It has never been the policy of this newspaper to endorse candidates for elected office. After all, endorsements get half the population angered and half the population smiling. And let’s be frank, when was the last time you heard someone say, “Oh this newspaper endorsed candidate “X,” so I am voting for her!”
It’s true. Newspaper endorsements rarely, if ever, swing voters and make a difference in elections and cause more angst than good.
But this upcoming race for governor, which pits the incumbent Philip D. Murphy, a Democrat, against Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican, we vowed back in 2019 we would not soon forget all Murphy did to ensure the Keegan Landfill remained open when West Hudson was suffering through the worst health crisis it had seen until 2020 and COVID-19 rolled along.
And while we’re eternally grateful the Keegan is forever closed, we know it is because of the hard work of Mayor Alberto G. Santos, the Kearny Town Council, grassroots citizens like Cristina Montague and countless other residents who said “no way!”
The Keegan Landfill is closed, today, in no way, shape or form because of anything Murphy did or did not do. If anything, his stubbornness, his arrogance, his refusal to intervene only made the saga drag on substantially longer than it had to.
And while it seems, based on the number of Democratic votes he got in Kearny in an uncontested primary in June, that a lot of people here are still willing to give him four more years, we have to ask — have you already forgotten what he did and didn’t do for us during that fiasco?
It wasn’t that long ago, folks. If he had gotten his way, that landfill would still be open, generating income for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. Fortunately, your voices were louder. So while we aren’t saying vote or don’t vote for Murphy, we’ll end it here, with a question.
How’d you forget so fast?
