A better path to bring needed jobs to Camden
Raymond L. Lamboy is vice chairman of Camden Churches Organized for People and a Camden resident Recently I had the opportunity to lead a group of children from St. Anthony of Padua in Cramer Hill in a discussion about Pope Francis and his teachings around the "economy of exclusion."
Raymond L. Lamboy
is vice chairman of Camden Churches Organized for People and a Camden resident
Recently I had the opportunity to lead a group of children from St. Anthony of Padua in Cramer Hill in a discussion about Pope Francis and his teachings around the "economy of exclusion."
In his encyclical "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"), the pope writes: "The joy of living frequently fades, lack of respect for others and violence are on the rise, and inequality is increasingly evident. It is a struggle to live and, often, to live with precious little dignity. . . .
"Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'Thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills."
I had to convey this complex issue to children between the ages of 8 and 11. How do we connect this economy of exclusion playing out around us to something these children can relate to? Recent headlines around the Subaru project in Camden seemed like an appropriate example.
To get the idea across, we had to identify a piece of land that was very important to the children. It had to be something that, if lost, would have a real impact on them and their lives.
So we chose Von Nieda Park in Cramer Hill, and all the children without hesitation expressed the importance of the park in their lives.
We then asked the children if they had a friend or family member who was out of work and looking for a job. Every hand went up immediately.
Next, we posed this question:
"If I told you we had to give or sell Von Nieda Park to one of two companies, one that would create 3,000 jobs for people who don't live in Cramer Hill/Camden or one that was going to create 1,000 jobs for people who live in Cramer Hill/Camden, which would you choose?"
The first response was: "Do we have to give up Von Nieda Park? Can't we give them other land?"
I said: "No. Either way, you would have to give up the park."
They all agreed that the park would be worth giving up if it meant jobs for people living in Cramer Hill and Camden. When you strip it down, even children agree that the highest priority should be jobs for Camden families.
Unfortunately, the pattern of development for cities such as Camden is that land is taken with the help of multimillion-dollar incentives and then sold to companies that either do not create jobs for Camden families or create jobs that are out of balance with the size and scope of the projects or the incentives awarded.
The Subaru project is an example of this imbalance.
More than four acres, roughly the size of Von Nieda Park, has been taken from private owners and assembled by government agencies to be sold to Subaru. Add to this $118 million in tax incentives from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, all in return for relocating about 500 employees from sites less than nine miles away and the promise of 100 additional jobs within 10 years.
What if we were to use part of the same site to attract a company with a need to fill 1,000 new entry-level job openings? How would this change the life of typical Camden residents and their families?
This is not an either/or proposition.
Yes, we should work to attract the Holtecs and Subarus of the world to Camden. They build confidence in the wider marketplace that Camden is a viable place to do business. But we must not attract such companies at the exclusion of other businesses that can create jobs for local families.
If we were able to create a base of 5,000 entry-level jobs in the city, I believe that the life of a typical Camden resident would change dramatically. Families across the city would experience more opportunity, and neighborhoods would revitalize organically.
As we wrapped up our discussion with the children of St. Anthony's that night, I read this passage from the pope's encyclical:
"Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape."
The economy of exclusion is pervasive in Camden. The city's precious resource, its land, is being given away or sold at below-market values with little consideration for how this land can be leveraged to create the jobs needed to bring dignity to individuals and families that live on the edge of poverty.
There are only a handful of large parcels of land that can be developed to house companies of the size and scale needed to create the jobs we need. Holtec International, Subaru, and the 76ers have consumed three parcels.
I ask our neighbors in Camden County and across South Jersey to work toward creating an "economy of inclusion" in the city of Camden. Only then will we truly see Camden revitalize and its people flourish.
