Blogfinger

Grover girls in their summer clothes 1923. Aren’t we old enough to enjoy true representative government?  (photo NOT by Blogfinger)

Tom Costantino, Grover,  raises this  “Just Wondering” question after reading an article (see link below) in NJ.com about Asbury Park’s efforts to do just that.  In Asbury, one area feels that it is not being adequately represented, so they are pushing for a ward system of local government.

The people of Ocean Grove recognize that we are not being well represented at the 5 person Neptune Township Committee.  Our interests, which are considerable, are being ignored.  We truly have taxation without representation.

In the absence of seceding from Neptune, a ward system seems to be a good second best.

As for secession, it was defeated in the past because other parts of Neptune voted “no” in a referendum.   That sounds unconstitutional that we cannot choose to leave an oppressive local government and that non-Grovers get to decide.

This is from that NJ.com article by Steve Strumsky  (8/4/18):

“Eager to boost their representation in local government and share in Asbury Park’s development boom, activists from the shore resort’s predominantly African-American west side want voters to decide whether to split the city into three wards that would each elect its own city council member.

“When you have a ward council person, you can sit down and say, ‘These are the things we want, and this is the way that we can make those things happen,'” said Tracy Rogers, a spokesperson for the group, which calls itself the Committee for a More Fair and Equitable Asbury Park.”

https://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2018/08/feeling_left_out_of_asbury_parks_boom_west_siders.html

And, since Lulu’s back in town, we can recruit her to represent us:

FATS WALLER   (He lives on Mt. Carmel Way)

Editor’s note:  If you want to read the post from which the photo above was obtained, here is a BF link:

OG 1923