Camden in fiscal crisis

Air Date: December 8, 2010

Hour 1

An angry crowd full of cops and firefighters at the Camden City Council meeting on Dec. 2nd where the layoffs were approved by Council. Photo by Lizz Fiedler/WHYY

The city of Camden is in crisis, again. Just weeks after it was declared the second-most crime-ridden city in the United States (actually an improvement over last year’s “first-place finish”), Mayor Dana Redd and City Council have approved the layoffs of 383 city workers, effective Jan. 18, including about half of the city’s police force and a third of Camden’s firefighters. That comes despite the city recently receiving the largest amount in state aid of any New Jersey city this year, some $69 million. But that’s a drop in the bucket of Camden’s need, and the city is once again roiling in controversy. Joining Marty to help make sense of it all are MATT KATZ, the Philadelphia Inquirer reporter covering Camden; and RAY LAMBOY, president of the Camden County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a member of Camden’s Board of Education. And we’ll talk to WILLIAM ‘PETE’ PEREZ, a Camden firefighter and community leader about to lose his job.

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[audio: 120810_100630.mp3]

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