Unger calls for eminent domain moratorium

LONG BRANCH - Council candidate Brian Unger held a press conference on the steps of city hall last Tuesday at which he called for a moratorium on the city's use of eminent domain for redevelopment.

That same evening, Unger submitted a proposed resolution and an ordinance to the City Council at the Sept. 26 municipal meeting, urging the city to enact a law to immediately cease eminent domain proceedings.

Unger's proposed ordinance calls for a nine-month moratorium to give the current administration and the public time to study the issue of eminent domain

The proposed ordinance calls for a commission to study the issue during the nine-month hiatus, the commission would recommend appropriate city policies to balance continued economic growth with constructive preservation and improvement of the city's residential neighborhoods.

A companion resolution calls on Gov. Jon Corzine and the state Legislature "to act quickly to clarify statewide policy on the use of eminent domain for economic redevelopment so that New Jersey municipalities can move forward with new legislative and executive guidelines and avoid the rancor and lengthy lawsuits that have become common."

Unger, of Elberon, is running for the council seat vacated by the resignation of former Councilman John "Fazz" Zambrano, who resigned in July after pleading guilty to extortion charges brought by the U.S. Attorney.

Unger also presented a proposed resolution asking the mayor and council to support the passage of federal and state legislation to limit governments' use of eminent domain solely for public purposes.