Thirteen towns are suing Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration, calling on him to bring back the Council on Affordable Housing and give them decision-making power on towns’ affordable housing. They claim he is in violation of the Fair Housing Act and residents are left at the mercy of overburdened courts.
“The current court process has proved to be ineffective, inefficient, and very costly. Too much time and too much money have been spent on lawyers and developers as well as professional planners and other filing court documents, instead of funding the production and support of affordable housing,” said Janice Mironov, mayor of East Windsor.
Housing advocates question the reasons for the lawsuit. “It’s just another delay tactic, and frankly, it’s troubling and insulting to working families and seniors,” said Matthew Hersh, director of policy and advocacy with the Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey.
