Name: Reopening NJ: Residents desperate for details, but Murphy keeps decisions close to the vest | Stile
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Reopening NJ: Residents desperate for details, but Murphy keeps decisions close to the vest | Stile

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NorthJersey.comView Comments the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey takes a look at how, with only vague guidance from the state, various sectors of the community are planning to reopen as the coronavirus pandemic wanes.Harry Hurley, a popular Atlantic City talk show host and former casino executive, pressed Gov. Phil Murphy last month&nbsp;to commit to reopening casinos within a few weeks.Murphy refused."I don’t want to marry myself,”. “I hope it's that. It's something we are taking extremely seriously. I'll leave it at that."The answer wasn't unusual — Murphy has honed&nbsp;his&nbsp;ambassadorial ability to politely turn away anxious business and industry leaders into an art form during the pandemic.But his response to Hurley was revealing. He was, in effect, saying that it was going to be strictly his call. For all his talk about data and science driving his decision to reopen the state, it's the gut check of New Jersey's chief executive that counts the most."Indoor stuff, where you can't open windows, is really hard,'' he told Hurley.More on NJ reopening:What reopens and when:Despite the aura of transparency created by his daily coronavirus briefings, the Goldman Sachs-groomed governor has managed the pandemic much like a close-to-the-vest CEO, hashing out decisions in the privacy of his executive suite with trusted advisers.&nbsp;And the strategy, for the most part, has served him well, earning him rock-star approval ratings as he struggled to "flatten the curve" of the virus's lethal spread. Murphy has offered empathy&nbsp;and reassurance to a frightened public.Most New Jerseyans bought into his&nbsp;stay-at-home orders. The lockdown worked. The death toll is mercifully dwindling. Hospitalizations are down dramatically. Testing has increased.But now that the public is stepping out of its bunkers, Murphy finds himself on more complicated terrain.&nbsp;People are clamoring for details&nbsp;on how and when they can send their children back to school, how soon they can return to their local restaurants, and when it's safe to send their elderly parents back into nursing homes.Yet&nbsp;instead of receiving clarity, business owners and residents are forced to wait for Murphy to make a daily pronouncement or a promising forecast that it's a "matter of weeks" before some types of business can open their doors.Murphy has . He repeatedly says "data will determine dates" for reopening, but he has never shared exactly what data he is using, other than citing the&nbsp;steady decline in infection rates, hospitalizations and wider diagnostic testing."In reality, his&nbsp;own public health officials in the health department have no idea what inputs he is using to make opening decisions,'' written by an anonymous&nbsp;group of health officials involved in the state's pandemic response.Murphy's top-down style stands in contrast to that of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, known for his autocratic style but, unlike Murphy, having spent most of his career in public service. New York laid out seven benchmarks that need to be met before businesses can open their doors. For example, each region of the state must report 15 or fewer new confirmed COVID-19 cases or five or fewer new deaths on a rolling, three-day average before entering the first phase of reopening.New Jersey business leaders and civic officials&nbsp;say a lack of those benchmarks has made it difficult to plan for reopening, which often takes weeks of preparation. They see it as arbitrary, overly cautious and adding&nbsp;another costly layer of uncertainty in their struggle to survive."I don't understand how the Jets and Giants can practice but you can't sit outside in a clean environment and have your food,'' said Marilou Halvorsen, president of the New Jersey Restaurant &amp; Hospitality Association. ("We have wedding and banquet venues, and this is wedding season,''&nbsp; Halvorsen said. "Brides are very concerned. We just need a date." She noted, however, that Murphy officials have been receptive to concerns&nbsp;and are now acknowledging the importance of giving businesses more notice before lifting restrictions.Murphy's repeated&nbsp;"data and dates" soundbite might offer a comforting contrast to President Donald Trump, whose bungled, pell-mell management of the outbreak was largely guided by impulse and bleach-drinking quackery.But in some ways, Murphy and Trump share a corporate-style management. Both Murphy and Trump rely on a close circle of advisers and are wary of input from outsiders, namely legislators.Both view governmental deliberations as company secrets. Murphy officials refuse to release details&nbsp;— one of his first acts during the pandemic was to sign legislation limiting disclosure of public records.&nbsp; Murphy officials have shielded the&nbsp;work of his a panel Murphy often cites as an example of his aggressive and early efforts to confront the virus.Both men despise unauthorized disclosure of internal government deliberations and move to aggressively in their administrations.And both are disciples of corporate messaging using sales slogans. Trump has turned "Make America Great Again" into a political movement. Murphy has crafted several during the pandemic, including "public health leads to economic health."Murphy has also flashed his corporate pedigree in other ways. He created an A-list council, including Shirley Tilghman, the former president of Princeton University, and Ben Bernanke, the former Federal Reserve chairman, to craft a reopening strategy, and then formed another panel of special interest groups to advise on carrying it out.The tactics of the boardroom have worked for Murphy, so far. But the need for more details and transparency is only going to multiply as parents wait to learn when and how 1.4 million students will return to schools. Murphy has promised to outline plans later this month.The questions are already piling up: Will students be forced to wear masks? Will they&nbsp;need to be tested regularly? How will social distancing be maintained, especially for group activities, like gym, or for bus rides? How will sports programs operate? Can football teams begin practicing this summer? The list goes on.Reopening NJ:For subscribers:Schools are also a major cog in the state's economic engine. Retail stores depend on the hordes of parents and children buying back-to-school supplies and outfits. Farmers to food processing plants supply the cafeterias. Public schools also employ more than 300,000 teachers and staff.To some observers, Murphy is going to need be more transparent about his decision-making process and involve a broader array of stakeholders beyond his advisory panels and top aides. He will need to draw on the experience of teachers, parents and&nbsp;superintendents.Those plans need to be clear and compelling, or the public goodwill that delivered him 70% approval ratings will quickly turn to anger."How untenable it would be that if by September, there is almost no transmission, and yet schools are not ready to reopen,'' said Micah Rasmussen, director&nbsp;of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. "The public will be justifiably outraged by that."Charlie Stile is New Jersey’s preeminent political columnist. For unlimited access to his unique insights into New Jersey’s political power structure and his powerful watchdog work,&nbsp;.Email:&nbsp;&nbsp;Twitter:&nbsp;&nbsp;View Comments

NorthJersey.comView Comments the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey takes a look at how, with only vague guidance from the state, various sectors of the community are planning to reopen as the coronavirus pandemic wanes.Harry Hurley, a popular Atlantic City talk show host and former casino executive, pressed Gov. Phil Murphy last month&nbsp;to commit to reopening casinos within a few weeks.Murphy refused."I don’t want to marry myself,”. “I hope it's that. It's something we are taking extremely seriously. I'll leave it at that."The answer wasn't unusual — Murphy has...

Reopening NJ: Residents desperate for details, but Murphy keeps decisions close to the vest | Stile

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