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Dec. 23 to 26
Transparency
A struggle for greater transparency in local government became highly visible in the last few weeks in Cape May County. It all began with a relatively simple request from County Commissioner Will Morey to have meetings moved outside of working hours and to release what are actually poor-quality audio recordings in 24 hours rather than two weeks.
The resistance to those suggestions showed a real concern some county officials have about putting that first foot out on what they see as a slippery slope toward an ever-more-informed public. Claims that the commission board is already transparent were not accepted by some members of the public who attended the meeting at which they were made.
This is not just a county issue. Municipalities in the county each have very different approaches to public transparency, with some showing very little concern for facilitating a more informed and involved electorate, while others strive to increase public participation in governing body meetings and even meetings of other boards and commissions.
The technology options available to aid in broad participation in governance are more than adequate to the task. The Herald has published one list of actions that would improve transparency, but there are others. What makes the issue of particular importance is the unique nature of Cape May County, which contains half of the state’s second homes. Property owners who contribute significantly to more than $87 billion in true value of real estate are confronted with unacceptable choices should they seek to participate in the governance of the county they support with their taxes.
Even those with no power to vote in county elections have an interest in their investments and in an area that many of them have had emotional and familial ties to for decades.
The push for greater participation and transparency is becoming a recurring theme at county commission meetings.
State Police Free Pass
No bigger than a credit card, police courtesy cards, sometimes called gold cards or family cards, are distributed by New Jersey state law enforcement officials and unions to favored individuals. According to a report released from the Office of the State Comptroller, the cards are used almost as a free pass when these favored individuals are stopped for traffic violations.
The report was the product of an analysis of hours of video footage from body cameras recording the interactions at more than 500 traffic stops that resulted in no enforcement action. Body cam footage, also available for public view with the report, showed what the report called a “two-tiered system of justice,” with preferred treatment for those with the connections to gain one of the cards.
While the card system is not unique to New Jersey, the report shows that in the Garden State the “courtesy” was even given at times following high-speed pursuits and with drivers who admitted drinking before driving.
A spokesperson for Gov. Phil Murphy told The New York Times that the governor believes “traffic safety laws need to be enforced fairly and evenhandedly.” Whether that implies that some form of discipline should be imposed is unclear.
Among the recommendations in the report, the comptroller has suggested that the Legislature pass a law that precludes the distribution of these courtesy cards.
The report came as the state attorney general, Matthew Platkin, appointed former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara to conduct a criminal investigation into a drastic decline in traffic stops by state troopers.
DOE Report on Data Center Power Use
The federal Department of Energy has released a report on data center energy usage produced by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report addresses the energy use of data centers from 2014 to 2028. It comes as data center usage and increases in the development of artificial intelligence applications are often cited as a major cause of rapidly expanding electricity demand, and thus a major contributor to rising power supply prices.
The report estimates that data center load growth has tripled over the past decade. It also projects it will again double or triple by 2028. This adds to electricity capacity requirements already driven higher by electrification strategies for transportation, home and commercial heating, and industrial use.
The report says that data center use alone moved from 60 terawatt hours as late as 2016 to 176 TWh by 2023, representing 4.4% of total U. S. electricity consumption. Total data center projected use after 2023 is presented in the report across a range to reflect different scenarios. This range shows the low and high end use by 2028 at roughly 325 to 580 TWh. This annual energy use could represent 6.7% to 12.0% of national electricity consumption forecasted for 2028.
The report states that the “surge in data center electricity demand” needs to be understood in the context of a “much larger electricity demand” arising from green energy plans and what one might call the electrification of everything.
The report calls this surging demand “an opportunity to develop leadership and strategic foundation for an economy-wide expansion of electricity infrastructure.” U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says, “We can meet this growth with clean energy.” What all of this will mean for how electricity is paid for remains to be seen.
Happenings
*A group from The Lighthouse Church in Cape May Court House made a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, to help provide disaster relief after storms spawned by hurricane Helene ravaged the area in September.
*No one was home when firefighters discovered a “well-involved fire” after being called to a Marmora residence Sunday afternoon, Dec. 22.
*The New Jersey State Police found a body in a refrigerator Dec. 22 in Belleplain State Forest.
*The Middle Township Committee has replaced Gold Medal Environmental as it solid waste and recycling vendor, moving instead to award a contract to Pinelands Construction.
*A 24-year-old Erma man has been arrested and charged with possession of child sexual abuse materials.
*Four municipal police departments from Cape May County will be sending officers to help with the presidential inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20.
*Avalon Borough Engineer Thomas Thornton has presented the Borough Council with a 256-page draft of a 10-year water system master plan that recommends $43 million in infrastructure investments over that time period.
*Wildwood police, working with the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, arrested two city men Dec. 24 and charged them with sexually assaulting two juveniles.
*The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a draft report that calls for elevating more than 6,400 residential structures along New Jersey’s back bays as part of a $7.65 billion project to reduce damage by coastal storms.
Spout Off of the Week
In our self-delusion, we persuade ourselves that we’re not just right but that we’re so clearly right that opposition has to be rooted in arrogance and evil. We lash out. We seek to silence and destroy our enemies. But it is all for the public good. So we sleep well at night. We become one of the most dangerous kinds of people – a cruel person with a clean conscience.
Cape May County
