Newark Mayor Cory Booker pens a guest column for the Newark STAR-LEDGER expanding on his previous public criticism of Devils Owner Jeff Vanderbeek. Booker lists what he believes are some of the "more serious breaches of public integrity demonstrated by Vanderbeek" under the arena deal with the city. These include failing to contribute to the city's "job-training and placement efforts," make contributions to nonprofit youth organizations or "build a recreation center." Booker: "I have never known businesspeople to conduct themselves as Vanderbeek has" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 4/10).
The STAR-LEDGER's own editorial board weighed in on the issue over the weekend: "The city made a bad deal under former Mayor Sharpe James, investing huge subsidies to construct the team’s arena, and wound up with much less than expected to show for it." Newark is "responsible for its own mistakes," and it "should have been more careful in its dealing with the Devils." But the "team should be more generous to the city, given the enormous subsidy" (NJ.com, 4/8).
