Illustration: Gary Hovland
It’s fitting that this column is called “Only in New Jersey.” So much of my writing, as well as who I am at the core, is Jersey-centric. I’m a Jersey guy. Yet, while this column has run in New Jersey Monthly for well over a decade, this is my final one for this prestigious publication.
To say I’ve loved writing this column would be an understatement. In fact, it has been a guilty pleasure to be paid to write about the state that I love so much, that runs deeply through my veins. As everyone reading this column knows, New Jersey is a unique, special and, often, frustrating state. Only in New Jersey could The Sopranos have been based and filmed. Only in New Jersey could those of us who love the Jersey Shore sit in traffic for hours on the Garden State Parkway and tell ourselves it’s worth it when we cross that bridge over the Barnegat Bay.
Of course, we have the highest property taxes in the nation, and, while none of us like that and, yes, some of us are leaving the state, most of us still stay. Why is that? I say it’s a Jersey thing. There is something about us. Most of us are pretty provincial (my mother still lives in our old neighborhood in Newark). Of course, we have the best pizza, despite what New Yorkers think. And Jersey diners? Fuhgeddaboudit. (It’s my last column—I had to do that at least once.) We know we’re the best. As my good friend Nicky G. likes to say, “Do you know who I think I am?” Even when, technically, we’re not, we convince ourselves we are. We have attitude and grit. Yes, it is a Jersey thing to sometimes be in people’s faces and too quick to argue. But we also have heart and compassion, especially for our closest friends and family members—at least, the ones we are still talking to.
Writing a column like this is about creating a conversation with New Jersey Monthly readers. It is the same thing I have tried to do for over 30 years as a broadcaster and interviewer on public television. I’m fascinated by compelling and interesting conversations, but like many New Jerseyans, I’m sometimes not the best listener. That’s right. We often talk too much and don’t listen enough.
And “Only in New Jersey” could we have three such different Jersey politicians run for president in recent years: former New York Knicks star Bill Bradley in 2000; classy Cory Booker in 2020; and combative Chris Christie twice, in 2016 and 2020. All of them, especially Christie, left their marks on national politics. You never questioned where Christie was coming from. He told you what he thought, whether you liked it or not—and trust me, I know, having interviewed Christie as governor many times. He always told me when he was pissed off about our conversation. That’s what I liked about him most—because we both knew it was a Jersey thing. You put your cards on the table.
Finally, since this is my last column for New Jersey Monthly, I want to say thank you, not just to the staff at the magazine, but also to my readers. I’ve never gotten tired of meeting folks who let me know what they think of my most recent column, whether they liked it or not. It has been an honor to write this column, to have a voice, and to share my ideas about this very special state. I wish all of you and your families good health and prosperity—and I’m praying that you don’t get too pissed off the next time you are in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Parkway, the Turnpike or any other Jersey road. Goodbye for now. Be well, New Jersey.
Steve Adubato, PhD, is the author of six books, including his newest, Lessons in Leadership 2.0: The Tough Stuff. He is an Emmy Award–winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS. He has also appeared on CNN, CBS News and NBC’s Today show. Steve Adubato’s Lessons in Leadership video podcast, with cohost Mary Gamba, airs Saturdays at 5 pm and Sundays at 10 am on News 12+. For more information, visit stand-deliver.com.
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