An Open & Respectful Letter to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy

Dear Governor Murphy:

During the Coronavirus pandemic, I have given you my full support, both on-and-off-the-air.

It is my full intention to continue to do so.

You are our Governor. I both respect and like you. We are dealing with an unprecedented health pandemic. You have earned and deserve my support.

I appreciate the friendship and collegial relationship that we have forged together. If ever there was a time for people of good will to come together. That time is now.

Today, you ended the stay-at-home executive order and have reopened more of business and industry. Slowly, people and businesses are beginning the long process of getting their lives back and trying to rescue their businesses from the abyss.

All of this pain is through no fault of yours or theirs.

I am appealing to you today to give our leading industry, the Atlantic City Hotel & Casino industry the opportunity to try and salvage not only the summer season, but their entire year.

Give or take, the Atlantic City Casinos make 40 percent of their entire year’s revenue during June, July and August.

June is already lost. The casinos need two week’s advanced notice in order to ramp-up their dynamic operations; i.e. staffing, order food, hard and soft goods and other operational needs.

The casino operators are prepared to implement elaborate plans to create a safe environment for their guests.

I know that you already know all of this and more.

You have explained well and often exactly why you have moved slower than most people would have liked.

My Father taught me when I was a young boy, that doing the right thing isn’t always popular, but, it’s still always the right thing to do.

I have no doubt that you are doing what you believe is right.

Like you, I don’t want a single New Jerseysan or visitor to contract a potentially deadly disease.

The time has arrived. We have now reached the moment of truth. The point of no return. If our final wave of businesses (casinos, gyms and others) can’t open by the 4th of July weekend, they may never reopen again.

Thousands of employees livelihoods are presently hanging in the balance. This is as serious to them as contracting a deadly disease, as they are presently “dying” a death of a thousand cuts.

I fully appreciate that you have to weigh not risking our state having a relapse, and, you even have to plan for a potential ”second wave” if the virus/disease returns in the fall.

You may have already planned to do all of this. I just didn’t want to leave this unsaid.
I have had your back here in the Southern half of the state.

New Jerseyans are presently watching many thousands of people marching together for the cause of their lifetime. The rest want the same right to march back to work.

Respectfully, we’re counting on you. To date, you’ve always answered the bell.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
Harry