The Advocate, on behalf of the citizens of Bayonne, mailed this letter today:

Superior Court Judge Thomas P. Olivieri
Chancery Division, General Equity, of the Superior Court for Hudson County
Hudson County Administration Building
595 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 795-6000

Neil Barton
The Bayonne Public Advocate
[Link]
A civil activist website working to provide a voice & protect the citizens of Bayonne

Case: The Port Authority of NY & NJ versus Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority

Dear Judge Olivieri,
I recently read the article in the Jersey Journal on February 15th 2008 entitled “P.A. lawsuit on land: No end in sight” and I found myself significantly frustrated. According to the article, you noted that “nobody who objected to the P.A. transaction bothered to go to court to try and block it.” You went on to say "I find that somewhat troublesome."

I would suggest that you are unaware of the background on this issue. Please consider this a “friend of the court” briefing from the citizens of Bayonne to bring you up to speed on this issue.

The citizens of Bayonne opposed this deal from the beginning.

Earlier in the year, when this agreement was to come to a vote, citizen upon citizen filled the city council chambers to voice not only concern, but anger at the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority. Person after person, unconnected with any political interests, got up to speak, in angry tones, begging and pleading with the BLRA not to make this deal. Even people who knew nothing about real estate had read in the papers that other suitors, with larger bids wished to have a chance to bid on this land. However, contrary to its mission to serve the public best interest, and contrary to the desperate pleas by innocent civilians, contrary even to the suggestion by their own attorney that they table the vote that night due to the high tension of the room and the opposition being expressed, the BLRA voted to approve the deal.

As a friend of the court, you should be made aware that this deal was done without the consent of the public. Also you should be made aware that the Port Authority is acting without the consent of the public.

Your Honor you wondered why no one went to court to block this action. I would respectfully submit that the citizens of a town should not have to go to court to force the government to do its will. Indeed, as I understand it, there are limitations to what judicial remedies that we citizens can avail ourselves. Certainly in the end the local government did act in our interests, taking advantage of what we were told was a legal loophole to reverse this deal. Credit should be given to the City Council who stepped in to stop an out of control city agency. But more credit should be...