If it were any other state in the country other than New Jersey, I may take the committee to study the impact of eminent domain on the state as a good sign. But with the promise of months of hearings on the topic, and the history of corruption by elected officials in the state, I can not bet help thinking that we are going to see a historic white wash with the outcome of new eminent domain legislation that will hurt the homeowners and taxpayers and benefit the developers and politicians.
C’mon, it is New Jersey. You can’t expect a miracle
Assemblyman Guy Gregg, R-Morris, said the public has a deep interest in the issue.
“Whenever I bring up the term “eminent domain,’ it is electric, wherever it is,” said Gregg, who wants the state constitution amended to bar condemnation for economic development.
In a two-hour hearing Thursday, the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee heard from invited guests about the legal framework for eminent domain use in New Jersey.
“If we’re going to change something, we should understand what it is that we’re considering changing,” said Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, the panel chairman.
Last year, in the landmark New London, Conn., case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of government’s power to seize property for private economic development projects but invited states with concerns about that practice to adopt laws limiting it.
The controversy over that use of eminent domain has been raised in Long Branch, where the city has filed condemnation orders against 23 properties in the Beachfront North Phase II section, proposed for Marine and Ocean terraces and Seaview Avenue. via the Asbury Park Press Online.
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