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CJREC District 15 Planning Meeting

Wednesday, July 12th, 2006

Lawrence Public Library

MINUTES

Present: Leandra Ovalle (St. Joseph’s), Veronica Pickering (LWV & St. Ann’s), Mike Gross (NJRC), Nicole Plett (CJREC & LWV), Pamela Chambers (Shiloh Baptist), Bobbye Galloway (UUC-Washington Crossing), Mary Kay Mitchell (UUC-Washington Crossing), Lois Riskin (LWV), Kathleen Grady (Isles), Karen Siracusa (LWV & UUC-Princeton), Adele Vexler (LWV), Dick Morgan (CJREC & Presbytery of New Bruswick), Marlene Lao-Collins (CJREC & St. Joseph’s) Michelle Sternfeld (LWV).

Marlene Lao-Collins opened meeting with a prayer.

Marlene Lao-Collins & Mike Gross gave report on three legislative district meetings held thus far in South Jersey by SJREOP. Good attendance and press coverage. (Some no-show politicians regretted their choice; now asking for a meeting.)

CJREC Hightstown Legislative District 12 meeting will be July 27 at 7:30 p.m.

I. Update on District 15 meeting

A. Political Attendees

i. Bonnie Watson Coleman

1. Said she will attend the event

2. Need to select a date in coordination with her staff and then work to guarantee other officials’ attendance

ii. Shirley Turner

1. Hasn’t committed to coming

2. Not friendly to immigration issue

3. Is passionate about keeping jobs in NJ; opposes outsourcing

4. Methods to get her to come

A. Dick Morgan to talk to her

B. If she still hasn’t committed, we will do a letter writing and phone campaign

5. Next Steps

A. Identify issues that Turner cares about and develop potential issue trading

B. Propose District 15 as way of becoming educated on issues

b. Location

i. Nicole unable to get in touch with Bill Ball at TCNJ

ii. Pamela Chambers to follow up with Shiloh Baptist Church

1. Shiloh has capacity for 1,200, and CJREC goal is 200 at most

2. Shiloh also has good parking

3. Pamela Chambers to confirm availability after Marlene gives her a date

c. Invitation/Flyer

i. To be modeled after S. Jersey

ii. Mike Gross to forward design to Nicole and rest of group

d. Discussion of Awards/Recognition to attract attendance

i. Marlene suggests recognizing Bonnie Watson Coleman for her support of CJREC in order to attract attendance

ii. Questions arise about whether we should honor her, as she has not yet introduced legislation on tax sharing

iii. Consensus is that if she has bill drafted and/or introduces the legislation then we will honor her. If not, we will not.

II. Policy Discussion

A. Regional tax sharing legislation

i. Propose Meadowland as successful example

ii. Form task force to work on draft legislation

iii. Marlene/Mike to contact RPP to ask for lit review on regional tax sharing

B. Affordable Housing

i. We need to change our language from “affordable housing” to “affordable housing for families” – e.g. Lawrence has build extensive age-restricted affordable & subsidized housing, but none for families

III. Recap

A. Logistics Next Steps

i. Marlene to identify meeting date

ii. Pamela Chambers to confirm Shiloh as location

iii. Marlene to distribute word that meeting is at Shiloh

iv. Pamela Chambers/Marlene to contact Rev. Armstrong and Edward Woods to get support for meeting and to turn people out

v. Nicole to help develop a hybrid agenda that integrates both CJREC meeting format and LWV moderator with some attendee Q&A

B. Follow up meetings

i. Conference call next week on July 19th at 7 pm

ii. Face to face meeting on July 26, at 7 p.m., location TBD

iii. Don’t forget November week-long training in Cherry Hill

IV. Marlene Lao-Collins closed meeting with a prayer.