Stuart Shapiro asks Julia Rubin, why New Jersey has long been considered one of the most politically corrupt states. She explains how a consistent pattern of high-profile cases have contributed to this perception, citing the influence of the state’s longtime political machines and the now-abolished “county line” primary ballot that heavily favored party-backed candidates as primary examples. She also walks us through how years of research, lawsuits, and the more recent Menendez scandal have culminated in a major reform that replaced the county line with fairer office-block ballots, leading to more competitive races, higher voter turnout, and a growing number of reform-minded legislators.
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Gavin Rozzi Revolutionizes OPRA Requests in NJ with Website
Bloustein Adjunct Professor and RUCI Lab Research Computing Specialist Gavin Rozzi Revolutionizes OPRA Requests in New Jersey with a Website called OPRA Machine. “I tried to get basic records — copies of checks and financial records — for investigative pieces. But...
Ocean county no longer among the oldest in NJ
New affordable housing in Ocean county is attracting a younger crowd. More retirees are electing to stay in their homes rather than move to the 55+ communities that drove up the median age in the southern part of the state. Dean Emeritus James W. Hughes discusses the...
How strong is the US economy? Depends on which party you ask
The jobless rate is at a record low of 3.6%, but consumer prices are up 9.1% as of June 2022. Are we officially in a recession? That depends on who you ask. “It suggests, overall, the economy is weakening, it’s certainly losing steam, where there are storm clouds not...
NJ Government Records has Nearly Two-year backlog
Bloustein Professor and Local Govt. Research Center Assistant Director Marc Pfeiffer weighs in on the nearly two year backlog at https://nj.gov/grc/. “The law was written with an appreciation for the technology at the time, for the procedures at the time,” Pfeiffer...
New Jersey state agencies face challenges as advocates seek era of open government data, Rutgers report finds
(originally posted by Rutgers Today/Rutgers Media Relations) Meeting the public’s demand for open government data presents opportunities for elected and appointed officials, as well as many challenges, including associated costs and privacy issues, a Rutgers report...