NJ Spotlight, Mar. 26, 2014

By Scott Gurian

Gov. Chris Christie heard more tales of woe from people still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy at his latest town hall meeting yesterday.

It was the sixth Q&A he’s held in Belmar, as well as the sixth town hall he’s held since the Bridgegate scandal erupted in January. But the governor encountered a friendlier crowd here than at some other recent events.

A few residents asked questions about education and good governance topics, but the majority of the focus was people’s individual Sandy-related situations. Questioners shared tales of fighting with their insurance companies, dealing with recurrent flooding problems and continuing to wait for state grant money. They also asked about plans to construct dunes and to dredge rivers still clogged by storm debris. And they shared their concerns and suggestions.

A resident of Brick Township recommended that the rules be changed so people like herself could start rebuilding while waiting for grant money and get reimbursed after the fact. Christie said he’s raised the issue multiple times with federal officials, but was told there’s a specific federal statute that prohibits that.

Another person wanted to make sure that the dunes would be handicapped-accessible so her disabled husband would still be able to go to the beach. The governor assured her that the state would comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Responding to criticism that his administration was sitting on aid money, Christie said that all the funding for housing programs has already been allocated and that the state has listened to people’s concerns and made changes, such as allowing them to use their own contractors.

There were also suggestions that in-state contractors should do all the repairs.

“We’re trying to rebuild 365,000 homes,” Christie responded. “There’s simply not enough contactors in New Jersey to do all that work in a timely way.”

He also had some recommendations of his own, including that the federal government should get out of providing flood insurance and let the private market take over.

“What we really need is more competition in the industry,” he said, calling on people to contact their members of Congress to complain.

As at past town halls, several members of the governor’s cabinet, including Sandy “Storm Czar” Marc Ferzan, were also in attendance, but none of them said anything except Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin, who was called on to answer a few detailed questions pertaining to dunes and waterways.

Christie acknowledged that there have been problems with the state’s handling of the recovery process.

“Let me be, once again, the guy to admit that this has not gone perfectly," he said. "Far from it. This is the first time we’ve ever done this.”

But he asked residents to be patient. He said he’ll do his part by continuing to listen to their concerns and pledged to try to continue holding at least one town hall meeting a week.

Though the overall tone of the event seemed more supportive than at some previous town halls, and none of the questions were very challenging, there was still some anger evident in the crowd. Before the event began, about a dozen demonstrators stood quietly across the street, holding signs saying things like, “We have not forgotten Bridgegate,” “Tourism ads won’t pay my rent” and “If I were a Sandy contractor, I’d have gotten paid by now.”

Several small-business owners affected by the storm also spoke to members of the media about their frustrations with delays in getting aid through the Stronger NJ Business Grants program. Christie had said at a previous town hall that there was little demand for the program, but that’s not the case, they said.

Marilyn Schlossbach and her brother own four restaurants in Asbury Park and Normandy Beach. They applied for grant money last May, but most of it has yet to come through, and they’ve received few updates on the status of their applications.

Schlossbach said she’d much rather be back running her business than attending a town hall where she was unlikely to get in a question, but felt she had no choice.

Her opinion of the governor?

“Originally, I was very much behind him. And I’m a Democrat,” she said. “But over the last six months, I’m seeing him talk like everything is great. It’s not great for any of us. It has been one of the hardest years that I’ve ever been in business. And I don’t think any politicians really understand what we’re all going through.”

Speaking with reporters, Neptune resident James Spinelli also expressed frustration trying to understand just what he was going through. He has signed documents, dated December 5 , stating that he’s been awarded $180,000 through two state grant programs to tear down his house, which was flooded beyond repair in the storm. Nearly four months later, he has yet to receive a penny.

“I’ve got everything right here. It’s all signed! Everything!” he said waving copies of his paperwork. “What are they waiting for? I’m not on the waiting list. I have the grant! I’ve been awarded it!”

Spinelli had just spoken to representatives from the NJ Department of Community Affairs, who’d set up a table to answer questions from town hall participants. He said they were scrambling on their computers to figure out what had gone wrong.

“I told these people I’m tired of taking numbers, I’m tired of filling out this application and that application. I’ve already done it all! I’ve done everything! What more proof do you want that I need this money to do my house?” he asked.

The timing of yesterday’s town hall coincided with the federal deadline for the state to turn in its spending plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the second $1.46 billion of Community Development Block Grant Sandy aid. Christie said he hopes the plan will be approved and that money can start flowing by the end of April. And he’s optimistic that the state will get word of a third batch of federal aid money in late May or early June.

It remains unclear, though, what the total will be after all is said and done. The governor repeated the prediction he’s voiced in recent weeks — he now expects the state to receive a total of just $10 billion to $15 billion in federal Sandy aid, a drop from the $20 billion to $25 billion he mentioned last spring.

NJ Spotlight, Mar. 27, 2014

By Colleen O’Dea

New Jersey has the nation’s highest rate of autism among children, with 1 in 45 having the spectrum of disorders, according to new data released yesterday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new study prompted two state representatives to call for greater action by both state and federal officials to determine both what triggers and how to treat a number of conditions in the the autism spectrum that are characterized by difficulties in social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors.

"It is a pandemic," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th, at a press conference with officials from the national organization Autism Speaks, following the release of the new CDC study.

Nationally, the CDC found 1 in 68 children with autism in 2010, based on a study of 8-year old students in 11 states, including New Jersey. That’s 30 percent higher than the estimate for 2008 and 120 percent higher than the 2000 estimate. CDC officials said they don’t know what is causing the increase in the prevalence of the condition, though some may be due to the ways in which children are identified, diagnosed and served.

New Jersey’s rate of 1 in 45 is the highest ever recorded by the CDC.

"It’s not just disturbing, it’s numbing," Smith said. "There is reason for alarm."

Several factors might explain why the autism rate in New Jersey is so much greater than in other states: The state’s relative affluence and high education levels mean parents have access to, can afford, and seek out a diagnosis and help for children exhibiting signs of autism.

"New Jersey has one of the best systems in the nation for identifying, diagnosing and documenting children with Autism Spectrum Disorders," said Mary O’Dowd, the state’s health commissioner. "New Jersey is one of only four states with an Autism Registry that requires reporting by neurologists, pediatricians, nurses and other autism providers so children can be referred for resources and services. Approximately, 12,400 are registered and that has heightened awareness among parents and providers of indicators for Autism Spectrum Disorders."

Walter Zahorodny, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has been a principal investigator for the CDC’s studies from the beginning and told Rutgers Today there are no easy answers to the questions surrounding autism.

"This state does have some of the best resources anywhere for detecting and caring for autism, but if the higher documented prevalence were only due to better detection, sooner or later the numbers would plateau and other states would catch up. That hasn’t happened," he said. "In 2002, the prevalence in New Jersey translated to one child in 94. In 2006, it was one child in 57. The latest numbers show one child in 45. We need to start acknowledging that what once was a rare disorder now affects two percent of the state’s children, and unfortunately I think the numbers will continue to rise."

Zahorodny said there’s likely nothing in the state’s environment influencing the findings, but the state’s demographics probably have something to do with its unenviable ranking.

"Many people here are more affluent and better educated than elsewhere, and those people tend to marry each other and have children later in life. It is considered a risk factor for autism if both the mother and father are older when the child is born," he said. "It’s also very likely that our findings apply beyond New Jersey. The same demographic profile exists in counties throughout the New York metro area, and I would expect that if those areas were monitored as closely as we have studied New Jersey, their autism prevalence would be found to be similar."

While the number of school children specifically labeled as autistic is likely too small — children with autism may also be placed in a number of other categories, including specific learning disabilities or multiple disabilities — it has nevertheless grown more than 250 percent between 2002 and 2013.

According to the CDC data, autism affects boys far more often than girls — 3.4 boys for every girl — and whites more than any other race or ethnicity.

The new study did have one bright spot for parents, finding an increase in the percentage of autistic children with average or above average intelligence — about least half of all those with autism spectrum disorders have an IQ of at least 85.

Numbers don’t really tell the story of families struggling with children who have autism, though.

“Behind each of these numbers is a person living with autism,” said Autism Speaks President Liz Feld. “Autism is a pressing public health crisis that must be prioritized at the national level. We need a comprehensive strategy that includes the research community, policymakers, educators, and caregivers coming together to address our community’s needs across the lifespan.”

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, agreed. Speaking at the Autism Speaks press conference, he said the CDC report is "a clarion call for increasing efforts at the federal level" for autism funding.

“We must redouble our efforts and secure the funding needed to not only ensure critical autism programs aren’t shuttered but to find new diagnostic tools, early intervention techniques, therapies, and lifelong support and services to ensure individuals with autism can fulfill their God-given potential," said Menendez, author of the Combating Autism Act.

Smith agreed, saying, "We need to be much more generous" in investing in autism research.

O’Dowd said that the Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism has provided nearly $25 million in research grants since 2008 and that the health department is at the forefront of supporting research, including a Center for Excellence at Montclair State University.

She urged parents to be vigilant in taking action when there is a suspicion of a developmental delay that could be due to an autism spectrum disorder. The department’s Early Intervention System, funded by $135 million, provides early identification and referral, service coordination, evaluation and assessment, and services for children from birth through age 3 with disabilities.

"The earlier a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder or developmental delay is identified and connected to services, the sooner services can be provided to ensure the child is able to reach their full potential," O’Dowd said.