In co-hosting the final debate before Election Day, Rutgers scholars worked to elevate the public policy discourse.
For the policy wonks from Bloustein, the focus will be on the candidates’ promises and how, after months of collaborating with ABC7/WABC-TV New York, 6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia, Noticias Univision 41, and the performing arts center, millions of New Jersey voters were better informed as a result.
“We may start seeing signs of a recession, but that doesn’t mean we’re in a recession. The economy is constantly flowing, changing. I don’t see us at the moment being in recession. But there clearly is potential for that,” Pfeiffer said.
The most effective communication is two-way collaboration, not a one-way information stream. Digital tools can help keep communication lines open and active, creating more responsive and vibrant communities where voices are heard and concerns are addressed promptly.
Pfeiffer said voters go to the polls and reject measures for a number of reasons, depending on other conditions. They may be voting no because they don’t like the way their municipality is run, or because of economic conditions or other factors, without regard to what is going on with its schools and their needs, he said.
A number of hardware vendors have introduced Storage as a Service elements, Pfeiffer says, which could potentially help state and local governments simplify video data administration.
“You can buy cameras, pay for them over a number of years and get storage along with it,” he says
“It doesn’t make it a great practice, but it’s often necessary to meet competing demands,” said Pfeiffer, one being “sometimes” an interest from officials in keeping taxes low.
But shared services often yield savings only on a case-by-case basis at the local level rather than statewide, said Rutgers’ Pfeiffer, while Ciattarelli’s proposal for an alternating property tax rate could run afoul of the state constitution.
“You can’t give some people a lower rate than other people,” Pfeiffer said. “You have to assess everybody at the same standard.”
“If a legislator is threatened, if their district is more at risk, they get greater consideration,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University’s Center for Urban Research who has long experience in state and local government.
The rating upgrade announcement is “very reputational,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, who studies local government in New Jersey.
“For local governments, chatbots create exciting opportunities to improve customer service, automate tasks and cut costs,” according to Marc Pfeiffer. “Residents routinely need information on topics like garbage collection, parking permits, construction projects and event schedules. Chatbots can provide 24/7 automated self-service for these frequent citizen inquiries.”