While the cool sounds of the Montclair Jazz Festival filled the air around Nishuane Park on Saturday, August 20, Third Ward Councilor Nick Lewis and others circulated petitions to change the municipal election from May to November. From the looks of it, quite a few people were adding their signatures. The issue, as well as the petition itself, has been highly controversial throughout town, but there was no evidence of contentiousness at this summer lawn scene.
Was it the good energy coming from the extremely mellow Jazz House Kids event, or was that particular crowd highly amenable to the change? Were you there? Did you sign? Did the music coax you?
Want to check out headliner Monty Alexander playing with Montclair bassist Christian McBride and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr.? See if it puts you in the mood to move an election. Or maybe not…
BTW, I’m seeing just a slight resemblance between Alexander and Lewis. Maybe that helped the cause?
Does anybody else think this blog is becoming Montclairpolitocentric?…..Yawn.
The Neighbor to Neighbor Network has a new website, and they are always looking for volunteers. That’s Bloomfield!
I was there and I really thought it was inappropriate to be going around bothering people. I was asked more than once if I was a resident of Montclair and each time I told them that this isn’t the place to be doing something like this and each time I got a response that was very indignant and rude. It’s a nice day in the park listening to great music and were all out there supporting jazz literacy for kids and these jerks have drag politics into the day. Clueless, absolutely clueless.
each time I told them that this isn’t the place to be doing something like this and each time I got a response that was very indignant and rude
Telling, this is.
plaxico – You should know by now that Chairman, I mean Citizen Jerry knows best. Just shut up and sign his petition. He needs another 6 months of health insurance.
@ PAZ, this site’s always been MTC centric. GR & Blmfld offer comic relief to real action in Montclair.
He needs another 6 months of health insurance.
LOL!!!
So inappropriate for these guys to be doing this at events like this. The claim they are doing it as “private citizens” is beyond farcical.
Bebopgun….Definitely very sporatic relief to “sur-real action in MTC”. The Montclair crying towelers seem to really take precedent. I try to be sympathetic to their woes but I know that the reverse doesn’t exist.
What’s the big deal about people circulating petitions? People have done it regularly at the Farmers Market for different causes, including gay marriage, a referendum to have an elected Board of Education. Is a jazz festival on publicly-owned space such a different type of event that a little political canvassing should be discouraged? I was at the festival for nearly the entire afternoon, and I saw Nick Lewis there towards the end of the festival. He didn’t seem to be bothering anybody. As far as I could tell, his presence on the site didn’t diminish anybody’s enjoyment of the music.
It’s amazing what the Fried Three will do to overturn the will of the town council. Regardless of the merits of the petition, the fact these three voted against establishing the commission, and created a petition to overturn the decision is simply disgusting and anti-democratic. All three really need to question their personal motives.
Dear bobmellan, I don’t think there is anything wrong with circulating petitions. I just don’t thin it’s the right place to do it in the park where peopl eare trying relax and have a good time. It is shameful to have politics shoved in your face a warm saturday afternoon in the park. I could have moved to Brooklyn for that. Besides I had this same petition shoved in my face at my train stop before I went to work. It is amazing how no one in this town takes the gumption to try and lower our taxes in the same way they do this useless petition.
Excuse my typos please I’m using a phone and I could use lunch.
“I could use lunch”
Indeed. I suggest taking a deep breath, looking around you, and moving on to a new source of ire…
You know, bob, if you used an anonymous handle you wouldn’t have to be so reasonable.
walleroo – I am home today and the GR outsourced trash service just went into my back yard to empty my trash cans. And then put them back exactly where they found them and placed the lids gingerly on top. If my trash was not gone and my dog did not bark, you wouldn’t even know that they had been there.