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HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Marilyn Baer, Staff Writer
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HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Save the trees

When residents became alarmed after several mature trees had been removed from Jackson and Madison streets due to PSE&G Utility pole installation as part of the substation project construction, the city met with the company to discuss the rationale for tree removal and replacement as well as the upcoming schedule for tree planting.

According to an alert from the city, the trees scheduled for removal would have either died after pruning, were identified as hazards, were already in a state of poor health, dying or dead, or were in direct conflict with utility infrastructure.

The rationale to determine removal included tree location, existing tree health, tree species such as whether or not it was considered utility friendly, maturity, height, and survival likelihood after pruning.

All recommendations for removal or pruning were made by a certified arborist and New Jersey licensed tree care expert.

PSE&G will conduct tree planting operations from May 28 to June 8, which will include removing existing stumps, expanding tree pits, and tree planting.

According to an alert from the city, the new trees planted by PSE&G will be utility friendly trees that increase biodiversity, improve the urban tree canopy, and reduce heat-islands on sidewalks.

In every case where a tree has been removed, a tree will be replanted this spring, unless in direct conflict with utility infrastructure.

For areas with utility conflicts, new trees will be planted in close proximity.

As part of a demonstration project for utility-friendly trees, PSE&G will partner with the city to plant additional trees this fall in new tree pits along Newark, Madison, Jackson, and Monroe streets.

Utility-friendly trees will help to improve electric service, safety, and reliability. PSE&G will distribute letters regarding new tree maintenance to property owners adjacent to newly planted trees. For additional information on new tree care visit www.hobokennj.gov/trees.

The PSE&G contact for the project is Rich Dwyer. He can be emailed at Richard.dwyerjr@pseg.com.

Secret Garden tour is June 2 

On Sunday June 2, The Hoboken Historical Museum will host its annual fundraiser, The Secret Gardens Tour, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain date is June 9.)

Past tours have featured English cottage gardens, Japanese Zen gardens, and even a Moroccan courtyard. Others are more like outdoor rooms, equipped with grills, wet bars, recreation equipment, and comfy lounges.

The tour is self-guided so that attendees can visit gardens in any order, at their own pace. Tour stops are secret until the day of the tour and can be found in the tour booklet the day of. Booklets can be picked up at the Museum at 1301 Hudson St. or the Fire Department Museum at 213 Bloomfield St. between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The booklet will have a map and descriptions of each of the gardens, as well as some suggestions for brunch, lunch, and tea options. Garden owners, Hoboken Garden Club members, and museum volunteers will greet attendees at each of the homes.

Tour-goers should allow at least two to two-and-a-half hours to visit all the stops. Comfortable shoes and sun protection are advised.

Tickets can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/gardentourhob

Tickets are $25 for museum members and Hoboken Garden Club members. For tickets purchased in advance (a small booking fee applies).

On the day of the tour, tickets are $35 for nonmembers.

You may also stop by 1301 Hudson St., or call the museum at 201-656-2240 for more information.

Second annual Hoboken Waterfront Arts Gala June 3

Hoboken’s second annual Waterfront Arts Gala to benefit the city’s Cultural Affairs trust and support the arts community in Hoboken will be Monday, June 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sinatra Drive North between 11th and 12th streets.

“Last year’s inaugural Waterfront Arts Gala was a huge success, and I’m pleased to invite our community to once again support the arts in Hoboken,” said Mayor Ravi Bhalla in a community alert. “Thank you to the vendors and artists who are once again partnering with the city for this annual event.”

Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at www.hobokennj.gov/register. The first 100 people to purchase tickets will also receive two tickets to a classical concert by The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, a NJSO CD, and VIP Seating at the Maxwell Place Concert in Hoboken on June 24 at 7:30 p.m.

The activities sponsored through the city’s Cultural Affairs Office are not funded through the city but are dependent on events like the gala to finance events such as the annual Harvest Festival and summer Movies Under the Stars.

The gala will be cocktail-style, with various sponsors providing food, beer, wine, and liquor tastings. They include Anthony Davids, Antique Bar and Bakery, Bin 14, Court Street, Cucharamama, Halifax, Karma Kafe, Leo’s Grandevous, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Chart House, The Madison, and Zafra.

Attendees will enjoy art displays from several local galleries, including Barsky Gallery, Field Colony, Issyra Gallery, hob’art co-operative gallery, Proto Gallery, and the Roig Collection.

For more information, call 201-420-2000 ext. 5100

High School students awarded community service merit scholarships

Hoboken High School students Angelene Veloce and Denise Peguero were each awarded $2,000 Community Service Merit Scholarships from Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center.

The students earned the scholarships as part of Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center’s Community Service Merit Scholarship Program that provides $32,000 in scholarship funding for students at eight local high schools in the hospital’s primary service area.

The scholarships recognize and reward high school seniors who have demonstrated significant accomplishments in community service while maintaining academic success.

The online application process was conducted in February and March.

Recommendations were made by high school guidance counselors. Scholarship applications were reviewed by a committee of community volunteers.

Hoboken High School Hispanic Culture Club hosts Hall of Fame induction

On Thursday, May 30, the Hoboken High School Hispanic Culture Club will host its 5th annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Hispanic Heritage Celebration.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the High School auditorium.

The public celebration will feature performances from students and guests, swearing in of new officers, and the induction of new members to the Hall of Fame. This year, educators Geidy Delarosa and Ivan Ramos as well as Fire Department Captain Maria “Peggy” Diaz will be inducted.

Under the leadership of Christopher Munoz, the Hispanic Culture Club delves into history to help create an intimate knowledge of the role that Hispanics have played in the history and psyche of the United States and Hoboken.

The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to recognize individuals who have made a positive impact in the Hispanic and Hoboken community.

The event is free and open to the public.

Summer Green Teen Employment Program applications available

Hoboken is looking for high school students ages 16 to 18 for its Summer Green Teen Employment Program.

The program seeks to recruit young Hoboken residents who are committed to improving city parks, streets, and public places.

Those in the program will undergo an orientation and an initial 10 hours of paid training in green infrastructure maintenance, urban forestry, and parks maintenance/beautification. After that, they will become city employees providing seasonal part-time assistance to the Department of Environmental Services.

According to the city, trainees will learn valuable skills that may lead to future employment opportunities in the field of green infrastructure, including the use of trees and plants to absorb rainfall, reduce flooding, and improve water quality and public health. Trainees will be responsible for shade tree maintenance, park cleanup, and green infrastructure installation and maintenance.

Interested participants are invited to apply at a recruitment workshop from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, at the ground floor conference room at city hall, 94 Washington St.

For those unable to attend the workshop, applications are available at the Division of Personnel in city hall on the third floor. Applications are due June 10. Interviews will take place from June 17 to June 24.

The six-week employment program begins July 8 and ends August 19. The hours will be Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For the full description of a Summer Green Teen Employee, visit www.hobokennj.gov/jobs.

2019 Movies Under the Stars announced

This summer Hoboken will again host its Movies Under the Stars series.

Almost every Wednesday from June 12 through Aug. 21 at Pier A Park the city will screen movies for the public, free of charge.

All movies start at 9 p.m. in June and July, and between 8 and 8:30 p.m. in August.

Movies this year include “Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Greatest Showman” sing-along version, “Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” sing-along version, “A Star is Born,” “Green Book,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Incredibles 2,” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

Subtitles will be projected on the movie screen upon request. Assisted-listening devices are available with three weeks advance notice.

The city will also offer a special screening of “Black Panther” at Mama Johnson Field on Fourth and Jackson streets on Wednesday, July 31.

Residents are encouraged to bring a blanket or low-back chair.

Screenings may be canceled due to inclement weather.

For a list of movie dates go to https://www.hobokennj.gov/resources/movies-under-the-stars

For more information, call the Cultural Affairs Department at 201-420-2000 ext. 5100.

 

 

 

 

HOBOKEN BRIEFS

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HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Members of the Hoboken Democratic Committee win suit to keep late-filing candidates off ballot

In Hoboken elections, nothing is easy, even trying to get elected to a small Democratic committee seat in a mile-square city. There are approximately 50 seats, but each one has some influence, because the Democratic Committee ends up helping pick candidates for local office.

The filing deadline was April 5 to run for a committee seat in June. Two candidates aligned with Mayor Dawn Zimmer missed the deadline to file. Still, their forms were accepted by Hoboken City Clerk James Farina two days later.

This didn’t sit well with some.

Democrats Ines Garcia-Keim and Peter Biancamano, committee members who aren’t allied with Zimmer, sued City Clerk James Farina, the Hudson County clerk, and the two late candidates, Sheillah Dallara and husband Aaron Dallara.

Biancamano said on Friday that his side won in court on Friday April 21 and the Dallaras will not be appearing on the ballot.

The suit stated Biancamano and Garcia–Keim had been “deprived of fundamental due process based upon Defendant Farina’s clear abuse of discretion.”

Sheillah Dallara, who is on the Hoboken Board of Education, and Aaron Dallara filed in the 1st District of the 2nd Ward.

Biancamano and Garcia-Keim wrote a letter to Farina dated April 13.

“Follow your statutory responsibilities and reconsider this blatantly illegal action before we are forced to pursue this matter further in court and/or with the appropriate law enforcement authorities,” they wrote.

Farina responded to the suit in a letter stating, “Significantly, the Clerk was timely provided correspondence dated April 3, 2017 and April 6, 2017 from Assemblyman Vincent Prieto and Mayor Dawn Zimmer advising that both individuals were running as part of the Hudson County Democratic Organization,” he wrote. “Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:23-20, candidates properly amended the documentation provided to the clerk’s office so as to remedy any defect by timely submitting the appropriate forms within the deadline to amend,” he wrote.

The HCDO is the county’s long-time Democratic political machine.

Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher explained that the Dallaras’ forms were accidentally excluded  when she submitted the 67 petitions for nomination for other candidates running.

Garcia-Keim and Biancamano called Farina’s explanation “gibberish” and said that it did not excuse or refute the fact that the Dallaras filed petitions 48 hours after deadline. 

Their attorney, Steve Kleinman, said, “We’re obviously pleased with the judge’s decision. The city’s position was both outrageous and ludicrous and clearly showed the city was trying to put its thumb on the scale on behalf of candidates supported the incumbent administration.” 

Hoboken Terminal on the mend

According to NJ Transit, the concourse and one of the two tracks damaged at Hoboken Terminal in a fatal train accident on Sept. 29 will open in June.
The concourse has been blocked near track five by green plywood barriers, causing pedestrian traffic to be rerouted through the terminal waiting room.

“The full long term permanent repairs are slated for 2019,” said NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith. “The entire project to restore it to pre-accident condition is 2019 and that includes various structural components that were damaged such as the ticketing office, the concourse, the concourse roof, and mechanical and electrical and electrical communication infrastructures.”

Win free tickets to the Hoboken Historical Black & White Masked Ball and Auction

The Hoboken Historical Museum will host a Black & White Masked Ball and Auction on Saturday, May 6 as a homage to its black-and-white photography exhibit from the 1980s.

The ball will support the museum’s exhibitions, education programs, preservation of collections and research, and collections campaign.

Tickets are $150 each or people can enter to win free tickets by submitting original black and white pictures to their social media photo contest.

To enter the contest, simply snap a current image of Hoboken in black and white, and post it to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, tagging @HobokenMuseum and using #HobokenMakesHistory. Each Thursday until May 4, the Gala Host Committee will choose a weekly winner of a pair of tickets to the gala. Everyone has three chances to win. Enter as often as you like between April 17 and May 5. Each week’s winner will be contacted via social media, and the winning photographs will be added to the museum’s website.

This year, the event will be hosted at the David E. Rue Building, 301 Garden St., with a special Honorary Chair, Marci Rubin of News 12 New Jersey.

At the fundraiser, guests will enjoy a buffet dinner from AD Catering, an open bar, and an evening of dancing with a live DJ.

The centerpiece of the evening will be the Live Auction, which will feature a summer pass to the Shipyard pool, Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade uptown viewing stand seats, a year of indoor parking in uptown Hoboken, an early fall dinner for a party of 10 from Chef Pino, with wine pairing from Bin 14, a vacation week in a condo near ski heaven, Winter Park, Col. and more.

Details and tickets are available at bit.ly/HobokenMaskedBall or by calling (201) 656-2240. 

Public hearing announced on Rebuild by Design project to protect cities from flooding

A public hearing will be held on Monday, April 24 at Wallace Elementary school from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to solicit public comment on the state’s design plan for the $230 million HUD-funded ‎flood resiliency project in Hoboken and parts of Weehawken and Jersey City.

The recommended alternative, known as Alternative 3, calls for construction of a flood-resistance structure stretching from 19th Street in Weehawken and extending south into Hoboken, slightly inland from the river. An additional flood resistance structure will be constructed along the southern end of Hoboken and into Jersey City.

The flood-resistance structure is intended to provide flood protection from storm surges for the communities and for critical infrastructure.

The hearing is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which is funding the project as part of its Rebuild By Design (RBD) program that resulted from the destruction caused during Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

The public hearing will take place in the school cafeteria. Members of the public will be given up to three minutes each to provide comments.

Residents may also submit written comments by email to sandy.publiccomment@dca.nj.gov or by mail to the attention of Constituent Services, Sandy Recovery Division, NJ Department of Community Affairs, 101 South Broad St., P.O. Box 823, Trenton, NJ 08625.

All comments must be received on or before 5 p.m. on April 30.

For more information on the project look at our past coverage at hudsonreporter.com or go to http://www.nj.gov/dep/floodresilience/rbd-hudsonriver-archive.htm

Sightseeing running tour and wine tasting fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

A sightseeing running tour, wine tasting, and fundraiser – “Fundraiser, Sights, Bites and Sips: Hoboken” – was announced last week. The event will be held on Saturday, April 29 and proceeds from the event will be directed to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Led by City Running Tours, the four-mile guided running tour in and around Hoboken will start and finish at Antique Bar & Bakery, and include stops and information at such historical sites such as Fiore’s Deli, the birthplaces of both Frank Sinatra and baseball, Willow Terrace, Sybill’s Cave, and scene locations from the Academy Award-winning movie, “On the Waterfront.” 

At the conclusion of the run, all participants will enjoy a wine tasting provided by Grapeful and special bites from Antique Bar & Bakery’s Chef Paul Gerard.

Tickets are $50 per person and only 25 spaces are available.

All participants must be 21 years old or older and ID is required. Runners will meet at Antique Bar & Bakery, 122 Willow St., at 10 a.m. and the tour leaves at 10:15 a.m.

Bag drop is available.

For more information, contact jc@drinkgrapeful.com or michael@cityrunningtours.com.

Mayor dedicates the City Hall rain garden to local activist

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, with family members of Joan Abel and members of the community, rededicated the City Hall rain garden “The Joan R. Abel Memorial Rain Garden at Hoboken City Hall” on Friday April 21.

Abel was born July 11, 1943 in Jersey City and made Hoboken her home in 1980. She expressed her love for Hoboken by advocating for local historic preservation and environmental causes. In 2012, Joan developed a plan to capture stormwater runoff around City Hall.

“Although Mrs. Abel passed away before seeing her plan realized, the legacy of her advocacy lives on in Hoboken’s built environment, including at the rain garden at City Hall,” stated the media release.

The rain garden is part of the Hoboken City Hall Sustainable Stormwater Demonstration project, which is designed to retain all rainwater that falls on City Hall during a 25-year storm and prevent it from contributing to flooding. The project includes four 1,200 gallon above-ground rainwater tanks (cisterns), more than 1,000 square feet of rain gardens, 100 square yards of pervious concrete sidewalk, raised planter beds, and a green wall. The aim of the project is to set an example for other city blocks for how to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that enters the combined sewer system.

Hoboken resident to perform in Theater League of Clifton’s latest production

Hoboken resident Pedro Jimenez will perform in the Theater League of Clifton’s production of “Some Enchanted Evening, the Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein,” with shows slated for May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 at the Theresa Aprea Theater, 199 Scoles Ave., Clifton.

Songs in the two-act musical revue come from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway productions including “Oklahoma,” “The Sound of Music,” “South Pacific,” and “The King and I.”

Musical selections will include “A Cockeyed Optimist,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “A Wonderful Guy,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “A Bell is No Bell,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “Shall We Dance,” and “Some Enchanted Evening.”

Friday and Saturday night performances begin at 8 p.m., while Sunday matinees will start at 2 p.m. Ticket prices for adults are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For students and seniors, prices are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Group rates are available. Tickets may be reserved by phone at (973) 928-7668 or online at www.theaterleagueofclifton.com. There is an additional $2 fee per ticket for all credit card reservations.

The Theater League of Clifton, founded in 2005, is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the arts through theatrical performances.

Hoboken Rotary club donates to local marching band

The Hoboken Rotary club has donated $1,300 to the Hoboken High School Marching band for their upcoming trip to Washington D.C. to participate in the National Memorial Day parade. The Hoboken band is one of four bands participating from the state of New Jersey and one of only 36 teams, from the entire country.

The club hosted a happy hour fundraiser in March and raised funds with the help of Rotarians, Hoboken Fire Department Locals 1076 and 1078, the Hoboken Police Department PBA Local #2, BCB Bank, and Investor’s bank. 

Hoboken expands their Fitness in the Parks series

The Fitness in the Park series will take place four nights a week starting Wednesday, April 19 and through the end of September. It provides a free sample of what the local fitness studios have to offer and the city has expanded the program “due to high demand.” 

This year over 80 classes will be offered Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at various locations throughout the city including yoga, pilates, kick boxing, and more.

The city advises participants to wear sneakers and loose-fit clothing. Bring water and a mat, if needed and to keep in mind that if it rains classes may be cancelled. For the schedule of classes go to http://hobokennj.gov/2017/04/hoboken-launches-expanded-fitness-in-the-parks-series-for-2017/

It is recommended residents call the fitness studio’s for more information.

Publisher donates books to local school

Fox Chapel Publishing, an independent book publisher in East Petersburg, Pa., has donated 50 copies of the popular coloring book “Doodles Go Girl!: Coloring & Activity Book” to Connors Elementary School for a special take home gift for a Connors Elementary School celebration of the achievements of women in history.

Fox Chapel Publishing has over 100 coloring book titles in print and has rapidly become a leader in this field with a long-term commitment to featuring the industry’s most innovative artists and trend leading designers. The company also places a special emphasis on education, children, and health making this partnership a fitting relationship for all.

March for Science held in Trenton

On Saturday April 22, scientists and their supporters as well as advocated for evidence based policies were scheduled to march in Trenton in solidarity with March for Science in Washington D.C. and 515 other sites around the world.

New Jersey Congressman and member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Frank Pallone Jr. gave a keynote address

The non-partisan march is motivated by many scientific issues from climate change to medical research to education, and human rights issues.

The march was held outside the War Memorial in Trenton at 1 Memorial Drive at 10 a.m. and participants were scheduled to march half a mile to the steps of the State House Annex. 

Act Three

Hudson Reporter
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Act Three

The woman who opens the door to her Jersey City Heights home is a modern Benjamin Button: She’s getting younger instead of older. Slim, dressed in black pants and top, her face is becomingly framed in a white pixie. She’s 82.
It’s not hard to imagine her 65 years ago, in 1952, when she took to the burlesque stage as Hope Diamond. She was 17.
Framed black-and-white glossies of the “Gem of Exotica” line the staircase and have pride of place in her front parlor. Her Victorian home is an homage to that sparkling era when Vaudeville was still warm in the grave. In our virtual age, the glitz and glitter of high camp can seem as gray and cobwebbed as a set for the Munsters.
I’m standing on her front porch on a beautiful July afternoon because Leona Beldini is back in the limelight. On May 11 of this year, she’d resurfaced, making a guest appearance at the Kennedy Dancers Jersey City Follies 40th anniversary gala.
At the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre event, she offered a thumbnail sketch of her career in burlesque.

Jersey Girl

Yes, she was born in Jersey, but not in the “Snookie” mode that the phrase Jersey Girl evokes. The place? The Coppermine Farms. The family? Poor, alcoholic, and abusive. The dream? To get out of Dodge. “I started out with nothing but looks, guts, and a tremendous need to get free,” she says.
We sit in her kitchen at a high table. She suffers from sciatica and shows me a large plastic bag filled with medications to ease the pain. “I might have to lie down on the floor,” she says.
As I wade into her backstory, she waves a bejeweled hand at some typed pages. “It’s all there.” She’s accustomed to interviewers—and to blowing them off.
But I’m here, I remind her. We soldier on.
Soon after completing a modeling course at Grace Downs in New York City, she landed a job modelling coats and suits. She was so successful that a life-size cutout of her towered above Times Square. But what capsized her modeling career is what launched her burlesque career: “At only 5-6 with an hourglass figure, I was not lanky enough for fashion photography.”
She may not have been skinny, but she was seductive.
In 1952, she found herself on stage at the Hudson Theater in Union City after answering an ad for “Show Girls Wanted, No Experience Necessary.”
Almost immediately she was “standing on a pedestal, draped in chiffon.”
The whistles and shouts were “intoxicating.”
Latin Quarter choreographer Paul Marakoff “had me pick up a phone and put it back 1,000 times just to have fluid arm movements,” she recalls. “The first time he saw me walk across the stage he told me I walked like I had an oil can up my ass.”
That, apparently, was a compliment. The strut soon made her a headliner.
She worked Atlantic City’s Gayety Theatre in summers, “exposing as much as possible” when on the beach “to prevent suntan lines, for which we were fined.”
Neil Kendall of the Burlesque Hall of Fame says, “She was the classic peeler, a parade stripper who took her time to remove her wardrobe.” She was famous for her Rhapsody in Blue bubble bath routine. Hope Diamond soon was born, traveling from Canada to San Francisco and everywhere in between, “escaping from reality and becoming who I am today.”

Spouses and Houses

We skim over the highlights: Failed marriages and relationships offset by rewarding parenting. She was a single mother who raised two successful children.
Her years in burlesque prepared her for a career in business. “You have to show up on time and be professional.”
Owning a beach bar in St. Petersburg, Florida, didn’t do it for her, but owning houses did. She loves houses and owns two, including an 1860 gem in Bradley Beach. She went for her real-estate license and still collects rents on income properties in Jersey City.
In fact, as our interview morphs into a conversation, she relaxes enough to open her mail while we talk. It’s exciting mail. She stacks her rent checks like Monopoly money.
As the conversation turns to government, she asks my opinion of the current political scene. My answers aren’t important, but the fact that she’s interested in people and what they think says a lot about who she is and what she’s become.
A stint on Jersey City’s Rent Leveling Board led to a gig as deputy mayor in the Healy administration. Appointed in November 2004, her job was to represent the mayor at ribbon-cuttings, flag-raisings, and speaking engagements; to officiate at weddings, and work with the Women of Action awards. She served without pay on the city’s economic development agency. Her resume in burlesque and business prepared her well for this working-with-people job description.
She was also the treasurer for Mayor Jerramiah Healy’s re-election campaign.

You Can’t Fight City Hall

The woman sitting across from me at her kitchen table, a little wry, a little distracted, opening mail, surfing the web, and strolling down memory lane is not the woman I saw in newspaper images in 2010, face lined, glasses tinted, bleached and bloated, grim and afraid, clinging to the arm of her bow-tied attorney.
In February of that year, she was convicted of bribery as part of a vast FBI investigation into political corruption. By April she was Prisoner No. 30118-50 at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell, in Fort Worth, Texas, where she spent 28 months.
Back then, she refused an interview. I’d waited seven years to hear her side of the story.
The broad outlines of the sting, known as Operation Bid Rig, are well documented. Our own Hudson Reporter won awards for our piece, “Dining with Dwek.” Here’s the deal in a nutshell:
In July 2009, a number of high-level New Jersey elected officials were arrested. Hudson County officials included Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, Secaucus Mayor Denis Elwell, former Assemblyman and unsuccessful mayoral candidate Louis Manzo, Jersey City councilman Mariano Vega, and Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini.
After the arrest, Mayor Healy suspended Beldini from the $66,154-a-year deputy mayor gig.

Solomon Dreck

This phase of the investigation was known as Operation Bid Rig III. Real-estate developer Solomon Dwek, after being arrested and charged with $50 million in bank fraud, agreed to be a cooperating witness for the FBI.
A Hudson County developer introduced Dwek to a slew of public officials, mayoral and council candidates, and their sidekicks.
Beldini, 74 at the time, was the first of some 44 people arrested to take her chances with a jury. Her trial was scheduled for Monday, Jan. 25, 2010.
She was accused of taking $20,000 in shadowy contributions as Healy’s campaign treasurer.
Five candidates were running for Jersey City mayor. It was a close race, and Dwek appeared to have deep pockets, with plenty of holes.
As part of the sting, Dwek claimed to be building a luxury condo project on Garfield Avenue and was looking for insiders who could streamline the approval process. He was wired by the FBI in meetings which took place in local diners.
According to transcripts, Dwek said he wanted a zoning change and did not want his application to go “to the bottom of the pile.”
The transcript has Beldini saying, “Well, we can flip the pile.” Authorities alleged that Beldini, in her capacity as Realtor, was angling to be the broker for the condominium project. Dwek states, “You’re my person.”
In these soda-jerk meetings, Dwek was offering thousands to the Jersey City Democratic Committee and to Healy’s campaign. Beldini is heard to say, “Perfect.”

Innocent Until…

Beldini retained noted Hudson County defense attorney Brian Neary. (We ran a profile of him in the Winter 2016/17 issue of this magazine.)
Neary filed a motion the week of Jan. 18, 2010, seeking to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that the government’s investigative tactics were unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Jose Linares was having none of it. The trial went forward, and the rest is history.
She was sentenced to three years in prison—she served 28 months—and fined $30,000.
In attempting to avoid prison, Beldini told the judge that she was “afraid,” and Neary—who does not discuss his clients for publication—told the judge she was suffering from a number of health problems.
Again, no go. She surrendered on April 15, 2012.
Back at the kitchen table, Beldini says that the condominium project on Garfield that Dwek was supposedly developing “was too big a project for me. I couldn’t do it.” Beldini says she had worked in a “well-known mom-and-pop real-estate” outfit.
“I was thrown under the bus,” she maintains. “People in power should have protected me. It was a setup. People in government set me up.”

The Book of Jerramiah

A few years ago, a ramshackle bar stood at Newark and Sixth in the shadow of the NJ Turnpike overpass. The sign, “Sheila’s,” hung at a rakish angle from the roof. In 2011, Patrick Healy bought it; Healy’s Tavern became a thriving neighborhood watering hole.
That’s where I meet his father, former Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. When I arrive, he’s drinking with a friend and buys me a cold one. Full disclosure: I’ve been known to frequent this friendly pub.
“She’s eaten up by the fact that she never took a dime,” Healy says of his former deputy mayor. Healy wants to put the whole Bid Rig III operation in context. “This was a vehicle for Christie to clean up state government,” he says. “Mr. Clean was going to rid the state of corruption, mostly Democrats.”
Christopher Christie was appointed to the U.S. Attorney for the district of New Jersey by President George W. Bush, serving from 2002 until 2008.
“The media was complicit,” Healy says, claiming they gave the “Hudson County sweep a pat on the back.”
I ask if he thinks Beldini got a fair trial. He says that the media fed the jury pool the narrative that “elected officials and politicians were filthy and corrupt.”
He says there should have been a change of venue. “The publicity went beyond Hudson County to the United States.” I can attest to this. Lawyers in my family were calling from Boston and Denver to ask me about it. “It was a terrible time to go on trial for political corruption,” Healy says. “There was hysteria. It was a media circus. It was like the Salem Witch Trials, like McCarthy and the Communists.”

You Have the Right to an Attorney…

Healy himself is a criminal defense attorney. At the time, Beldini asked his advice. She could cop a plea or go to trial. Insisting on her innocence, “She wanted to control her destiny and go to trial,” Healy says.
In the current political climate, incendiary comments by Donald Trump and his minions have been spun as jokes. Short-lived Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci blew off his profanity-laced tirade to The New Yorker as a joke, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders characterized as a joke Trump’s challenge to cops that they treat prisoners roughly.
That’s how Healy sees Beldini’s “top of the pile” remark, noting that she was laughing as she said it, and, “She had no power to grant what he was seeking. She was not on the Board of Adjustments. She was in no position to deliver any of that.”
Beldini floats the notion that her dapper, high-profile lawyer “did a lousy job. He never prepped me for the judge, and he was grandstanding for himself.”
Healy disagrees. “Neary is an experienced, successful lawyer who did the best he could,” he says. “It was an uphill battle, and she was strung up in the media.”
Neary managed to get her acquitted of four of six charges; she was found guilty of taking bribes.

Life in the Big House

Beldini’s prison term was longer than that of many of the other defendants. “Everybody else worked out deals,” Healy says. “Most gave information to the feds. Leona got 28 months at taxpayers’ expense; they took an individual off the streets, she closed her business, she was in her 70s and on ice for almost three years, and she’s a felon who can’t vote.”
Beldini did jail time, he says, for an ethical violation, not a federal one.
Prison, Beldini says, was “horrible. It was hard on my family and me. I was hospitalized three or four times for heart problems. All I cared about was that I would not die in prison.”
The digs sounded like those in the hit slammer-rama Orange is the New Black. “It was a room with about 12 or 15 cubicles,” Beldini relates. “I have two beautiful homes, and I was living in a cubicle. It was one long room with a bed against a locker.”
But, like another high-profile, white-collar inmate, Beldini did good deeds in prison. While Martha Stewart taught her fellow cons how to knit afghans, Beldini was “a mom to so many girls. It was so sad. The kids there were young. They didn’t come from much, and I would try to counsel them.”
The three-squares were not much to write home about, either. “I ate very little,” she says. “I’d buy food in the commissary. I lived on tuna fish and hard-boiled eggs. I got through one day at a time. I read 200 books. I read anything I could get my hands on. My daughter would send books; my niece sent magazines.”
One of Beldini’s prison mates was another well-known Stewart: prominent defense attorney Lynne Stewart who landed in the slammer for, among other things, providing material support to terrorists, in this case her client, “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman, convicted for his part in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Stewart worked pro bono for girls on the inside.

Back on the Boards

Diane Dragone, artistic director of the Kennedy Dancers, reports that Beldini was “gorgeous, poised, and professional” in her champagne gown at the Loew’s. The audience was rapt and gave her a standing ovation. “Older gentlemen” wanted to get to know her better.
While Beldini told me that “men in politics suck,” that’s not her last word on the “intoxicating” business of politics. Dozens of politicians took the stage that night. Jerry Healy harmonized with Tom DeGise and Billy O’Dea on the 1930s hit, “I Found a Million Dollar Baby.”
“I don’t want to be angry anymore,” Beldini says. That’s the Beldini I witnessed—an elegant woman of a certain age, at peace with past, present, and future.
A memoir is in the works. She asks me if she should call it “No Experience Necessary” or “Saving Hope.”—JCM.

WEEHAWKEN BRIEFS

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WEEHAWKEN BRIEFS

18th Annual Taste of Weehawken is April 24

The 18th annual Taste of Weehawken fundraiser for the Weehawken Library will take place this year on Tuesday, April 24. Beyond a selection of food from a variety of high profile area restaurants, the Taste also offers a selection of wines, craft beers and after-dinner cocktails, all hosted by long-time Taste sponsor Giannone Wine & Liquor Company.
“The food, the wine, the door prizes, including dining certificates from many of the participating restaurants, make it an amazing night for a great cause,” said Leona M. Nersesian, president of the Library Board of Trustees.
Throughout the years, money raised at the Taste has been used to enhance many library programs. This year funds will be directed towards continuing programming as well as upgrading the children’s department.
“Everywhere I go in town, people rave about our library,” said Mayor Richard F. Turner. “The Taste is the perfect opportunity for everyone to come out to show their support for this wonderful institution while helping the library continue its diverse programs and activities for patrons of all ages.”
Tickets for the Taste are $60, which includes the Preview Hour (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.) or $40 for General Admission (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.) and will be available for purchase at the end of March. Be sure to “Like” Taste of Weehawken on Facebook, and follow Weehawken NJ on Twitter @weehawkennj for news and updates.

Union City residents killed in Tonnelle car crash

A stretch of Tonnelle Avenue known for accidents saw the death of two Union City residents on Sunday, Feb. 11. The northbound lanes between Manhattan Avenue and North Street were closed for hours as authorities investigated the wreck.
According to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the two fatalities were Mario Guevara, 25, and Heather Acosta, 24, both from Union City. They were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the crash.
The crash occurred at about 3 a.m. The Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit, which was established earlier this year, responded to the scene.
One car flipped over and the other jumped the curb, hitting a telephone pole and destroying the gate of a nearby building.
This came two days after Mayor Steven Fulop announced the city’s adopting of a “Vision Zero” policy in an effort to eliminate deaths and serious injuries.
Fulop issued an executive order that allowed Jersey City to join with more than 30 municipalities seeking to establish traffic safety strategies. The crash occurred in the same section of Tonnelle Avenue where a police chase last June resulted in a vehicle bursting into flames.

NJ Transit approves proposed alignment for light rail into Bergen County

The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail’s (HBLR) expansion into Bergen County received a major boost last week, as NJ Transit has just approved the plan’s proposed alignment, per a press release.
The approval for the project’s Locally Preferred Alternative, detailed in its 2017 Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact statement, is mandatory in the federal environmental review process.
The route is a 10-mile, seven station extension from HBLR’s current Tonnelle Avenue terminus in North Bergen. It would include an additional North Bergen stop at 91st Street, and others in Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, all the way to the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
NJ Transit’s Board of Directors also authorized the route’s submission to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Board of Trustees for designation and inclusion in their Long-Range Regional Transportation Plan.
By choosing this route, NJ Transit will be able to begin design and engineering activities once they complete the Final Environmental Impact Statement, and the Federal Transit Administration grants a Record of Decision for the project.

Get free income tax preparation help

United Way of Hudson County is teaming with the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program and HOPES to prepare and file federal and state income taxes for locals. The service runs through April 13.
To be eligible, participants must have been New Jersey residents for all of last year. They must also have a Social Security number, work in New Jersey or New York (or have taxable income like pensions, IRA distributions, interest, or stock trades.), and not have an income from a rental property or a business with employees, inventory, a loss, or over $25,000 in total expenses.
The AARP Foundation will be offering walk-in filings Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Foundation is located at 855 Bergen Ave. in Jersey City
HOPES will be offering filings Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., by appointment only.
HOPES has locations in the Hoboken area, including 532 Jackson St., Unit 1B and 300 Bloomfield St.
Call (201) 468-8805 for more assistance and information.

North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue swears in 37 firefighters

On Feb. 13, the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue made history by swearing-in 37 new firefighters, its largest hiring class ever, including Lisa Napier, the first female firefighter in the 20-year history of NHRFR. All 37 new firefighters are U.S. military veterans, showing the regional fire department’s commitment to support veterans.
“Each of the 37 men and women joining our ranks have served this country, and will continue to protect their communities as members of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue,” said NHRFR Chief Frank Montagne. “They are all extremely qualified, and I am confident they will make excellent firefighters.”
“Today we are proud to welcome 37 brave men and women to the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, and wish them luck as they begin their important work protecting the community,” said Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner. “I would like to thank Senator Menendez, Senator Booker, and Congressman Sires for helping secure a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) federal grant which will fully pay the salaries of 35 of these new firefighters. Federal funding this year also enabled the purchase of state-of-the-art cameras which detect body heat and can save precious time when fire crews are in dangerous situations.”

Food and Shelter Coalition Meeting set for March 13

All interested person are invited to attend a Tuesday, March 13 meeting of the Food and Shelter Coalition to discuss food and shelter concerns and share ideas. The meeting is an opportunity to advocate to state and federal lawmakers to promote responsible public policies to improve quality and access to food for thousands of people. The National Law Center on Homeless and Poverty currently estimates that each year at least 2.5 to 3.5 million Americans sleep in shelters, transitional housing, and public places not meant for human habitation. At least 7.4 million have lost their own homes and are doubled-up with others due to economic necessity.
The meeting will take place at 10 a.m. at Old Bergen Church, 1 Highland Ave., Jersey City (take the elevator and press 1).
For more information contact chairperson La-Trenda Ross at (201) 618-5745 or (201) 420-3000 ext. 2543, or email ltross@xbp.dhs.state.nj.us.

Upcoming schedule for parenting classes at Palisades Medical Center

Palisades Medical Center has announced its upcoming schedule for parenting classes for new moms, and moms to be.
The hospital will hold its Childbirth Education Series two day courses on March 17 and 24, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Additional courses will follow, at the same times, on May 5 and 12, then June 9 and 16. Cost is $125 per couple if delivering at Palisades Medical Center; $150 if delivering elsewhere.
The class covers topics such as understanding the labor process, breathing and relaxation techniques to work with your body, the role of the support person.
Newborn Baby Care classes will run on Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; March 27, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; May 19, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; and June 12, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. These classes cover basics of newborn care, starting with the appearance and characteristics of a newborn. Cost is $35 per couple if delivering at Palisades Medical Center; $50 if delivering elsewhere.
Key to Successful Breastfeeding classes will run on Feb. 27, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; April 7, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; May 8, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and June 23, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Topics include the importance of skin-to-skin contact, latching techniques, supply and demand as it relates to breastfeeding, positioning for breastfeeding, indications for breast pumps.
Dads are encouraged to attend. Cost is $35 per couple if delivering at Palisades Medical Center; $50 if delivering elsewhere.
There will also be Sibling Preparation for Birth Classes, $25 per family. Contact Robin Petrick for more info on this class at (201) 295-4823. For more information in general, please call (201) 854-5000 or visit palisadesmedical.org.

Trump administration deals ‘serious jeopardy’ to Gateway Tunnel project

Federal transportation officials have assigned the Gateway rail tunnel and other components of the massive infrastructure project a new rating that further jeopardizes the chances of winning grant money from Washington.
A story on Politico.com says the Federal Transit Administration sent an annual funding report to Congress on Monday for its Capital Investment Grants Program that assigned a “Medium-Low“ rating to the proposed $13 billion Hudson River tunnel, the second-lowest on a five-point scale. It was the first time the grant application had received a formal rating. The FTA also reduced the rating of the Portal Bridge North project from “Medium-High“ to “Medium-Low.” That bridge replacement that would fix one of the single-greatest bottlenecks on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line.
Those involved in the Gateway Program said the change was likely to put chances of receiving federal funding under the New Starts program in serious jeopardy.
The Trump administration rejected an Obama-era agreement to cover half the cost of the broader $30 billion Gateway Program, which calls for constructing two new tubes connecting New Jersey to midtown Manhattan and repairing the existing tunnel that is now falling apart. The White House has also proposed ending the New Starts program, but Congress has so far protected the funding source.
“In case it wasn’t clear before, President Trump today tried to land another death blow to Gateway by having his Federal Transit Administration (FTA) vindictively and inexplicably downgrade the project in order to cut off critical federal funding,” Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said in a statement on Monday.
In the case of the Portal Bridge project, which previously received a rating in February 2017 and was estimated to cost $1.6 billion, the FTA is taking the position that the amount of committed or budgeted funding from other sources had fallen from 57 percent to 21 percent of the total cost. The FTA said that is a primary reason the rating was reduced. The new ratings were issued in November and, according to a person familiar with the Gateway application, did not factor in any information received in October, when new details had become available.
John D. Porcari, the interim executive director of Gateway Program Development Corp., said the ratings fail to take into account the commitments from New York and New Jersey. The states have agreed to split half the cost of the tunnel project, putting up $5.5 billion, though they’ll need federal loans in order to do so. The grant application asks the federal government to cover the remaining costs.
Porcari said the Portal Bridge application, in which local agencies would also cover about half the total cost, “has only been improved with each updated submittal” since the first rating was issued. He noted early construction work has been underway for several months.
“We are surprised and disappointed by the sudden downgrade based on what appears to be changing evaluation criteria,” Porcari said. “We continue to work closely with USDOT to strengthen our funding applications and remain confident that the merits of the projects warrant significant federal investment.”

Bayonne Briefs

Rory Pasquariello, Staff Writer
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Bayonne Briefs

Incumbent Trustee Ava Finnerty keeps her seat on BBOED after brief recount

A recount of the Bayonne Board of Education election resulted in the same, narrow outcome. Ava Finnerty edged out former business administrator and educator, Leo Smith, by 19 votes, securing her win in the Nov. 7 elections that saw two new trustees and two incumbents elected. On election night, Smith led Finnerty by 19 votes, but mail-in and provisional ballots counted the next day pulled Finnerty ahead by 68 votes. Smith filed a petition for a recount on Nov. 21 after he won a majority of in-person votes, but eventually fell behind in a five-hour manual recount of 1,100 mail-in and provisional ballots conducted by the Hudson County Board of Elections.

Thousands without power for a half hour

An equipment malfunction at a PSE&G substation on 63rd Street in Bayonne resulted in thousands in Bayonne and southern neighborhoods in Jersey City without power for about 30 minutes on the afternoon of Wednesday, December 5, according to a PSE&G spokesperson. About 10,000 customers in Bayonne and 13,000 in Jersey City were affected between 12:50 p.m. and 1:23 p.m.

Measles outbreak now at 18 cases over two counties

State health officials recently reported the measles outbreak in Lakewood, a township in Ocean County, has spread north, to Passaic County. At last count, New York officials report 83 confirmed cases of measles in Rockland County, bringing the total across the two states to 100 cases. Health officials are urging residents to confirm that they have been vaccinated.

BHS football star commits to Fordham

Nasir McNair, the Bayonne High School football star who led the Bees to a 7-3 record last season, has committed to Fordham University in the Bronx to play Division 1 football. McNair told NJ Advance Media that his decision was affected by a desire to be close to family, and the school’s academic reputation. McNair plans to major in accounting and said, “Academics are something important to think about.” He also wants to “break a lot of records” and “win a lot of games.”

Streets in uptown neighborhood closed after report of suspicious package

Bayonne police closed off streets in the area of 52nd Street and Broadway on Wednesday, Dec. 5 due to a report of a suspicious package, which turned out to be a locked suitcase, according to a media report, citing radio transmissions. The Bayonne Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Assemblyman sponsors “lemonade stand” bill

A bill that would prohibit municipalities from requiring licenses for children running temporary businesses, such as lemonade stands, was approved by the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee last week.

31st District Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti, who sits on the committee, introduced the legislation after his nine-year-old son wrote a report on the subject of kids’ businesses.

Mobile data service now available on PATH train

Cellular service for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile is active in all PATH stations as of Nov. 21, according to the Port Authority.

The Port Authority is ahead of schedule as cellular service for PATH stations was supposed to be available in early 2019. Earlier in November, the PA announced AT&T and T-Mobile coverage in its New York PATH stations.

Cellular service for Sprint, however, remains uncovered.

Bayonne Medical Center Recognized as 2018 Top Teaching Hospital by the Leapfrog Group

CarePoint Health’s Bayonne Medical Center was one of 118 hospitals across the country, and 12 in NJ, awarded a 2018 Top Hospitals Award by the Leapfrog Group.

“Bayonne Medical Center is proud to being recognized as a Top Teaching Hospital where current and future medical professionals learn to provide safe and quality care with the best possible outcomes for our patients,” said Dr. Vijayant Singh, Chief Hospital Executive at Bayonne Medical Center in a press release. “It is truly testament to the dedication of our doctors, nurses and entire staff who collaborate as part of our teaching program.”

118 U.S. hospitals were named a 2018 Top Hospital by Leapfrog, and of that 53 were named Top Teaching hospitals. Scoring includes a number of factors including performance across many areas of hospital care including surgical quality, preventing infections, use of technology to prevent errors and reduction of C-sections, and leadership policies and practices.

Lawmaker introduces $15 minimum wage bill for 2024

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin introduced a bill Thursday, Dec. 6, that would delay Gov. Phil Murphy’s pledged goal of a $15 per hour minimum wage until 2024, according to The Record. The wage would rise gradually, and some workers wouldn’t be eligible until 2029: seasonal workers, farm workers, youth under 18, and workers at companies with fewer than 10 people. Senate President Steve Sweeney praised the bill. Living wage advocates called it “unconscionable.”

State sues eight polluters in low-income areas

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal filed eight lawsuits on Thursday, Dec. 6, against companies targeted for polluting low-income neighborhoods. Two polluters are in Newark (Gulf Gas, Novick Chemical). Two are in Camden (Monk’s Amoco, Puchack Wellfield). The other sites are in Trenton (323 N. Olden Ave.), Flemington (Tirpok Cleaners), Phillipsburg (South Main & Hudson), and Palmyra (Filit Corp.) More suits will be filed next year, Grewal says.

Feds say NJ Transit might not meet safety deadline

Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday that NJ Transit will meet the Dec. 31 deadline set by Congress to install positive train control. Still, on Nov. 19, the Federal Railroad Administration sent a letter to Murphy and NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett, saying they “must work urgently, now more than ever.” Corbett claimed it was 95 percent done on Nov. 30.

WTC Path to close on weekends through 2020

Starting January 5, 2019, the Port Authority will close the WTC PATH station every weekend — excluding holiday weekends — through 2020 while the Port Authority makes Hurricane Sandy-related tunnel repairs. The announcement is being made one month before the closures are set to begin. The PA has said that repairs were stalled due to installation of positive train control.

“We understand the loss of the WTC PATH station on weekends will cause hardship and inconvenience for many of our customers, but these repairs are vitally important to our continuing effort to overcome the worst storm we’ve experienced here in our lifetimes,” said PATH General Manager/Director Michael Marino in a press release.

The WTC station will close at 12:01 a.m. on Saturdays, starting Jan. 5, 2019, and will reopen the following Monday at 5 a.m. after each weekend of work.

Stranded passengers will get free ferry service to and from Brookfield Place via the Harborside ferry slip each Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

During this time, the WTC line will terminate at Exchange Place, so commuters coming from Newark/Harrison/JSQ/Grove will get off at Exchange Place and walk to the Harborside ferry slip. Commuters coming from Hoboken/Pavonia will have to travel to Grove (via the 33rd/Hoboken line) and catch the “WTC” line to Exchange Place.

The PA states that it will also increase service on the 33rd Street/Hoboken line overnight when the ferry is not in operation.

Campaign calls for no new power plants, pipelines

A state-wide coalition of more than 50 environmental, faith, and progressive groups unveiled a campaign to mitigate the impact of climate change Wednesday, Dec. 5, urging Gov. Phil Murphy to issue a moratorium on any new power plants or pipelines, according to NJ Spotlight. There are nine such projects in the works or in litigation, including gas-powered plants in the Highlands and in the Meadowlands.

JCMC announces December community events

Jersey City Medical Center has announced the following community events calendar for December. For more information visit https://www.rwjbh.org/jersey-city-medical-center/.

Prenatal Breastfeeding Class
Dec. 18 —  6-8 p.m.

Let’s Talk Nutrition Healthy Shopping Support Group (Bilingual)
Dec. 19 — Noon-1 p.m. (3rd Wednesday of Every Month)

Cancer Support Group
Dec. 19 — 1-2 p.m. (3rd Wednesday of every Month)

Stop the Bleed Training
Dec. 20 — 5-6 p.m.

Bingo Night Social
Dec. 27 — 4-6 p.m. (4th Thursday of Every Month)

Prenatal Infant Care Class
Dec. 29 — 9-11 a.m.

 

TASTY TIDBITS Horrific loss of great coach and mentor Bello

Jim Hague, Sports Columnist
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TASTY TIDBITS Horrific loss of great coach and mentor Bello

The news Sunday morning was more than shocking and downright disturbing.
Tony Bello, who spent more than 50 years of his life coaching and teaching kids in Jersey City, was murdered in the place that he called home forever, a place he thought to be a safe haven called Pershing Field — stabbed to death after attending Mass at St. Nicholas R.C. Church.
Details of the incident remained sketchy at press time, but an arrest was made Wednesday afternoon by Jersey City police.
Apparently, the 76-year-old Bello, who spent countless hours in his life at Pershing Field, got into some sort of a heated altercation around 8 a.m. Sunday. Bello was stabbed in the torso and died soon after.
Bello’s death sent shockwaves throughout the Jersey City Heights and beyond, because anyone and everyone who knew Tony Bello knew him to be a kind, considerate, gentle soul.
He was an assistant football coach at places like Dickinson and Marist for several years. He was the head baseball coach for the Jersey City Giants in the now-defunct Build Better Boys Baseball League in the early 1990s. Bello also served as the president of the Pershing Field Little League and coached several different teams in that league over the last 25 years.
A retired teacher, Bello was always spotted at Pershing Field, where he took walks twice a day, once in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand and another in the afternoon. He would also stop to watch practically every baseball game played at the facility, no matter the age level.
There were thousands of youngsters who were graced to have the guidance of Tony Bello, who never received anything in return.
One prominent high school baseball coach said that, “Tony Bello spent more time in Pershing Field than any Jersey City worker assigned to work there.”
As someone who knew Tony well over the last 35 years, the news of his tragic demise hit hard and hurt, because Tony would never hurt anyone and he just cared so much about kids and their well being.
I honestly can’t remember a time over the last 35 years when I went to Pershing Field for some game and didn’t run into Tony. He was always there, a permanent fixture. He was the King of Pershing Field. Someone said that he was the Mayor of Manhattan Avenue, where the Bello family resided. But I think of him more as the King of Pershing Field. No one was there more.
Bello guided his son, Vinnie, to become a teacher and coach on his own. Vinnie Bello started his career as the head baseball coach and athletic director at Marist High School, but 20 years ago, moved to Sparta where he took on the job as the head coach at Pope John, where he gained a reputation as being one of the best high school coaches in New Jersey. Tony’s daughter Lisa is married to Hoboken High School head baseball coach Jack Baker.
So coaching is a major part of the Bello family lineage, all thanks to the incredible dedication of the patriarch Tony.
There are other countless current and former coaches who received invaluable guidance from Tony over the years, people like Union City head baseball coach Chipper Benway, former Dickinson head coach Danny Suarez, current Dickinson head coach Mario Santana and current Hudson Catholic head coach Alberto Vasquez.
Tony had such an impact on everyone he came in contact with, including sportswriters who loved to hear Tony speak about sports, especially baseball, his true love.
Vinnie Bello was asked how he would best remember his father.
“I’ll remember him every time I put on the uniform,” Bello said. “Every time I watch my son play football, I’ll think of him. He’s the one who pushed me into coaching. He took me over to Pershing Field the first time when I was little to play ball. I remember when I was a little kid and he was coaching football at Dickinson, he brought me to practice with him. I can’t even begin to count how many people he touched. He always wanted to go across the street and help the kids. That was my Dad.”
And the irony of it all that Tony Bello’s life came to a tragic and horrific end in the park he loved so well.
“It was his park,” Vinnie Bello said. “He was Pershing Field. That’s why this all hasn’t truly sunk in. It happened in Pershing Field. For him to lose his life in Pershing Field? It’s surreal. I can’t even put it into words. He was taken away from my Mom [Catherine]. He was taken away from my sister. He was taken away from my kids [Nick, Mike and Dominick].”
Nick Bello is a football player who will play football at Assumption College next year. Mike is an aspiring baseball standout at Pope John, playing for his father, who has already given a verbal commitment to attend Auburn University – and he’s only a freshman. Dominick is 12 years old with a bright future.
“He won’t get a chance to see his grandsons play in college,” Vinnie Bello said. “But we’re going to go on. That’s the way he’d want us to keep going, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
It’s a tragedy that we may never really know what transpired. One thing is for sure. Tony Bello is gone and it’s a loss for thousands who knew him…
The 27th edition of the Hoboken/Demarest Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner is set for Saturday night at the Hoboken Elks, with cocktails at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and the ceremony to begin at 7 p.m.
Once again, there is a fine group of worthy inductees, like Jason Blanks (Class of 2003), the football/basketball/baseball standout who was the Hudson Reporter Male Athlete of the Year t his senior year; Jennifer Albuja (Hoboken Class of 2004), the soccer/basketball/softball standout who still remains the school’s all-time leading scorer in soccer; Baron Ballester (Class of 1990) for soccer; Raquel Roder (Class of 2007), for softball/volleyball and swimming. Roder is currently the head softball coach at Weehawken…
Also Barbara Cahill Zielinski (Class of 1980) for track and field; Eddie Castellanos (Class of 2006) for basketball; Joe Classen (Class of 1987) for football and the late Frank Scott, who was an assistant football coach and the school’s athletic director. Mike Taglieri will receive the Jerry Molloy Award for his contributions coaching youth football and baseball.
Most of Hoboken gets to read the Hoboken Reporter on Friday or Saturday, so the organizers are hoping that some people read this and realize that there’s still a chance to attend the festivities. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at the door. So make plans to attend…
There are other local athletes who will compete in the Penn Relays Carnival this week like Adam Khriss of Secaucus in the 400-meter hurdles and William Woltmann of St. Peter’s Prep in the shot put. Woltmann signed his letter to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is such a great achievement for the young man. Woltmann will try to compete in both football and track and field at MIT…
In softball, Ferris remains red hot and is the lone local team that is still undefeated at 6-0. Pitcher Jaylene Sierra collected the 100th hit of her career in a 6-2 win over Dickinson, a game where Sierra fired a three-hitter, striking out 13…
North Bergen knocked off defending Hudson County Tournament champion Hudson Catholic, 10-7, which gave new North Bergen head coach Shawn Stacevicz a win over his former club…
In baseball, St. Peter’s Prep is the No. 8 ranked team in the state, thanks to the hot bat of Dom Meleo, who had three hits and four RBI in a 10-2 win over North Bergen…
Hudson Catholic is also doing well, thanks to Tino Salgado, who has 16 RBI already this season in just six games. Salgado had three hits and five RBI in a win over McNair Academic…
Hoboken also has a hot hitter in Michael Effinger, who has 12 RBI thus far in eight games. Effinger had three hits and four RBI in a win over Lincoln…
Josue Fernandez had three hits and three runs scored for Union City in a 7-6 win over Passaic Valley…
Secaucus’ Kerry Mitchell fired a two-hit shutout over Ridgefield, striking out seven…
Hudson Reporter High School Baseball Top Five: 1. St. Peter’s Prep (8-1). 2. Ferris (7-2-1). 3. Hudson Catholic (5-1). 4. Union City (4-2). 5. Memorial (6-4)…
Hudson Reporter High School Softball Top Five: 1. Ferris (6-0). 2. St. Dominic Academy (6-1). 3. North Bergen (4-3). 4. Bayonne (4-3). 5. Hudson Catholic (4-4). – Jim Hague.

Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.

How Hoboken has changed 5 years after Sandy

Marilyn Baer, Staff Writer
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How Hoboken has changed 5 years after Sandy

Hoboken received long-awaited aid to help the area protect itself from hurricanes and flooding in the form of $230 million in “Rebuild by Design” funds from the federal government, released last week.
The funds will spur barriers and structures in Hoboken and parts of Weehawken and Jersey City.
This is just one way the city has been trying to protect itself after Hurricane Sandy caused over $1 billion in damage flooding residents’ homes five years ago, an event that trapped many in their homes and caused more than a week of power outages.
Rebuild By Design
The cost of Rebuild by Design is estimated between $230 million to $274 million and has an estimated annual maintenance cost of $1.4 million to $2.4 million. The four-pronged plan is set to begin construction in 2019 and be completed by 2022. The state Department of Environmental Protection will choose the builders and other developers.
The program was started in 2013 by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to protect coastal cities from storms, the effects of global warming, and rising sea levels.
Builders will erect a flood-resistance structure stretching from 19th Street in Weehawken into northern Hoboken, slightly inland from the river. An additional flood resistance structure will be constructed along the south end of town into Jersey City.
Zimmer said in an interview last week that she has already began asking the state to find funding to pay for maintenance costs.
The project will protect 85 percent of Hoboken’s residents in the floodplain. The city has hosted a workshop for residents who won’t be protected by the plan to discuss other ways to protect themselves, including deployable systems such as temporary barricades and moving utilities to higher ground.
“The threat is real,” said Zimmer. “We could be hit by another superstorm like Sandy and it could be in two weeks, it could be in a year, or it could be in six months. It’s important we continue to move forward and get this project done.”
Hoboken is also alleviating flooding through new resiliency parks, which will retain over a million gallons of water.
This includes the newly opened Southwest Park, and the yet to be constructed Northwest Park and Seventh and Jackson Street Park.
The city also has two flood pumps, H-1 and H-5, that discharge water into the Hudson River to help keep city streets dry and basements from flooding.
The city has also established more green space through rain gardens, and encourages green roofs on new developments.

Building guidelines

The city also implemented “resilient building design guidelines” in Oct. 2015, in a 53-page document that outlines the city and state laws governing construction in Hoboken’s flood prone areas. It also details the approval process for repairs, improvements, and new construction.
Under the resilient building design guidelines, there are three categories of construction, two of which require a floodplain permits from the city.
Major repairs and renovations to a building – those costing more than 50 percent of assessed value — are considered substantial improvements and will need a floodplain permit. Many of the requirements that make a building flood resistant occur below a building’s Design Flood Elevation (DFE), usually found by adding the first one to three feet above the base flood elevation (BFE). BFE is determined by which flood zone the building is in, according to 2013 Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps.
As of 2013, no new residential units are allowed below whatever the DFE is in their zone, with some exceptions. Existing units can remain, but if substantial improvements are made, the property owner must adhere to the Resilient Building Design Guidelines.
So for example, if someone substantially rehabilitates a building with a basement level apartment, they can add an additional floor to their home to compensate for that no longer viable apartment.
Residences on lower floors such as garden or basement apartments may be insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) with some exceptions.
New commercial spaces below DFE must be dry flood proofed, and obtain a flood proofing certificate.
There are various zone restrictions on what kinds of construction and flood proofing methods people can use. For instance, water resistant and mold resistant materials are recommended.

Backup power

The city will also undertake a microgrid feasibility study, which was approved by the Hoboken City Council this month. The study will determine if a micro grid in the center of town, which will distribute power and heat to critical facilities, is a feasible option. These smaller grids operate on their own from the main power grid and will provide power to these facilities in case of power outages during emergencies or disasters.
The microgrid would service “critical facilities” such as Hoboken Fire Company 3, Police Headquarters, City Hall, the Hoboken Homeless Shelter, St. Matthews Church, as well as St. Peter and Paul Church, Kings Grocery, municipal garages B, D & G, multiple senior housing facilities, the YMCA, two local pharmacies, three Hoboken Housing Authority Properties, Andrew Jackson Gardens, Harrison Gardens, Adams and Monroe Gardens, and pump stations.
The city has also worked with PSE&G on a new substation that will help keep power on during severe storms.
The power outages in 2012 were largely caused by power that got flooded and soaked.

Insurance

Zimmer said she believes the Rebuild by Design project will help reduce the costs of flood insurance in the city. Flood insurance rates are based upon how well a structure complies with the regulations of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
In 2012, Congress passed the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform act, which required the NFIP to raise its rates to more accurately reflect flood risks. According to NFIP statistics, as of June 30, 2015, the city of Hoboken had 9,269 NFIP policies in place with premiums of $6,734,044, the fifth highest in all of New Jersey.
The overall liability to the NFIP from property owners in Hoboken was over $2 billion (third highest in New Jersey) with an average claim amount of $26,243.”
“The National Flood Insurance Program is beyond broke,” said Zimmer. “ Billions in the hole. There was a big study done over the last decade which shows there has been almost 300 billion dollars spent in dealing with disaster relief, and there is the potential that the federal government may make the decision to take on more of that cost, which means flood insurance premiums could go through the roof.”

Reflection

The city of Hoboken and the Hoboken Historical Museum invite residents and visitors to an open house event to in connection with the fifth anniversary of Sandy. The event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Museum, 1301 Hudson St.
Residents and visitors are invited to view Sandy-related materials, sign the museum’s five-year anniversary reflection book, and enjoy hot beverages and desserts.
Coincidentally, Accuweather predicts heavy rains and potential flooding that afternoon.
For more information on Sandy and personal accounts from Hoboken residents, also see our story at: https://tinyurl.com/ycxkgaz3.

Life during the storm

The category 1 hurricane made a direct hit on the Jersey Shore, landing two days before Halloween on Oct. 29, 2012 and trapping people in their homes with high floodwaters south of Sixth Street.
Some neighbors kayaked down city streets while others wore trash bags on their feet as protection from sewage infested water.
Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency and the National Guard was in town to assist residents.
Much of the town was without heat or electricity. Those with power on certain blocks threaded extension cords through their windows to outside, so neighbors could charge their phones and laptops.
Some local restaurants without power gave away food to those who needed it and others worked on the honor system, as no power meant no ATM for cash or working credit card machines.
The Hoboken University Medical Center was evacuated and patients were sent to other facilities for care.
The Hudson Reporter, whose offices lost power for a week, published that weekend after the staff worked in a conference room in the maternity ward of Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen.
“My most vivid memory of Sandy is walking down Hudson Street and seeing so many extension cords trailing out the front doors and windows of residents who were lucky enough to keep power,” said Alison Singer in a past article. “Some provided WiFi passwords, others provided coffee and snacks, still others just provided encouraging words and a place to sit. It was the most amazing show of community I have ever seen. It made me proud to live in Hoboken.”
After the storm departed, an army of volunteers including students and residents came to City Hall to assist officials and the CERT (Citizen Emergency Response Team) in finding needy seniors and others who were trapped. The mayor called in the National Guard and began having daily briefings outside City Hall.
The city wrote information in a few locations around town, including on the window of Starbucks on 12th Street, about where to get water and other necessities.

Marilyn Baer can be reached at marilynb@hudsonreporter.com.

Marist and St. Anthony in dire straits

Rory Pasquariello, Staff Writer
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Marist and St. Anthony in dire straits

Catholic schools in Bayonne and Jersey City have seen better days. At one time, the region had a thriving Catholic school system. Families attended mass and sent their children to Catholic elementary schools who would later graduate to Catholic high schools (often referred to by Catholic educators as the “feeder” system).With high attendance in schools and churches, the Archdiocese of Newark was taking in enough revenue to reinvest in the schools. That’s not the case today.
Two Catholic high schools in Hudson County under the auspices of the Archdiocese have been in financial straits for years, staving off closing for as long as possible. Saint Anthony High School in Jersey City announced in March that it will be closing in June, and Marist High School in Bayonne announced it will meet the same fate if it cannot raise $1.5 million by April 24.
The two schools are in very similar circumstances. Faced with declining enrollment, increased operating costs, and competition from free public schools and charter schools, Catholic schools can no longer afford to operate at a loss. It’s not a reflection of the quality of education private schools offer. Rather it’s the result of competition in an increasingly complex education landscape in this country.

Decline of enrollment, religion

Hall of Fame Basketball Coach and president of the school, Bob Hurley, said the $6,100 annual tuition at Saint Anthony did not even cover half the cost of educating each student, while Marist High School charges $10,000 in annual tuition and spends $13,500 to educate each student.
The Archdiocese told St. Anthony that it needed to raise $300,000 and increase the enrollment from 160 to 2,000 for next year, as well as require a $500 increase in tuition. This year, 11 students enrolled in April to be freshmen in September, bringing the total enrollment to 140.
The announcement was not unexpected. St. Anthony’s board of trustees announced last September that it needed to raise $10 to $20 million to establish an endowment to keep the school open, or face closing in June. The goal was to raise about $1.5 million a year above operating costs so that the school could continue operations.
Marist’s enrollment is dwindling even more – only 306 students enrolled at February’s deadline. Since 2008, the number of freshmen enrolled declined by half. “Fewer students results in less revenue, creating a deficit that has depleted the school’s reserves,” reads the school’s fundraising page on its website. “If wishes were horses, I’d have 400 kids in a heartbeat,” said Marist Head of School Alice Miesnik. “And that would solve the whole problem.”
Declining enrollment is a result of the root problem – affordability. Marist designates 20 percent of its endowment to tuition assistance, and it still is insufficient to attract enough enrollment. “We have over 500 applicants but who can afford it at the end of the day,” asked Miesnik. “Still, it’s not enough to make this affordable for many families.”

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“I’m not saying support the Catholic schools. I’m saying let’s give parents a choice.” – Alice Miesnik
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Lots of Catholics, but still…

Though the Roman Catholic population is growing in the United States, and in the world, attendance in Catholic institutions continues to decline. According to a 2015 Georgetown University study, there are 68.1 million Catholics in the U.S., up from 57.4 million in 1995.
Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Newark, Jim Goodness, said the Church is adjusting to these changes. “How vibrant is the community and is it growing,” Goodness asked. “If it’s not growing, then it’s not able to support itself financially anymore.” Five parishes and four Catholic elementary schools in Bayonne were able to support only two parishes and onehigh school last year. Now, Bayonne’s only Catholic high school is at risk of closing.
The rate of participation in baptisms, communion receptions, and funeral services has never been lower. Around 24 percent of U.S. adult Roman Catholics say they attend mass every week, down from 55 percent in 1965. Primary-school children in parish religious education is at 2.63 million, down from a peak of 3.59 million in 2000.
“It’s not so much of a phenomenon anymore, it’s a recognition,” Goodness said. “There just are not as many [religious] people around … because of the secularization of society.”
That newfound secularization has taken a hit on the Catholic feeder system in Hudson County. “There used to be a Catholic school in practically every neighborhood,” Miesnik said. “Now, since it all collapsed, they’re in the public-school system or their families are in the suburbs.”

Miesnik in the weeds

Miesnik sees big problems and big solutions in private education. “The real game changer is political,” said Miesnik, who supports a voucher system or an expanded tax credit to allow parents to “choose” where to send their children, theoretically creating competition among schools to attract the best students, and therefore better schools.
“I’m not saying support the Catholic schools,” she said. “I’m saying let’s give parents a choice. Right now, the charters are winning out because free is free, and they’re being funded by the government.”
If Marist were to close along with St. Anthony, Miesnik’s immediate concern would be where the roughly 200 students would go. “Where would these kids be, in the public school system? If I’m not mistaken they’re overcrowded and are going to be laying off teachers,”Miesnik said. “Are they prepared to take on these students?”
Marist High School has space to absorb Saint Anthony students. Miesnik said, “It would help a lot” for some of those students to transfer to Marist. She said the school would be more than happy to accommodate them without asking them to pay the difference for Marist’s higher tuition. “We are willing to accept them at the tuition they are paying,” she said. Students can come to Marist High School on its annual “Decision Night” on April 25, the day after the school’s deadline to raise $1.5 million, with transcripts. If the school is still afloat, it can tell students if they would be accepted on the spot.
Miesnik is an avid proponent of private schools and Catholic education, and sees public schools as inefficient bureaucracies that cost too much and deliver too little. She said private schools cancut costs with their small sizes and lack of high-paid administrators. “We are doing this for so much less,” she said, “and I’d like to say we’re doing it better.”
In financial terms, Marist High School actually seems to be less cost-efficient than Bayonne High School, whose cost-per-pupil is $11,736 according to the most recent budget, whereas Marist’s cost-per-pupil is around $13,500, according to Miesnik. Marist also pays its teachers less than Bayonne does, though Bayonne pays its teachers the least of all public school districts in Hudson County.
To support Catholic and private education in the future, Miesnik supports the current charitable tax deduction, which effectively allows taxpayers to allocate their tax dollars to charity. She would even like to see it expanded. “I think there’s a whole lot of money out there that is untapped,” she said.
Alice Miesnik has about another week to raise the $1.5 million required to keep Marist’s doors open, and she remains very hopeful and said her staff does, too. “I’m seeing a lot more parents at functions, a lot more support, and a lot more 50/50s being sold,” she said. “Everybody is stepping up in school. It’s been marvelous. I can’t say enough how proud I am of the students, the faculty, and the parents.”

Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.

NORTH BERGEN BRIEFS

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NORTH BERGEN BRIEFS

Here are some of the upcoming Halloween events in town

North Bergen’s hugely popular “Trunk or Treat” event returns to the Recreation Center from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. Kids are invited to come in costume and collect treats from vehicles decorated in full Halloween splendor. There will also be a pumpkin patch and games with prizes. About two dozen vehicles have already signed up, with more to come. A prize will be awarded for best trunk. Register your vehicle to attend by calling (201) 392-0229.
The Kennedy Branch Library will host an evening of Halloween Fun & Fright including a frightfully fun haunted house and a family friendly magic show on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 4:30 p.m. at 2123 Kennedy Blvd., North Bergen. For more information please call (201)869-4715 or visit www.nbpl.org.
Then Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Parks and Public Property Commissioner Hugo Cabrera present the annual North Bergen Recreation Halloween Parade at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The parade kicks off at the Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave., and will be followed by an evening of great Halloween fun including a petting zoo, pony rides, train rides, pumpkin picking, and photo opportunities. Boys and girls ages infant through 9 years old are invited to put on costumes and join the party. Goodie bags will be given out.

Library to hold Job Fair on Nov. 1

The North Bergen Free Public Library will host a community job fair from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1. There will be a large array of vendors onsite at the main library, 8411 Bergenline Ave.
This event is sponsored by the library, New Jersey Career Connections, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and the NJ State Library. For more information email Monica Colaneri at northbergencareers@gmail.com.

Hudson Bike Share announces expansion to North Bergen, other towns

The Hudson Bike Share program is officially expanding to five cities in Hudson County, according to a recent press release. The parent company, P3 Global Management, also plans to make good on a promise from two years ago to have docking stations in towns besides Hoboken, where users can park their bikes.
The program will add 260 new bikes and 35 new stations through Guttenberg, North Bergen, Weehawken, Bayonne, and West New York.
The company is growing from its original 250 bikes and 29 stations in Hoboken, to now 560 bikes and 65 plus stations across six cities, the release says.
“We are extremely excited to start the expansion of our bike share program in Hudson County,” said Carlos Pujol, CEO of P3 Global Management.
“A New Jersey program, conceived to serve the needs of local Hudson County residents, has logged over 300,000 rides since its inception in 2015. We’re excited to provide this service for the people of Hudson County, and appreciate their support. We look forward to bringing additional bikes and stations in the year ahead.”
“We are excited to help increase mobility and connectivity for the residents of West New York,” said West New York Mayor Felix Roque in the release.
Some locals criticized Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s decision to go with Hudson Bike Share in 2015 instead of CitiBikes. Jersey City and Manhattan use the latter, which meant users in Hoboken could only ride the bikes within that city and not in nearby cities. On its website, Hudson Bike Share pledged to have a few parking stations in other towns, but never made good.
The system has also had some technical problems in Hoboken, including users punching a code into a bike to rent it, only to eventually get an error message saying the bike isn’t working.
When asked about this for a recent Hoboken Reporter article, the company said they were working on the problems.
There are plans to expand the program even further in 2018, according to the release.

Thomas M. Venino recognized on Wall of Honor at Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center

Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center has posthumously honored Thomas M. Venino, Sr., Esq., during a special Wall of Honor dedication ceremony in the hospital’s main lobby.
Members of the Venino family, board members and team members all gathered together to pay tribute to Venino, described as as a well-loved and respected member of the Palisades family.
“Mr. Venino will now be perpetually memorialized as a member of the Wall of Honor for his extraordinary efforts in advancing the mission of Palisades Medical Center and his many contributions to foster exceptional medical care for all members of the community,” said Anthony J. Passannante Jr., M.D., FACC, acting president of Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center.
On Sept. 10, 1978, Venino and a group of committed volunteers from the North Hudson-South Bergen community helped fulfill a longstanding dream. What had once been North Hudson Hospital was relocated to a new home on the North Bergen waterfront – the site of the new Palisades Medical Center.
“Mr. Venino and the other founders did everything that needed to be done to ensure that the hospital’s doors were open to serve our community,” said Dr. Passannante. “He was instrumental in galvanizing public support, purchasing the land and providing input on needed services and programs.”
In the decades to follow, Tom and his late wife, Joan, served in many volunteer leadership roles for Palisades Medical Center and the Foundation – Tom as a member of the Board of Governors, serving as Chairman from 1978-81, and Joan as an officer and dedicated member of the Hospital Auxiliary. The Venino family’s dedicated service continues today as their son Thomas M. Venino, Jr., Esq., is a current member of the hospital’s Board of Governors.
Venino, a long-time resident of Weehawken, was an attorney and community leader. Generations of the Venino family are well-known for managing Venino & Venino, Esqs, a North Bergen law firm which was established in 1913. In addition to his volunteer efforts and philanthropic support of Palisades Medical Center, Mr. Venino also supported countless non-profit and charitable organizations in our area.

Watch out for PSE&G scams

Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) urges customers to be alert to payment scams. In the most common scam, phony callers lie and say there is an unpaid balance and demand immediate payment with a prepaid card. Recently the utility has received reports that scammers are using fake caller ID information to trick customers into thinking they are speaking with PSE&G.
The only way to protect yourself against scams is to be cautious.
“Just because the caller ID says it’s PSE&G, doesn’t mean it’s PSE&G,” said Greg Dunlap, PSE&G vice president of customer operations. “When in doubt, hang up and call the number listed on your bill or the PSE&G website.”
While PSE&G accepts credit cards, prepaid cards, and money transfers to pay bills, they never demand a specific type of payment or threaten immediate service termination. Before terminating service, PSE&G alerts customers in a number of ways: messages on their bill, letters, and phone calls.
Report all scam attempts by calling your utility and local police department and file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint.

Menendez calls for investigation into reversal of EPA chemical safety standards

Following a report by the New York Times that exposed the Trump administration’s efforts to revise the way the federal government evaluates the health and environmental risks of hazardous chemicals, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has called on the EPA Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins Jr. to immediately investigate alleged political interference in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
“I am writing to request that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of the Inspector General initiate an investigation into a recent New York Times report detailing political interference, suppression of science, and prioritization of industry recommendations over public health in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and throughout the agency at large,” Sen. Menendez’s letter said.
He asked for an investigation into the suppression of science relating to the public health impacts of toxic and dangerous chemicals; the use of “administratively determined” hiring practices, and the extent to which these practices are used to circumvent EPA’s ethics or conflict of interest standards; and deference to industry requests, rather than scientific and technical analysis, in the context of the agency’s rulemaking process.

Was politics behind funding cuts to Bayonne PAL?

Daniel Israel, Staff Writer
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Was politics behind funding cuts to Bayonne PAL?

The amount of federal funds that Bayonne receives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) has decreased in 2022.

This translated to funding cuts for the non-profits that utilize the funding, including the Bayonne Police Athletic League (PAL). Things came to a head at the September meeting of the Bayonne City Council, when PAL Executive Director “KT” Kim Torello took issue with the funding cuts.

Torello questioned why the council had not yet passed a resolution approving the allotment of the CDBG for the PAL. He had previously addressed the council in months prior about how the PAL desperately needs funds to stay open amid lawsuits.

“I was looking at the agenda tonight… and CR-8 through CR-15 is Community Development Block Grant money,” Torello said, referring to resolutions on the council’s September agenda. “We have an agreement with the city, I don’t see our name listed here for an allotment. Is there a reason why? The clock’s running.”

According to Torello, the PAL already has a confirmation letter from CDBG Program Monitor Ashley Lambert. As he was explaining his concern, City Council President Gary La Pelusa interjected that the public comment section of the meeting was not a question and answer period.

“If you want to come after the meeting, we can discuss that, but not right now,” La Pelusa said.

Torello replied “Alright,” before returning to explaining his point.

“The reason I bring this up is because I OPRA’d a bunch of things and I couldn’t find out the total amount that was given this year as compared to last year,” Torello said. “Mr. Coffey you have those figures, do you know the difference?”

Law Director Jay Coffey went to reply, but La Pelusa again reiterated that Torello should speak with the council privately after the meeting, presumably without the public and press present.

Torello said “Okay,” then continued to take issue with the CDBG funding for the PAL.

“We all agree that we provide a valuable service to the city and to the youth of Bayonne,” Torello said. “We all agree upon that. Obviously, I’ve seen your faces down there numerous times. Mr. Booker, you’ve been on the board. So I’m a little mystified here as I go through the figures that the PAL was cut the most money out of the 19 organizations that put in.”

CDBG funds cut for PAL

According to Torello, the PAL was on the losing end of the most funds out of all the non-profits that utilize CDBG funding. He alleged that this year’s allotment for the PAL was cut by a third.

“It was cut so severely, that if you add up all the rest that were cut, it’s a difference of $2,000,” Torello said.

Torello criticized City Councilman At-Large Loyad Booker, First Ward City Councilman Neil Caroll, and Mayor James Davis for allowing the funding cut.

“I think personally, and this is just me, that what we have going on here is, the respect of the mayor and how he feels about me, that’s entirely on him,” Torello said. “But there’s no justification to taking away one third of our money when we have the most children in the city. There’s another day care center that does a fantastic job, fantastic leadership, they got an increase of $6,000. They have 25 children, but it just so happens that the person is being backed to the school board by the mayor.”

Torello alleged this was retaliation against him and the PAL, considering he ran against Davis on former City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski’s council ticket during her mayoral campaign in the May municipal election.

“This is nothing more than political retribution,” Torello said. “And as you people sit up there, who have been my friends, that passed by you Mr. Booker. And you had the audacity to slice that knowing what we need there. What we go through there. The amount of people we help with feeding their children, bussing their children. Then you just let it go through like that. Mr. Carroll, same thing. You sponsor teams. That didn’t strike a nerve with you, seeing something like that? You didn’t pick that up right away?”

Carroll went to respond, but La Pelusa interjected again that the public comment was just that.

“This is not a question and answer period,” La Pelusa said. “Please come up afterwards because I’d like to talk to you about it.”

Regardless, Torello continued to try to drive home his point.

“I don’t see it on here,” Torello said. “I don’t know why the rest of them are on here and having figures. I don’t agree with them. I’d like to know how we come up with these kinds of numbers, money numbers versus children. They don’t match up. It’s not fair.”

Going over the actual numbers

Coffey then told Torello he would go over everything with him the day after the meeting with CDBG Executive Director Samantha Howard. Torello said he hadn’t spoken to her yet, as he normally deals with Lambert.

“Whatever’s necessary,” Torello said. “I just want some answers about this here. I find it odd that it’s not on here. I find it’s very strange. Maybe it’s just my nature. Nobody here will pick on these kids as long as I could breathe and stand here in front of you people. I’m very disappointed in you, very disappointed in you. You can smile all you want, but you are one of us. I expected more from you.”

After the meeting, Coffey told the Bayonne Community News that he and Torello spoke on the topic the next day, alongside Howard. Coffey said they explained to Torello how the overall federal funding was calculated via a formula, and that it had taken cut.

According to Coffey, that translated to the CDBG cuts for the PAL and other non-profits. He also noted that the resolution approving the PAL’s funds had been passed by the council in August.

In an interview with BCN, Howard described how the CDBG funding was affected in the city as it continues to improve economically. They better the city does, the less money it gets.

“This is a formula utilized by HUD,” Howard said. “They determine the need based on formulas within their office.”

Howard said that the number of funds has decreased by nearly $159,000. In 2022, the city was awarded approximately $1,374,343, down from approximately $1,511,913 in 2021.

“The city of Bayonne sustained $159,000 cut because things are going well in Bayonne,” Howard said.

Howard does not make the decision to make cuts, but rather as the coordinator for the program, she administers the funding on behalf of the city. The city administration ultimately decides how the money is dispersed after it receives it from HUD.

“There’s copious amounts of regulations, guidelines, oversight, compliance, and all that,” Howard said. “Need is important, they definitely want to see the demonstration of new providers in the community. When new providers come in, they have to be weighed and then all of those factors are put into what is referred to as an action plan.”

Funding decreased across the board

According to Howard, the CDBG Action Plan largely dictates how the city disperses the money.

“Typically, we start it way before we know the dollar amount we’re going to get,” Howard said. “It’s an anticipated dollar amount until we actually have our allocation amount. That dollar amount is given, and then when we do get the actual amount, there is a continuation of making sure that all the dollars are dealt out accordingly. That information has to be passed on and discussed in detail with the mayor. Then he makes necessary changes and adjustments accordingly.”

Many Bayonne non-profits, not just the PAL, were affected by the federal funding decrease.

“A lot of them did have decreases,” Howard said. “It depends on what’s going on in the community. A lot of things are trending now, mental illness is trending. It seems to be more pressing. Childcare seems to be more pressing. Basically what’s trending tends to get another dollar or whatever the case may be. But for the most part, agencies did receive a decrease.”

Howard confirmed the PAL was one of the non-profits that were hit with a decrease.

“Yes they did get a decrease,” Howard said. “Every five years we revisit how the city uses this funding. Every year, all these non-profits are being told that the City of Bayonne is demonstrating decreases. It used to be that we used to get a couple of million each year. That is no longer the case. To supplement and start doing some in-house grant writing like our organization has been doing has always been encouraged. But decreases are happening, drastically so.”

According to Howard, the decreases in the CDBG funding are expected to continue next year as the city grows in a positive direction.

“That is the sole premise of the formula,” Howard said. “It’s how is the city performing. And Bayonne demonstrates, based on the how they view this, they’re performing well. They’re performing well under those standards, therefore less is needed.”

Mayor defends CDBG funding for PAL

In response to Torello, Davis confirmed to BCN that the CDBG funds were awarded to the PAL via the council’s approval of the resolution authorizing it in August.

“Mr. Torello’s initial accusation at the September council meeting was that the Bayonne PAL had not been awarded any CDBG grant funds in connection with the PAL’s 2022 grant request because there was nothing on the Council’s agenda regarding the PAL,” Davis told BCN.

“In fact, as Mr. Torello learned the next day in a conversation with the CDBG Administrator and the City’s Law Director, the PAL had been awarded its CDBG grant at the Council’s August meeting. If Mr. Torello was so concerned about the grant funding, you’d think he would have made a call to the CDBG Administrator before showing up at a public meeting and making unsubstantiated allegations and political accusations. So, let’s be clear here: contrary to what Mr. Torello, the PAL’s Executive Director, said at the September meeting, the PAL’s grant had been approved the month before by the Municipal Council.”

Davis echoed Howard that the total CDBG funding for the city decreased in 2022 as the city improves economically.

“As to the amount that was ultimately granted to the PAL, the City of Bayonne’s overall CDBG Grant funding was reduced this year by a little over $159,000 because of Bayonne’s improved economic standing as an impoverished community,” Davis said. “This reduction resulted in less money being available to this year’s applicants.”

According to Davis, the PAL routinely requests $75,000 in CDBG grant funding each year. The PAL was awarded $25,000 in 2019, 2020 and 2021, but was awarded $16,650 in 2022 due to the reduced overall available funding. Davis added that in 2020, the PAL was awarded additional COVID-19 related funding in the amount of $15,000 and an additional sum of $6,214.28 in residual funds in 2021.

Davis said that the Community Development Office still has COVID-19 related funds available for 2022. He noted the PAL was made aware of this earlier this month and had not yet applied.

“On October 4, 2022, the Bayonne PAL was advised that these additional funds were available and could be funded upon request,” Davis said. “To date, no request for additional funding has been submitted by the Bayonne PAL to the Community Development Office.”

Davis calls ‘political retribution’ allegations ‘laughable’

In addition, Davis then directly addressed Torello’s claims of retaliation.

“I grew up in Bayonne and, like many people my age, I played basketball at the old PAL building on Avenue A,” Davis said. “That Mr. Torello would suggest that I would hurt the PAL because of a political gripe with him is laughable. There was nothing political about the reduction in grant funding. Nothing. The reduction in grant awards was across the board and other entities also had their grant awards reduced.”

Davis also reminded that he and Coffey had worked to ensure the PAL regained its non-profit status when it lost it, helped it out of debt, and secured its home at William Shemin Midtown Community School at 550 Avenue A.

“In fact, it should be noted that five or so years ago the Bayonne PAL was in dire financial straits because it had lost its 501(c)(3) charity designation, owed a tremendous amount of money to creditors and was being threatened with eviction by the Bayonne Board of Education,” Davis said.

“When this was brought to my attention, I got together with attorneys, accountants and other individuals in Bayonne, all of whom volunteered their time and energy, to resolve the PAL’s debt, restore its charitable organization status and ensure that the PAL still had a home. We worked tirelessly to get the PAL back on its feet and on firm financial footing. Jay Coffey and I were inducted into the PAL Hall of Fame in 2019 because of what we did, along with a whole lot of other equally deserving people, to help save the PAL. Trust me, we’re not in the PAL Hall of Fame because of our PAL basketball careers or athletic ability.”

In addition, Davis reiterated that there is other funding available for the PAL. He said they have to apply for the money, though.

“Grant funding doesn’t just show up at your door,” Davis said. “There is money out there for childcare, extending learning opportunities and positive youth development, but entities like the Bayonne PAL have to pursue these funding sources aggressively and should ensure that they are making applications to more than one source.”

Davis concluded by vocalizing his support for the PAL. He also noted the PAL was separate from the city and needed to be able to secure its own funding.

“The Bayonne PAL is a part of the fabric of Bayonne and is an integral part of our community,” Davis said. “I will do everything in my power to ensure that it remains a Bayonne staple, but the Bayonne PAL is a separate and distinct entity from the City of Bayonne and, given today’s financial climate, it must take the necessary steps to maximize the grant funding opportunities available to it.”

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.

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