The regional rancor in northwest New Jersey that followed the enactment of the Highlands Protection Act in 2004 still smolders.and a single remark can spark a flareup.
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| Richard A. Vohden |
Sussex County Deputy Freeholder Director Richard Vohden lit the match Wednesday night when, at a freeholder’s meeting, he asserted that, were the vote held today, state lawmakers would not approve the law that limits development in a 415, 000-acre area stretching over seven counties.
“If these senators today would take the same vote, I don’t think it would pass,” he said.
Vohden characterized the Highlands Law as “unfunded, unworkable and incomplete,” writes New Jersey Herald reporter Rob Jennings.
Referring to the devaluing of property values for those unable to subdivide or sell due to the law, Vohden said, “If that’s not a ‘taking,’ I don’t know what a taking is.”
The remark brought a quick response from NJ Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel whose organization opposed Vohden’s nomination by Governor Chris Christie to the Highlands Council. Vohden took the seat in January 2012 after being confirmed by a 29-7 vote in the state Senate.
“He’s supposed to enforce the law. He’s showing his personal bias,” Tittel said.
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