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Candidates for governor seek the support of disabled voters
Originally appeared in the Star Ledger on 10/07/01
To win the votes of the state's 1.5 million disabled
residents, politicians must promise them better access to
the polls, the head of the New Jersey Developmental
Disabilities Council told the major gubernatorial candidates
yesterday.
Republican Bret Schundler, Democrat Jim McGreevey and
independent Bill Schluter took turns yesterday seeking
support from 700 developmentally, physically and mentally
disabled people and their advocates at the council's
convention in Atlantic City.
Ethan Ellis, executive director of the council, told the
candidates that the disabled community is "a political force
to be reckoned with," but too often faces obstacles in
exercising its right to vote. A decade after passage of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, he said, many polling
places are not fully accessible.
The council has drafted a bill that would create a fund to
help counties and municipalities pay for the changes to
make polling places barrier-free. The bill also would
establish a complaint office that would investigate
problems and see to it that changes are made within a
year, Ellis explained.
"When you see candidates running for state office, ask
them -- no, I want you to tell them: Get behind this law, so
we can exercise our most fundamental right at the polls,"
Ellis told the cheering crowd.
"The director of elections claims 15 of the 21 counties in
the state are 100 percent accessible. But we hired people
to check in two of these counties and found only 50
percent of the polling places to be accessible," Ellis said.
All three candidates said they all support the aim of the
council's proposed law, although two of them suggested
the state shouldn't bankroll the entire effort.
Woodbridge Mayor McGreevey said Middlesex County has
succeeded in making all its polling places accessible by
making the necessary structural changes or moving the
voting sites.
"It can be done by the counties," McGreevey said outside
the convention hall chamber. He said a governor like
himself is needed "to have the will to make it happen."
Schundler said all levels of government should chip in to
pay for the costly changes, which is why some sites
remain inaccessible. "Ultimately, the federal, state and
municipal governments would all have to be responsible."
Schluter was the only candidate who promised to support
the bill in its entirety. "I will work on this legislation when
(the Legislature) comes back in November," Schluter said.
"I'm the only candidate that can do that. I'm a senator."
The state's disability community has a history of flexing its
political muscle. Families succeeded in getting a $160
million ballot initiative to build and rehabilitate housing
passed in 1994. This year, the Legislature gave a
$1-an-hour raise to the 17,000 workers who earned on
average $8.75 to supervise group homes and apartments.
Yet despite the gains, some problems will confront the
next governor.
There are about 6,000 developmentally disabled adults on
a waiting list to move into supervised homes and
apartments.
All three candidates agree using an aggressive mix of
private and public funds is needed to spur construction of
more affordable and accessible housing. Each advocated
expanding the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance
Agency's role in providing incentives.
Schundler said that as Jersey City mayor he used similar
incentives to help produce 2,600 units of affordable
housing.
Schluter said the state must more vigorously enforce the
landmark Mount Laurel decision that requires communities
to provide affordable housing.
McGreevey promised to expand the state's rental
assistance program to eliminate the waiting list for
vouchers.
"The problem is we haven't had a thoughtful long-term
blueprint to address these problems," McGreevey said. |
