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JACKSON TOWNSHIP – Lakewood and its large orthodox Jewish population lies just east of this sprawling Ocean County town.
Litigation filed six years ago alleged that Jackson officials tried to make sure orthodox Jewish families stayed where they were – in Lakewood.
The Jackson Township Council approved settling the suit Tuesday night, thereby removing a huge burden on a community of about 60,000. But whether this calms some of the angry feelings in town is an open question.
Some of the signs at a five hour-plus council meeting were not encouraging. One man said this:
“We are witness to the hostile takeover of Jackson Township. Just as we were witness to the hostile takeover of Lakewood Township in 2017.” By now he was screaming.
” And it has got to stop!”
There was yet another moment when a resident said that an orthodox member of the council should not be allowed to vote on this matter because he has a conflict of interest.
Gregory McGuckin, the town attorney, reacted quickly, saying:
“Any resident of Jackson Township has the right to serve on a governing body regardless of their religion.” He added that such comments got Jackson in trouble in the first place.
What did he mean by that?
Here’s the background.
The suit came about after township zoning prevented the construction of a private school in Jackson for orthodox Jewish students. That prompted a discriminatory suit by the developer and state and federal officials.
Broadly speaking, land use suits of this kind are pretty common.
But what made this one different – and what prompted the discriminatory aspect of things – was something very contemporary: online comments.
Negative comments about the possibility of orthodox Jewish schools and families coming to Jackson were posted on various social media outlets, some of which were read at the meeting.
There were messages like “get rid of them like Hitler did” and “bulldoze” their homes.
McGuckin and Brent Pohlman, a special counsel, explained during the lengthy meeting that such comments triggered a suit on discriminatory grounds.
At one point, it was acknowledged that these comments may not have been representative of Jackson residents. In fact, the senders may not have even been local residents. But as far as encouraging legal action, that was irrelevant.
So, as is just about always the case, the council settled as opposed to going to trial and facing an uncertain outcome. The township will pay $2.2 million, but what was more relevant to those in attendance, the council also adopted two zoning ordinances to specifically allow for schools, dormitories and houses of worship throughout the township.
This is not a blanket sanction. Every such project must be individually approved by the relevant planning or zoning board.
Moreover, the ordinances do not – in fact, they cannot – cater to any one group. For example, all religious entities are free to propose a school.
Naturally, the public was skeptical. All faiths may be permitted to build a school, but it’s possible in this case that the orthodox Jewish community would be more apt to do so.
One ordinance was approved in a 3-2 vote with the “no” votes coming from Councilmembers Nino Borrelli and Stephen Chisholm Jr. On the other ordinance, Borrelli also voted no, but Chisholm abstained.
Borrelli said he was concerned the township was being overbuilt and overdeveloped.
There were many comments referring to a “takeover” and the “character” of Jackson being permanently altered.
More than one resident spoke of relocating to Ocean County from urban areas and enjoying a lifestyle that includes observing the moon and stars on dark, peaceful nights. They said more schools, dorms and related activities can make that impossible.
One also heard allegations that some council members were in conflict because of real estate deals and/or political activity.
Politics, of course, is always around and state conflict laws only get involved when an official has a direct financial interest in an issue.
It’s the nature of just about any settlement to leave both sides unhappy, and on this night, there was much unhappiness among residents.
The meeting ended with council members offering a perfunctory “Happy Holidays,” but judging from the mood, that seemed a stretch.
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