Education. Parks and open spaces. Police, fire and safety resources. Election reform. These are the quality-of-life issues that Daniel Levin and Andrew Hubsch are passionate about. With a “play fair, play clean” initiative, their nonpartisan organization Civic JC urges community participation as Jersey City grows its skyline and population.
Levin and Hubsch propose an open, transparent process in government communication, management and accountability by standing city government “in the sunlight.” Last June the organization, which was formed in 2004, drafted an anti-pay-to-play ordinance designed to ensure that city decisions are based on the public interest – not as rewards to politically connected players – and presented it to the City Council. (A very similar measure was taken up for a vote in January. It was defeated 6 to 2.)
“The goal of Civic JC is to push and promote Jersey City into becoming a world-class city,” Levin says. “This is a great place to live, but for the city to grow responsibly, good-government practices have to be in place.”
Civic JC can be reached online at civicjc.org.