Gathering in South Jersey

In an excellent article, Fredda Sacharow reports on a thoughtful solution to the obvious challenge facing New Jersey developers: how to work together on issues and initiatives of shared concern in a way that preserves the traditional "home rule" focus that so many Jersey residents believe in.

 Richard Harris is the director of the Rand Institute and a professor of political science, both at Rutgers–Camden, and has observed that without such cooperation, municipalities working in individually rational ways often create regionally irrational outcomes."

Not only is this true of inter-municipal dynamics, but of people in general.

Harris also observes, in the past, that initiatives for regional and inter-municipal cooperation have been forced upon towns and townships by the state government.

Can anyone say, "Bad idea"?

Here's a better one: the aim of the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs is to foster a shared vision for development in the state's fastest growing region (South Jersey).

This process is one intent on giving key players a voice in a context of voluntary adoption by way of non-adversarial dialogue.

Hear! Hear!