JACKSON TOWNSHP, NJ – Conservative media host and possible candidate for New Jersey Governor in 2025, Bill Spadea, visited Jackson Township on Tuesday and said Mayor Michael Reina’s agreement to purchase a Leeseville Road property slated for development as a huge victory for Jackson Township.
Spadea credited Reina for the negotiations that will preserve the land slated to be turned into four private religious schools as open space.
Reina credited a local resident from the Leesville neighborhood who approached both Reina and Eichorn with a plan to preserve the land.
“She lit the lightbulb,” Reina said. “It’s genuine and real, and we’re grateful.”
“It’s a huge victory,” Bill Spadea said. “It shows that when you get local leaders paying attention to not just thinking about their career, good things happen.”
From there, lawyers from the township and Bellevue Estates began negotiating a deal that would save and preserve the land.
Now, Reina said if he wins, he wants to create an open space preservation committee. Currently, the preservation of open space in Jackson is approved by the township council. Often, tracts of preserved land are purchased from political allies, friends, and influential property owners.
Today, Reina said giving the people who live in neighborhoods threatened by overdevelopment a seat at the table shows the township can make more responsible and effective open space land purchases in the future.
Reina’s opponent in next Tuesday’s election, Marty Flemming, is crying foul over the deal. Marty Flemming, who serves as council president in Jackson, said he was never informed of the deal prior to its announcement. Flemming’s main source of contention is that he was left out of the negotiations.
There could be a good reason why he was left out.
Flemming had previously tried to negotiate with land owner Mordechai Eichorn and proposed a 60-unit high-density housing project instead of schools down the street from the current property. The township zoning board shot down Flemming’s plan for building a large residential project where only ten homes could legally be built.
Reina today said he didn’t want more houses instead of schools, he wanted to preserve the land. He added that once the lawyers hash out the final details, the council members will be briefed and it will then be turned over to them to vote yes or no on the purchase.
Flemming has railed against Reina’s plan, and many in his campaign have even called the deal ‘fake news’ and a last-minute election stunt.
Reina will be hosting a meeting to discuss the plan with residents Wednesday evening in town hall to dispel the rumors and lies, as he described them being published by Flemming’s campaign over the deal.
The public is invited to attend and will be allowed to ask questions. Supporters of Flemming have indicated they plan to protest and disrupt the meeting. Reina said he is inquiring with township administration officials about possibly airing the meeting live on the township’s YouTube channel.
“There’s a lot of fake news out there on this,” Reina said. “This was originally intended to be for the residents in the neighborhood affected, but anyone can come and ask questions tonight about it.”