Published: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 8:57 Pm
While we were encouraged by Tuesday’s demonstration of support for the Vineland Developmental Center, the message continues to be the same — keep it open and keep the staff employed.
While that’s obviously the basic goal of this battle to prevent the loss of 1,459 jobs — along with the removal of several hundred women currently cared for at the facility — those rallying to save the place aren’t taking the next step.
We have Gov. Christie proposing to close the facility and save a big chunk of cash and the opponents of that idea simply saying, “No.”
We are in the midst of a budget crisis, and if we want to hold on to this facility we need to do more than shake our fists and demand justice — we need to offer a counterproposal.
Once again, nothing was said Tuesday about Fran Reilly’s idea of turning this facility into a statewide center for mental health services. That idea would not only ensure VDC’s continued survival, but it would make this center even more important.
Perhaps the Rev. Al Sharpton’s “star power” will bring more attention to this issue, but we doubt it will do much to change Chris Christie’s mind.
We fear that such celebrity appearances will only serve to polarize Democrats and Republicans at a time when they should be talking. This doesn’t have to turn into yet another political blame game, and we call on all party types to keep the focus on resolving this issue, rather than scoring points.
Remember, leaders of both parties have grappled with the future of this center. Plans for downsizing the VDC actually began with legislation introduced in 2009 by Democratic state Assembly Budget Chairman Louis Greenwald.
What we need to do is continue stressing the impact this closure will have on our citizens. A loss of this many jobs is a crippling blow for a county already hurting from high unemployment and highest-in-the-state poverty levels.
Think about what the VDC closure will do to hundreds of women served by this facility and its dedicated staff. Many of these residents have called this place home for much, if not all, of their lives. Moving them to group homes and other settings could have disastrous results.
These are the messages we need to keep driving home to decision-makers in Trenton. At the same time, we need to demonstrate some resourcefulness of our own by demonstrating how the VDC can remain viable for many years to come.
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