Liberty State Park Development: “Not On My Watch” – Really?
Shortly After LaTourette’s “Not On My Watch”, DEP Cancelled Public Open House
DEP Then Issued A Report That Included Billionaire’s Development Scheme
Gov. Murphy Pulls The Rug Out From Under DEP Commissioner LaTourette
Murphy DEP Commissioner LaTourette recently got great press with a bold sounding quote that drew a bright red line in the sand in opposition to commercial development of Liberty State Park. A Jersey Journal (3/18/23) editorial opened with it:
“Not on my watch.”
That was New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette’s declaration during a news conference Thursday morning when pressed time and again about the possibility of private interests eclipsing the public’s right to access and enjoy Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
So, no stadium, LaTourette said.
No concert arena.
No huge sports complex.
No infringement on Caven Point Peninsula.
“This land can never be used for anything other than conservation and recreation purposes,” he said. “Period.”
Powerful and crystal clear, right? No means No, right?.
Wrong. That misperceived “bold” statement included corporate lawyer-like slick qualifications – in other words, it was gaslighting.
A careful reading of LaTourette’s full quote reveals that he qualified that bold claim, and doubled down with another faux bold claim i.e. (“Period.”) (emphases mine):
To be clear, LaTourette’s stance doesn’t mean that nothing will be built. And it doesn’t mean that community amenities like public ballfields and a community rec center are off the table. Just the opposite is true.
“There are a number of considerations that go into what constitutes ‘conservation and recreation purposes,’” he said when speaking of what is legally allowed in the state park.
So, first of all, when we speak of recreation, we mean primarily outdoor recreation. We also mean that it must be fully accessible to the public. So, facilities that serve the purpose of purely revenue generation, they could never take hold on this land. Period.”
“Primarily” and “purely” are weasel words.
Thankfully, the editors at the Jersey Journal, who have been closely following this issue, detected the LaTourette gaslighting and wrote a supportive but skeptical editorial that challenged Governor Murphy to back his Commissioner up by supporting legislation that would enforce that commitment: (Jersey Journal editorial):
While it’s probably safe to assume that LaTourette was speaking with the blessing, or at least the knowledge, of his boss, Gov. Phil Murphy, we wish Murphy himself would come out in such strong – and even stronger – terms.
Well, I guess it was NOT “safe to assume” that Commissioner LaTourette was speaking for Gov. Murphy.
Just days after LaTourette’s bold “NOT ON MY WATCH”, the DEP cancelled a highly publicized public “Open House” meeting: (from Friends Of Liberty State Park):
Friends of LSP CONDEMNS LSP CANCELATION OF DEP LSP OPEN HOUSE TO SHOW PLANS
The Friends of Liberty State Park assert that it seems very clear that billionaire Paul Fireman and his funded surrogates pressured their friend Governor Murphy who then outrageously ordered the NJDEP to cancel its well-publicized March 23rd Open House to show its LSP plans. The billionaire, ignoring the clear and strong statements on March 16th, by NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette against such commercial venues and stating, “Privatization of a public asset that is owned by no one because it belongs to everyone is not a thing, period, full stop”.
The NJDEP first announced the Open House on March 9th and last week’s stories, emails, social media and Fireman digital ads, have publicized the event, and as the DEP stated in its cancelation notice, there was significant interest in the LSP “revitalization program” plans.
The Governor’s apparent caving in to the billionaire’s wishes, is embarrassing to the DEP and it is shamefully disrespectful of the public to cancel an event with two days notice.
But it gets even worse.
After canceling the DEP Open House, days later DEP then issued a March 2023 Report: “Summary of Advisory Group Considerations And Recommendations – Liberty State Park Design Task Force”
An email from Sam Pesin, longtime leader of Liberty State Park distributing the DEP Report noted: (emphasis mine):
The DEP also released it summer report from last year’s tax force whose mandate was to make recommendations ….. Fireman’s proxies pushed forward its sports and entertainment complex plans. …
The DEP Report put Fireman’s plans …. in the Appendix…
Which reminded me that old school investigate journalist IF Stone advised that people should always read government documents from back to front and closely scrutinize the appendices and footnotes. That’s where the real stuff is always buried.
Fireman’s development schemes are “in there”.
DEP stealthed them into the Report in the Appendices and they did so with an obscure link described as the “Liberty State Park For All Independent Concept Plan”
DEP’s Report provided an opportunity for DEP to reject Fireman’s development plans. DEP could have and should have rejected them out of hand.
That would have put Gov. Murphy on the spot and finger him as the source of any future development schemes.
But Fireman’s plans not only were included in the DEP Report, DEP made a commitment to make “further inquiry” on them:
“This report summarizes the deliberations of the LSP-D Task Force, including its advisory considerations and recommendations, identifies implementation considerations and areas for further inquiry and evaluation, and includes within its appendices other concepts generated outside the auspices of the LSP- D Task Force but presented to its greater membership.”
Here’s how DEP tried to wiggle out of this outrageous failure. They responded to Fireman’s plan in a FOOTNOTE (on page 9)!!!
1 These concepts were reiterated to DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette in a March 14, 2023 letter on behalf of the Liberty State Park for All Coalition, which stated that the “Task Force prepared an alternative design concept for the park land, which all members of the Task Force are fully in support of implementing.” This statement is incorrect. The referenced concept was presented to the Task Force following its private and independent procurement. The concept was not sought by or adopted under the auspices of DEP Administrative Order No. 2021-18.
The fact that Fireman’s development plans were NOT rejected out of hand, were responded to in a lame footnote, and were instead included in the Report – with a DEP commitment to “further inquiry” – tells you all you need to know about DEP “leadership”.
“Not on my watch”? My ass.
If LaTourette had any integrity at all he would have resigned after the Governor knee capped and humiliated him by canceling the DEP scheduled Open House and not honoring his “not on my watch” line in the sand.
But, I doubt that LaTourette ever really meant what he said – I’d bet he was gaslighting all along and the Governor and the public and the media took him seriously.
