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2020 New Jersey Question 1 – Legalize Marijuana Election Results
Election Date: Nov. 3, 2020 | Updated 4:54 AM EST Nov. 4, 2020
1 – Legalize Marijuana
62.56% Reporting
Yes 1,735,73366.9%
No 857,07333.1%
Continue reading New Jersey Ballot Questions : New Jersey Says YES to Marijuana
November 18,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hillsdale NJ, Ballot questions were overwhelmingly approved in four Bergen County towns, Residents in Hillsdale, Park Ridge and River Vale voted this month in support of non-binding questions that called for the towns to stop issuing permits for large-scale housing projects until statewide affordable-housing rules are established. Dumont voters also approved a question that asked if the state Legislature should make appointments to the Council on Affordable Housing board and amend the Fair Housing Act. In each case residents voted against forced overdevelopment, did not want high-density apartments in their towns, and they particularly reject high-density apartments built because of builder’s remedy lawsuits.
In 2015, the state Supreme Court ruled that municipalities should bypass the non-functioning Council on Affordable Housing and go directly to trial court judges to determine their affordable-housing obligations. Since then, many towns have been involved in costly litigation involving the Fair Share Housing Center, an affordable-housing advocacy group, to determine how many units of low- to moderate-income housing they constitutionally must provide.
Fair Share Housing has been accused of setting affordable-housing numbers that are unrealistic in relation to the ability of the town to absorb such significant housing levels. The fact is with housing comes infrastructure, police, fire, schools, sewage and water . Many politicians have referred to the Fair Housing Act as the “developers full employment act”
Local lawmakers are hoping Trenton is listening . Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, drafted the questions passed in Hillsdale, Park Ridge and River Vale. Schepisi, R-River Vale, has been at the forefront of efforts to come up with a statewide affordable-housing solution. She believes there is a more responsible way to meet obligations to provide low- to moderate-income housing and has been covered on this blog extensively .
Senator Mike Doherty (R-23) has announced his opposition to Public Question #2, a ballot measure before voters this year to amend the New Jersey Constitution to dedicate state gas tax revenues to the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF).
Sen. Mike Doherty opposes the passage of Public Question #2, saying the failure of the measure may prevent billions of new borrowing and force leaders to address out-of-control transportation spending. (SenateNJ.com)
“I believe the passage of Public Question #2 would give the state the green light to add $12 billion in new debt,” said Doherty. “Our state is in the fiscal hole it’s in because we keep borrowing for things we can’t afford, when we really should be tightening our belts.”
Doherty said the failure of Public Question #2 would put the state’s ability to issue that planned debt in jeopardy.
“The failure of Public Question #2 would send the Governor and legislative leaders the message that New Jerseyans want them to address the out-of-control cost of our transportation projects, as I’ve long advocated,” added Doherty. “If we don’t address spending, we’re just wasting billions and counting down the days until someone in Trenton calls for the next gas tax increase.”
He highlighted language in A-10, the legislation enacted to reauthorize the TTF, which directly links the state’s authority to borrow to the passage of the ballot measure.
Specifically: “Commencing on the day that Assembly Concurrent Resolution No.1 of 2015, a constitutional amendment to Article VIII, section II, paragraph 4 of the New Jersey Constitution, takes effect, and ending June 30, 2024, the authority shall not issue transportation program bonds in excess of $12,000,000,000.”
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No.1 (ACR-1) was the legislation to amend the constitution which appears on the ballot as Public Question #2.
“There’s much dispute about what will happen if Public Question #2 fails, but we know for sure what happens if it passes — $12 billion in new debt,” said Doherty. “That’s enough for me to vote ‘NO.’”
Doherty is the sponsor of legislation to repeal the gas tax (S-2717) and reduce New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation road costs (S-1888).
An online petition he maintains with Senator Kip Bateman (R-16) to repeal the recently imposed 23 cent per gallon gas tax increase can be signed athttps://www.senatenj.com/gastaxrepeal/.
The petition has already been signed more than 18,000 times.
