Keady Supported by AP Press Editorial Board

Asbury Park's Lightning Rod

Posted by the Asbury Park Press (http://www.app.com/) on 11/12/06

If Asbury Park Councilman James Keady were being graded on his ability to alienate people, he'd be doing "A" work this marking period.

First, he irritated fellow council members by joining union workers protesting the use of nonunion workers in some of the beachfront redevelopment projects. Two weeks ago, following the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Tylik Pugh, he told a New York City television station that Asbury Park was home to 200 members of the Bloods gang — a comment that prompted the city's Urban Enterprise Zone board of directors to ask him to resign his council seat and, for good measure, to leave town.

Now, he has incurred the wrath of the city school board for touring Asbury Park High and meeting with students there without getting permission from the acting superintendent. Keady says his visit was blessed by the building principal.

The issue here shouldn't be Keady, but trying to solve the problems Keady has demonstrated he is concerned enough about to reach out directly to the kids in the community. He should be applauded for taking the initiative to try to better understand the city's youth and the dynamics of youth violence. Instead of sending out letters criticizing him, the school board should be encouraging every other council member and community leader to follow his lead.

Keady says he obtained valuable information from the students. "I thought, and still do think, that the solutions lie with them," he said. So do we. Community leaders need to engage those students, as well as their parents and guardians, in an ongoing conversation. That will be much easier to do if the council and school board can do a better job of conversing amongst themselves.