Issue 146: Congressional Q&A
Plus: letters about the JCBOE, Mussab Ali is running for mayor, and more!
Good morning! Given the contentious nature of the race in NJ-08, I wasn’t sure if this issue was ever going to see the light of day. But I’m very happy to be able to bring to you the long-awaited Q&A between those candidates, at last! Enjoy your Sunday and as always, thank you for reading. — Amy
Q&A for the Democratic candidates running in NJ-08
Link to the Q&A is here! Thank you to the candidates for participating and the readers for contributing questions! Unsure of what district you live in? Check out this map.
Several weeks ago, I put out a call to the three candidates running in Congressional District 08 — Congressman Rob Menendez, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, and Kyle Jasey — to answer an in-depth Q&A based on questions from readers of this newsletter, and I’m thrilled to finally have that available for you. While there’s been tons of coverage of this race from a strategic, “horse race” POV, there hasn’t been too much about what the candidates actually stand for or what they’d do if elected. And what I heard from readers is that they really wanted that kind of information and were frustrated that they were unable to get it.
So, I asked the readers of this newsletter: what issues are important to you? What questions would you like to have answered by these candidates? and I let the feedback I got shape the questions asked. In some cases, the questions are sort of open-ended; in others, they’re very focused and very specific (you’ll see, if you click through, some of the questions get really laser focused, which is great). But I let the readers really dictate what they wanted to hear about — the only question that I wrote fully by myself was the very last one. Everything else came from listening to feedback and trying to figure out what readers wanted to know more about.
As I did for my JCBOE questionnaire, I gave all the candidates the option of writing as much as they wanted for each question. Readers have been telling me they want substantial, detailed discussions of those issues, so that’s what I was going for. And overall, I think that’s what we got — these answers are not brief, by any means, and these answers are pretty detailed. I’m really grateful that all the candidates put the time into answering this that they did, and I really thank them all for their time and consideration.
I don’t want to provide any more commentary about the questionnaire at this point, and I’d like the Q&A to sort of speak for itself as a way to help shape your opinions about these candidates. It is linked here, and if you’re struggling to decide who to vote for, I really recommend you read all of it. There will be more events and opportunities to get to know these candidates as the June primary gets closer, but I really think this document can help give you a good basis for understanding what your choices are in this election. I hope you agree.
Letters about the JCBOE
This week, mayoral candidate Jim McGreevey penned an op ed piece in the Jersey Journal criticizing the JCBOE and promising to start a task force to study the schools if elected. In his editorial, he cites some numbers as they relate to the budget as well as test scores, and there are a few local advocates who are pushing back on the information he’s provided, as well as his conclusions.
Kristen Hart, a teacher at McNair, wrote her own editorial rebutting McGreevey’s. JCBOE Trustee Dejon Morris also had his own editorial.
I also texted the McGreevey letter to Brigid D’Souza, aka CivicParent, and asked for her response, to which she sent me back the following statement:
First, he notes that the district has a "$1 billion budget" but that’s inflated
Approximately $175 million of the $1 billion is "passing through" the JCPS budget to nearly two dozen charter schools. These charter schools operate via independent charter and thus do not operate under the purview of the BOE (see page 3 of the budget doc for details about the charters).
This $1b budget also includes $180M of state funded pre-K and a slew of one-time capital repairs.
Second, his per-pupil calculation is problematic because (a) it includes the charter dollars noted above and (b) it ignores an important concept called "Weighted Enrollment" which is designed to measure the needs that must be funded, primarily for kids from lower income families and those for whom English may be a second language. I wrote an article on weighted enrollment a few years ago here and the Education Law Center did too (link here) as far back as 2010. By ignoring weighted enrollment, it lends an oversimplified view that our district is overfunded, when in fact we are in reality funding a district that has a higher percentage of at risk kids.
In other JCBOE news, reader Keshav Poddar wrote their own editorial calling for the mayor to appoint the school board. I actually strongly disagree with this opinion (I will articulate my feelings on this at another time), but I do think we need to consider all options as we try to find a solution to provide a quality education to public school students, so I definitely encourage you to read it and think it over.
More on this issue, I’m sure, very soon!
Mussab Ali is running for mayor
Speaking of the JCBOE, the former president of that board is now running for mayor. I have sat here, staring at my computer screen trying to come up with a less cringey way of saying this but, forgive me — if you have not met his acquaintance, Mussab Ali is a kind of JC wunderkind (see? I warned you this would be terrible, but it’s gonna get better, I promise). His narrative goes like this: a child of working class immigrants and a JC public school kid who went on to Rutgers and then Harvard Law, he returned to his hometown to become the youngest ever president of the JCBOE, and also managed to beat stage four cancer on the way — and is somehow today only in his late 20s.
Ali has a super impressive CV that he’s accumulated in a very short period of time, and I am absolutely thrilled to see the Muslim community — which has been taken for granted by electeds in JC for far too long — rally back from the recent JCBOE Eid debacle by having one of their own vie for the top spot. He then followed up his candidacy announcement with another that he had received $100k in donations for his campaign — a mere 48 hours later.
In terms of baggage — well, it’s hard to have too much baggage when you’re only in your late 20s, but there is the fact that he’s considered by many to have been mentored by mayoral candidate/County Commissioner Bill O’Dea that left many longtime supporters of O’Dea to feel betrayed by his announcement. There’s also people who are not so happy with Ali’s tenure at the JCBOE — including overseeing the board when a major tax hike hit the residents of the city. That’s something he’ll definitely have to address as the campaign goes on, and I’d imagine would be a hard sell to many.
I’ll be very honest — for all the impressiveness that Ali brings to the table, I do feel the pang of wondering if he’s still too young to take on the role of mayor. City council? I think he’d mop the floor with his competition and do an amazing job. But mayor? I’m not sure. His competition in the race are all candidates in their 60s, and while I’m excited to see a new generation get involved and acknowledge that he has had some relevant experience, late 20s seems awfully young for the very top position.
One of the biggest problems he’s going to face in this election is what he’s facing with me right now, as I try to write this: middle-aged voters who are going to think back upon how they were in their twenties, and think, “errrr, no… I remember how I was back then” and not feel great about putting a visual reminder of their growing pains in office. But look, at this point, I think when it comes to candidates, the more the merrier. It’s a very long time to go to the election, and anything we can do to encourage conversation and ideas around the state of this city, I am all for.
A few short takes
JC Animal Care and Control: Two local animal activists reached out to let me know that our animal shelter is full to capacity, and that the shelter will be offering reduced adoption fees to encourage folks to adopt. You can check out the available pets here, and link to their “$24 for 24 days” adoption special that runs til April 28th, here (filling out this form will start the adoption process for you and your new friend). Not ready to commit to a full adoption? If you’re interested in fostering, more info can be found here.
Call for bird-themed artwork and photos:
Hello!
Jersey City Birds will be hosting an art show at Park Tavern on June 7th as part of JC Fridays.
We hope to feature lots of bird-themed photographs and artwork, and that this show will help highlight the importance of protecting our birds and their habitats.
Link to submission guidelines is here.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/169fOAw_NhhFICFK10YVY4hOaoMNU8kzf/edit?filetype=msword
Please email jerseycitybirdsartshow@gmail.com with questions and submissions. Please feel free to share with others. Thank you so much, and we hope to see your photos and artwork soon!
Lastly, a Procreate class:
Unlock your creativity and unleash the full potential of digital illustration with our comprehensive workshop on Procreate, the leading digital illustration software for iPad. Whether you're a seasoned artist looking to transition to digital or a beginner eager to explore the world of digital art, this workshop is designed to equip you with the skills and techniques needed to create stunning illustrations.
Led by experienced digital artist John Tokar, this hands-on workshop will cover everything from the basics of navigating the Procreate interface to illustration techniques. You'll learn how to harness the power of Procreate's wide range of brushes, layers, and tools to bring your artistic vision to life with precision and ease. Tickets are $35, please bring your own ipad and apple pencil!
Eventbrite Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/intro-to-procreate-with-john-tokar-tickets-872890317437?aff=oddtdtcreator