saying "we want to preserve the qualities of the town of Millburn and protect our schools from overcrowding, etc. Other towns are getting away with not fully complying so why can't we?" when the other side is saying "we have to do this so sit down and stop being such NIMBYs."

- Behind closed-door meetings
- Land give-aways to developers with no benefit to the tax base
- Converting the Main St Dump & Recycling Center to 100% affordable housing and asserting that clean-up would be impossible so they're condemning those residents to life on toxic land. Not that there's been a large school next to it for decades or anything. And it's right in town.
- Shutting down citizen input
- Rude behavior
- That recall effort against Mayor Miggins
- Claims of Republican extremism that must be stopped
- One side pleading for folks to Vote for Millburn (to distract from the fact that they're the Republican ticket).

To be fair though, there is a current of thought about trying to go to non-partisan elections in the future.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

There are probably 150 or more political yard signs on the stretch of Millburn Avenue, from Morris Avenue to Ridgewood. 

Amongst them, is one sign near the high school. "Vote 'Yes,"  to end yard signs."

I just saw that. Loved it but certainly appreciate Peter's clear explanation of the important divisions.

wendy said:

I just saw that. Loved it but certainly appreciate Peter's clear explanation of the important divisions.

Well, thank you, but for a non-political guy, one must take all that with a grain of 'probably not completely informed' salt. I just know about a lot of that since I live in the South Mountain neighborhood. It's kinda ground zero for the schools & overdevelopment controversy.

PeterWick said:

Two cycles in a row now, the race has been between Democratic party establishment-approved candidates and disaffected Democrats who have been denied switching to registering as Republicans so they can run. The town council for years now has been ignoring citizen input that wants to stop the housing construction going on and the plans to comply with the Fair Housing demands that prior TCs for decades have been kicking the can down the road on. One side is saying "we want to preserve the qualities of the town of Millburn and protect our schools from overcrowding, etc. Other towns are getting away with not fully complying so why can't we?" when the other side is saying "we have to do this so sit down and stop being such NIMBYs."

- Behind closed-door meetings
- Land give-aways to developers with no benefit to the tax base
- Converting the Main St Dump & Recycling Center to 100% affordable housing and asserting that clean-up would be impossible so they're condemning those residents to life on toxic land. Not that there's been a large school next to it for decades or anything. And it's right in town.
- Shutting down citizen input
- Rude behavior
- That recall effort against Mayor Miggins
- Claims of Republican extremism that must be stopped
- One side pleading for folks to Vote for Millburn (to distract from the fact that they're the Republican ticket).

To be fair though, there is a current of thought about trying to go to non-partisan elections in the future.

Thank you so much for explaining the major issues.  Affordable housing obligation imposed by the State is a problem being faced by many municipalities, not just Millburn.  The State is no longer allowing wealthier municipalities to pay poorer municipalities to meet the wealthier municipality's affordable housing obligation.  Maplewood and South Orange have come up with ways of meeting their quota.  Millburn will need to find a way to do this too.  

Regarding possible contamination at the recycling site ... Long time residents of Millburn can recall that the site was home to Dogget & Phyle. (I think that is the correct spelling.

Anyways, they bottled DDT during WW II that was used as mosquito insecticide for marines in the Pacific. Drums of the stuff would come onto site an then loaded into quart bottles. That went on for a couple of years after the war until the land became home to Millburn Public Works.

Lord knows what/if contamination remains at the site.

It’s been terrible. I’m in he Wyoming section and one group left a pamphlet yesterday and it was so ridiculous (doomsday is coming apparently), but the other group is greatly to blame for a lot of current issues (like the overdevelopment). I’m having a hard time voting locally this year. Hopefully we don’t “turn in to Jersey City” according to some of the signs before I move within the next 5 years or so.

PeterWick said:

Well, thank you, but for a non-political guy, one must take all that with a grain of 'probably not completely informed' salt. I just know about a lot of that since I live in the South Mountain neighborhood. It's kinda ground zero for the schools & overdevelopment controversy.

In this climate I sincerely hope you stop describing yourself as "a non-political guy". Our National democracy is at stake. I'm frigging serious. Think about your self labeling. It is not helping. TIA 

“Vote How I Vote”.

Here’s a taste of stuff from one of the choir groups, I mean uhh, from a Millburn WhatsApp group:

—- all a Congressman is today is a professional fundraiser…for his/her own next election. Of course, Ms. Sherrill will seize the opportunity to get her name out to Millburn-Short Hills.
All a Congressman is today is a follower of his/her Party’s platform.
Ms. Sherrill is not an independent thinker who regularly breaks from Party. Of course, she will endorse Party candidates.
Sherrill won’t be stuck in our traffic from added affordable housing. Her children won’t be growing up on a toxic dump site, nor will they be attending our overcrowded public schools. Her cars won’t be targeted by burglars in MSH.
So, what’s the value of a Mikie Sherrill endorsement?
Zero.

Thanks to this thread, I checked out the four candidates.

A lot of fearmongering by Ben and Frank. They almost say the quiet part out loud, but not quite.

yahooyahoo said:

Thanks to this thread, I checked out the four candidates.

A lot of fearmongering by Ben and Frank. They almost say the quiet part out loud, but not quite.

I went to a community discussion night they had in the spring at one of the homes on our street. We are on one of the key streets in the neighborhood most likely to be affected by the proposed developments on Millburn Ave.  There are a lot of their fearmongering signs posted in front of many homes near the local elementary school. 

To be fair, they do have some valid points regarding the behavior of the Town Council, both current and recent past, which has been led with a steady hand and sorta disrespectful treatment of folks who disagree with them. I do think we've heard some hints of the quiet part though. While their message is Vote for Millburn, I think they doth protest a little too much when denying they won't act like Republicans. They've gotten significant monetary support from the Republican machine - such as it is compared to the local Democratic party. They do staunchly proclaim the endorsements and funding they get from locals and disaffected Democrats. Those are published reports & testimonials, not just lip service.

Some of their staunch supporters are pretty loud in the online groups and do a lot of mocking that rubs people the wrong way. Mostly those groups are bubbles, each with a few opposing-side detractors. 

All that said, I have to admit that the Democratic ticket has not been glorious this year. They could indeed lose, especially because they had to change their ticket after Mayor Miggins decided to withdraw her re-election bid. I believe they still have the numbers in terms of registered Democrats in town but enough independents may support them and some registered Democrats may stay home or vote against them. The woman chosen to replace her may not have the maturity and experience necessary in my opinion.

Ya know, I guess I used the wrong way to describe myself. For as much attention I've paid this year, which has been practically unavoidable since the recall effort after the last election, it really isn't true to say I'm non-political. I do support two of the candidates but I don't go out and evangelize for them.

Some of the messages in this one group that mostly supports Ben and Frank:

Sherrill won’t be stuck in our traffic from overdevelopment. Her children won’t be growing up on a toxic dump site among income-segregated residents, nor will they be attending our overcrowded public schools. Her cars won’t be targeted by burglars in MSH.

-------------

When the chief negotiator for the town is parroting the other side’s taking points, the town is already screwed.
Maggie and Sanjeev were already talking about developing the dump before the negotiations got serious.

The overdevelopment the town is seeing is not an accident. This was purposefully planned to appease their party bosses in Newark & Trenton.

-----------

Note: Millburn is giving away land and putting ourselves on the hook for any funding shortfalls, not collecting any taxes for our schools and half of the units are 3br units, so we can expect hundreds of students from the project

PeterWick said:

Note: Millburn is giving away land and putting ourselves on the hook for any funding shortfalls, not collecting any taxes for our schools and half of the units are 3br units, so we can expect hundreds of students from the project

Sheena (South Orange village president) is always happy to address the question of how many students come from South Orange apartment complexes. (Answer: very few. She has the receipts.) People who can afford a three-bedroom apartment in Millburn are going to buy or rent a house.

wendyn said:

Hopefully we don’t “turn in to Jersey City” according to some of the signs before I move within the next 5 years or so.

Uh, what? 

As per original post—

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

wendyn said:

Hopefully we don’t “turn in to Jersey City” according to some of the signs before I move within the next 5 years or so.

Uh, what? 

it was a scare tactic slogan asserting that the way the town is being allowed to have these housing developments under Democratic rule, we’ll be Jersey City before we know it. It also slyly refers to the affordable housing as distasteful. 

Some people can’t afford to buy a house in Jersey city these days…

Jaytee said:

Some people can’t afford to buy a house in Jersey city these days…

Actually, it's the rents that have skyrocketed in JC. All the luxury high-rise rental buildings are driving up the cost of rent throughout the city. 

Aren’t all those signs illegally on public property anyway?

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Actually, it's the rents that have skyrocketed in JC. All the luxury high-rise rental buildings are driving up the cost of rent throughout the city. 

property taxes have doubled in Jersey city this year. My sister and two nephews own houses in JC. One just bought a fixer upper last year for $600k. There’s a converted two family that just sold the two apartments separately as condos for $750k each. The Hasidic Jews are buying up properties and converting them, if New Yorkers are willing to spend big bucks for jersey city that is what has caused JC to be now the most expensive place to rent an apartment. Market driven demand by New Yorkers who find the path train to be a much better ride into the city.

Jaytee said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Actually, it's the rents that have skyrocketed in JC. All the luxury high-rise rental buildings are driving up the cost of rent throughout the city. 

property taxes have doubled in Jersey city this year. My sister and two nephews own houses in JC. One just bought a fixer upper last year for $600k. There’s a converted two family that just sold the two apartments separately as condos for $750k each. The Hasidic Jews are buying up properties and converting them, if New Yorkers are willing to spend big bucks for jersey city that is what has caused JC to be now the most expensive place to rent an apartment. Market driven demand by New Yorkers who find the path train to be a much better ride into the city.

I've been in the same apartment in JC for 7 years, since I left MA/SO. I've been fortunate that my owners love me and haven't raised my rent very much in 7 years. But I imagine their mouths are watering at the thought of me leaving or dying because of the potential rent they ain't getting. 

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I've been in the same apartment in JC for 7 years, since I left MA/SO. I've been fortunate that my owners love me and haven't raised my rent very much in 7 years. But I imagine their mouths are watering at the thought of me leaving or dying because of the potential rent they ain't getting. 

you know it. Some landlords are nice though. In the heights is where some of the most expensive real estate in now. Besides downtown, exchange place/ waterfront area. I’m guessing you love it there, it’s pretty nice in the summer time around Grove street. Nice vibe.

Fear mongering wins in Millburn.

Frank and Ben by a landslide.

Yeah they won by a huge margin. The Dems should have put some time in to campaigning this year. Their whole campaign seemed to be “we are not republican” and it all came from the Dem township party leaders and supporters, not the candidates themselves.

NIMBY can be a hard argument to counter.

The chickens the cocksure (see what I did there?) Democrats, with their dismissive practices, were raising sure came home to roost. We'll see if Ben and Frank will live up to their whole Vote for Millburn message. They want to push for non-partisan/party-dominated elections. Considering how they've really tagged the local Democrats as merely cogs in the machine, it may get some traction. Will Republican agenda items rather than truly Millburn-centric ones creep in? I dunno. It still smacks of nimbyism to me. That and, "Let's stand up for Millburn and prevent any of this stuff from changing our lovely town.", which sounds a bit too much like, don't let more of "those" people in.

The Democratic campaign really took a hit when Mayor Miggins dropped out over the summer. The Democrats had to scramble to find a new candidate to run with Bruce Kramer. I didn't think Charu Goel came off as a credible & mature person for the job. Ben and Frank had already come out strong in their campaigning in the spring, meeting with lots of residents and getting their many messages out with the signs. I went to a gathering on our street in April and if they did that throughout the following months into the fall, it isn't a surprise they went up 2:1, almost 2.5:1 with day-of votes. 

Millburn probably wishes they weren’t part of Essex County…