Tuesday, when you go to the polls, you will see three public questions seeking your evaluation on the ballot. The first has to do with amending the New Jersey Constitution so that Trenton officials will be required to get your approval by referendum before they can arbitrarily issue unfunded bonds to spend your money. This action is necessary to cancel out State court rulings which have allowed legislators to bypass voters and to issue bonds with impunity. Question #1 deserves a “Yes” vote.
The second ballot question is fraught with ambiguity: It asks your permission to alter the New Jersey Constitution so that “the method of selection and appointment of certain municipal court judges would be set by statute” rather than, as is now the practice, by the Governor’s nomination with ratification by the Senate.
If this ballot question is approved, it means that the N.J. Legislature can pass any law that it wants as to how this class of judges is appointed, including the present process. Knowing how untrustworthy some of our elected officials can be with their propensity for patronage and their skill at circumventing regulations, maybe it’s best to leave well enough alone. You decide.
The third and last question is worthy of your “Yes” vote. It’s strictly a local Bridgewater issue. It asks that you permit that up to 25% of Open Space Trust Fund money be used to purchase and/or to improve land for recreational purposes in Bridgewater. If you vote “Yes,” the Township Council will pass an ordinance to that effect. Makes sense to me.
Note: You can see a pdf. File of a sample ballot of the November 4, 2008 election at http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/clerk/pdf/2008novsamples.pdf
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