The Lyceum Society

The Lyceum Society has its roots in the 19th century as part of a widespread movement at the time to promote civic engagement, adult education, and cultural discussion. The idea was to create local associations, as part of society, where citizens could meet to exchange ideas and practical knowledge, and hear lectures on, among other things, public affairs.

It is fitting that Flemington Council Vice President Jeremy Long, an elected official, an English teacher in our local high school, and a person with family who ran a flower shop in Flemington before he was born, take the initiative to get a local Lyceum Society started. So far there have been several meetings, I think six. You can find them online. I have viewed several of their sessions saved on line through the Borough web site. I have been to two of them in person. My wife came to one with me. She was surprised to see one of her former students playing the cello as an introduction to the evening.

I hope to get to the next one, which according to the official borough web site, for November, will be on a date to be announced (I have not yet heard of the date, time, or place) The program is to be “Youth & Civic Voice: Are We Listening to the Next Generation?” The expected discussion will be about murals, music, performance, and public expression, or so the web site says. Also Culture as a connector and supporting creative civic participation will be presented.

Research tells me the purpose of a Lyceum Society was to educate and engage the public through discussion and lectures. There should be debates on political and moral issues, dialogue on local governance and community improvement, presentations that provide information about what is happening in our community. As people, as local citizens, we do not go to a lot of public meetings of our school or municipal government. I think because we do not want to sit through an hour of minutes and procedure and speeches to get to what we are interested in learning.

These gatherings should create a democratic space for free speech and public learning, as the first Lyceum associations did long before radio, television, or the internet. Today we have information overload through email and social media sites. Who is now to control what is said and not said. Published and not published?

For example I, as a former school board member in another jurisdiction, and as a grandfather, would be interested in knowing more about our school programs. What are our children and grandchildren being taught? What are they being exposed to? I read there are ethic charges filed among school board members. Based on what? I want to learn more. What is that about.

I read that the executive director of the business improvement district has a budget, tax dollars, of over half a million dollars. The appointed executive director has just resigned. She walked away from a paycheck of almost $10,000 a month- $120,000.00 a year. What have we been getting for those tax dollars? Who pays for the Business improvement operation? Why are there so many vacant spaces in our business areas? If she is promoting business in Flemington, who is being promoted? Who is not? Was she fired or why is she suddenly out of the job? I hear both complaint and praise for the work done.

A local businness person is filling in. She has been on the board of directors. Is she being paid? Is she a volinteer until someone else is found? Will the business improvement organization or partnership continue next year? Are there minutes available to answer questions that I have been asked by local peoperty owners, and that occur to me too? How do you get them? Two years of this budget is enough money to have bought the Union Hotel a few years ago. Litigation costs to the parties and the tax payers would likely have fixed it up for good use.

I find it almost impossible to keep up with what is going on. I have lived on Church Street in the Borough, and I lived in Somerset County during the three years I was employed in a law firm in Somerville after I graduated from law school. I moved back to a Flemington, establishing my office on Main Street ten years after I graduated from Flemington High School.

I have now been a Small-town Main Street lawyer in Flemington for more than 60 years. During that time, with investment partners, I developed the building at 8 Main Street where my first office was located in what had been a shoe repair shop, and then space for a law office of a lawyer who could not walk up to his old office over a bank because of his health. I moved within the building into the space that had been occupied next door by a 5 & 10 cent store. There I expanding to six lawyers and the required support staff.

Parking was a problem. It was thoughout the Borough. We bought the house next door, took it down, and created a large parking lot next to our office building. We had a long process to get approval. Objectors claimed the municipality would lose a taxpaying ratable if we replaced the old house with a parking lot. The house held two families collecting welfare payments paid from our tax dollars. Five children living in the house were in the school system. It cost a great deal of money, tax dollars, to keep that house on that property and those children in school. Our parking lot was important to the people in our building and perhaps even more important to the community.

I have since bought the property at 91 Main Street. You can see what was purchased and what was done to improve it at at its own web site.

A Lyceum Society could have been the vehicle to educate the local tax payers, neighbors, and members of land use boards about the economics of the situation and the impact of other restrictions on the use of other property in our community. It could do that today in relation to opportunities and obstacles relating to property through out the Borough. I will address some of those issues during our Tea time in future posts.

I am hopeful that the efforts of Councilman Long will continue and grow. I have spent much of my professional career obtaining approvals for use of property in Hunterdon County and specifically in Flemington. I have represented approval boards. I have represented property owners dealing with restrictions placed on their property. If you live in Coppermine Village, Flemington South Estates, South Main Village, Village Commons, or ConcordRidge, know I had a hand, as lawyer for the property owner, in making your home possible. If you visit Dunkin Donuts, ShopRite, Hunterdon Shopping Center, or any number of other commercial establishments in the community, know that I helped the owners get approval to build, expand, to operate and serve you.

I have aways been available to discuss such property use with munici[al officials to help them understand the government and the private view of the use of property. As an investor, economist, as a bank board member, I have had gained experience giving me the understanding of the economics of real estate development. I am always happy to share that experience.

May the local Lyceum Society expand and improve. May there be better technology to improve the ability of more and more peple to benefit from the program. Very few people have come out to participate. Perhaps if a summary of each program was published on various social media platforms, and the Boro web site, curious people would participate. People have to know about an event to participate in the event. There are about 4,915, almost 5,000 people living in Flemington. I guess there may be an equal number working or investing in Flemington. There should be more than 24 people coming out to the local Lyceum Society. Where are the people running for office? Where are the members of the governing body, the various boards such as planning board, tree commission, budget committee, school boards, property owners? Who is interested in "public affairs"? Your thoughts? Let me know: lbr@lawroth.com.

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As I finished a draft of this short post I turned to the Boro Web site to find the address to guide readers to the various past sessions for the courious to find the UTube references to past sessions. I was surprised to find the November session had been held. Here is what I found. I encourage you to take a look. Also find past sessions. Yes, it will take more time than you may want to give, but take a look and let Councilman Jeremy Long, know you are interested and give him your thoughts for what you would like to see discussed and your thoughts that will make you more intrested in your community. Rewaard him for his efforts with some of your time and your thoughts.

If I knew the when and where, I would have been there. Unfortunally the quality of the broadcast was not very good as you may be able to tell from the screen shot. Also the young people presenting where showing slides that were not show as part of what I found at the followiing link.

I still hope this effort will be successful and perhaps the technology improved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJjcvUReZVo