Most people in the city who are familiar with both the union and Mr. Del Grosso know that it’s a shell game. The new mayor and council have started a whole series of public safety programs to combat crime since they assumed office last summer. And compared to the same time last year, crime is actually down. I live downtown, and it’s quite safe. In many ways, people who “know” about Newark have no idea what they are talking about. Crime needs to go down more, of course, but it is concentrated in just a few high-activity areas, not an all out war zone like so many think.

This is the real reason for the signs: the Newark Teachers’ Union and their president Del Grosso want to shame the mayor and council because Mayor Booker supports charter schools and school choice, which the union opposes deeply. He also wants to return the schools to mayoral control (right now Newark public schools are run by the state). With an abysmal graduation rate of 39%, you would think that the union would appreciate the need for change, but it has taken an relentlessly confrontational stance against anything the mayor does. They are among the highest paid teachers in the state, with ZERO accountability. The gravy train has got to stop.

If this is supposed to help stop the violence, why don’t the billboards list any resources or useful information? Arguably the union could have done more to combat violence by sponsoring after-school programs or buying school supplies with the tens of thousands of UNION DUES dollars it is spending on this alarmist campaign of intimidation. Furthermore, Joseph Del Grosso hasn’t even lived or taught in Newark for over 20 years, but makes $150K as head of the NTU! Can he really be trusted to speak in the best interest of Newarkers? All my neighbors are furious about this.

I don’t think the mayor is perfect, but he is in the right on this one. He works extremely hard and I see him and other city officials everywhere trying to get a handle on what people are thinking, and encouraging Newarkers to take responsibility in taking back their neighborhoods. The new police director is doing a huge amount of work on decreasing crime, and this slime campaign is utterly useless and exploits the victims of violent crime for a political ploy.

Matt,
  Why don’t you just read the article instead of stupidly assuming this is another instance of those “wacky liberals”? The complaints are from local business owners who businesses are located next to the billboards. They claim their business has been hurt by the negative image the billboards portray.
  Whether their complaints have merit or not (and I can’t imagine the billboards are good for business), the issue has nothing to do with right-wing/left-wing values. It’s a simply an issue of money.

What’s the debate?  Newark is violating the rights of murderers?  The Left is a joke.