With 10 days to go, Morristown trails Hoboken in the voting for the best downtown in northern New Jersey.
You can fix that statistical aberration by casting your electronic ballot at njplanning.org/news/peoples-choice-awards/.
Voting closes at midnight on Friday, Sept. 26, 2014.
The winning downtown gets a plaque, a ceremony and bragging rights, courtesy of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association.
More than 8,000 votes have been tallied statewide since the contest started last month, the association says. More details from the organization are below.
FROM THE APA-NJ:
PROFESSIONAL PLANNERS ANNOUNCE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS
INTERIM VOTING RESULTS
New Brunswick, NJ (September 16, 2014) – The New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NJ) announced today that almost 8,000 ballots have been cast in the 2014 People’s Choice Awards for Great Downtowns in New Jersey. A panel of planning professionals had selected the contestants from nominations submitted by the public in July, and APA-NJ opened the voting on August 22. As the competition enters the last 10 days, the contestants currently rank as follows:
Northern New Jersey
First Place: Hoboken
Second Place: Downtown Morristown
Third Place: Montclair Center
Fourth Place: Historic Downtown Jersey City
Central New Jersey
First Place: Downtown Somerville
Second Place: Downtown Red Bank
Third Place: Downtown Asbury Park
Southern New Jersey
First Place: Asbury Avenue, Ocean City
Second Place: Downtown Haddon Avenue, Collingswood
Third Place: Glasstown Arts District, Millville
“The standings in each of the three competitions have been in a state of flux since the voting began, but the closest race is taking place in Central New Jersey,” said Linda E. Wills, AICP, APA-NJ Great Places Chair.
“At any given point in time, two of the downtowns may be tied for first place or separated by only one to two votes, even as the third downtown trails by less than 120 votes.”
“I’m really not surprised at the level of interest that this competition has generated,” said APA-NJ President Charles Latini Jr., AICP. “When downtowns are truly great, people love and support them. I’m curious to see where this goes as each town makes its final push for a first place finish.”
You can vote for your favorite downtowns at njplanning.org/news/peoples-choice-awards/. Voting closes at midnight on Friday, Sept. 26, and APA-NJ will announce the three winners on Monday, Sept. 29.
Each winner will receive a plaque at a local award ceremony, a place on APA-NJ’s Great Places Map and, of course, bragging rights.
The American Planning Association-New Jersey Chapter is a not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA-NJ and its parent organization, the American Planning Association (APA), are dedicated to advancing the art, science and profession of good planning — physical, economic, and social — so as to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live. Members of APA help create communities of lasting value and encourage civic leaders, business interests and citizens to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people’s lives. For more information, visit planning.org and njplanning.org.
