Matt Katz put together an excellent article on NJ Governor Chris Christie’s involvement in Camden. I want to excerpt that here, along with a few notes.
Photo Credit: Tom Gralish Philly.comFirst, Katz hits a big theme, that of using a city as an “experiment” and “laboratory:”
The unanimous vote was remarkable in that it is yet another indication that Camden – routinely derided as the poorest and most dangerous city in America – has become something of a laboratory for Gov. Chris Christie to experiment with urban renewal.
Then he touches on the way in which Camden involvement helps Christie’s chances in a presidential race:
In Camden, Christie has built alliances with African American and Hispanic politicians that his advisers believe will resonate in a presidential race. And they think it could help him not just in cities, but in towns that surround those cities — like in the nearby Pennsylvania suburbs around Philadelphia, filled with swing voters.
A photographer and videographer document Christie’s trips to Camden (as they do for his visits to other towns), collecting images of cute moments, like when he plays catch with a bunch of kids at a Little League field or shoots free throws at a rec center. Last month, he missed 11 of those shots, but asked for the ball back one more time — when he finally banked it in.
And finally, Katz points out that many of the areas Christie is now helping with (particularly the police) saw earlier crises as a result of his policies:
But activists think Christie created a problem he could then fix. When he first came into office, Christie didn’t provide enough state dollars to maintain staffing levels. Nearly half the department was temporarily laid off, leading to a drop in arrests and a record-setting murder rate. That created a crisis, said the NAACP’s Francis, that allowed the local police to be taken over by outside politicians.
“It hasn’t made any impact on the resident of Camden,” Francis said. “We’re still the poorest, we’re still the most dangerous city in the country.”
Other budget cuts have negatively affected Camden’s poor even as Christie argues that he is trying to help them. He eliminated the Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor. He rolled back benefits for businesses in cities’ Urban Enterprise Zones. And he slowed the school construction program, so century-old buildings in Camden continue to fall apart.
Katz is an excellent reporter, and does an unbelievable job of knowing the nuances and history of these issues. Please go read the whole thing.
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