Mayor and council running unopposed in May 8 elections
Mayor Richard Turner and his “Weehawken and You” slate are running unopposed in the upcoming May 8 municipal elections.
In Weehawken, the governing body consists of a five-member council elected to four-year terms in non-partisan elections. From among themselves, the council members choose a mayor. Two councilmembers–including the mayor–are at large, and three additional councilmembers represent each of the township’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd wards. This year, 1st Ward Councilwoman Carmela Silvestri-Ehret and 2nd Ward Councilwoman Rosemary Lavagnino are running for reelection. 3rd Ward Councilman and Deputy Mayor Robert Sosa is retiring after around 40 years on the council. Running for his seat is Raul Gonzalez, who works as the town’s director of social services.
At-Large Councilman Robert Zucconi is also not seeking reelection. Running to replace him is David Curtis, a retired North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue chief. Currently, he oversees construction projects for the town’s three schools. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 8.
Incumbents retain seats in school board election
All three incumbents retained their seats in the Weehawken Board of Education elections Tuesday.
According to unofficial numbers from the township – including vote by mail, but not provisional ballots – Board President Richard Barsa earned 637 votes. Board members Jennifer Bolcar and Meg Carson earned 606 and 470 votes, respectively. The latter were also elected to full-three year terms after previously being appointed to the board.
Challengers Monika Sikand and Elizabeth Chan earned 214 and 228 votes, respectively. Residents also approved the 2017-18 $28 million budget by a vote of 516 to 107–sans provisional ballots.
Hudson County CASA is seeking volunteers
Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes.
The next information session will be held at the Hudson County Courthouse, 595 Newark Ave., Room 901 on Tuesday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children.
CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives.
They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s well-being. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures. For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.
UBS Atrium Series presents ‘Brazil from A to Z’
The UBS Atrium Series continues its 15th season of free mid-day music on Thursday, May 3 at 12:30 p.m. in the Atrium at 1000 Harbor Boulevard in the Lincoln Harbor section of Weehawken.
The series is co-sponsored, in part, by the Hudson Reporter.
The May 3 concert will feature an afternoon of Brazilian Choro music. First heard in Rio de Janeiro over a century ago, Choro was influenced by various musical styles and rhythms from Europe and Africa. It is a joyous and extremely tuneful music which is still wildly popular in Brazil and beyond.
Danilo Brito is considered to be one of the finest mandolin players in Brazil. At a very young age, some said he was the “reincarnation” of Jacob do Bandolim, one of the most important figures in Choro history. Six years later, Danilo would go on to win the most prestigious award competition for Brazilian music, the Prêmio Visa de Música Popular Brasileira.
João Luiz is a guitarist, educator, and composer, who began to play the popular music of his native Brazil professionally during his childhood and was later trained in classical guitar. His versatility led him to be chosen to collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma and Carlos Prieto on a special project.
João is also a member of the Brasil Guitar Duo which has won numerous awards, recorded many admired CD’s, and expanded the duo guitar literature. His arrangements and compositions have been recorded by a Who’s Who of Classical and Jazz Artists.
North Bergen resident Paquito D’Rivera is one of the greatest performers on the jazz scene today. He is a 14-time Grammy Award-winner and recipient of the coveted National Medal of Arts. He has also been named a Jazz Master by the NEA and has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Carnegie Hall for his contributions to Latin music. While still living in his native Cuba, Paquito was a founding member and co-director of the legendary musical ensemble Irakere.
All performances for the UBS Atrium Series begin at 12:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public and the venue is wheelchair accessible. Free parking is available in the adjacent outdoor lot and public transportation options include NJ Transit Bus 158 as well as the Hudson Bergen Light Rail to Lincoln Harbor, and NY Waterway ferry to Lincoln Harbor. For directions and more info, please visit the HRPAC website – www.hrpac.org – or call the concert hotline at (201) 716-4540.
