Yo, Editor! Don't waste our time

The choice is clear in Tuesday's City Council election in Hackensack. Vote for independent candidate Victor E. Sasson and other reformers. Don't bother voting for any of the Open Government candidates, also known as "the Zisa slate."

Did anyone do more than glance at the headline and text of that huge waste of space about Prince Harry on Page 1 of The Record today?

Editor Marty Gottlieb came to the Woodland Park daily after many years at the august New York Times, and apparently threw out all his standards for good journalism.

Why trot out one of The Record's burnt-out columnists, Bill Ervolino, one of the unfunniest men around, and put his "open letter" to Harry on the front page?

If you're looking for something else to read on Page 1, try the scintillating "ANALYSIS" -- down to tenths of a mile -- about bill padding by the politically connected hauler hired to remove Superstorm Sandy debris.

Hackensack news

Rare Hackensack news appears on the front of Local today, but Editor Liz Houlton's sleepy copy editors screwed up the sub-headline (L-1).

It seems a state appeals court ruled in favor of property owners and against Hackensack's attempt to redevelop 2 blocks of Main Street, but the city has decided to appeal that unfavorable decision to the Supreme Court.

The sub-headline is bewildering, exactly the opposite of what the city is doing: 

  

"Hackensack plans to appeal redevelopment"  

The story describes the 2 blocks in question as "a high profile part of the city near the Bergen County Courthouse."

That's strange. Those 2 blocks aren't included in the zone that has been promoted since 2004 by the Upper Main Alliance, a public-private partnership.

Second look

I'm sure I'm not the only reader who wanted to know what Governor Christie, former Gov. James E. McGreevey and an inmate were laughing about in that photo at the bottom of Page 1 on Thursday.

But there's no clue in the blurb with the photo or the complete story on A-3.