Jobs were also gained in Middlesex, Somerset and inland Monmouth, at the expense of northeast counties. And in 93 of 566 municipalities, per capita income fell between 1989 and 1997. A handful are Shore towns that are home to increasing amounts of fixed-income retirees, but it also fell in older suburbs like Linden in Union County and the towns around Camden. A lot of people are looking for new tools. People say the State Plan needs more teeth.
People get it.
Ensure state spending for things like roads and railroads takes place only in cooperation with local planning decisions, so towns don't develop in ways that undermine the transportation improvements. Sprawl hasn't been a big campaign issue to date. Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco doesn't address sprawl on his Web site, but he cites the state's open-space efforts among his accomplishments and notes his support for cleaning brownfields and hazardous waste. He supports the State Plan as a voluntary guide. Republican Bret Schundler doesn't include sprawl among his top issues, although last week the Jersey City mayor said it's a result of the Mount Laurel affordable-housing mandate from the state Supreme Court.