The results of our first-ever Solutions Contest, in which our policy experts and Civic Trustees put forward proven solutions, identified to address challenges facing cities and towns throughout New Jersey. The solutions were evaluated for how well they met The Citizens Campaign’s criteria that solutions be evidence-based, cost-effective, and benefit the community as a whole.
The panel of Judges for the contest were Law and Policy Task Force members Matt Boxer, New Jersey’s first independent State Comptroller; Jim Johnson, the Governor’s Special Counsel for Atlantic City and former Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury; and Mark Pfeiffer, Assistant Director of Rutgers University Bloustein Local Government Research Center.
The focus on solutions reflected in this Solutions Contest and the work of the Civic Trustees, points the way to what is possible. If we leave our ideology at the door and come together for the purpose of practical problem solving, we can drive our government from the bottom up. A focus on finding and sharing pragmatic solutions will also help heal the growing political and societal divide.