As power brokers play games, frosh councilman Kurtz champions real reform

Jesse Kurtz

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Jesse Kurtz
Jesse Kurtz

Everything you’re seeing relating to Atlantic City’s fate right now is naked power politics, Save Jerseyans. In its purest and most unadulterated form.

Most of these politicians couldn’t give less of a damn about the people caught in the middle of this ‘game of thrones.’ A notable exception: our friend and newly-minted Republican Councilman Jesse Kurtz.

What you probably haven’t read about? At the last meeting, Jesse’s first ordinance cleared council but it was overshadowed by the larger state takeover and bankruptcy dust up. It passed unanimously on both readings.

Here’s what it does: mandate that all public contracts for goods/services, grant receipt documentation and all employee salaries be accessible through the city’s website. Short, sweet, uncontroversial but 100% necessary as a first step towards empowering the citizens of the humbled Boardwalk Empire.

You can check out the Atlantic City Transparency Act here.

This isn’t Kurtz’s first win; he also forced the council to formally ban its own use of city vehicles. Think of him as the Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Atlantic City Council, playing a key swing vote role wedged between the all-Democratic governing body’s competing factions. It’s fun to watch! And it’s also a refreshing break from power politics.

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Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8440 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

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