(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Marlene Caride (D-Bergen/Passaic) issued a statement on Friday expressing her disappointment in the hasty decision to close the Izod Center:
“This ill-considered decision by the Christie administration and the authority is going to cost people their jobs, hurt the businesses in the surrounding area and set back the local economy. The abrupt and secretive nature of the decision, and the fact that there seems to be no plan for the building once the center closes its doors at the end of the month, makes this decision all the more unsettling.
“The state’s unemployment numbers remain stubbornly high, and it seems the administration is intent on keeping it that way. Instead of increasing revenue and employment in the area, the governor is moving us in the opposite direction. This decision was sprung on Bergen County residents without notice, even though they are the ones who will be paying the price once this monumental building becomes just another eyesore. Shame on the administration and the authority for keeping the public in the dark, and throwing in the towel, instead of focusing on and working on how to return the Izod Center to its heyday and making it a valuable asset to the anticipated American Dream project.”