U.S. 1 never covers politics, right? Almost right. It is true that, as a newspaper that serves a business community that straddles three counties and a half-dozen different municipalities, we are reluctant to cover races for borough council, township committee, or other august municipal bodies.
County-wide and state assembly races pose similar challenges.
On the other hand, to use a phrase that often pops up at this time of year, U.S. 1 has covered a Senate race (remember when a little known president of the state board of public utilities, Christine Todd Whitman, gave Bill Bradley a run for his money in the 1990 U.S. Senate race?) and a Congressional race (the Rush Holt-Scott Sipprelle race for New Jersey’s 12th district in 2010).
On October 5 of this year we ran “op-ed” columns by longtime Princeton Borough Democratic politico Marvin Reed and Republican Governor Chris Christie in a rare moment of agreement — on the issue of consolidation of Princeton Borough and Township. Why do we pay attention to the issue? Because as Christie’s statement suggests, consolidation of government services is a statewide public policy concern, not just a parochial Princeton issue. So far we have not been approached by an anti-consolidation advocate asking to print his opinion piece. If we are, we have a response: Find someone else to present a state-wide argument against consolidation and we will print them both.
In this very issue, we have another exception to our “no politics” rule: Turn to page 46 for an account of our editor’s recent visit to a Republican enclave in the heart of West Windsor. And for more information on municipal and state candidates, see the letter below.
#b#Before You Vote, Check the Record#/b#
Do you want to know where the candidates stand on the issues you care about? Do you pay property taxes and need help? Are you caring for a loved one who needs long-term care services but doesn’t want to or can’t afford to go to a nursing home?
Voters of all ages should check out the AARP Voters’ Guide and find out what the candidates are saying about property tax relief and other issues.
AARP recently sent out a non-partisan questionnaire to New Jersey’s candidates for the Senate and Assembly asking for their stances on a variety of issues including affordable utilities, long-term care services, and property tax relief. These are issues that affect all New Jersey residents. Their responses are published in our Voters’ Guide and are available on the AARP website — www.aarp.org/yourvote — for AARP members and non-members alike.
I urge you to make an educated decision by looking at these responses to see where your candidate stands on the issues.
Mandy Damoah, AARP Advocacy
