We Are Not Amused

For many residents, the March 9 Morris Township Committee meeting unfolded less like a public forum and more like a royal audience. The Queen and her court assembled upon the dais to advance a slate of ordinances enabling major affordable housing developments. Word spread quickly through the township, and residents — the loyal subjects of Morris Township — appeared in large numbers to petition their rulers with questions about the scale and consequences of these decrees.

The court listened, though rarely in a manner suggesting that the petitions might alter the royal will. When concerns were raised, courtiers deferred to the kingdom’s attorneys and engineers, who spoke at length about technical matters while the larger questions of policy and judgment remained safely beyond the reach of common debate. When the time came for the vote, the outcome had the air of a proclamation rather than a decision. The ordinances passed, and the assembled subjects were reminded that these were “tough decisions” required by forces beyond the Township’s control — as though even the Queen herself were merely carrying out the commands of distant powers.

When governance begins to resemble court ceremony, public comment starts to feel less like participation and more like ritual. Subjects are permitted to speak, but the decree often seems written long before the audience begins. That is precisely when residents must become more engaged, not less. In the past, the people of Morris Township have shown they are capable of more than polite attendance at court. Residents uncovered that roughly 2.5 percent of the township’s tree canopy vanished over the last decade, and that nearly 80 percent of one recent candidate’s campaign contributions flowed in from beyond the borders of the realm. Facts such as these did not emerge from royal proclamations; they were uncovered by citizens willing to do the work.

We intend to take the same approach here — examining the details behind these projects, studying the numbers, and placing the findings before the public so that the conversation rests on evidence rather than assurances from the court.

The Queen and her courtiers may prefer a quiet kingdom, where subjects observe the proceedings from the gallery and return home once the decrees are announced. But self-government was never meant to resemble royal rule. Real accountability requires citizens to remain vigilant. Review the proposals. Attend the meetings. Ask difficult questions and insist on answers grounded in facts, not ceremony. Share your findings with neighbors, amplify credible research, and hold the Township’s rulers accountable at every step.

In Morris Township, the people are not subjects — and no court should ever be allowed to forget it.