Editors undermine blogger's City Council campaign (from Eye on The Record):
The Record's first expanded mention of Victor E. Sasson's campaign for a seat on the Hackensack City Council appears intended to undermine his independent bid in the May 14 election.
On the front of today's Local section, Staff Writer Hannan Adely mentions Sasson seeks "to limit noise, step up traffic enforcement and boost tax revenue."
But she leaves to the continuation page Sasson's goal of getting that extra money from Hackensack University Medical Center and other tax-exempt entities, not from homeowners (L-1 and L-3).
Adely also omits that Sasson would seek a ban on "commercial" landscaping on Sunday and has no problem with residents mowing their lawn on that day.
The story is edited sloppily. It omits Sasson's middle initial, and is incorrect in stating his heading on the ballot, "Vote for Peace and Quiet."
Sasson believes that as property taxes have gone up, city services have gone down, and seeks to reverse that.
Adely also quotes an opposition slate's desire to "improve the quality of life" for residents -- a phrase the group stole from Sasson.
None of the goals of the slate, Hackensack Coalition for Open Government, would actually improve residents' quality of life, which includes reducing aircraft noise, paving streets and cracking down on speeders and stop-sign violators.
Sasson would earmark revenue from traffic violations and red-light cameras to paving such streets as Prospect and Euclid avenues, and Louis Street, and would urge the city to install speed cameras.
Sasson is a former reporter, copy editor and food writer for The Record who edits Eye on The Record.
This past Tuesday, one day after the filing deadline for candidates' petitions, there was a two-line mention of Sasson on L-3.
That a story about him ran at all is a miracle, given his criticism of North Jersey Media Group's abandonment of Hackensack, and declining local news under head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and Dan Sforza, her deputy.