By Steve Strunsky, The Star-Ledger.

TRENTON — Sheila Oliver said turning lemons into lemonade would be the wrong way to put it.

Booker, Oliver
John Munson/The Star-LedgerNewark Mayor Cory Bookerm left, and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, shown in a 2011 file photo, declared today that they support the merger and restructuring of Rutgers, Rowan and UMDNJ.

Rather, Assemblywoman Oliver, (D-Essex) who is the Assembly speaker, along with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and other officials, said the final version of a bill approved Thursday to break up and merge some of New Jersey’s biggest higher education institutions amounts to a good plan made better, with benefits for the city, for northern New Jersey, and for the schools themselves.

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