Some Corruption To Start Your Day

Some interesting pieces on corruption and building this morning..

From the Asbury Park Press:

The senator's new house

When it comes to potential conflicts of interest, state Sen. Wayne R. Bryant, D-Camden, is the master of denial. In his latest failure to see the ethical ramifications of a business deal, Bryant is building a fancy house in his hometown of Lawnside on a lot he bought from a developer who happens to be bidding to build housing in town.
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Among the many possible conflicts: Bryant is borough attorney, his brother is mayor and his son sits on the Planning Board. All are in a position to affect the plans to build 300 apartments and condominiums in a neighborhood that would force 17 residents to sell their homes or face eviction. There may be nothing illegal, but the dealings don't pass the smell test.
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As usual, Bryant isn't talking about any possible conflict. But like it or not, he is in the middle of this Lawnside redevelopment project because of his new residence, which is still under construction. Critics say Bryant paid $106,154 for the lot in a sweetheart deal that yielded developer Ernest Edwards a smaller profit than he could have gained, something Edwards denied. Bryant's and his family's role in the approval process will cast a cloud over the redevelopment until Edwards does the right thing and drops out of the bidding.

From the Bergen Record:

N.J. overpaid for school site

The state paid the family of a reputed mob associate far more than its estimated cost for the site of a troubled school project in Passaic, records show.

Several months before the state Schools Construction Corp. paid the wife of accused Genovese crime family associate Richard Doren $4.3 million for his property in downtown Passaic, officials anticipated getting that land and seven additional parcels for $2.5 million.

The agency closed on the property last year even as it was going prematurely bankrupt. The Passaic project has since become mired in controversy over the safety of the site, particularly because of the notorious pornographic movie theater and cut-rate hotel on the next block.

From the L.A. Times:

This land is whose land?

Like hundreds of lawmakers across the country, New Jersey state Sen. Diane Allen crafted a bill to protect owners of homes and small businesses.

The Republican lawmaker proposed a two-year moratorium on the use of eminent domain — the practice that allows governments to seize private property for public use.

Her plan followed a flurry of proposals — at least 25 major projects in her state — to raze modest homes in fine condition for grander housing and retail ventures that came on Kelo's coattails.

Allen said Kelo opened the door for towns and developers to rob the character of communities such as Lawnside, a middle-class black enclave that took root as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Four proposals to build expensive homes and shops are under consideration in Lawnside, imperiling as many as 20 well-kept homes.

"I'm not against redevelopment, and I'm not against building lovely townhouses," Allen said. "The question is: Where is it going to happen, and who is going to suffer because of it?"