RUMANA STILL REFUSES TO CONDEMN CORZINE’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING MANDATE

Fighting For

Mike Ramaglia 201-697-7699                                                 

PASSAIC COUNTY - Assemblyman and Passaic County Republican Chairman Scott Rumana still can’t get it right on the state’s affordable housing mandates, say members of GOP Strong, a conservative Republican political action group.  

He did not say that COAH rules are wrong, he said only that the rules should be temporarily suspended because of a lack of state funding to build hundreds of thousands of units of low income housing. His call comes very late in the game and long after GOP Strong and many other Republicans and some Democrats have called for killing the housing mandates  

“This isn’t an issue about money to fund the state’s affordable housing program. This is an issue about whether the entire notion of the state affordable housing mandates on municipalities is right or wrong,” said Ramaglia.  

Ramaglia, a West Milford resident added: “It is unfortunate that Chairman Rumana is out of step with the majority of Republicans in the county and the state who think COAH is wrong . He still refuses to condemn the affordable housing social policy  that will destroy towns like Wayne.”  

At a meeting hosted by Rumana in Wayne in late October Ramaglia issued a six point statement challenging  COAH and said the legislature should take up the issue of affordable housing, not the bureaucrats in COAH. Rumana failed to support GOP Strong or to even acknowledge that  there is no “right”  to own an affordable house in the state constitution – as Gov. Corzine proclaimed.  

The state Supreme Court held that municipalities have a constitutional obligation to create a “ realistic opportunity ” for the construction of affordable housing.  The court did not say municipalities have an  obligation to actually create subsidized housing, noted Ramaglia.  

GOP Strong Co-chair Robert Fass said that Rumana fails to grasp the underlying economic damage that the latest  COAH  mandates will do to the state economy.

“Mr. Rumana has got it wrong: This isn’t an issue of whether or not New Jersey has the  money to undertaking a bad social program; it’s an issue about business investment, jobs and property values,” added Fass.    

GOP Co-chair Michael Mecca said Rumana’s hair splitting, loophole approach to dealing with a liberal Democrat program is typical of the assemblyman.  

“Why can’t Mr. Rumana just come out and say that COAH is wrong;  that the entire concept of the affordable housing  mandate is an insult to the people in this state who worked hard to afford a home without making other people pay for it?” asked Mecca .  

GOP Strong Co chair Ann Marie Pusterla, a Wayne resident, said she and her neighbors do not want their town inundated with thousands of units of high density, low income houses.  

“Many of us moved to Wayne to get away from the high density congestion of places like Jersey City or Bayonne . We don’t want the overcrowded schools that COAH will bring. We need a state legislator who is willing to fight for what we believe -- not a legislator merely want to delay an unwise program for people who want a government handout,” she added.