Hats off to Mayor Patrick Rosenello and the people and businesses of North Wildwood who depend upon the beach and a strong shore protection system, not only for their enjoyment, but for their livelihoods as well. Together, they’ve notched a win that reverberates across New Jersey and beyond.
Regular readers of the Herald can quote chapter and verse of the long-running feud between Gov. Phil Murphy’s Department of Environmental Protection and North Wildwood’s outspoken mayor. Our own reporter, Shay Roddy, has been a significant contributor to the public’s understanding of the scope of the erosion itself as well as the egregious delays and apparent incompetence of the state agency largely responsible for facilitating the repair. For those needing a refresher, see “10 Years and Counting: Who Is Holding Up the Wildwoods’ 5 Mile Dune Project?”
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The victory is also a reminder of the power and importance of a free and independent press to a well-functioning government.
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Our editorial board followed up on that article with a scathing Review & Opinion, criticizing the DEP’s approach to the obvious and immediate problem that everyone was able to see but the bureaucrats.
It was a position that was informed by our newsroom’s investigative efforts and input from our interviews with people like the renowned scientist Stewart Farrell.
What quickly became clear through this reporting was the fact that this was a simple issue of right and wrong. It wasn’t about political preference. It wasn’t about the environment. It wasn’t about anything other than the state showing North Wildwood who was boss at the expense of all of its residents, business owners and visitors.
The change in attitude out of Trenton came when all of this was exposed in the pages of the Herald. If it wasn’t for the newspaper’s reporting showing this situation for what it was, there is no reason to believe anything ever would have changed.
The state would have allowed John F. Kennedy Beach Boulevard and the buildings on the other side of it to fall into the ocean, then blamed North Wildwood for it happening. After all, the city didn’t get the state’s permission to put the bulkhead in that literally saves it from that outcome each day as waves pound it.
But while the state was busy telling the city “how dare you,” our reporters were presenting the facts that said to the state “shame on you.” And once that was out there, the state had no choice but to act, something they have used every trick in the book to avoid doing for the last 10 years.
Too bad the book doesn’t have an effective trick to suppress the free and independent press from exposing the horrendous stench emanating from the state’s desperate attempts to flex its power.
For many in New Jersey, the DEP is exhibit A for a regulatory agency run amok, which makes this victory not just about sand and surf. It’s about people power. It shows that when communities and their leaders come together and demand action, even the most recalcitrant bureaucracies have to sit up and take notice — even change course sometimes.
The victory is also a reminder of the power and importance of a free and independent press to a well-functioning government.
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From the Bible: “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. Isaiah 54:4
