Are we even real? A Feel Good Friday Investigation
We didn't mean to start a war - or did we? Spoiler alert: it works out in the end.
CENTRAL JERSEY (yes) - Happy Friday readers! We apologize for the late PM blast when we usually aim for 6PM-ish. Between following the Supreme Court churning out opinions like your crazy uncle at a holiday dinner, Trenton’s Budget drama, and various RSVPs to Independence Weekend festivities, we are just cooked.
While we prepare for a long weekend celebrating America’s independence, CJN found itself in a Twitter war - and much like Lexington and Concord in April 1775, we’re still debating who fired the first shot.
It all seemed to start with a simple tweet from our friend at POLITICO, Matt Friedman:
Hmm. Who is this mystery person who evaded one of politics’ keenest eyes with cat-like agility?
Enter Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-25th):
What is S3206? Introduced in October of 2022 by Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-16th), the bill “requires [the] Division of Travel and Tourism to promote Central Jersey, overnight stays, and agritourism; requires allocation of federal funds for tourism to certain regions and activities in need of economic relief.”
Moreover: The Division of Travel and Tourism shall re-draw the State 13 tourism map to create a “Central Jersey” region comprised, at a 14 minimum of the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and 15 Somerset, and to incorporate the “Central Jersey” region in all 16 regional marketing activities, including in publications and on the 17 VisitNJ.org website.
Some of our Monmouth County friends were surprised that their home county was not include in Sen. Zwicker’s vision of Central Jersey, but they quickly got over it when they were told to figure out which beach they plan to go to this weekend — something Hunterdon, Mercer, and Middlesex don’t have the luxury to say. (Sorry not sorry, guys).
Back to Assemblyman Bergen though.
In youth parlance, we were' “shook.” Our existential crisis began and we had no other option but to confront the man himself.
Truly, we welcome anyone to come and voice their opinions on Central Jersey Newswire. We’re a diverse state with plenty of personalities and experiences, all sharing a rich history. It is these stories and perspectives we want to share.
Why yes - this is a soft pitch to subscribe to our newsletter to get more insight, analysis, and some feel-good Friday Jersey content delivered right to you.
We’re excited to have Assemblyman Bergen’s perspective and we harbor no ill-will, but then things got interesting:
ZWICKER (and team)! Like we said in our reflection on the Holmdel BOE meeting, we are proud independent journalists that call balls and strikes, and are committed to being fair and balanced.
So naturally, we invited them to the party too.
In full disclosure, we messaged Sen. Zwicker on Tuesday about doing an interview about S3206. He kindly obliged and shared his email. In fact, we fully intended to shoot him an email today to plan for next week, until:
The cardinal sin of New Jersey. The argument that has plagued our home and separated its families.
Between questioning our own existence and the proper nomenclature of our beloved breakfast meat - not to mention contentious budget hearings that had everyone on the edge of their seat as we discussed Monday and Tuesday- we couldn’t take it any more.
Frankly, we couldn’t help but laugh. Why?
The national dialogue in the country whose birth we celebrate in a few days is destructive. We are constantly berated by divisive figures in media and politics. Showing each other’s humanity is almost a revolutionary act at this point in the American experiment .
When we started CJN, we wanted to be folks who reported on what was happening back at home and in our communities. We set out to be a group that brings people together to share ideas in an an otherwise hostile environment. As you can see, we try to have some fun too.
Thanks to Assembly Bergen and Senator Zwicker for a moment of levity after a raucous week and for offering to be part of Central Jersey Newswire’s promise to our readers - that we keep Central Jersey plugged in to all the news out of our town halls, Trenton, and Washington DC -
even if we sometimes question our own sanity in doing so.
Have a great weekend, friends - God Bless America and New Jersey!
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We sincerely hope you enjoyed this Feel Good Friday story. Joking aside, we did too. We’d feel even better if you gave us a follow on social media and shared it with your friends and neighbors.