We're stuck with cronies, corruption, patronage, home rule

This 2012 photo from NJ.com focuses on the natural beauty of the Meadowlands.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record's front page today -- dominated by two articles on the 40th anniversary of the Meadowlands Sports Complex -- is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

A story on the pivotal role of young voters in the Nov. 8 presidential election completely ignores the real problem -- apathetic voters of all ages (A-1).

And Staff Writer Pat Alex repeats a common theme in media coverage of the presidential race -- that wacko racist Donald J. Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton "are among the most unpopular candidates in the history of modern polling."

The media adore polls -- unreliable indicators that allow Alex and other reporters to portray the contest between Trump and Clinton as a horse race.

And such coverage surely contributes to apathy among readers and voters, because The Record and other media refuse to focus on such issues as gender equality, a higher minimum wage and taxing the wealthy.

Local news?

Law & Order coverage is dominating local news again, as readers can see from today's lead story on Paterson's 11th homicide in 2016 (L-1).

And in recent days, the local editors have needed a long Dean's List to fill holes in news coverage (L-3).

L-3 also carries the Monthly News Quiz, which asks readers, "How well do you know what happened in N.J. and beyond?"

That's a question readers want to ask the editors and reporters who put out the pathetically thin Sunday edition and its Local section.

Margulies

Let's hope Margulies' cartoon on O-2 today doesn't become reality, though you never know with Governor Christie.

"Have you heard about Christie's Motor Vehicle Commission efficiency plan," a wife asks her husband.

"To automatically get a gun license when you renew a driver's license?"

Saturday's paper

Staff Writer Jeff Pillets could have gone deeper in his review of more than a decade of "missed deadlines and broken budgets" on publicly financed projects (A-1 on Saturday).

He shows how Trenton has left "the public on the hook for helping to fund failed or stalled projects," but doesn't explore a system of local and state government that thrives on cronyism, political patronage and corruption.

So, the story played next to it was no surprise:

To help his campaign, Trump tapped Bill Stepien, a former Christie crony "whose ascent in Republican politics was shot down by the politically motivated lane closures at the George Washington Bridge."

Rudy Van Gelder

Editor Deirdre Sykes probably has run more animal stories on Page 1 then the obituaries of prominent local residents.

But below the fold on Friday, she ran a story about a starving pit bull from Paterson next to the obituary for Hackensack native Rudy Van Gelder, who died on Thursday at 91.

Staff Writer Jay Levin and Carla Baranauckas, an assignment editor, called him "perhaps the most influential recording engineer in the jazz genre, who brought to life the sounds of such legendary artists as Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard."

The dog got better play, though.

And the Van Gelder obit erred on where he recorded Monk's "Hackensack" and other jazz classics.

The Van Gelder family home in Hackensack was on Prospect Avenue, not "Prospect Street." 

Schnitzel+

Kosher restaurants usually are more expensive, but do customers get food of higher quality than at non-kosher places?

In Friday's Informal Dining Review, Staff Writer Elisa Ung doesn't bother answering the question.

As is usually the case in her reviews, she doesn't say whether the kosher chicken and turkey served at Schnitzel+ in Teaneck are naturally raised.

And a photo of what she describes as a "huge platter" shows five falafel, a single pocket bread cut into four piece and some hummus. 

The price is an inflated $11.95.

Editors should demand Christie departure or impeachment

The Record of Woodland Park probably doesn't get much ad revenue from merchants on Cedar Lane in Teaneck, above, or from downtown Hackensack and many other communities. That's why the paper's editors and reporters ignore our fading downtowns, and knock themselves out covering malls, restaurants and other big advertisers.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record's editors claim they don't have a "clue" whether Governor Christie feels as committed to New Jersey as he does to Donald Trump.

At least that was the last paragraph of Saturday's editorial on how Christie's endorsement of Trump, and his return to the campaign trail, affects the Garden State. 

Bewildering, isn't it? 

With the GOP bully's popularity in the state at an all-time low, readers and voters long ago made up their minds, as you can see from letters to the editor today (O-3):

"I am feeling so disgusted with myself for voting for Governor Christie in New Jersey's last gubernatorial election," writes Charles Inhulsen of Guttenberg.

"If Christie puts one foot out of state to campaign for Trump, he should resign as governor or be impeached," says Frank Gunsberg of Englewood.

"Chris Christie's endorsement of Donald Trump is a calculated, blatantly ambitious move on the part of our governor, who has completed abdicated his responsibilities to the people of New Jersey," writes former supporter Richard Muti, onetime mayor of Ramsey.

Swelled heads

Readers are telling Editorial Page Editor Alfred P. Doblin and the other editors they finally should remove their swelled heads from their enormous assholes, and call for Christie's resignation or impeachment.

And readers certainly don't want to see another opinion piece on Christie from the shameless Carl Golden, a former Record reporter who was press aide to two of the governor's Republican predecessors (O-1).

Golden says Christie has nothing to lose by endorsing Trump, but the so-called public policy analyst ignores the impact on a state beset by problems -- from credit downgrades to crumbling roads and bridges.

For the only hard-hitting commentary on Christie, see the Margulies cartoon on O-2.

Page 1

Editor Deirdre Sykes really came up with a stinker in today's front page, which is completely devoid of anything interesting or engaging for local readers.

Nor is there much news in Local, unless readers want to take Road Warrior John Cichowski's quiz on road safety (L-1).

A monthly news quiz appears on L-3.

Get me rewrite

In Better Living, Food Editor Esther Davidowitz, Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung and reporter Sophia F. Gottfried rewrote press or public-relations releases for the First Course feature on BL-2 today.

The pitches for a restaurant, bakery, cookbook and more sound as promotional as advertising.

Another Sunday paper elicits repeated, 'Who gives a shit?'

An article on The Record's Real Estate front today quotes affluent tenants swooning over the amenities at The Modern, a 47-story tower near the George Washington Bridge that nearly everyone else in Fort Lee loves to hate. The rental building, right, and the related Hudson Lights retail complex, above left and below, are simply too big for the borough, and the traffic they generate will only aggravate a bad situation.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

A change of one letter in a headline today would have made Page 1 of The Record far more relevant to the lives of readers than it is:

Christie's 

gun stance

debated

in N.H.

Gee. Doesn't Editor Martin Gottlieb and burned-out political Columnist Charles Stile know by now it's the gun-control debate in N.J. -- not N.H. -- that matters most (A-1)?

The lead front-page story on a global climate change accord certainly is important, but why has Gottlieb completely ignored what the Port Authority is doing to expand mass transit and reduce traffic congestion and smog (A-1)?

God bless Sandy Hillburn, a Fort Lee woman who is alive today, a decade after being diagnosed with the deadliest form of brain cancer and given only three months to live (A-1).

Still, far more compelling would be if the paper's medical and Trenton reporters explored how greedy special interests managed to kill a bill "intended to reign in exorbitant, surprise medical costs," as The Record's front page reported on Saturday.

Why not name the state legislators who essentially were bribed with contributions or promises by what is described as "the medical and insurance communities."

And where is the reporting on whether Christie backs the status quo or is behind the seven-year-long effort to end the exploitation of consumers?

Another plug

The Local front today carries The Record's annual sob-sister coverage of a Bergen County ceremony for victims of drunk drivers (L-1).

But Staff Writer John Cichowski screwed up again last Sunday, as an A-2 correction noted on Saturday, and he couldn't resist ending this week's Road Warrior column with another plug for a ride service for seniors and the visually impaired.

The addled columnist finally managed to list the correct telephone number for ITN North Jersey, a non-profit group that charges about $10 for "short trips" to supermarkets and doctors.

Still, Cichowski never says whether affluent but frugal seniors are exploiting the inexpensive ride service and its volunteer drivers or explain why he doesn't mention a free ride service available from NJ Transit.

'Inside' food biz

Elisa Ung, the paper's chief restaurant critic, continues to test the limits of irrelevancy.

Her Better Living cover story on "three Bergen County residents [who] play key roles in the culinary empire of [celebrity chef] Jean-Georges Vongerichten" is a colossal waste of space (BL-1).

Thousands of Bergen residents work in Manhattan. Imagine how the editors could fill column after column with stories about their jobs, too.

On BL-2, readers are in for diabetic shock after seeing Food Editor Esther Davidowitz's shameless promotion of cupcakes, pastry, gelato and other desserts available locally or online.

Margulies cartoon

The only item worthy of note in Opinion is the Margulies cartoon on Christie's performance as governor of New Jersey [O-2].

Unfortunately, Publisher Stephen A. Borg muzzled the cartoonist, whose work appears only on Sundays, while giving free reign to burned-out Columnist Mike Kelly, who bores readers today with another history lesson (O-1).

This Dec. 7 front page from the Daily News and a Dec. 5 front-page editorial in The New York Times --  "End the gun epidemic in America" -- are far stronger and more unequivocal than anything that has appeared in The Record of Woodland Park.

Moral compass?

Does The Record of Woodland Park have any institutional values beyond making a profit?

One glance at today's Business front (B-1) shows another in an endless series of stories exploring the health of malls and shopping centers, among the paper's biggest advertisers.

Meanwhile, downtowns in Hackensack, Englewood, Teaneck and other towns have withered without hardly any attention from the editors.

In more than a dozen years as the so-called commuting columnist, Cichowski -- aka Road Warrior -- has virtually ignored crowding on mass transit and obsessed over issues facing drivers.

Articles on new Hudson River rail tunnels and a new midtown Manhattan bus terminal constantly emphasize the cost and potentially higher fares.

Is The Record saying they shouldn't be built?

Does all of the ad revenue from automakers and car dealers shape The Record's news and editorial policies?

Today, the Better Living front reports multimillionaire chef Vongerichten wants to ban genetically modified ingredients in all of his restaurants.

Are any chefs in New Jersey going 100% organic to eliminate GMOs?

Anyone who reads Ung's restaurant reviews and other food writing hasn't a clue. 

See related post:

Departing editor didn't ease crisis at paper

Editors ignore wreck left by Christie, our homegrown terror

Radio City Music Hall on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Since the Paris attacks, The Record and other news media haven't explored why New York City and North Jersey have been safe from terrorism since 9/11 or whether Syrian refugees already living here have been anything but law abiding.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The front page of The Record's Sunday edition is filled with news of global terrorism, Syrian refugees and New Jersey's own terror, Governor Christie.

But Editor Martin Gottlieb and Columnist Charles Stile still are trying mightily not to alarm readers with daily reports of the nightmare the GOP bully has left behind as he pursues his White House dreams.

Stile's boring political column today focuses on the distant future, the 2017 gubernatorial election (A-1).

Readers might be confused by another Paris-related story, today's column by Travel Editor Jill Schensul on her indecision over flying there for her annual vacation (T-1).

After all, she arrived there on Wednesday, and has already described the changes in the city she calls a second home in a Page 1 column on Friday and again in today's paper (A-6).

The attack on a hotel in Mali still has not prompted the news media to explore France's colonial rule in West Africa, Algeria, Syria and other countries as the possible root of today's terrorism (A-1).

Local schools

Englewood's new superintendent is telling parents whose children attend minority schools to eat cake (L-1).

That's the only conclusion readers can draw from an interview with schools chief Robert Kravitz, a former cake and dessert executive, who doesn't mention the challenge of elementary and middle schools filled almost completely with minority students.

Staff Writer Kim Lueddeke mentions poor test scores, limited English proficiency and other problems, but says nothing about whether Kravitz is hoping to desegregate those schools, as his predecessors did at Dwight Morrow High School.  

Other stories on schools in Edgewater and Wayne have Hackensack readers wondering when Assignment Editors Deirdre Sykes and Dan Sforza are going to get off their asses, and assign a reporter to look at all of the problems in Bergen County's biggest school district.

They include high salaries for administrators and thefts of computers, two of which were allegedly traced to the home of teacher, who has never been charged.

Seats for homeless

Road Warrior John Cichowski, the so-called commuting columnist, continues to ignore the lack of rush-hour seats on NJ Transit buses and trains.

Today, he goes on and on about the cat-and-mouse game between NJ Transit cops and the homeless using seats at Newark Penn Station and other rail hubs.

At a total loss on how to lure readers who long ago became bored with Cichowski, the veteran reporter compares a homeless man nervous about a cop kicking him out of a train station to "a driver parked overtime at a meter" (L-1).

Crazy Kelly

Columnist Mike Kelly already showed readers what a wimp he is on Saturday, when his Page 1 column was completely devoid of criticism or condemnation of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Today, the best he can manage is to label Christie a "crazy uncle" for saying he would not even allow Syrian orphans under the age of 5 to enter the United States (O-1).

Who is crazy? I'm betting it's Kelly, a burned-out columnist who has been pushing around words and desperately filling space for more than 20 years.

He has bad company in Cichowski and Stile. 

What can be said for a daily newspaper that gives precious space to so many stale journalists, and doesn't foster younger, more courageous voices?

See the Christie cartoon by Margulies on O-2.

Tipping guide?

Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung's Better Living column on tipping today ignores a question on every restaurant customer's mind (BL-1).

Is 15% still considered the standard tip or should we be adding 18% or 20% to the pre-tax total as a matter of routine?

And when will Ung or any other reporter explain how wealthy restaurant owners managed to get regulators to go along with a system of extremely low hourly pay for their staffs and tips from customers to make up the difference?

If something goes wrong in the kitchen or the owner misrepresents the food he serves, the only recourse customers have is to stiff the server.

Editors run fake and real horse races on the front page

At Newark Liberty International Airport's Terminal C this morning, this departure level was relatively calm. The airport's cellphone lot still is hard to find because there are no signs at airport entrances that direct drivers there. Follow signs for "Rental Car Returns" and "South Area," then you'll see signs directing you to the lot.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Nearly 11 months before the major party conventions and nearly 15 months before the election itself, can anyone predict how close the 2016 presidential contest will be?

Of course not, but that doesn't stop the media from engaging in endless rounds of speculation on the nominees and who worries whom, such as today's Page 1 story in The Record.

Editors and reporters are so bored they have to manufacture a horse race every four years as a way of trying to engage readers whose real interest are the issues that affect their every day life -- such as the environment, gun control, Social Security and Medicare.

The Record's editor, New York Times veteran Martin Gottlieb, and the people running most of the nation's media shy away from exploring important issues, preferring to report extensively on the political conflict that has paralyzed Congress, and given birth to the "sound bite."

More manure

For the only real horse race on the front page today, see the disappointing performance of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, whose wealthy owner lives in Teaneck.

The report from the spa town of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was written by veteran sports reporter John Rowe, whose newsroom demeanor resembles that of a funeral director.

Gender change

A-1 is dominated today by a sensitive piece on a soldier's gender change from Staff Writer Todd South, the Hackensack reporter who is a veteran of the Afghanistan war.

In a Tweet today, South called the piece on Jennifer Long of Kearny "a story that took a lot of work but was worth it."

That may explain why Hackensack readers haven't seen any stories about the city from him recently, including in today's Local section.

The gender-change story continues on A-12 and A-13 -- totaling nearly two full newspaper pages -- making one wonder how many readers will stay with it to the end. 

Local news?

Readers' eyes continue to roll over the complete breakdown of editing and fact-checking, despite such six-figure newsroom editors as Deirdre Sykes and Liz Houlton.

A typo in the first paragraph of a local obituary for a World War II fighter pilot is so obvious readers wonder how everyone -- assignment editor, news editor, copy editor, copy desk supervisor, page proofer and Houlton or their stand ins -- could possibly have missed it.

"The Battle of the Bulge" is rendered as "The Battle of the Budge."

Opinion section?

The copy of The Record thrown onto my driveway today is missing the Opinion section, which includes the lone Margulies cartoon of the week.

Click on the following link to see the cartoon, one of the few mentions of Governor Christie in today's paper:

California's drought is getting worse ...

Christie's racism toward Obama is hurting medical reform

At the Great Falls, now part of a national park, the historic industrial city of Paterson says, Hear me roar.

The hydroelectric plant at the base of the falls still provides power to the city.

Mary Ellen Kramer Park is a new section with picnic tables and benches. Although it hasn't opened officially, visitors who find a break in the cyclone fence are leaving their mark, above.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Governor Christie did his best to sabotage the roll-out of President Obama's Affordable Care Act by blocking a health-care exchange in New Jersey.

Now, in a series of stories on surprise medical bills, The Record still hasn't told readers where the GOP bully stands on reform efforts, which have succeeded in other states but not here (A-1).

Deep on the continuation page today, Staff Writer Lindy Washburn reports:

"New York has the most comprehensive law, an accomplishment made possible in part because Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state insurance regulators pushed for action...." (A-6).

Any reader who got that far might be asking themselves, What about Christie? But his name doesn't appear in the overly long story.

And even though most experts are dismissing Christie's chances in the scramble for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, political Columnist Charles Stile continues to polish the governor's image of being all-powerful in the Garden State (A-1).

As an antidote, see Margulies' Sunday cartoon on our part-time governor (O-2).

Another correction

On A-2, The Record corrects a Saturday story on the Cresskill family mourning Youngrok Lee, a 13-year-old killed by a tractor-trailer while he was riding his bike to school on Wednesday mother.

A photo showed his grieving mother and a banner hanging on the boy's door.

"In bold, black Korean letters, it says, 'Look forward and go higher,'" Staff Writer Mary Diduch reported.

Except the characters are Chinese, today's correction says.

The boy's name previously was given as Young Rok Lee, even on Saturday's front page, and there was no explanation why Saturday's L-1 story and today's correction calls him "Youngrok Lee."

Deadly week?

Saturday's front page was dominated by a story, graphic and photos appearing under this over line:

"DEADLY WEEK AROUND NORTH JERSEY"

The headline was clunky:

"Spate of tragic endings"

The story reported a number of accidental and violent deaths in 10 days, including two teens killed in traffic accidents, two bodies found on the Palisades, a Hackensack man shot by police and an off-duty state trooper killed in a one-car accident.

But the round-up appeared designed to justify Editor Martin Gottlieb's frequent reliance on sensational crime and court news on Page 1 to sell newspapers.

And it served to obscure the laziness and incompetence of local Assignment Editors Deirdre Sykes and Dan Sforza, who seem unable to fill their section with legitimate municipal news (see Saturday's and today's Local sections).

Of course, every week is "deadly" in North Jersey, if you count heart disease, dementia, obesity and other causes the editors largely ignore year-round.

In the kitchen

Staff Writer Elisa Ung, who can't resist sampling artery clogging desserts for her weekly restaurant reviews, today brings us a long column on a celebrity pastry chef (BL-1).

That shuts out readers who would like to see The Corner Table column tackle the broken tipping system, restaurant owners who charge high prices for low-quality food and other consumer issues.

Editors swallow official excuses on cops' lack of stun guns

The American Littoral Society, which is dedicated to coastal preservation, held its annual Members Day on Saturday at historic Fort Hancock in the Sandy Hook National Recreation Area.

The society's headquarters is in one of the old officers houses, in Highlands, overlooking Sandy Hook Bay. Members went on nature walks and had a lunch of fresh clams, sandwiches, salads and beer.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record reports New Jersey apparently was the last state to approve Tasers, a non-fatal stun gun introduced 17 years ago as an alternative to the use of deadly force by police.

And that wasn't until 2006.

Yet, the biggest police department in Bergen County, Hackensack, still doesn't have them (A-1 and A-10).

Hackensack officers killed two Hispanic suspects allegedly armed with knives since May 21, and on May 29, Lyndhurst cops killed a black man after he "assaulted officers with a knife." (A-10).

Municipal police in Bergen County also killed two other suspects, both black, armed with knives or "tools" in 2011 and 2012.

Official excuses?

Today's Page 1 story by Staff Writer Kibret Markos contains extensive quotes from Prosecutor John L. Molinelli on the slow roll-out of stun guns in Bergen County that critics might see as excuses.

But Markos doesn't bother interviewing any critics, and that may be because the reporter was assigned to cover Molinelli's office for years as part of his Bergen County Courthouse beat.

Even an editorial on cops killing three suspects in three weeks doesn't question why only 23 out of 70 local police departments in Bergen County have Tasers (O-3).

Clearly, the lives of minority men don't mean much to the white editors of the Woodland Park daily.

Hispanic names

Hispanics have lived in Bergen County for many decades, but that doesn't mean such six-figure editors as Deirdre Sykes, head of the local assignment desk, and Liz Houlton, the so-called production supervisor, have learned anything about Latino names.

On Friday, in the front-page coverage of Hackensack police shooting and killing Raymond Peralta Lantigua, 22, his sister is identified as Michelle Peralta and mother as Rosabla Peralta.

On Saturday, follow-up stories -- on the family, the police account of the shooting and how police are trained in the use of deadly force -- contain a different name for the mother, without acknowledging an error was made.

Correction

On Saturday, the mother was identified as Rosalva, not Rosabla, and her last name was given as Lantigua, not Peralta.

The man's father was identified in a Saturday A-1 photo caption as Ramon Peralta.

Traditionally, the man's mother would be named Rosalva Peralta Lantigua, Peralta being her husband's name and Lantigua her maiden name.

There also hasn't been any explanation of why the man who was killed used a hyphen between his father's and mother's names.

If you think that's insignificant and not worthy of comment, you aren't familiar with what copy editors and their supervisors are supposed to do to ensure accuracy.

Or, you've become accustomed to The Record's slipshod editing and proof-reading.

Hillary Clinton

The Record is so addicted to the conflict between the Republicans and Democrats, political Columnist Charles Stile was assigned to cover the kick-off of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign (A-1).

Of course, what Stile doesn't say is that Clinton's focus on women, minorities and the middle class in a war-weary nation virtually assures her election over Republican saber rattlers like Governor Christie. 

Maybe, Editor Martin Gottlieb believes he can sell more papers by focusing on endless political controversies rather than on reporting what's good for the country.

When will Gottlieb and other editors realize readers are bored with politics? All the evidence they need is how few people actually vote anymore.

More on Christie

Check out another in a series of critical Christie cartoons from Margulies on O-2 today.

But can readers take Columnist Mike Kelly at his word that he's just discovering the GOP bully has left "immense unfinished business" (O-1)?

Local news?

Don't look for much municipal news in Local today, especially on L-2, where you'll find two forms of filler: 

The Dean's List, and two too many photos of a tree that fell on a house in Woodcliff Lake.

Am I the only reader wondering if that grossly overweight man shown in a photo on L-3 is an active firefighter in Palisades Park?

My reservations

Chief restaurant critic Elisa Ung's Sunday column administers another tongue lashing to customers.

The Corner Table scolds people to who make reservations without "scanning the menu" and listing food allergies or "quirky eating inclinations" (BL-1).

But, really, is there any excuse for Chef Kevin Kohler of Cafe Panache, one of the best and most expensive restaurants in Bergen County, not always having live lobsters on hand for seafood lovers?

It's time for Ung to stop making excuses for restaurants, especially those enormously expensive steakhouses she loves that put profit over the health and welfare of customers by serving mystery meat and poultry.

Editors afflicted with schizophrenia on the real Christie

Hackensack University Medical Center apparently ran out of room in Hackensack and built its Fitness & Wellness Center in neighboring Maywood. But the non-profit HUMC doesn't give seniors enrolled in United Healthcare's Silver Sneakers program the free membership they enjoy at 24 Hour Fitness, Gold's and other gyms.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record leads its thin Sunday edition with a story strongly suggesting Governor Christie is one of the unindicted co-conspirators in the illegal George Washington Bridge lane closures.

But the editors continue to assign a reporter to cover Christie's visits to early primary states, and portray him favorably as a "down-to-earth, straight-talking Jersey guy [and] a bipartisan pragmatist" (A-1 and A-2). 

That flies in the face of how he's governed New Jersey since early 2010, issuing more than 350 vetoes to thwart the Democratic majority in the state Legislature.

Many say, 'Guilty'

No matter what he's said about his knowledge or participation in the September 2013 lane closures, the court of public opinion has found Christie guilty.

Staff Writer Melissa Hayes' coverage of what he said or what he did in New Hampshire last week is a slap in the face to New Jersey residents, who have lost so much under the Christie administration (A-2).

The schizophrenia continues on the Editorial Page, where Margulies' cartoon lampoons Christie's lame explanation on Bridgegate (O-2):

"My appointees closed the bridge lanes without telling me."

"I WAS NOT INVOLVED ..."

"Because they kept me in the dark and misled me ..."

"Christie For President
A new type of leadership"

Just remember what Bridget Anne Kelly said after she pleaded not guilty to conspiring to close bridge lanes to punish Fort Lee's Democratic mayor for not endorsing the reelection of the GOP bully.

"Kelly [Christie's former deputy chief of staff] said ... that it would be 'ludicrous' to believe she was the only one in the Governor's Office who knew about the lane closings ...." (A-1 and A-12).

Must-read list

Don't miss the riveting Page 1 story on all of the homeowners who were victims of the greedy real estate industry (A-1).

On the Local front, Road Warrior John Cichowski explores his encyclopedic knowledge of North Jersey footbridges (L-1).

On the Business front, Staff Writer Joan Verdon warns, "Malls reach a crossroads" (B-1).

It never occurs to Sunday Columnist Elisa Ung the Chef's Table in Franklin Lakes is "half empty," because many restaurant goers are eating healthier and rejecting foie gras, Grand Marnier-soaked strawberry shortcake, and French food made with heavy cream and butter (BL-1). 

On the Opinion front, Mike Kelly gives us a second column on Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich only the reporter's and mayor's families will read (O-1). 

Devoting most of today's Travel section to a Washington Post story about cassoulet -- a French bean-and-pork stew -- is an odd choice given all the readers who will never try it (T-1):

Muslims, observant Jews, the growing number of people who don't eat meat and the legions who won't be vacationing in France anytime soon.

Columnist lies in misguided bid to kill red-light cameras

Saturday was a sunless, bitterly cold day in lower Manhattan, where people sought refuge in art galleries, above. I saw a bride and groom posing for photographers on 10th Avenue, opposite the High Line. They were married in the High Line Hotel, a former seminary, choosing the date -- 12/13/14 -- over the weather.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Staff Writer John Cichowski deliberately twisted comments by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to boost the columnist's campaign against red-light cameras.

The Record's Road Warrior claimed in the first paragraph of his Dec. 6 column the mayor called for extension of the state's 5-year experiment "in an effort to prevent a crippling financial loss that could cost his cash-strapped city $4 million next year."

But NJ.com had a totally different take, reporting that Baraka, flanked by a dozen lawmakers, argued at a press conference his city should be allowed to keep its 19 cameras "because they reduce car crashes and promote safety."

In fact, NJ.com reported that when asked about the revenue generated by the cameras, Baraka said he'd be pleased if the fines would end all red-light violations:

"Baraka added later that the fines associated with the tickets could be a deterrent to drivers ignoring the traffic signals.

"If people are concerned about the money then we should do what we can to make sure they don't break the law," Baraka said. "As we stated earlier we trying to get to zero, zero is where we want to be and the red-light cameras help us get to zero."

For more details on the distortions in the Dec. 6 Road Warrior column, see the Facebook page for Road Warrior Bloopers:

"In last Saturday’s column, the Road Warrior falsely made up what the mayor of Newark said at a Dec. 5 press conference about the reason for extending New Jersey's five-year program for red-light cameras.

"The Road Warrior indicated the Mayor stated that the reason for extending this program is due to a potential loss of $4 million in annual revenues to the city from the red-light fines.

"The mayor actually stated the reason for extending this program is due to the safety benefits and the significant reductions in crashes at the red-light camera intersections in Newark.

"In fact, the mayor stated his administration wants to get revenues down to zero, which would mean no running of red lights at these intersections by anyone."

See: Road Warrior sides with speeders who kill


Two Road Warriors columns, which quoted far more critics of red-light cameras than boosters, were followed by an editorial calling for an end to the experiment, which has saved lives.

The controversial red-light cameras have been challenged as inaccurate, in much the same way the Breathalyzer device was in the early years of DWI enforcement.

Today's paper

Staff Writer Jean Rimbach has one of the cushiest jobs of any reporter at the Woodland Park daily, and her byline appears infrequently.

Rimbach is part of the newsroom sisterhood that formed around head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes years ago.

Today, a story Rimbach likely worked on for months dominates Page 1 -- another bewildering choice by Editor Martin Gottlieb.

This story on an Alpine church is of absolutely no interest to the majority of readers, including Jews and Muslims.

Below the fold

A far more compelling story that any parent can relate to is below the fold: 

A mother's book on the Bergen County heroin epidemic that took the life of her 19-year-old son in their own home.

Don't miss the A-12 photo of an upstanding citizen from Upper Saddle River who allegedly mixed the drug cocktail that killed Danny Lajterman of Ramsey.

More claptrap

A front-page column on Hackensack by Mike Kelly also isn't worth much (A-1).

Kelly claims an ordinance designed to return civility to public discourse is really a muzzle on free speech, despite the complete absence of any civil or criminal penalties.

Check out the shit-eating grin in Kelly's outdated column photo, a sure sign he's putting another one over on readers.

Stile column

Could the Political Stile column on Page 1 today be one of the few since January 2010 that doesn't glorify Governor Christie's war against the middle class and the GOP bully's White House aspirations (A-1)?

Staff Writer Charles Stile reports on an early effort in New Jersey to raise money for Hillary Clinton, the Democrat who will give Christie a good spanking, if they both win their party's presidential nominations.

Check out the Margulies cartoon on the sad state of New Jersey's employee pension funds, thanks to another good public screwing from Christie (O-2).

Ung column

Staff Writer Elisa Ung follows last week's column on beef with today's report on "navigating the labels" on fish and seafood (BL-2).

She ignored the health angle in her report on beef, but here she touches on the issue of harmful mercury deposits in fish (BL-8).

Still, her columns could be more consumer friendly.

Instead of telling readers which antibiotic-free farmed salmon she buys, she could have reported Whole Foods Market pledges that all of its farm-raised fish and seafood are free of antibiotics, preservatives and other additives.

And there is nothing wrong with previously frozen wild salmon, which is available as fillets or smoked at Costco Wholesale.

Ung's beef and seafood columns are welcome, but the restaurant reviewer has thrown around the word "quality" for years without ever backing it up.