The TLS Impact On Lakewood Politics, By Avi Solomon
Four years ago when I began residing in Lakewood I vowed to a friend that I was going to make an impact in this town and change it for the better. The closest I ever came to that promise was my two years writing as a political columnist. The reality is that The Lakewood Scoop succeeded in accomplishing what I would have liked to have accomplished. TLS gave the people of Lakewood a voice and in turn changed the face of politics in this town. Ten years ago there existed residents frustrated with the corruption in this town. Ten years ago people were angry with local politicians and their performance. However, ten years ago TLS didn’t exist for that anger to be posted in a public forum. Consequently, little change could ever be brought to Lakewood.
The following are two examples of how TLS has changed the political atmosphere of Lakewood. In 2005 and 2009 the Lakewood VAAD endorsed John Corzine. In 2005 there were people angry with the VAAD for endorsing a man who doesn’t coincide with Torah values. Nevertheless, that anger didn’t spill over into a public forum. Consequently, Corzine won a majority of the Lakewood vote. In 2009 the people’s anger was posted on TLS, which lead to the anger spilling over in the form of petitions and protests in yeshiva. Perhaps, one might argue that the anger was much greater in 2009. However, I’d refute that argument because taxes were high under the Democrats in 2005 and Corzine was just as liberal in 2005 as he was in 2009. I believe that TLS changed the face of that election in Lakewood by allowing the people to vent in public. In political science this behavior is known as the collective action problem. The CAP states that people only express public protest when they believe a majority of the people will join them or they don’t fear repercussions. A more recent example would be comparing the snow storm a month ago to the one we had over last Shabbos. What prompted the politicians to push the Public Work Department to do a better job than they did the first time around. I am convinced that it was the complaints that filled TLS after the first snow storm this year.
According to (Edited).com TLS is more popular in the United States than (Edited).com or (Edited).com. When people such as Mayor Langert, Senator Singer, Meir Lichtenstein, Menashe Miller, and Ray Coles hear this they know that they want to be portrayed in a positive light on TLS. After all, public relations and positive media are they keys to being a successful politician.
The reality is that the politicians in Lakewood realize that they no longer just have to worry about what the VAAD and few other powerful people in this town think. I don’t think they care if Herschel speaks out against them as long as he doesn’t have the blogs agreeing with him. The point being is thanks to TLS the politicians in Lakewood have to finally listen to the voice of the people.
There are 22 Comments to "The TLS Impact On Lakewood Politics, By Avi Solomon"
I think you are right Avi. Keep it up! The Lakewood Scoop has brought to the public many issues that have since been taken care of due to the publicity. Thank you very much!
Yeah butt they edit out my comments when they are against self serving, pompous, arrogant individuals that need a little public humiliation. pgease don’t take this one out! try the fax machine with the caller ID off.
It appears that what you are really saying is the politicians in this town only have to answer to the Vaad. The only thing left to happen in this town is to declare a town religion. So much for constitutionally protected rights of the people. Lets see if this post gets edited. Some forget that the political seats in this town belong to ALL the people and not a select group. #2 I’m right there with you.
I AGREE WITH # 2
that is so true even those that don’t love the scoop but one thing almost every single person in this town will agree to that is the scoop gave the little frusterated nobody a voice and for the first time if some thing is done to them by some one with some more power than them that person will not get amaw with it and remember this is america a democratic country not iran where the scoop would of been thrown out of town in to some jail in america every person is to be treated equally with respect and if you have more power its to help people not use and abuse them and thats what the lakewood scoop does for this community i hope you continue giving the little man a voice …what an asset
You cant be a true voice of the people if you dont post comments that you dont agree with .
I did NOT vote 4 Corzine and it had NOTHING to do with the Scoop. O I bet they wont put this one up, so I will say I love The Scoop, can I see another storey on Langert??
I didnt vote 4 Corzine and it had nothing to do with The Scoop.
why cant we love the scoop and Langert and Hershel and Vaad? and hate corzine? cant we all just get along?
Although the Lakewood scoop has done much to help the Lakewood people, they still have some work to do. I understand that lashon hara is unacceptable, but yet I see plenty of talk about previous mismanagement on the part of our askanim. So it’s ok for the scoop to publicize that certain individuals have taken us for a ride, but it’s not ok for commentors to complain about the ride they were taken for. We had a recent resignation that was publicized by tls, which would not have made it in as a comment because it implied past wrongdoing. So I think there is a double standard.
Either remain lashan hara free and just put up pictures of upsherins and fender bender reports, or do the Lakewood tzibbur a real chessed and allow there to be transparency in our town. Then, and only then, will people be afraid to take the hard working Lakewood tzibbur for a ride. And then you will have done a true service for lkwd, and we will forever be indebted to you.
Thank you,
A real fan
I agree with #5 above. A few hours ago in a post here I asked why don’t the township committeemen post their email address as does the Mayor. Seems that it got censured.
Well if u don’t post all comments the ones that are PRO and. The ones that are ANTI so we don’t know what people are really talking abt!!
S/o should ask a sheila about loshon hora, because all the loshon hora on the pols is letoieles, besides they may be stealing our .
Money….
That’s so right #12 My post is still sitting in “moderation” since 11:21 Just proves not ALL the people are fairly represented in this town
Nuu! This boring.. Wheen is the storm coming already??
i spoke to a vaad member after the rrecent election and he told me this was not about the vaad the people love and recpect them they just had a small disagreement if frum yiden should be voting for a pro toeivah candidate for the benefits the community gets in return the vaad was pro benefits and a few laud guys were more conservative i got off the phone and said this is not out of touch they have there head in the sand
I am sorry but you are wrong. Who to vote for wasn’t just decided by the vaad but by the R’Y and M R Shtienmen Shlita. There is something called Emunos Chachamim which says that besides for the extreme insight of the Gedolim there is a special power given to the Gedolim H Yoshev Baados Kel. By Mordechai the people blamed him for the decree of mass murder. It was only later revealed that the edict was in truth caused by the eating of the party of Achashveirosh. At the time people said they should join bec the king would be upset by their absence, only later was it revealed that this in truth was the catalyst that brought the terrible edict. THE FACT THAT SO MANY VOTED AGAINST THE GEDOLIM, IS AND WAS A TRAGEDY. This lack of Emunos Chachamim is the root of all bad! (Excerpted from the Michtav Meieliyahu regarding Emunas chachamim.)
I AGREE WITH 17
Go tls!! Tls for mayor!!
Mr Wailing Wall,
We debated this entire scenario at the time of election. It is not clear what info our gedoilim were fed- let’s just leave it at that. There was no tragedy!
To number twenty: I will have to argue with this too, because this argument is throwing out the Emunos Chachamim of our RY Shlita, Gedolim in their own right who know the situation first hand. Besides such a question is exactly what H Yoshev Baadas Kel which gives special Siyata Dishmaya so a mistake shouldnt occur. (If one knew that they DEFINETLY were fed lies I don’t KNOW if this would apply, but I don’t believe that was the case over here.) On another note, we should realize that the Rashi that says Afilu Al Yimin Shehu Smoel etc. teaches us that even our most basic ideas and beliefs are null and void when it comes to the Gedolim, bec of their wisdom and S’D. And Yiftach Bidoro Kishmuel Bidoro.
in response to avi`s comments which i do not disagree with i think a broader prospective must be taken in the emerging growth and political power over the last 20-30 years .When the askonim were helping the kehillah and we were pretty much fighting for every minor issue that seems today like a give in, the kehillah had give a certain mind set in the general population that we have a block and we are united so the askonim became buddy-buddys with the politicians of the past they created a vaad to give a certain image that we are stronger then we may have been and those individuals had the REAL challenge of doing REAL favors like PERMITTING shuls AND schools AND stoppin autopsies rl` And NOT CLOSING DOWN YESHIVAS and making lakewood today what it is .One of the most attracted kehillos in the u.s.a. its very easy to critiicize askonim-vaad -establishment- and credit the different blogs what should be done and not done .I am a very strong advocate of transparency and however at “that “point if it would of been so transparent of how little votes and say we REALLY had we wouldnt have a lakewood or lakescoop to talk about