Author: hankkalet

Monroe Mayor Richard Pucci’s proposal to create a “pilot program” to “establish new standards, ones that reach higher than the current law” is really nothing more than a way to save political face. The program is rather ephemeral, based on what he has told the paper so far, and is far from likely to lead to real reform. The mayor is correct when he says that public financing is needed (see my previous post), but that is out of Monroe’s hands. For now, he is putting the vague notion of “higher standards” on the table as he looks to the future — one likely to include his sixth mayoral campaign in 2007. Check out The Cranbury Press on Friday for a story and check The Press’ Web site for updates during the week.

Channel Surfing, The South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

The Asbury Park Press on Saturday hit the nail on the head with its editorial on “clean elections” in New Jersey. As the editorial points out, the problems with the recent experiment in public financing were with the way the legislation was crafted, setting contribution thresholds that were too high and not providing equal funding for third-party candidates. Real campaign reform requires a real attempt at making public financing work — then, maybe, the tangle of connections that have ensnared Mayor Richard Pucci in Monroe might be prevented in the future. Read the full legislative committee report here.

Channel Surfing, The South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

Not sure what to make of this news, but really, does it matter?

Larry Brown is not what’s wrong with the Knicks — or, at least, he’s not the only thing or even the most significant reason the team was a putrid 23-59.

The Knicks are bad because:

1. Isaiah Thomas has no plan and no patience. He understands young talent, but is too quick to pull the trigger on ill-advised trades and to change direction and to collect big names without a sense of how the parts might fit. So, the names change over and over and the team ends up with two coach-killer, no-defense, selfish point guards, a center with a world of talent and a bad rep and no work ethic, a mishmash of overpaid spare parts and a Hall-of-Fame coach who has no use for the players he must coach. Ugh.

2. James Dolan refuses to hold Isaiah Thomas accountable.(Thomas failed to lottery protect his first-round pick, which should be grounds for automatic dismissal.)

3. The players are not very good. Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis are the same player, selfish, no-defense types who like to shoot. Jalen Rose is over the hill and was vastly overrated when he wasn’t. Quentin Richardson, a nice role player on a good team, has no role here. Malik Rose is an over-the-hill role player without a role. Maurice Taylor is a contract waiting for expiration. Eddy Curry could be a star or a stiff; it’s up to him and how hard he is willing to work. I would take the three rookies, Jamaal Crawford and Curry, jettison the rest and see what happens.

4. Scott Layden’s legacy of bad decisions created a salary-cap hole so deep that even the best of GMs might not be able to extricate the Knicks, but Thomas has proven to be the worst of decision-makers.

At what point do the suits at Madison Square Garden realize that this is costing the organization real dollars and put a stop to it?

Channel Surfing, The South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

You can find the first couple of years of Channel Surfing here.