In Cherry Hill, there was the lady who came to every Township Committee meeting in a rust-colored, velvet blazer, sat in the front row and spent every public comment peppering officials with detailed questions about expenditures they’d approved the month before. And there were also the school-board moms who attended every workshop and committee meeting, sitting late into the night watching board members argue.
In Asbury Park, it was Rita, the local deli owner who appeared at every city council meeting, arms crossed. In Stafford Township it was a former teacher from New York City who spent her retirement attending meetings, asking questions and being generally suspicious of anything the township committee did.
Once upon a time, when every town had a local reporter to go to all those meetings, it seemed every town also had that person, the one called either a very engaged citizen or a gadfly, depending on who you’re asking. In Irvington, Elouise McDaniel has filed more than 75 OPRA requests over the course of three years to the town looking for records, and once ran for mayor. She was a pretty engaged citizen until the pandemic put her attentions elsewhere.
When does the public’s right to know and to keep elected officials accountable cross the line from hyper-civic engagement to a nuisance? And isn’t it public officials jobs to deal with constituents seeking public information from their own town, even if it’s bothersome?
Irvington filed a suit against McDaniel, saying her many requests have been “unduly burdensome, time consuming and expensive,” calling her filings “frivolous” and claiming they’re only done to harass and embarrass the town’s mayor. OK, snowflakes.
McDaniel was looking for an attorney to help her defend against the suit, and after Steven Rodas’ front-page story on the situation, she got the help she needed. Attorney CJ Griffin and the American Civil Liberties Union have pledged pro bono work on her behalf.
In the strictest sense of the word, SLAPP suits -- that’s a strategic lawsuit against public participation -- come from public or private corporations trying to silence critics. I’m not sure there’s a category for when it’s a governing body doing the SLAPPing, but that’s sure feels like that’s what’s happening in Irvington.
Fortunately, a bit of public shaming worked in this instance, and the town notified McDaniel and her new lawyer that they were dropping the suit, saying they wanted to avoid the appearance of “malicious reasons.” Too late for that, but at least they’re ditching the lawsuit.
Also this week, accusations of racism in Clark Township, another lucky winner, more sleep for parents and teens, major bag alert, and another booster?
SPEAKING OF PUBLIC SERVICE: You’ll need to be a subscriber to read this infuriating piece about how Clark Township spent $400,000 heading off a whistleblower lawsuit that included recordings of the police chief, mayor and others allegedly saying some unbelievably racist and sexist stuff. Calls for resignations are getting louder. It’s journalism in the public interest and it’s definitely worth the price of a subscription.
BEST DAY EVER: An anonymous New Jersey man won $30 million on a scratch-off lottery ticket, the same day he won two smaller cash prizes the same way. All we know about the man is that his lucky streak happened at Rancocas Wine and Spirits in Mount Holly and that his wife accompanied him to claim the prize. Stand by your man!
A LATER START: If you’re like me and still waking up at oh-dark-thirty years after you stopped setting the alarm for the school bus, you’ll appreciate this one. One Jersey high school is moving back the start time by 40 minutes, to allow students a bit more rest. Should others follow suit?
BAG ALERT: We’re a month out from New Jersey’s strictest-in-the-nation plastic bag ban taking effect. Here’s a handy primer. So do we all start carrying gigantic handbags again, or what?
A BOOSTER BOOST: Should you get the recently recommended second booster shot against COVID? It depends on a lot of things, including your age and how long it’s been since your last booster. Get all the details so you can make the right decision for you.
Finally, I’m thinking good thoughts for South Jersey’s own Bruce Willis, as the 67-year-old movie star and former Wildwood Boardwalk pitchman announced he’s retiring from acting in the face of diagnosis of aphasia. The progressive condition, which often accompanies another diagnosis like stroke or dementia, and possibly a planned Los Angeles Times story about his worsening cognitive performance on movie sets, led to the decision.
I had a crush on Bruce Willis on “Moonlighting,” laughed at his over-the-top camp performance in the underrated classic “Death Becomes Her,” and marveled at his acting range and capacity for tenderness in “12 Monkeys” and “The Sixth Sense.” While Willis doesn’t appear on our list of great New Jersey movies, he’ll always be a great Jersey guy.
We’ll always have the movies.
P.S.: Get happy!
