More national, state and local politics on A-1

Fort Lee's latest sore thumb.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Does President Obama really have to come to New Jersey and point out that state Sen. Barbara Buono is the Democrats' best chance to end Governor Christie's mean-spirited campaign against the middle class (A-1)?

The Record's front page report today on Cliffside Park Mayor Gerald Calabrese -- an 88-year-old with big health problems -- is the most persuasive argument yet for dismantling the state's home-rule system of local government.

Missing in the seemingly comprehensive report on Calabrese's 50 years in power is the long list of the relatives and cronies who have enriched themselves with public jobs and contracts.

Friday's Page 1 carried another Charles Stile column fine-tuning Christie's squatting position over the toilet bowl of conservative Republican politics.

Editor Marty Gottlieb keeps on bombarding readers with boring politics, but little on the policy making or issues that really affect voters.

Keystone kops

Today's paper also includes reports on seemingly incompetent police departments in Paterson and Fort Lee (L-1).

Readers long have known the police in Paterson don't bother to protect minorities from gun violence.

Now, it appears they couldn't care less that a 2-year-old was killed last Monday by an SUV in the predominantly Middle Eastern South Paterson section (L-1).

The Record missed this story until Friday, when an initial report on L-2 said Adam Sheikh was riding a tricycle on the sidewalk when a "black truck" hit him.

Law and disorder

In Fort Lee, an unmarked police car was stolen from a motel lot, where, presumably, it was left running or with the key in the ignition. LOL.

Today's Local section is packed with Law & Order news and filler photos of accidents -- more evidence head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and her incompetent minions can't find enough real news to fill their pages.

A photo caption on L-3 is barely coherent, ending with this sentence: "The teenage driver had made her way home and was taken to a hospital for observation."

The vehicle, described as "an SUV," appears to be a minivan.

Friday's paper 

The Road Warrior column on Friday relied completely on reports, surveys and e-mails from readers (L-1) -- with no guarantee the data was quoted accurately by the addled John Cichowski.

Cichowski's Wednesday column on the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in Manhattan was filled with many reporting errors, according to a concerned reader.

"The Road Warrior has reached the unimaginable milestone of 100 columns filled with an overwhelming amount of implausible and inexcusable mistakes in less than a year's time," according to an e-mail the reader sent to management and the editors.

The full e-mail can be seen on the Facebook page for Road Warrior Bloopers:

Road Warrior bus is out of service 

Also Friday, The Record continued to use "email" in a story about NJ Transit and Christie (A-4) instead of the far more common "e-mail," which was the paper's style for many years.

On Friday's Better Living cover, the editors hailed  "authentic flavors" at Thai Palace in Teaneck, but readers who turned to the review found themselves staring dumbly at a slice of chocolate pecan pie (BL-18).

Staff Writer Elisa Ung allowed her obsession with dessert to get the best of her once again.