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The new Bayonne City Council looks to the future

Daniel Israel, Staff Writer
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The new Bayonne City Council looks to the future

In the wake of the July 1 inauguration and ahead of their first council meeting on July 20, the members of Mayor James Davis’s council slate that now make up the new Bayonne City Council looked back on the election and forward to accomplishing much in their new terms in individual interviews with the Bayonne Community News.

While the 2022 non-partisan municipal election in Bayonne was largely a slug fest between the top two mayoral candidates including Davis and former City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski and yielded a low turnout, the incumbent mayor’s council slate played a pivotal role in helping push him over the finish line.

A powerhouse in the Third Ward becomes council president

Third Ward City Councilman Gary La Pelusa, who is now City Council President, was undeniably a political force to be reckoned with in this past election, and even those prior. In the Third Ward, he got 1,865 votes to Davis’ approximately 1,729 votes, including mail-in and provisional ballots, according to a tally of official election results. While the mayor typically gets more votes than the ward council candidates, that was not the case this time around, when La Pelusa got more votes than Davis.

La Pelusa recently reflected on his victory and looked forward to his upcoming term. While La Pelusa had been approached by both Davis and Ashe-Nadrowski to run on their respective tickets, he ultimately went with Team Davis, which one could argue helped shift the election in Davis’ favor.

“I think the fact that both of the main people running for mayor had asked me to be on their ticket, both sides knew that it would be important where I wound up,” La Pelusa said. “My decision to run on either a ticket or on my own would have made a big difference in the election.” 

La Pelusa had been on the council prior to the Davis Administration, but ran with Davis in 2014, 2018, and again in 2022. La Pelusa said he was happy that the Third Ward voted for him and the response he got while campaigning.

“My first two times I ran, I did everything on my own because I had no ticket to run on,” La Pelusa said, attributing his success to his hard work ethic. “Since then, that’s how I’ve been running my campaigns. I get out there and I talk to people. I knocked on every door in the Third Ward.”

City Council President Gary La Pelusa addresses the council at its June meeting. Photo by Daniel Israel.

Always more work to do, La Pelusa says

La Pelusa is proud of the accomplishments he has helped this administration achieve in Bayonne, but acknowledged there is still work ahead. While the world has been filled with “doom and gloom” lately, La Pelusa looks to make a difference locally by tackling quality of life issues in the city in this term.

“I’d like to do more quality of life things to make peoples’ lives better, at least in Bayonne,” La Pelusa said. “That’s something I can control and that’s something I plan on doing… We talked about possibly finding areas where we could create more parking. We could do a little more quality control for litter. And we need to keep up on our garbage contracts and be mindful of the people who live around us.”

Even more localized to the Third Ward, La Pelusa is excited about the future renovation of Russell Goulding Park and the surrounding area.

“We received a very large federal grant to fix Russell Goulding Park, which is by our gateway,” La Pelusa said. “We’d like to not only fix up that park and use the grant money so it won’t cost taxpayers anything. We want to fix up that gateway area too, so when people come in off the Turnpike, they see how nice Bayonne really is.”

Overall, La Pelusa is happy with the way everything turned out for him, having been elected as City Council President. And he is definitely excited for where the future may bring him, outside of the municipal chambers of the city council and possibly into the corner office in City Hall.

“I was very pleased by the response,” La Pelusa said. “People were asking me to run for mayor. Obviously it wasn’t in the cards. Maybe someday. But I think we’re on the right path. The city itself is growing, and there are some growing pains involved, but I think we’re going in the right direction.”

Councilmen Juan Perez and Neil Carroll also proved useful to Davis in the most recent municipal election. Photo by Daniel Israel.

First Ward councilman starts first full term

While La Pelusa was undeniably a key figure in Team Davis’ victory in the 2022 municipal election, another key player was First Ward City Councilman Neil Carroll III. Carroll got 1,851 votes in the First Ward, just shy of matching Davis’ approximately 1,909 votes.

“Regardless of the numbers, I’m humbled by those that would send me back to City Hall,” Carroll said. “Even though it was a low turnout, I appreciate the people that did come out. If I was able to play a key role in a very hard-fought campaign, then I’m very happy about that as well.” 

Carroll was first appointed to the council to replace then-City Council President Tom Cotter who was appointed as the Director of the Department of Public Works in 2018. He then had to run for re-election for his seat in a special election in 2019.  

“My only regret is that my grandfather was alive to see me appointed, but he was not alive to see me elected,” Carroll said of his grandfather Neil Carroll I, a major figure in Hudson County politics who passed away a month after Carroll was appointed to the council.

Looking forward, Carroll is hoping to put together formalized officer hours to increase communication with residents. 

“I’m hoping to team up with a couple of different businesses, restaurants, cafes, and establishments like that,” Carroll said. “As long as I have their permission, I’ll be there for so many hours and residents can come by and have a cup of coffee and tell me what’s going on.” 

Carroll concluded that he would continue to serve the council as he has been doing the past four years: “I’m going to continue to be my own voice. I’m proud of the record that stands to date, and I’m just hoping to continue that. I’m very honored to be sent back.” 

Second Ward City Councilwoman Jacqueline Weimmer is serving her first term on the city council. Photo courtesy of City Councilman At-Large Juan Perez.

Newcomer Weimmer takes charge of the Second Ward

In addition to Carroll and La Pelusa, Second Ward City Councilwoman-elect Jacqueline Weimmer also brought in her fair share of votes. Weimmer tallied 1,248 votes in the Second Ward, almost as much as Davis’ approximately 1,416 votes. While maybe not as notable as La Pelusa exceeding Davis and Carroll almost breaking even, Weimmer certainly brought in her fair share of votes as a newcomer on the slate.

“It was really a team effort,” Weimmer said. “Everybody was out there every day meeting the community, talking to as many people as we could. We had some challenges, it was difficult, but I think the effort was there.”

Weimmer looks forward to being the voice of the Second Ward. She is also the only woman on the council now.

“It was great to get the confidence of the people, because that’s what is important, especially as a newcomer,” Weimmer said. “In the past, I didn’t always feel like I had a voice. So I’m a firm believer that when you are a council representative, you are the voice of the people. Things that I think are important or that I would like to see happen have to come secondary to what the people want… I do think that being a woman perhaps will help me in doing things with a bit more care and caress, and finesse if you will. I think that’s what this community needs.”

Weimmer wants to meet with the community regularly, especially with senior citizens and other important groups: “The community feels like it needs to have a greater voice. So once the summer sort of comes to a close, then I’m going to reach out and have some community meetings to start talking to people again.”

Another important thing to Weimmer is redevelopment, to which she emphasized the need to keep that neighborhood feel: “We still want to be a community. Growth is not always a bad thing. If we do it with some consideration for where, and the community around it, and what’s going on, I think that is going to go a long way.” 

Highlighting garbage and other issues she seeks to tackle, Weimmer said she will always have her door open and will continue to give out her personal cell phone number: “I promise three things: I will always look, listen, and learn. I will always look for ways to make the community better, if you take the time to come and speak to me I will listen to your concerns, and then I hope that I’m intelligent enough to learn from those who have gone before me and to learn from the surrounding community to really ensure that everyone is living their best life.”

City Councilman At-Large Loyad Booker is the first Black council member in Bayonne history. Photo courtesy of City Councilman At-Large Juan Perez.

Booker becomes first Black council member 

What could be said about the ward council candidates could also apply to both City Councilman At-Large-elect and retired police officer Loyad Booker and City Councilman At-Large Juan Perez. Booker got 4,278 across the entire city. While he did not beat Davis’s 5,048, Booker did get 60 more votes than Ashe-Nadrowski’s 4,278 votes. Booker’s presence on Davis’ ticket was not only historic as he is now the first Black council member in Bayonne’s history, but Booker was also pivotal in securin the victory for Team Davis as a newcomer. Perez brought in 3,548 votes, a decent showing for the incumbent councilman which was enough to lead to his re-election. Both Booker and Perez beat out several other candidates for their seats on the council.

“I think it was a team effort,” Booker said of the election. “I’m not going to sit here and take any individual credit. I believe that it was probably due to the fact that most people have known me for my 25 year career as a police officer. I was very committed to what I was saying. I would not lend myself, my name, my time, or my reputation to something I didn’t believe in. I believe in Team Davis. I think I picked the right team and it showed… But I’m not going to say that my numbers didn’t help, I’m sure they did to some degree.” 

It is still somewhat surreal but starting to set in for Booker, who is ready to hit the ground running come the first council meeting.

“Considering the challenges and everything that’s going to go along with the position, I’m excited,” Booker said. “I look forward to serving the community, just leading, and trying to stay current with any situations as I’ve done as a police officer.”

Bridging the gap between law enforcement and the community

Booker said residents can look forward to the council working together cohesively over the next four years. 

“I’ve been saying teamwork makes the dream work,” Booker said. “You’ve heard that before, but I think from this council you’re really going to see a cohesive group of men and women who are going to work together and to a common goal. I think if we look out for the betterment of the city, I know it’s going to work.”

Booker takes redevelopment in the city seriously, and is familiarizing himself with ongoing things: “I’m reviewing all the projects that are in place and new things that are coming up. I know people are worried about developing stuff. I cannot lie, I just know things don’t stay the same forever. Things do change and it’s time to change. I’ve been here my entire life, so I think people have to open their arms a little bit and welcome the change.” 

On top of ensuring smart redevelopment, Booker hopes to bridge the gap between the police and the community.

“I just recently gave a Ted Talk about bridging the gap between law enforcement and communities,” Booker said. “I definitely believe that the city thrives when people feel safe in their own environment, and we can tackle all the other things without the worry.” 

Booker said other important issues at the top of his list involved quality of life and parks. 

“There a couple of parks that I’m really interested in looking at,” Booker said, noting residents had brought parks to attention that haven’t been renovated in years. “I want people to understand that things don’t happen overnight like with anything else, but when I make a statement, I try to stick by it.”

City Councilman At-Large Juan Perez is sworn in for a third term by State Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-31). Photo courtesy of Perez.

Perez rounds out Team Davis

On his contributions to Team Davis and whether he helped bring the slate over the finish line, Perez said the slate worked as a team. When discussing his re-election and how he felt returning to the council, he said he was “very happy.”

This is Perez’s third term on the council, having ran with Davis in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Looking ahead, Perez wants to create more jobs and address infrastructure issues.

“We’re trying to, right now, fix our sewage and clean our roads,” Perez said. “We have people paving out there. We want to improve our overall services. At this time we want to continue going forward.”

Perez echoed other council members that the election was a referendum whether or not residents liked the the direction the city is going in. He feels it shows most residents agree with the progress made in the city.

“The people like what they’re looking at and it’s going to continue,” Perez said. “There are going to be some people who are bitter and they don’t want the town to change. But you have to change. Remember what happened to the dinosaurs. And I’m not talking about overbuilding Bayonne because I like Bayonne for the community. It feels like a nice place, but we just want to do smart development for the city of Bayonne that can bring in revenues.” 

According to Perez, the city is going to continue to change in a positive way, with residential and commercial redevelopment that has been in the works finally coming to fruition at long-underutilized sites.

“An accomplishment I feel so good about is bringing the delivery service down at the Military Ocean Terminal. That’s going to be bringing close to 2,700 jobs for the people of Bayonne… Going forward, we’re trying to get senior citizen buildings built… I’m trying to look out for the seniors because I’m a senior myself. And I also want to look for kids because I’m a grandfather and I have kids too.” 

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.

SECAUCUS BRIEFS

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SECAUCUS BRIEFS

Shrek musical performers honored

As part of the “Showcase of Success” at the Secaucus Board of Education Meeting of May 11, the board recognized and honored the cast, crew, musicians, and staff members of the extremely well received musical performance of “Shrek” performed this past April 6, 7, and 8 in the Performing Arts Center.

Due to the number of students honored and the need for a stage for the cast to perform two musical selections from “Shrek,” the meeting was moved to the Huber Street School gymnasium.  The Showcase commenced with Interim Superintendent Kenneth Knops sharing that he had attended high school musicals since the time he was 6 because his father was a high school assistant principal.

Knops stated that the performance of “Shrek” was the finest high school musical production he had ever had the pleasure of viewing over the past half century.  He commended the crew, musicians, staff, and cast for their outstanding and memorable performance; stating that the same high energy and “feel good” atmosphere that prevailed in the Performing Arts Center on April 7 were present this evening as well. He then commended Director Maleesa Lamatina for the wonderful job she did in directing the performance.

Knops was followed by Secaucus Middle School Principal Robert Valente and High School Principal Dr. Robert Berckes, both of whom were effusive in their praise of the students who comprised the cast, crew, and musicians, and Director Lamatina.  Both principals commented on the tremendous amount of talent that was in the room that evening.

After the two principals had spoken, Director Maleesa Lamatina came up to the podium to enthusiastic applause from board members, administrators, cast and crew members, and parents.  In her heartfelt remarks, Mrs. Lamatina praised her young charges and shared with them how proud she was to be their director.

After thanking the board members, interim superintendent, principals, parents and staff; Lamatina shared with all those in attendance that the production of “Shrek” was entered into the Papermill Playhouse’s Rising Star Awards. 

The program is essentially like the Tony Awards for high schools across New Jersey, and each year over 90 schools participate.

Four anonymous judges attended the show, scored everything from lighting to costumes to performers, and they provided critiques and feedback. The overall production score was very respectable, and “Shrek” displayed improvement from last year’s well received production, as it received a higher rating. In addition, student musician Drew Fournier received an official nomination from the Rising Star Awards.

After Director Lamatina’s inspiring words, the cast of “Shrek” took to the stage and performed rousing performances of the final two musical selections from “Shrek,” the songs “Finale” and “I’m a Believer,” to the delight of all in attendance.

After the performance, each crew member, musician, cast member, and staff member were presented Certificates of Commendation by Board of Education President Jack McStowe.  During comments by board members at the conclusion of the meeting, the cast, crew, musicians, and staff of “Shrek” were lauded for their talent and outstanding performances by each board member.

Secaucus kids learn about letter ‘U’

Students in Mrs. Manal Abuhouran’s kindergarten class at Clarendon Elementary School celebrated the Letter “U” Week by bringing in unique umbrellas. Students learned that an umbrella is a collapsible canopy to protect people from the sun and rain. When used for sun protection it is also called a parasol.

Mrs. Abuhouran facilitated a discussion during whole group time about umbrella descriptions such as patterns, colors, sizes, and styles. The students sang songs such as “I’m Singing in the Rain,” danced with a partner, and drew pictures of umbrellas using paint. As a culmination to the mini–lesson the whole class was able to fit underneath an umbrella that one of the kindergarten students bought in.

First graders celebrate ‘Mother’s Day’

In celebration of Mother’s Day, students in Mrs. Kristen Knapp’s first grade class at Clarendon Elementary School treated their mothers through giving them special gifts. During science class, the students learned about the life cycle of a plant. Students learned about the parts of a plant and danced along to a song titled “Flower, Leaves, Stem and Roots” (similar to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes). Finally, the students planted their own garden. They enjoyed watering and measuring their plants every day and recording observations in their plant journals. As a culminating activity, the students created a heartfelt, hand-made terracotta pot to brighten their Mother’s Day. The students are excited to bring home their flowers and terracotta pot to show their love and appreciation for their Mothers.

Assembly speaker says he may have been wrong in supporting legal notices bill

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto recently said that his sponsorship of a bill to cut down legal notices in newspapers in December may have been a mistake.
Some scratched their heads when the Democrat backed an effort by Gov. Chris Christie to change state law so that numerous types of government and other legal notices — such as those letting neighbors know before a public hearing on a new project — did not have to appear in newspapers. In fact, not all of those ads are funded by taxpayers, and many are actually funded by developers and attorneys who pay the town back for placing them.

Yet, the Republicans floated numbers claiming governments were paying $80 million annually to newspapers.

Because many newspapers receive a considerable amount of revenue from legal ads, and many outlets had critical coverage of Gov. Chris Christie’s “Bridgegate” scandal last year, some observers referred to the matter as Christie’s “Newspaper Revenge Bill,” designed in their eyes to take away revenues from the state’s already dwindling newspapers.

The measure was up for a vote at one of the last legislative sessions of last year, along with one that would have allowed Christie to sell his memoir while in office.

While Prieto and others supported the measure and said the tens of millions were too high, their offices received phone calls, as well as more accurate numbers from the New Jersey Press Association.

The measure failed at the last minute.

The New Jersey Press Association’s data showed that from the state’s more than 550 municipalities, taxpayers only funded $7.3 million in legal ads, which came out to an average of less than $15,000 per town. When asked individually, the town of Secaucus, which Prieto represents, said it spent about $100,000 to publish the notices last year.

Speaking at a fundraiser for the Team Guttenberg slate in West New York last month, Prieto said of his support for the bill in December, “Since then, the Press Association has gotten engaged, and has actually come back to us. They gave us some numbers now that are not what we were being told. So I guess we’re looking at it, and I am working with the Press Association to see what we should be doing, and working collaboratively together.”

The Press Association said they could work out compromises if such an issue arose again.

If it did, it “would be something of a different bill than what you would’ve seen in December,” Prieto said. “I haven’t seen all the numbers yet. We’re not trying to hurt that industry; we just wanted to find cost-savings. So we will work together to get it right.”

In January, the state Republicans fired off a Tweet saying, “Legislature should be offended they were lied to by newspaper publishers. Time to end the mandated printing of taxpayer-funded legal notices.” But when the Reporter Tweeted back to ask whether the GOP was including government ads reimbursed by private developers and attorneys, the GOP failed to respond.

Hudson County CASA is seeking volunteers

Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes. The next information session will be at Little City Books at 100 Bloomfield St., Hoboken, on Wednesday, May 24 at 7 p.m.

Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives.

They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s well-being. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures.

For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org

NJSEA announces 2017 Pontoon Boat Cruise and Canoe Trips

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority’s (NJSEA) 2017 guided pontoon boat and canoe tours of the Hackensack River are set to launch on Tuesday, June 6, and run through Tuesday, Sept. 26.

The season includes 37 trips that provide visitors an opportunity to see the Meadowlands up-close while learning about the storied history of the river and the area’s remarkable environmental renaissance over the past few decades.

“Our pontoon boat and canoe tours are a spectacular way to experience and gain a new appreciation for the amazing natural beauty and wildlife in the Meadowlands,” said Wayne Hasenbalg, President and CEO of the NJSEA.

“Those who have glimpsed the Meadowlands only from surrounding highways or the window of a commuter train are truly in for a treat.

“The leisurely, two-hour boat tours and three-hour canoe outings reveal an entirely new perspective of the region that includes acres of preserved wetlands and a thriving ecosystem, all framed by a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline.

An NJSEA guide will narrate the tours, point out wildlife and discuss the Meadowlands’ natural and man-made history along the way. More than 285 bird species have been documented in the Meadowlands, including 34 on New Jersey’s threatened, endangered and species of special concern lists.

Canoe excursions focus on the river’s wetlands, taking participants on a journey through a diverse array of vegetation and wildlife. Paddlers learn the basics of salt marsh ecology and enjoy the magnificent scenery while rowing down creeks.

Registration sheets are also available at the NJSEA administrative offices and the Meadowlands Environment Center, both located in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. 

2021 in Bayonne: The Year in Review

Daniel Israel, Staff Writer
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2021 in Bayonne: The Year in Review

If 2020 was the year of the COVID-19 virus in Bayonne, then 2021 was the year of the vaccine.

The city honed in on vaccinations from the start of the year. Meanwhile, the city’s redevelopment boom continued unabated by the pandemic. And most prominently, the virus did not prevent local politics from dominating the talk of the town.

COVID-19

At the start of 2021, the city was distributing its first vaccines at Bayonne Medical Center. The focus of the initial vaccination efforts focused on health care workers and hospital staff, emergency personnel and first responders, and high-risk populations such as seniors in housing authority buildings.

February marked the one year anniversary of COVID-19’s entrance into Bayonne, when a Royal Carribbean cruise ship docked in the city carrying passengers thought to be sick with the virus. While no one tested positive, the scare pushed Bayonne to begin preparing for when the virus actually showed up at its doorstep.

As the months went on, eligibility slowly expanded. In May, the city began vaccinating those age 12 and up. And by November, those 5 and up could get the jab. Coinciding with the expansion in eligibility in the fall, the city began administering booster shots to eligible residents.

Hospital executives, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff across the county repeatedly confirmed the validity of the vaccine, the lack of serious side effects, and its effectiveness across variants.

Medical personnel at Bayonne Medical Center got the vaccine first.

The main municipal point of distribution for vaccines was at the Bayonne Community Museum, but quickly shifted to the ice rink by April in preparation to vaccinate the general public. Meanwhile the museum continued to serve intermittently as a testing site.

Cases were decreasing at the start of the year from the holiday surge experience at the end of 2020, at around less than 400 active cases as of Feb. 11. A “twin-demic” was avoided, as that flu season had not been that bad. By the end of the month, cases had dropped to below 200. By March, cases were down to 130.

Throughout the spring and summer, cases continued to fall and remained low. That is until the virus began to spike in late July and early August. However, cases didn’t climb back over 100 until December, and continued to rise through the end of the year.

By the time 2021 had ended, a total 133 residents have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. There were still over 222 active cases and hospitalizations were rising to 19.

Politics

The year was dominated by politics practically from the start.

In March, Mayor James Davis made waves with his ousting of Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti from the county ballot line. Davis announced he no longer supported Chiaravalloti without giving a reason, opting to instead support crane operator William Sampson for the role. At first, Chiaravalloti was not going out without a fight. However, he eventually ended his reelection bid after the Hudson County Democratic Organization backed Davis’s decision.

Then, campaign season started early in May, with the rumor that Davis was allegedly looking to replace City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski and Second Ward City Councilman Sal Gullace on his ticket in the May 2022 municipal election. Meanwhile, rumors that Ashe-Nadrowski would challenge Davis in that election also began to solidify.

Mayor James Davis and City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski speak at the renaming of Edith Ferrell Way. Photo by Daniel Israel

In the interim, $500,000 secured by Chiaravalloti to complete a portion of the waterfront walkway on Newark Bay was removed from the state budget, allegedly as retaliation from the state against Davis. Less than a week later, the county announced it would provide the city with the necessary funds to complete the project.

Davis was challenged by a former city councilwoman Mary Jane Desmond for the chair position of the local Democratic committee, but he ultimately secured reelection. Davis continued under fire, with an attack ad campaign launched against him in September, dubbing him “Dirty Davis,” to which his spokesperson said it was an “out-of-towner led plot.”

Sampson sailed to victory in November, making the 31st Legislative District represented by a trio of African-American lawmakers for the first time. In December, Ashe-Nadrowski officially announced she was running for mayor, to which Davis also confirmed he would be seeking a third term. The race was now on.

City council busy amid the pandemic

The Bayonne City Council had a busy year amid COVID-19. The council returned to in-person meetings in May after operating remotely for the year, keeping the virtual option with TetherView available until the end of the year. The council adopted a $150 million budget in 2021.

The city received $39.2 million in American Rescue Plan funds from the federal government. So far, the city has spent a few million of the funds on small business grants, payroll for public health workers, public health expenses, stormwater management, and the hiring of police officers and firefighters.

Later the council decided to form a committee to oversee the funds after discussion of how CARES Act funding was spent. However, that committee was met with resistance from City Hall.

The council approved a number of payments-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreements. And although discussion about the length continued repeatedly throughout the year, the council did not act to further limit the length of the agreements to 15 years.

The City Council met in person starting in May. Photo by Daniel Israel

The council also now has all PILOTs reviewed by outside financial advisors to ensure they benefit the city. Some PILOTS adopted included amending the PILOT for the Plattykill Manor Apartments, and a PILOT for the first high-rise at MOTBY.

The council approved an ordinance permitting recreational cannabis establishments, particularly two cannabis retailers and one grower and one processor. The council also awarded the animal control contract to the NJ Humane Society, opting not to remain with the Liberty Humane Society.

The city continued to deal with a garbage issue that predated COVID-19 but became inflamed by medical waste being improperly discarded during the pandemic and the new garbage collection contractor. This was in part helped by the annual Earth Day clean up across the city and a “clean sweeps” initiative by First Ward City Councilman Neil Carroll.

The city’s current water contract with Suez was also a common topic of discussion at council meetings, with many residents citing high water bills. The council approved a contract with A + L Disposal, an alleged political donor, however the city claimed the gift was returned.

The hospital saga at a standstill

The fight over Bayonne Medical Center was also front and center before the city council in 2021.

At the end of 2019, CarePoint announced the sale of its three Hudson County hospitals, including Bayonne Medical Center. Throughout the year, it became a never-ending saga.

As CarePoint Health dissolves and liquidates its assets, including Bayonne Medical Center, Hudson Regional Hospital has purchased the real estate of the hospital. Meanwhile, CarePoint has reached an agreement with BMC Hospital LLC to operate the hospital.

However, Hudson Regional Hospital wants to operate the hospital, not BMC Hospital LLC, sparking a war between the entities.

CarePoint and Hudson Regional Hospital continue to butt heads, with Hudson Regional Hospital starting off 2021 by terminating its lease agreement with CarePoint. The entities were further entangled in a number of lawsuits, and by April the fight had made its way to the Bayonne City Council.

The battle over Bayonne Medical Center continued throughout the year. Photo by Daniel Israel

The council introduced held a public hearing on two ordinances that would condemn the property of Bayonne Medical Center through eminent domain and allow BMC Hospital, LLC, CarePoint’s chosen successor which currently operates the hospital, to also own the land. However, the council has continuously postponed a vote pending approval of the state Local Finance Board, which has said it is waiting on the city and county. Regardless, the ordinances appear doomed to fail due to the opposition by Ashe-Nadrowski and the abstention of Gullace due to a conflict of interest since he sits on the hospital board.

In the midst of the battle, CarePoint announced it would be transitioning to a nonprofit, with its three hospitals will continue to operate in their current form and will be controlled by the new nonprofit organization, a spokesperson told the Bayonne Community News when asked if the hospitals were still up for sale. The move effectively brought the eminent domain process to a standstill, but the council still opts to postpone it monthly.

A public hearing before a state entity finally manifested in the form of a New Jersey Department of Health meeting in December. However, nothing has moved forward since and everything still remains per status quo.

With CarePoint and BMC Hospital, LLC on one side, and Hudson Regional Hospital on the other, sparring between the entities is bound to continue into 2022.

School district copes with COVID-19

The school district started the year off under virtual instruction, opting not to shift to hybrid or fully in-person instruction for the rest of the 2020-2021 school year after the winter break. In the meantime, the district was prepping for an eventual return to the classrooms. Meanwhile, some parents called for a return to in-person learning. By March, the district announced it would shift to hybrid instruction in May.

In May, students returned to classrooms under that hybrid model. While there were plans to return to a full in-person instruction model, COVID-19 did not allow for it. Graduation was again held twice, both in person and remotely. Students returned fully in-person in September and maintained that through the end of the year.

The Board of Education adopted a $154 million budget in 2021 and approved a new contract with educators. The district also received almost $10 million to construct a new technical education facility at the high school.

Students returned to school in person in May of 2021, for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.

The board approved the renewal of Superintendent of Schools John Niesz’s contract for an additional five years. The board also approved a new position, the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education, and named Jennifer Vecchiarelli to role. Additionally, the board created its own Office of Emergency Management, appointing former Deputy Police Chief Walter Rogers as the emergency response and crisis coordinator.

Dwayne Williams was named head football coach at Bayonne High School. After a 4-5 season, his contract was not renewed for unclear reasons according to his attorney, although it likely has to do with a brawl between Bayonne High School and Barringer High School after the last game of the season.

The first Black elected trustee to the Board of Education, David Watson was sworn in at the start of the year. However, by November, he resigned because he had to move for family reasons.

Trustee Ava Finnerty passed away. Her seat was filled by parent Melissa Godesky-Rodriguez. Godesky-Rodriguez was reelected on a “Together We Can” slate alongside Trustees Jodi Casais and Pamela Sclafene.

Three seats on the board were up for election in November, with a crowded race which resulted in the incumbents on the “Together We Can” slate sweeping. For the election, the city held early voting for the first time in history.

Redevelopment booms unabated

The Bayonne Planning Board and Bayonne City Council have been busy in 2021, approving a multitude of new projects. This includes: an eight-story mixed-use residential building with 126 units at the corner of East 12th Street and Broadway; a UPS distribution center at the former Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne (MOTBY); various commercial uses were permitted as part of an adaptive reuse of the former Frank Theatres; an adaptive reuse of the former Mt. Carmel School which will be transformed into a residential building with 31 units; a seven-story multi-family residential building at 1207-1211 Kennedy Boulevard with 42 units; the Bayview project consisting of two eight-story buildings and one twelve story building with 797 units and plans for an additional 12 story tower; a rail-serviced construction supply hub; and a six-story residential building with 40 units at 196-200 Avenue E.

Redevelopment plans were approved for the site of the DaNoi restaurant, Resnick’s Phase Two, the Rite Aid on Broadway, PDQ Plastics and Atlantic Cement at 7 and 9 Hook Road respectively, and the shuttered Delta gas station at 218-222 Broadway, among others.

A rendering of what the center of the Bayview project will look like when completed.

A redevelopment plan for the Caschem site was approved, despite redeveloper objections to height limitations on part of the site. The plan was withdrawn before the city council as the redeveloper sought to submit an alternate redevelopment plan. When the original redevelopment plan was approved, the Gamal Group had claimed that its neighbor, Togus Urban Renewal, owner of the Texaco site seeking to construct a film studio, had not communicated its site plans for the site with them and that the height limitation was put in at Togus’s request. Meanwhile, resident Robert Archibald has filed a lawsuit to have a public hearing for the original Caschem redevelopment plan prior to the council taking any action on the new Gamal Group East redevelopment plan.

The renovations to the former Holy Family Academy to open a new Head Start location at the school continued, eventually coming to a standstill after the bids kept coming in too high from contractors to complete the upgrades. Finally, the council received a worthy bid, awarding the contract to Billy Contracting and Restoration for over $2 million. The BEOF also unveiled the new name and logo of the school at Holy Family, while it seeks further federal funds to complete the rest of the renovations. The planning board also approved plans for the district to reuse the closed St. Andrew’s School as a school.

However, one former Catholic school was not as lucky. The former Marist High School is being eyed by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority as part of a project to construct a new Newark Bay Bridge. It is unclear how this will affect the current redevelopment plan for the property, which was approved by the Bayonne Planning Board in December and offers residential and industrial options. The re-developer assigned to the property, Peninsula Court, LLC, a subsidiary of the Alessi Organization, has not yet submitted final site plans for the board. Prior to the reassignment of the re-developer, the city in conjunction with the school district was looking to purchase the property for educational uses.

Other redevelopment continues across Bayonne, including the implosion of military buildings at MOTBY, the planned construction of a ferry terminal, ongoing library renovations, and other construction slated. Additionally, the Building Department moved out of City Hall, and into one of the parcels of the former Frank Theatres to better serve the public.

Co-founder of Black in Bayonne Camille High led the “Power in the City” parade down Avenue C. Photo by Daniel Israel

Activism prominent in the peninsula

Black in Bayonne, founded in 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd, kicked off the year celebrating Black History Month, emphasizing its importance all year long. Meanwhile, the Bayonne Branch of the NAACP regained local prominence with new President Donald Byrd at the helm. The local organization’s various committees working with the city on various issues.

Co-founder of Black in Bayonne Camille High held an annual vigil for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in April. Following the guilty verdict of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, Black in Bayonne’s Clarice High said there was still work to be done.

The group helped get out the vote to people of color ahead of the June primaries, as the city hired its first Black women police officers. For Juneteenth, Black in Bayonne held a march for the second year in a row, this year expanding from a flag raising to a parade down Avenue C to City Hall known as “Power in the City.”

The Bayonne Interfaith Clergy Association in conjunction with the NAACP Health Committee held a series of mental health events in 16th Street Park and online. In July, Black in Bayonne called for a better police response to mental health and substance abuse crises following a recent fatal officer-involved shooting in Bayonne.

The group closed out the year with holiday festivities meant to support the culture including giving away meals for Thanksgiving, hosting a Black Business Crawl for Black Friday, a toy giveaway throughout December, and an opportunity for children to take pictures with a Black Santa.

Lawsuits, legal letters, and food distribution

Business Administrator Melissa Mathews filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the city and a number of Bayonne officials in April, alleging a toxic culture at City Hall. However, in August, a Hudson County Superior Court judge dismissed three main defendants from the lawsuit, including former Assistant Business Administrator Mark Bonamo, former Municipal Services Director Tim Boyle, and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Eduardo Ferrante. Mathews has filed an amended suit seeking to reinstate them.

From left to right: City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski, Business Administrator Melissa Mathews, and Law Director Jay Coffey. Photo by Daniel Israel

Boyle later resigned following an incident in which he allegedly illegally recorded a conversation he was not part of, which involved Mathews. The council appointed Gary Chmielewski to fill the position left empty by Boyle.

An appellate court panel also reinstated the “sexting” lawsuit filed by former deputy register Stacie Percella in 2018. And in December, a judge ruled that Davis alongside other Bayonne officials can be deposed in the case.

A Bayonne police officer has filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation after being accused of reporting a superior’s drinking and driving. While the officer has denied filing the report, he allegedly still faced pushback as if he did.

Bayonne Food Bank funding is in limbo, pending a letter of no conflict of interest for co-founder Melissa Mathews from the city of Bayonne Law Department. However, a rift became evident between Law Director Jay Coffey and Business Administrator Melissa Mathews.

By July, it was announced the matter had been handed off to outside counsel. While no movement had occurred for some months, the matter is being handled “administratively,” officials said in December.

Meanwhile, in August, Hunger Free Unity in the Community asked the city for help in finding a permanent location to distribute food from in Bayonne. By November, the council was exploring a few options, however, there had been no solid leads.

Hurricane Ida, stormwater management, park upgrades, and street renaming

The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped more than nine inches of rain on Bayonne on the night of Sept. 1, causing numerous floods across the city. By Sept. 7, FEMA teams had surveyed Bayonne with canvass teams arriving on Sept. 15 to help residents eligible for federal assistance.

Cars were strewn about, left abandoned following flooding by Hurricane Ida. Photo by Victor M. Rodriguez

In August, the city council passed a resolution asking for federal help in financing its Long Term Control Plan to address combined sewer overflows (CSOs). City officials say the city is working on a number of stormwater projects, including one at Cottage Street and Hobart Avenue, to continue to address the flooding problem in Bayonne.

The over $3 million renovations to Fitzpatrick Park including playground and stormwater management upgrades continued, finishing and reopening in early December. The final touches were installed to the park and the park was completely open by Christmas Eve. The city saved the bells of the now-demolished St. Joseph’s Syriac Catholic Cathedral back in 2020, with the intention of incorporating them into the new East 25th Street pedestrian bridge. Instead, the city will now construct a bell and clock tower in Fitzpatrick Park using the recovered bells. Meanwhile Collins Park is under construction, as well as Morris Park and 28th Street Park among others.

Streets were renamed after prominent locals Rev. H. Gene Sykes, Edith Ferrell, and Jack Graham. A street near 16th Street Park was renamed after the late Det. Joseph Seals, as well as a memorial bench dedicated in his honor.

Miscellaneous facts from 2021

The year started off with two incidents of racism. The first was when a Black woman filmed herself being the subject of racial slurs. In March, another video went viral showing a woman hurling racial slurs at a person of color. Both women from the viral videos were later charged with bias intimidation.

The wind turbine is still broken. The city is still negotiating with the manufacturer to fix it.

The CMA CGM Marco Polo sails under the Bayonne Bridge.

Cruises by Royal Carribbean, which had ceased since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, began work to resume operations over the summer, and cruises set sail again in September. And in November, it amended its agreement with Royal Carribbean to mandate all passenegers age 12 and up need to be vaccinated to board a cruise. And speaking of ships, the biggest cargo vessel to ever dock on the East Coast, the CMA CGM Marco Polo, passed under the Bayonne Bridge in May.

While it was announced in late April that the annual Memorial Day Parade in the city would not be held due to the state of the committee and its veterans. Then the city stepped in to take over, with a new committee appointed by the mayor set to organize the parade again in 2022. Veterans were honored throughout the year, including the unveiling of a statue of war hero Stephen Gregg in the Bayonne county park that bears his name.

Mayor James Davis helped police catch a robber who allegedly dragged a woman from their vehicle. And TEDx Talks are coming to Bayonne.

Remembering the past and moving forward

While Bayonne has paid a toll due to COVID-19, the city continues to charge forward. However, it will not forgot those it lost in 2021, such as Zoning Board Chairman Mark Urban passed away after a battle with cancer, or Maria Ambrocio, the Bayonne nurse who died after she was assaulted in Times Square.

As the city continues to strive towards normalcy in 2022, the challenges of 2021 will not be forgotten, as many are still present and growing worse.

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. 

JERSEY CITY BRIEFS

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JERSEY CITY BRIEFS

Liberty State Park marina plan is dead in the water

A marina proposed for the south side of Liberty State Park has been rejected by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) after months of protests by park advocates.
This is third victory for park preservationists in two years.
The DEP, which oversees the state park on the eastern side of Jersey City, will however grant Suntex Marinas – which was to develop the southern marina – an additional 10 acres at the north end of the park where the company already maintains a marina.
Earlier in May, the DEP also rejected a proposed expansion of the Liberty Golf Course into a jetty near the south end of the park, prompting a significant outcry from park supporters as well as environmentalists over the possible encroachment into wetlands and wild species habitat located there.
Two years ago, Friends of Liberty State Park along with local public officials and others stopped a massive development plan proposed for the park, including the construction of a possible casino.
All three of these plans were proposed with the backing of then Gov. Christopher Christie. Advocates for the park credit the change of administration and the support of current Gov. Phil Murphy for the rejection of the latest plans.
Sam Pesin, president of The Friends of Liberty State Park was elated.
“This great news marks a major turning point in LSP history with hopefully a long, positive era initiated by Governor Murphy and his excellent DEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe and Assistant Commissioner Ray Bukowski,” Pesin said. “The Friends of LSP and our advocacy co-leader Greg Remaud, head of the NY/NJ Baykeeper, thank the hundreds of park supporters who once again stood up for our urban state park, and expressed special thanks to Mayor Steven Fulop and the Hudson County legislative delegation.”
“The decision not to pursue the Suntex Marina term sheet pushed through during the previous administration demonstrates that Governor Murphy and NJDEP Commissioner McCabe are strong stewards of the public trust, even in the face of influential special interests, said Greg Remaud, the NY/NJ Baykeeper. “Liberty State Park is back in good hands.”

Pulaski Skyway will be closed this weekend

In anticipation of switching all traffic onto southbound lanes, the NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has announced that all lanes on the Pulaski Skyway will be closed for the upcoming June 1-to-3 weekend. This traffic shift is a necessary step to reopening northbound lanes this summer.
NJDOT officials announced that southbound traffic on the Pulaski Skyway is scheduled to be shifted from the northbound lanes back onto the newly-completed southbound lanes on Monday, in advance of reopening to two-way traffic this summer as the redecking portion of the $1 billion rehabilitation project nears completion.
In order to implement the traffic shift, a full closure of the Skyway is necessary this weekend.
To avoid delays, NJDOT is encouraging motorists to use the NJ Turnpike-Hudson County Extension to all destinations west and south, including I-78, or to I-280/Route 7 and Route 1&9 Truck southbound.
Beginning at 11 p.m., Friday, June 1 until 5 a.m. Monday, June 4, NJDOT’s contractor, CCA Civil Inc.- Daidone Joint Venture, is scheduled to close the Pulaski Skyway southbound at the off ramp to I-280/Route 7 and Route 1&9 southbound to remove construction barriers and restripe the roadway in order to shift southbound traffic back onto the completed southbound lanes by Monday morning.
Before northbound traffic can be restored, the temporary guiderail separating northbound and southbound lanes will be removed and minor paving will be completed. In addition, the median barrier will be installed on a portion of the east end of the Skyway. Once this work is completed over the next several weeks, the northbound lanes will be reopened.
Heavy congestion and delays are expected in Tonnelle Circle this weekend during the full closure. The work is being coordinated with adjacent projects. The Pulaski Skyway Contract 2 project that is rehabilitating Route 139 upper and lower levels will be working, however traffic will be maintained westbound on the lower level this weekend.
NJDOT created a project-specific website – www.pulaskiskyway.com – which contains a wealth of information about the Skyway and the project and will be updated with relevant new information as work progresses. The department is carefully coordinating the Pulaski Skyway project with other regional transportation infrastructure projects to minimize traffic congestion.
The Department has a project hotline telephone number, (973) 776-7400, and email, Pulaski.Skyway@dot.nj.gov.
Anyone who has questions, concerns, or suggestions is encouraged to contact the Project Outreach Team as work progresses.
NJDOT will be using Variable Message Signs to provide advance notification to motorists of traffic pattern changes associated with the work. Follow the information on Twitter @Skywayrehab and visit www.511nj.org for travel advisories.

Natasha Deckmann named CEO of CarePoint

CarePoint Health has announced the appointment of Natasha Deckmann, M.D., as chief executive officer of the health care system, which includes three area hospitals, Bayonne Medical Center, Christ Hospital in Jersey City, and Hoboken University Medical Center.
Deckmann has held leadership positions for the past several years at Optum, a leading health services and innovation company. Her tenure included serving as the head of Population Health Solutions at Optum Health, managing $2 billion in revenue and driving innovative solutions to population health challenges.
“We are pleased to introduce Dr. Deckmann as the new CEO of CarePoint Health and know the depth of her experience and leadership that she brings to our three hospitals and, especially, our patients,” said Jeffrey Mandler, an owner and board member of CarePoint Health. “Dr. Deckmann is a strategic leader with a proven track record of delivering results, and her experience in managing people across diverse cultures and geographies offers the type of insight and knowledge to lead the delivery of health care to our communities.
“Dr. Deckmann will unify and lead the hospital system into its next phase of service to the community,” added Mandler.
Dr. Deckmann also previously served as chief operating officer of Consumer Solutions Group (CSG) at Optum Health. She also held a number of senior leadership roles at Marsh Inc., including chief operating officer of the International Division, and led strategic consulting engagements for clients across the entire health care industry, including the U.S. government, for Oliver Wyman. Dr. Deckmann also worked with the Health Care Initiatives group at General Motors Corporation. She has expertise in population health management, benefit management, care management, M&A, product development and management, portfolio management, strategy, operations and change management.
“I am eager to be joining the CarePoint Health family which continues to be a leader in delivering quality care and health care innovation,” said Dr. Deckmann. “My mission will be to continue to elevate the level of care while working closely with the diverse Hudson County community to ensure we are reaching all individuals.”
Dr. Deckmann earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Michigan, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Doctorate of Medicine from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

JCTC to honor Hudson County Cultural Affairs director

Jersey City Theater Center’s (JCTC) 12-Year Anniversary Celebration ‘celebrates’ not only the Jersey City nonprofit arts organization reaching the dozen-year mark, but the combination of arts, community and diversity for which JCTC is known.
The JCTC board of directors has created a Lifetime Achievement in Arts and Culture Award, which will be officially bestowed at the celebration. This annual award acknowledges individuals instrumental in helping the arts flourish so they can have a positive social and economic impact on communities. The first recipient of this honor will be Bill LaRosa, the former director of the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, who retired last September.
“Bill LaRosa always saw the arts as a means to unite the community,” said Olga Levina, artistic director of JCTC. “The real magic in theater and the arts comes from listening, and with kindness and intelligence, Bill truly listened to artists and organizations. As director of the Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs, he always came from a place of love for the arts and respect for artists, giving them the attention they deserve. Bill knew and loved his community and truly embraced the arts in Hudson County. No arts organization can stand alone, and he has been a crucial supporter of JCTC from our very beginning. It is an honor for JCTC to give our first lifetime achievement award to someone who truly made a difference for the arts in Hudson County and New Jersey.”
All proceeds from the fundraising event go towards supporting JCTC’s 2018/2019 season, which the nonprofit arts organization’s hopes will be most ambitious period of programming yet. Beginning in September, JCTC will provide a robust schedule of theatre, dance and other performances as well as readings and visual art events. JCTC has also expanded its youth and family programming with new shows and classes for children and teens. Attendees to the celebration will be the first to find out the details of what JCTC has in store for its upcoming season.
JCTC’s birthday party is the first soiree of the summer of 2018, bringing together leaders and other professionals from the worlds of art, business and politics. The celebration will be held at White Eagle Hall on June 26 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. and includes open bar, hot & cold hors d’oeuvres and live jazz from The Hudson Banks Trio.
The event tickets are $100.To purchase tickets visit www.JCTCenter.org.
White Eagle Hall is located at 335-337 Newark Ave. in Jersey City. For JCTC information, call (201) 795-5386.

5th Annual Jersey City 4th of July Festival will be at Exchange Place Plaza

Mayor Steven M. Fulop has announced the expansion of the Jersey City 4th of July Festival at its new permanent location, the Exchange Place Plaza. The free all-day festival will take place along the Hudson River waterfront from 1 to 10 p.m. and will include kid’s entertainment, a smorgasbord of food, carnival rides, multiple beer gardens, live performances by award-winning musicians, and a grand finale fireworks show on the Hudson River. Last year, the event drew over 100,000 spectators from throughout the city and region.
“In 2013 we brought back Jersey City’s 4th of July event because we believed in bringing our families, friends, and neighbors together to celebrate Independence Day, while showing off all that our city has to offer,” said Mayor Fulop. “This year will be the fifth year of this incredible event, and each year we strive for more attractions, bigger crowds, and larger acts. I am confident that this year will be the best yet, and I look forward to a fun-filled day celebrating our nation in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.”
The festival will take place along the Hudson River waterfront and surrounding area of Harborside, with designated zones for carnival rides, bounce houses, a food truck alley, multiple beer gardens, and a headliner stage at the Exchange Place Plaza. All daytime performers and headliner acts will be announced within the coming weeks.
Last year, the state of New Jersey’s government shutdown on July 4th weekend forced Mayor Fulop to relocate the festival from Liberty State Park to the Exchange Place Plaza. The new event location was a huge success, drawing in over 100,000 people from throughout the region to enjoy a headline performance by Kool & the Gang, and experience a fireworks display over the Manhattan skyline.

Golden Door Film Festival celebrated by MovieMaker magazine

Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City, New Jersey was recently named one of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2018 by MovieMaker magazine.
“It’s so overwhelming to be recognized by one of the most prominent magazines in the film world,” said Executive Director Michele Sorvino. The annual list is compiled by the editors of MovieMaker, which is the nation’s leading resource on the art and business of making movies. “We are also humbled to be the only film festival recognized in the state of New Jersey. This recognition solidifies that GDIFF’s goals meet industry standards and above.”
Founded in 2010 by actor Bill Sorvino and his creative team, the four-day festival prides itself as a cultural focal point of Jersey City. It is now in its eighth year and has screened 831 films, represented 92 countries and boasts over 14,000 attendees.
The Golden Door International Film Festival will be held from Sept. 20 – 23. To find out more, visit www.goldendoorfilmfestival.org.

Immigrant Affairs meeting on June 4

Jersey City Immigrant Affairs Commission will hold its next meeting on Monday, June 4, at 6:30 p.m. in the Efrain Rosario Memorial Caucus Room on the second floor of City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Room 204.

North River Sing holds spring concert

The North River Sing Community Chorus will hold its 4th annual spring concert featuring stylish jazz, show tunes and standards on Sunday, June 10 at 4 p.m. at Grace Church, 39 Erie St. in downtown Jersey City.
The group will ask audience members for a $15 donation.
The community chorus, which formed early in 2014, is known for performing songs from the American Song Book and include favorites from composers such as Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and George Gershwin.
For more information go to http://northriversing.org or https://www.facebook.com/NorthRiverSing/.

Cathedral Market Day is June 9 at Grace Church Van Vorst

Cathedral Market Day, a fundraiser to benefit Grace Church Van Vorst and its outreach activities, will be held on Saturday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the church on 39 Erie St., Jersey City. The church will be filled with upscale thrift, new or gently used items of home décor, art, jewelry and accessories, toys, hand crafted items, and clothing for adults and children. Featured will be a café and baked goods plus face painting and art activities for children. Bring the whole family for a day of food, finds and fun. Admission is free.

HOBOKEN BRIEFS

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HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Attention commuters and drivers: A portion of Washington Street will be milled and paved next week

Milling and paving of four blocks of Washington Street, between Observer Highway and Third Street, is scheduled to take place the week of Dec. 4, weather permitting.
Expected hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
According to the press release from the city, “Efforts will be made to maintain vehicular traffic where possible. However road closures will be required at times.”
During construction, NJ Transit buses will operate on a detour. Buses heading toward Hoboken Terminal will travel south along Washington Street, detour east on Fifth Street, and south on Hudson Street. Buses heading toward New York will leave the bus terminal from Observer Highway, turn north on Bloomfield Street, turn east on Fifth Street, and continue north on Washington Street along the regular route.
To facilitate bus detours, parking will be prohibited on both sides of Fifth Street between Bloomfield Street and Hudson Street as well as on both sides of Bloomfield Street near Observer Highway and Hudson Street near Fifth Street. Police will be on hand to help direct traffic.

Councilman says names of five suspects have been given to cops, in racist flyer case

The Police Department is still investigating an anonymous campaign flyer distributed before the Nov. 7 mayoral election, and treating it as a bias incident. The flyer targeted now Mayor-elect Ravi Bhalla, placing the words “Don’t let TERRORISM take over this town” over his picture.
Whoever made the ad also included the name of opponent Councilman Michael DeFusco, making it appear that DeFusco created the ad. However, DeFusco immediately denounced it and said it didn’t come from his campaign. He has also offered a $5,000 reward for anyone who has information which leads to a conviction in the case, and hired a private investigator.
DeFusco’s campaign spokesman, Phil Swibinski, issued a press release on Tuesday, Nov. 28, which stated that they believe the reward has led to a “significant new lead that has been forwarded to the Hoboken Police Department” – which includes the names of five people who allegedly distributed the flyer.
The police had released black and white photos of people caught on camera allegedly distributing the flyers.
However, when asked about the press release. Police Chief Ken Ferrante said in an email that the identities provided by DeFusco’s campaign have not yet been corroborated.
“When police investigators have people come forward with information, that info and the person providing the info are not identified until it needs to be (i.e. court), for many reasons, including the protection of the investigation, the protection of witnesses, and the protection of individuals against false claims,” he said. “When identities of individuals involved in this case are confirmed to the point of probable cause, at that time, complaints will be filed, arrests will be made, and then we will announce the arrests like we always do.”
The identities of those distributing the flyers could potentially be traced to whichever campaign, political group, or politician hired them. Six people ran for mayor, four of whom already have elected positions.
Ferrante said, “The Hoboken Police Department continues to perform interviews, work with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, use forensic science in assessing evidence, and look at all tips and information for corroboration and veracity. At this time, none of the leads or identities provided by the DeFusco campaign have been corroborated, and Hoboken Police Detectives continue to attempt to corroborate the info provided.”
DeFusco said in a release, “This new information puts our city one step closer to finding out who perpetrated this heinous act that impacted our election and brought an incredible amount of negative attention to Hoboken. I am confident that the Hoboken Police Department is doing everything it can to solve this case and I would like to thank the many residents who responded to our reward offer and who share our goal of getting to the bottom of this disgusting act to hopefully prevent this kind of malfeasance from ever happening again.”

Crowd surrounds cops in Hoboken when they try to break up brawl; four arrested

Four men were arrested in the wee hours of Saturday, Nov. 25 after a fight erupted outside of a bar on downtown Washington Street. Two officers were injured.
Police Chief Ken Ferrante took to Twitter the morning of the arrests and said, “Last night, we had 2 HobokenPD officers from our midnight shift injured breaking up a brawl involving 40 people… Bars or restaurants that can’t control crowds will not be tolerated.”
Hoboken resident Hashim Dyer, 21, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering apprehension, and resisting arrest.
Hoboken resident Frank Henderson, 22, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering apprehension, and failure to disperse.
Jersey City resident Christian Caputo, 23, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering apprehension, and failure to disperse.
Jersey City resident Robert Rosario, 21, was charged with hindering apprehension and failure to disperse.
Dyer, Caputo, and Rosario were released with summonses to appear in court and Henderson was remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
Officers were patrolling downtown Washington Street when they saw a fight outside a local bar. As they tried to break up the fight between men and women, more smaller fights began. The officers requested back up to assist controlling the large unruly crowd. As the officers tried to stop the fight Officer Michael Losurdo was allegedly charged by Caputo and thrown to the ground. He was able to control the defendant with the help of Officer Tyrone Huggins and placed him under arrest.
During the arrest of Caputo, Henderson and Rosario allegedly attempted to assist Caputo by charging the officers and pull him away. They officers regained control of Caputo and Henderson and Rosario allegedly fled the scene.
A crowd formed around the officers as they attempted to place Caputo into the car. Sgt. Michael Costello tried to help clear a path for them when he was allegedly jumped from behind by Hashim Dyer who was then placed under arrest.
Other police officers arrived to help including New Jersey Transit, New Jersey State Police, and North Bergen Police along with Port Authority Police.
Rosario and Henderson were later found and placed under arrest. All were transported to headquarters for processing.
Losurdo and Costello were treated at Hoboken University Medical Center for injuries. Lossurdo suffered injuries to his head, leg, and ear and was cleared for duty. Costello sustained a back injury and has not yet been cleared to return.

Hoboken officials ask state to deny NY Waterway application

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Mayor-elect Ravi Bhalla, Council President Jen Giattino, and Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher have urged the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to deny private ferry company NY Waterway’s application for a provisional permit in order to develop the existing Union Dry Dock site on the northern waterfront. NY Waterway plans to use the site, where a long-time ship repair business is presently located, for ferry repair and maintenance. The city wants to acquire the property to fill in a gap in the municipal waterfront walkway and create a park.
Last month the City Council approved an ordinance that would permit the city to use eminent domain, after a subsidiary for NY Waterway purchased the property from Union Dry Dock & Repair Co for $11.5 million.
NJ Transit plans to acquire the property from NY Waterway and then lease it back to the ferry company.
Giattino and Fisher coauthored a letter which stated: “We are both members of Hoboken’s City Council, representing the 6th and 2nd Wards that include or are directly adjacent to the Union Dry Dock site under consideration… We are urging you to reject the application on its merits, and because of the potential negative impact to the Hoboken community and the disruption to a decades-long effort to secure the waterfront for public use and access.
“This request from NY Waterway in concert with both Union Dry Dock and NJ Transit, came as a surprise without any input from Hoboken officials or its residents,” they added. They also stated, “On its merit, this application is anything but environmentally sound, creating environmental risks and quality of life issues for residents of and visitors to Hoboken.”
NJ Transit has informed the city that they will enter into an agreement with the company and plan to allocate $12 million in its budget to acquire the property, according to a press release from the city. This ownership by a state agency would effectively nullify the city’s power to condemn and acquire the property.
Residents may speak at the next NJ Transit board meeting which will be on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. in the Board Room at NJ Transit’s Headquarters at One Penn Plaza East, Ninth Floor, in Newark.
Zimmer and Bhalla also urged the DEP Commissioner to deny the application and ensure that the “entire transaction be fully evaluated in the light of day with full transparency for all interested parties. Unfortunately it appears as though the transaction has so far been conducted in a manner that appears intended to hide information.”
Bhalla and Zimmer’s letter can be viewed in full at http://www.hobokennj.gov/docs/mayor/Letter-Zimmer-Bhalla-DEP-NY-Waterway-Permit-11-28-17.pdf
NY Waterway’s permit application can be viewed at http://www.hobokennj.gov/docs/NJDEP-Waterfront-Development-Permit-Application-NY-Waterway.pdf.

Zimmer appoints new provisional fire chief

Mayor Dawn Zimmer has announced that Battalion Chief Brian Crimmins will be appointed as the new provisional fire chief. He will be sworn in this week and will serve until a new Fire Chief test is administered in early 2018. The test will be open to all battalion chiefs and captains, and Mayor-elect Ravi Bhalla’s Administration will make a decision on the next fire chief after the results of the test have been received.
The position was previously held Anton Peskens. According to city spokesman Juan Melli, “The city and Chief Peskens were unable to agree upon terms for his permanent appointment to the position of fire chief. Therefore, the city has requested that Civil Service generate a new eligibility list. Chief Peskens did a great job as fire chief, but Civil Service rules do not allow the City to keep him in the provisional position while Civil Service generates a new eligibility list for consideration.”
“I thank Chief Peskens for his service to Hoboken as Provisional Chief and Battalion Chief Crimmins for stepping up to serve as our next Provisional Chief,” said Mayor Zimmer.
Battalion Chief Crimmins has served in the Hoboken Fire Department since 2004 and was ranked first on the Battalion Fire Chief promotional list. He graduated magna cum laude from Boston College and graduated first in his class at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he received a Master of Public Administration.

CarePoint ‘Lunch & Learn’ series to focus on heart and lung diseases

CarePoint Health-Christ Hospital will hold its next Lunch & Learn Series, “Managing Heart or Lung Disease,” on Thursday, Dec. 7 from noon to 1:30 p.m.
The program will include presentations by medical experts about how to better manage congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A free, healthy lunch will be included.
Register at holly.goroff@carepointhealth.org or Nancy.aleman@carepointhealth.org.
The event will be held at Christ Hospital, 176 Palisade Ave., Jersey City.

SoulCycle is scheduled to open in Hudson Reporter building on Jan. 27

According to a press release and email, SoulCycle is scheduled to open its Hoboken and second New Jersey location on Jan. 27 in the former Hudson Reporter building, 1400 Washington St., Hoboken.
The full-body indoor cycling and lifestyle brand will have a 54 bike studio in the 8,955-square foot building, including the basement, and will also house an expansive lifestyle boutique selling SoulCycle’s original performance and athleisure clothing collections.
Additional rider amenities include two showers, four individual restrooms and two changing rooms.
SoulCycle in the New Jersey area costs $34 per class, according to the press release, and more than 20,000 riders take SoulCycle classes every day. Riders engage in high intensity cardio while also toning their upper bodies using hand weights and core engaging choreography.

Fundraiser for Hoboken Family Planning Clinic announced

The Friends of the Hoboken Family Planning Clinic will host their fifth annual Wine and Dessert fundraiser on Thursday, Dec. 7 at the home of Jeannie and Bruce Lubin, 58 Ninth St., Hoboken, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The evening will raise funds for the Hoboken Family Planning Clinic. This year’s goal is to raise $20,000 to serve 70 low income women with needed health services for one year. The average cost for one woman is $286 per year.
The minimum contribution is $50 and is tax deductible.
Contributions can be made online to: hfp_contributions@aol.com with PayPal and checks can be sent to Cindy Cray at 1248 Bloomfield St. Apt 4, and made payable to the Hoboken Family Planning Clinic.
RSVP at FriendsofHobokenFamilyPlanning@gmail.com

$6,000 raised for Hoboken High School girls’ soccer team

On Friday, Nov. 17. the Hoboken Soccer Patrons, a local nonprofit, hosted Hoboken’s first “Pasta Cup” to raise funds for the girls’ soccer program at Hoboken High School.
The first annual Hoboken Italian “Pasta Cup” had top local restaurants competing with their signature pasta dishes to win the Pasta Cup for Best in Hoboken.
This year’s winner was Augustino’s, with Johnny Peperonni coming in second place, according to one of the founders of the organization, Councilman Ruben Ramos.
Other restaurants included Blue Eyes, Tratttoria Saporito, Leo’s Grandevous, Otto Strata, Margherita’s, Luca Brasi, Grand Vin, San Guiseppe, and Rosticeria Da GiGi.
“Thank you to all the restaurants, sponsors, and attendees,” said Ramos in a phone interview. “We sold about 170 tickets and raised about $6,000.”
Sponsors included Hoboken Bar and Grill, Grace Leong of Hunter Public Relations, Joseph Branco, Tony Theodore, Rosalie Gennarelli of Zigarelli Chocolates, and Stan’s Sporting Goods.
According to Ramos, the money will go to new training equipment and warm up gear.

Give the gift of a good story

The Friends of the Hoboken Library will host a used book sale on Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Everyone is welcome to pick from a wide-ranging collection of gently used books which will be on sale on the newly renovated and yet to be open lower level of the Hoboken Public Library at 500 Park Ave.
The books span wide categories including children’s, cookbooks, mystery, sci-fi, novels, classics, biographies, non-fiction, “coffee table” art books, plays, poetry and more.
Prices range from $1 to $5 according to the organization and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to supporting the Hoboken Public Library.

Public Hearing announced for part of the Master Plan

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the adoption of the Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element of the Hoboken Master Plan at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the ground floor conference room of City Hall, 94 Washington St.
The city has been actively involved in sustainability efforts for nearly a decade, achieving bronze certification from Sustainable Jersey in 2011 and silver certification in 2017. Sustainability has been promoted through several recent and current efforts that address climate adaptation, flood mitigation, public and environmental health, Green Building, and non-vehicular transportation.
The draft Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element (“Sustainability Element”) discusses these efforts and outlines goals, strategies, and actions to make Hoboken a more sustainable and resilient city.
The purpose of the public hearing is to take public comments on the proposed Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element of the Hoboken Master Plan. Depending on those public comments, the board may adopt the proposed Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element at that time.
To view a draft of the Green Building & Environmental Sustainability Element, go to www.hob-art.org and via
France Garrido (201) 319-1504 or director@hob-art.org.

HOBOKEN BRIEFS

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HOBOKEN BRIEFS

City may have to fight with NJ Transit to get waterfront shipping repair property

Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Mayor-Elect Ravi Bhalla have sent a joint letter to NJ Transit and its board members urging them not to acquire the Union Dry Dock business on the waterfront, which was recently bought by NY Waterway, the ferry company, but may be re-sold to NJ Transit.
The city has had its eye on the old shipping repair business so they can turn it into a waterfront park. The City Council has voted to use eminent domain, if necessary.
But since NJTransit is a public agency, its powers could supersede those of the city.
NY Waterway purchased the longtime Dry Dock ship repair facility only three weeks ago to use to repair its ferries. NJ Transit has informed the city that they will enter into an agreement with the company, and plans to allocate $12 million in its budget to acquire it, the city says.
“NJ Transit’s intentions to purchase Union Dry Dock and lease it for ferry maintenance are absolutely unacceptable to our community,” states the letter from Zimmer and Bhalla. “This use would undermine our community’s nearly unanimous vision for a connected waterfront enjoyed by residents, visitors, and businesses that continue to choose to locate in our city in part because of our beautiful and walkable waterfront.”
The letter also states that “NJ Transit has raised fares twice and raided billions of dollars from its capital fund to pay for operations over the last eight years, so it is outrageous that despite its acute financial challenges, it is considering spending millions of dollars on a plan that would permanently scar our waterfront.”
They additionally state that NJ Transit could have used its power of eminent domain to keep NY Waterway’s Weehawken repair facility, but chose not to.
“We urge you to end all efforts to acquire the former Union Dry Dock property and to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to find a solution that works for the entire region,” ends the letter.
Residents may speak at the next NJ Transit board meeting which will be on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. in the Board Room at NJ Transit’s Headquarters at One Penn Plaza East, Ninth Floor in Newark.
To read the full letter from the city, go to http://www.hobokennj.gov/docs/mayor/Letter-Zimmer-Bhalla-Santoro-11-21-17.pdf .

Hoboken mayor-elect picks former running mate as chief of staff; former opponent responds

Mayor-Elect Ravi Bhalla recently ran for office with three council candidates, two of whom won election. On Thursday, he announced that the third, John Allen, will be hired as his chief of staff.
Allen is an attorney at Schenck, Price, Smith & King LLP specializing in the representation of government bodies including boards of education and municipalities.
Allen currently serves as a Hoboken Democratic committeeman and is on the Board of Directors of Easter Seals New Jersey, a non-profit dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities. He previously was involved in politics in Old Bridge.
“John will bring dedication, energy and smarts to City Hall,” said Bhalla in the press release. “I am very pleased that he is coming on board.”
“I am looking forward to helping to implement Ravi Bhalla’s vision and plans for Hoboken,” said Allen in the press release. “It is a tremendous opportunity to serve the city I live in and love.”
According to the press release, Vijay Chaudhuri, Bhalla’s campaign manager and former chief of staff for Mayor Dawn Zimmer who stepped down in August is leaving for “an exciting new public service opportunity, but will remain a key advisor to the mayor.”
Allen will begin Dec. 4.
Councilman Michael DeFusco, a former mayoral candidate who is serving on Bhalla’s transition team, released a statement on the announcement Tuesday:
“Given Mayor-Elect Bhalla’s status as an attorney at a very politically-connected law firm that has millions of dollars in government contracts, many Hoboken residents are concerned about the potential conflicts of interest that could arise when clients of the firm and the city become involved in negotiations or other sensitive matters. Hiring another politically-connected attorney in his former running mate John Allen does nothing to address those concerns, and in fact raises even more questions that have to be answered. While the chief of staff position is not subject to council approval, I believe that residents deserve a full accounting of both Mayor-elect Bhalla and John Allen’s ties to major entities that our city does business with, and I plan to pursue these issues further.”

Bhalla announces transition team; all mayoral competitors on it except one

Hoboken Mayor-Elect Ravi Bhalla announced the leadership of his Transition Team last week.
Chaired by longtime resident Phil Cohen, it will include four other leaders who were candidates in the mayoral race.
Cohen currently serves on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and is the vice chair of the Hoboken Democratic Party. He also serves on the board of the United Synagogue of Hoboken.
Councilwoman-Elect Vanessa Falco, who ran on the slate of Michael DeFusco, will chair the Affordable Housing Committee.
DeFusco will chair the Economic Development Committee. He has in the past said the outgoing administration of Mayor Dawn Zimmer has been too restrictive on businesses.
Chris O’Connor and Liz Ndoye will co-chair the Arts, Music, and Culture Committee.
Assemblywoman Annette Chapparo will chair the Constituent Services Committee.
Former independent council candidate Angelo Valente, who heads up a statewide nonprofit to prevent drug abuse, will chair the Drug Abuse Prevention Committee.
Councilwoman-Elect Emily Jabbour, who ran with Bhalla, will chair the Education Committee.
Freeholder Anthony Romano, who also ran for mayor, will chair the Public Safety Committee.
Business owner Karen Nason, another former mayoral candidate, will chair the Small Business Development Committee. Former mayoral candidate Ronald Bautista will chair the Transportation and Parking Committee.
Jon Otto and Stewart Mader will co chair the Infrastructure Committee.
Former Mayor David Roberts will chair the Quality of Life Committee.
All mayoral candidates have gotten a spot on the team except former Councilwoman Jen Giattino. According to Bhalla’s spokesman, Rob Horowitz, Giattino declined to chair a committee on Bhalla’s transition team when she was invited to do so. Both of Giattino’s campaign chairs have written letters saying Bhalla’s campaign unnecessarily attacked their candidate.
According to Bhalla’s press release, each committee chair is charged with preparing at least three substantive recommendations for implementation in 2018. Hoboken residents interested in joining a transition committee are welcome to do so.
Those interested should contact Cohen via email at philiphcohen@gmail.com and identify their area of interest and the committee on which they are interested in serving.
Based on the recommendations of the committee chairs, the transition team will assemble a report to be considered by Mayor-Elect Bhalla and the members of his administration.
“One of the largest untapped assets of Hoboken is the intellectual capital of its residents,” said Bhalla in the press release. “I encourage interested residents to participate in this process so our Transition Team can provide the kind of quality recommendations that will better enable us to hit the ground running.”
“I appreciate the participation of so many of my fellow mayoral candidates,” he added. “This demonstrates unity in our common interests as a community, and promotes effective governance.”

Hudson County CASA is seeking volunteers

Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes. The next information session will be held at Little City Books at 100 Bloomfield St, Hoboken, NJ on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives. They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s well-being. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures.
For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.

Deck the [city] halls!

Hoboken will host its annual Christmas tree lighting on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. outside City Hall, 94 Washington St. The festivities will include local school children singing popular Christmas songs, holiday cheer, MC and host Elvis the Elf (AKA Polka Dot) and a visit from Santa Claus.
For more information call (201) 420-2000 Ex. 5100

Register now for the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce holiday decorating contest

All Hoboken businesses are invited to participate in the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce holiday decorating contest by artfully decorating their store frontage to compete for prizes.
Registration is now open until Dec. 8. The judging will occur between Dec. 13 and 17, with the winner announced on Dec. 20.
First prize is $500, second prize is $300, and third prize will be $200. There are no fees to participate.
Participants will be judged on the following criteria: Interpretation of a Sinatra Based Theme, Wow Factor and Curiosity Generating Factor, and Inclusion of Retailer’s Service.
To register online go to http://business.hobokenchamber.com/events/details/2017-holiday-decorating-contest-1059.

Holiday book sale announced

The Friend of the Hoboken Library will host a used book sale on Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Everyone is welcome to pick from a wide-ranging collection of gently used books which will be on sale on the newly renovated and yet to be open lower level of the Hoboken Public Library at 500 Park Ave.
The books span wide categories including children’s, cookbooks, mystery, sci-fi, novels, classics, biographies, non-fiction, “coffee table” art books, plays, poetry and more.
Prices range from $1 to $5 according to the organization and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to supporting the Hoboken Public Library.

Hoboken wins award for Southwest Park

The inaugural New Jersey One Water Awards, sponsored jointly by Jersey Water Works, the Association of Environmental Authorities of New Jersey, and the New Jersey chapter of the American Water Works Association, announced that Hoboken’s Southwest Park is one of the contest’s four winners. The four projects chosen highlight innovative water management programs and best practices in management across the full water cycle.
The Southwest Park is the first resiliency park in New Jersey. It is a one-acre area that incorporates storm water management mechanisms to help control chronic flooding.
The completed park, which opened in September, features rain gardens, wood deck paths, a granite amphitheater, a dog run, open-jointed pavers, rain gardens, and vegetated bioswales and three storm water detention basins capture excess water during heavy storms.

Should the PATH run to Newark Airport? Let the Port Authority know!

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will hold two public hearings regarding a possible PATH extension near Newark Airport.
The first hearing will take place Nov. 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Weequahic Park Sports Authority Community Center in Newark. The center is located at 92 Carmichael Dr.
The second hearing will happen Nov. 30, also from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Hilton Newark Penn Station’s Garden State Ballroom. The hotel is located at 1048 Raymond Blvd.
If everything goes as planned, the new station will be located on off-airport property east of Frelinghuysen Avenue (at Noble Street), per the Port Authority website. It would also be near the Newark Liberty International Airport New Jersey Transit station and PANYNJ monorail station in Newark.
“The purpose of the proposed project is to improve transit access to employment centers in Newark, Jersey City, and New York City for New Jersey commuters and increase transit options to EWR for air travelers and airport employees,” the expansion website says.
For more information, contact the project team at 917-933-7440, or email PATHextension@panynj.gov.

Judge blocks executive order restricting funds to sanctuary cities

A federal judge in San Francisco permanently blocked the enforcement of Donald Trump’s executive order on Monday, Nov. 20 that called to restrict federal grant money from so-called “sanctuary cities.”
U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick ruled the order unconstitutional for violating separation of powers and due process of law, because the president does not have the authority to deprive local jurisdictions of funds allocated by Congress.
A “sanctuary city” is not legally defined, but is generally considered to be a local jurisdiction that does not comply with requests from federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in detaining undocumented persons unless they are involved in a serious crime. Over 200 localities refused to cooperate in 2015, and the number has increased, according to congressional testimony from the Director of ICE.
Jersey City and Union City adopted sanctuary city ordinances in 2017, while other Hudson County leaders have voiced opposition to Trump’s rhetoric and actions.
Mayor Steven Fulop said in January, “Jersey City was founded as a city of immigrants, and we are unwilling to be part of orders that break families apart or harm immigrants who are in this country.”
When Union City passed on ordinance declaring sanctuary city status in February, Mayor Brian Stack said, “I don’t believe that the president of the United States could make local police enforce immigration laws that are supposed to be federally enforced. Second, I don’t believe the court system will allow it. I think that common sense will prevail, and they won’t allow it.”
The litigation over the executive order will continue in federal appellate court, and possibly the Supreme Court, if either case makes it that far.

Meet the candidates running on the ‘Together We Can’ slate for the Bayonne school board

Daniel Israel, Staff Writer
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Meet the candidates running on the ‘Together We Can’ slate for the Bayonne school board

Under the slogan “Together We Can,” four candidates are seeking seats up for grabs on the Bayonne Board of Education. The slate consists of incumbent Trustee Hector Gonzalez, Mary Jane Desmond, William Young, and Miriam Bechay, at 1I, 2I, 3I, and 8I on the ballot, respectively.

Three seats are available for a term of three years each. The terms of Trustees Lisa Burke, Jan Patrick Egan, and Denis Wilbeck are expiring and none are running for re-election.

Along with those three seats, there is another board seat available for a term of one year. Trustee Hector Gonzalez, Jr.’s term is expiring after he was appointed in January of this year.

In an interview with the Bayonne Community News, the “Together We Can” ticket described who they are, what platform they are running on, and other pertinent questions related to the election. This included Gonzalez, Desmond and Young, but not Bechay, who did not respond to requests for an interview.

Hector Gonzalez

Gonzalez is a special education high school teacher for the Jersey City Board of Education and serves as a Crisis Intervention specialist, SSLD-Specific Language Learners Disabled students, and volleyball coach. He said he has a passion for education and brings valuable educational input and insight to the board there.

Gonzalez lives in Bayonne with his wife Susan and has one daughter in high school. He is running for school board to: ensure every student maintains a path to graduate and is educationally and socially equipped for life; provide highly competitive pay for classroom teachers; ensure the board and community provides the resources to protect and enrich students when they are not on campus; ensure the board maintains and implements a strong response to bullying; pursue financial policies which provide an outstanding return on the communities investment in their schools; and maintain high district morale.

Gonzalez considers himself an independent thinker on the board. He said that he shares values with his fellow slate members but also has his own opinions.

“I don’t consider myself a bobble head that everything is a yes,” Gonzalez said.

Mary Jane Desmond

Desmond was born and raised in Bayonne, and has been a single mom since her children were two, three and four years old. She is grateful for the education her three daughters received in Bayonne’s public school system.

Desmond has a professional background in management and finance in the corporate, government, non-profit and healthcare sectors. A long time community activist, she has served as City Councilwoman At-Large, Deputy County Clerk, and a former Trustee for the board. Desmond was appointed in the ’90s, selected to fill a term in the ’00s, re-elected to the seat, but ultimately lost re-election and is now seeking a seat on the board again.

Desmond is running to do her part to ensure current and future students are afforded every opportunity to succeed emotionally and academically. She believes that teachers should be supported with every resource to provide a first rate education for them.

According to Desmond, funding, school safety, aging buildings, over-crowded classrooms and a growing student population all impact how the district is able to provide a quality education for our children.

Prudent handling of financial resources is important in addressing these issues, she said. Desmond touts a reputation of getting the job done and is eager to work with the other members of the “Together We Can” team to do so.

“The reason I do this is because the children are so important to my life and I’m motivated to do what I can to prepare them for life,” Desmond said.

William Young

“I’ve lived in Bayonne for 30 years,” Young said. “The day after I graduated junior high school in 1992, I moved to Bayonne and started in Bayonne High School that following fall. Honestly, the city embraced me as a young man from out of town.”

After falling in love with Bayonne while in high school while playing football and basketball, he remained in the city, and 30 years later, he is married to his wife Julie and a homeowner with four kids in the district.

Young is a Financial Services and Registered Representative with the New York Life Insurance Company. He is involved with Bayonne Cal Ripken Baseball, now known as Bayonne Youth Baseball and Softball, New Jersey Together, and is a trustee with his church.

Young is running for school board because he wants to increase after-school and summer educational and enrichment opportunities for all students. Young believes that education does not stop at 3 p.m. and is an all year round process.

“All four of my children are in the public school system,” Young said. “I see what they go through in high school.”

Young has also seen the influence of City Hall on the school board in Jersey City through advocacy work there. He wants Bayonne to avoid the same fate, so he’s running for the board here.

Miriam Bechay

Bechay was born and raised in Bayonne. She went to Nicholas Oresko school for the Gifted and Talented Program and Bayonne High School.

Bechay was a part of the Bayonne Basketball Girls Varsity Team for two years, and also the Bayonne Swimming Team and Softball Team for one year. She is currently enrolled at New Jersey Institute of Technology studying Biomedical Engineering.

Throughout high school and through her college years, Bechay has helped campaign and canvass for several city officials and was then given the opportunity to become a fieldwork manager. She hopes to contribute in making important decisions for the Bayonne Board of Education.

“It’s my time to give back to the community that has already given me so many opportunities,” Bechay said. “I hope to do the same for the younger generations.”

Running on platform to address needs and challenges of the district 

According to Desmond, the school district needs to address a number of issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emotional well-being of students after the isolation they just went through.

Desmond said, “I feel the way to reach children who feel isolated is to allow them that creative expression, which just boils over into academics automatically. Critical reading, writing, it expands upon those skills tremendously.”

The slate wants to make safety a top priority for all students and staff, ensure every student has equal access to a high quality education, consistently work to improve communication and transparency with parents, staff and, taxpayers so every stakeholder has a seat at the table. They believe that every child matters and that they are independent voices with shared values.

New policies to propose?

Desmond says she wants the board to advocate for students, staff, and administrators. As a board member, she would promote more interaction with teachers to know their needs and advocate for them.

In Bayonne, post-COVID-19, priorities include renovating heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems and determining which students need extra attention after virtual learning. Gonzalez, with an eye to improving shared services, took issue with the shared services agreement with the city for garbage and recycling collection by A + L Disposal LLC.

“I think it was the mayor who was the one who negotiated that contract,” Gonzalez said. “It was $125,000. Now it’s $325,00 for garbage collection days in the schools. It’s a lot of money.”

Gonzalez also wants to increase transparency on the board and communication with parents. He proposes holding the board meetings at a different school every time to give more people opportunities to attend. Gonzales added the school district needs to be upfront about the tax rate.

Gonzalez also wants to hold weekly meetings with parent teacher organizations at each school to gauge how the board can help meet needs as they arise. Young said one policy he would change would involve increased parental participation, echoing Gonzalez’s proposal for frequent meetings with parent teacher organizations.

“There are some things, being a parent, that are concerning to me,” Young said. “I think the parents need definitely need to be more involved in in what’s going on.”

The slate attends a football game with current Bayonne Board of Education Vice President Christopher Munoz (far left).

‘Integrity, honesty, commitment, and dedication’

Desmond said the slate is running on integrity, honesty, commitment, and dedication. She said they all share the same energy in advocating for the children of the district.

Gonzalez said this iteration of the “Together We Can” slate aims to continue building on the progress the others have accomplished. Most board members on the board now have ran on the “Together We Can” ticket, but Gonzalez said they are all independent voices with shared values with their own way of thinking.

For Gonzalez, keeping teachers in the district is another major issue. He said they are a hot commodity right now, and the district needs to look for ways to maintain them, pay them more, and keep them in Bayonne.

According to Gonzalez, other priorities for the ticket include upgrading the bullying policy, and working on infrastructure such as the funding needed for new boilers by December 6. Under a new state mandate, all boilers in schools must be electric by the deadline, which will cost $250,000 per school in Bayonne he said, noting everything comes down to funding.

Young emphasized that while they are running on the same slate they are independent voices with shared values, echoing a common theme for the ticket. He also wants to create more after-school programs other than sports. Young said such career-oriented programs he experienced growing up in the New York school system impacted him greatly, and he wants the same for Bayonne.

New facility is necessity in Bayonne school district 

As the city grows, so does its population of school-age children. Desmond believes that a new facility is necessary to ease overburdened classrooms.

“It’s not even a choice, it’s a must-do,” Desmond said. “Nobody wants to burden the taxpayers more, but not doing something periodically creates this ‘uh-oh’ scenario that we’re in. These are school buildings that are over 100 years old, with the average age I believe is 80 or 90 years now. You can play around with the brick and mortar, but your heating and air conditioning, those are health and safety issues.”

Gonzalez agreed with Desmond that even with the acquisition of the former St. Andrew’s School, a new school needs to be built. He said that state and federal funding can help foot the bill.

“People come in and they have children, so then the district is even more crowded,” Gonzalez said. “We need to have a new school.”

Young also concurred. He said that building new schools is just as important as upgrading existing aged facilities.

Desmond targeted tax abatements for new residential development don’t contribute funds to the school district. She said that the district needs to coordinate more funding with the state and federal government to renovate aging existing facilities and to build new ones.

“The state does not fund the district well enough for us to be able to do that on our own,” Desmond said. “Taxpayers are overburdened already. The recent rash of abatements hasn’t helped. So we have to be defining ways to respond to the need for very safe and sound school buildings.”

Young and Gonzalez agreed that tax abatements being granted to redevelopers that don’t contribute funds to the school system are a major issue.

“In advocacy work that I’ve done in Jersey City, I’ve seen what abatements have done to to the school system there,” Young said. “I want to make sure that same thing doesn’t happen in Bayonne.”

New sex education standards in health curriculum

Recently, the state has implemented new sex education standards in health curriculum at the local level. While there exists the choice to opt out of the lesson in Bayonne, some parents had advocated against the material being taught in schools at all.

Desmond call it somewhat of a government overreach, and wants the state legislators to revisit the issue with child psychologists and therapists and the like. However, she approves of the choice to opt out.

“I do appreciate that there should be in health education, a component, age appropriate, for some of those topics,” Desmond said.

Gonzalez said that the district has to implement the state’s health education curriculum per the mandate. He praised the choice for parents to opt out, noting that they can choose what they think is best for their kids.

“It’s a state law,” Gonzalez said. “The state education department that wrote that. We cant say no to the state or risk losing funding. But you have the option to opt out from anything that you think as a parent if you believe daughter should or shouldn’t be learning that.” Young believes that this is also a parents choice.

“This is something that is a personal choice in terms of what parents want,” Young said. “I love the fact that Bayonne has that opt out provision.”

While some parents want the option to learn the curriculum completely removed, Young suggests they opt their child out and take the protest to the state level. He said the district can’t risk losing funding from the state by not enacting it.

The “Together We Can” ticket had a booth at the Bergen Point Fall Festival.

Davis endorses competing slate

Mayor James Davis endorsed the slate on September 21, the first time he had backed candidates in a school board race since 2020 and a departure from backing the “Together We Can” slate as he had in consecutive years past. Davis said he considers electing the “Voices for Progress” ticket among his top priorities for his third term. Desmond criticized the mayor’s endorsement as politicizing the race, but was ultimately uninterested in it and more on having the voters’ backing.

“Make up your mind, is it an elected or appointed board?” Desmond said. “We are starting to look like every other city in Hudson County with the politicking. I really ultimately don’t care.”

Gonzalez said there are good people on other slate, well respected. He didn’t take issue with them, but with the mayor’s involvement in the race, calling for a separation from the board and the city.

Young expressed a similar sentiment. From experience in the advocacy work that he does in Jersey City, he said he has seen how influence from City Hall can affect the board.

“I think City Hall needs to stay away from the Board of Education, there needs to be a separation,” Young said.

The “Together We Can” slate has gotten support from other incumbent Trustees including Jodi Casais, Vice President Christopher Munoz, and President Maria Valado. Also backed by former City Council President and mayoral candidate Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski, it appears the election is somewhat of a proxy war between factions remaining from the May municipal election.

On the campaign trail

The campaign has been relatively quiet until September. The “Together We Can” slate began making appearances at local events that month, such as the Bayonne Arts Festival. That continued with their first meet and greet at Bake N Brew on September 22, the Bayonne Bike Club’s annual Night Ride, and knocking on doors.

The meet and greets continued, with a livestream featuring a question and answer with parent and teacher organizations, and on October 19 at Kuhl’s Tavern. The “Together We Can” slate had a booth at the Bergen Point Fall Festival to meet voters, followed by the most recent meet and greet on October 26 at The Rock Pub.

As Election Day approached, the slate was looking forward to more events, such as the candidate forum at Bayonne High School’s Alexander X. O’Connor Auditorium on November 2 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. moderated by TAPinto Bayonne’s Al Sullivan. However, she noted it would be akin to a question and answer event as opposed to a debate.

Desmond added that while the slate was interviewed by the BEA, they endorsed “Voices for Progress” last week. She questioned how the event could be unbiased considering the timing of the endorsement, but said the slate will still attend since the commitment was from months prior.

More recently after the interviews, the “Together We Can” slate has also criticized recent flyers by the “Voices for Progress” slate. The complaints stem that the flyers feature the slate members next to Democratic candidates running for office also on November 8, despite the non-partisan nature of the election.

“So, Voices for Progress is handing out literature with their ballot positions and on the other side there are Democratic candidates for office,” they wrote on social media. “We at ‘Together We Can’ believe that the school board election is a non-partisan race and no influence from Democrats or Republicans should be Introduced.”

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.

HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Submitted Content
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HOBOKEN BRIEFS

Give blood in WNY or Hoboken

As people travel in winter and are not as available to donate, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to make an appointment to give blood or platelets to help meet the constant need for blood this winter.
In West New York, blood donations will be accepted on Jan. 9 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at St. Mary of the Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church, 6515 Polk St.
In Hoboken, donations can be made on Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Saint Francis Parish Center, 308 Jefferson St.
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in.
Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

Hudson County CASA is seeking volunteers

Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes. You may attend an information session at the Hudson County Courthouse, 595 Newark Ave. Room 901, on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives. They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s well-being. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures.
For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.

Hearing scheduled to discuss change of open space easements for west side park

A hearing will take place Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Multi-Service Center at 124 Grand St. to solicit input on changing open space easements near to the Monroe Center on 720 Monroe St. Specifically, the city needs to remove permissions granted in 2004 to turn the area into open space that would have been part of a now-defunct “Village West” redevelopment project, and instead use the open space as part of a 2-acre public park.
An easement is a legal right to cross or use another person’s land for a specified purpose. According to a notice on the city website, the Deeds of Open Space or easements were originally implemented as part of “Village West” which was approved by the Planning Board in 2004 but never developed. In order to get new Deeds of Open Space for a new park on the west side of town, the city needs to terminate the preexisting easements.
The website states the termination is needed to “to provide for remediation, development, and conveyance… of a 2.0 acre public park.”
Written comments may also be submitted to bforbes@hobokennj.gov.

Hoboken police arrest six drivers over New Year’s weekend

Police arrested and charged Jersey City resident Jamie Agosto, age 41, at 3:57 a.m. on Dec. 31. They charged Agosto with reckless driving, driving while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of an accident on Dec. 31. Officers arrived at Fourth and Monroe streets to find a motor vehicle allegedly involved in an accident with a parked vehicle. They arrested Agosoto a short distance away who allegedly had fled the scene, according to witnesses.
At 3:32 a.m. on Dec. 31, Bellville resident Avanish Pandya, age 38, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated in a school zone, reckless driving, and impeding traffic flow. Officers conducted a motor vehicle stop of Pandaya’s car and were able to detect the smell of alcohol according to a press release from police. According to the release Pandya was unable to complete a field sobriety test and was found to be above the legal limit after a breath test conducted at headquarters.
On New Year’s Day, 3:31 a.m., Marlboro resident Estefania Robles-Cabrera, age 31, was charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene, and reckless driving. Officers were approached by the victim of a motor vehicle accident who said her vehicle was struck and the driver left the scene. Officers found the vehicle in question and a motor vehicle stop was conducted during which they detected the smell of alcohol. Robles-Cabrera allegedly failed to complete a field sobriety test and took a breath test which was found to be above the legal limit. She was given several summonses and “released to a responsible party.”
Later that day, Bloomfield resident Evenet Estime, age 22, was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Officers were dispatched to Newark Street on a report of a fight and found a group of people pushing and shouting at each other when they arrived. Officers calmed the group but Estime allegedly refused to obey officers orders and continued to act in a disorderly and disruptive manner after several warnings. Estime was then placed under arrest.
Also that day, Harrison resident Anthony Martins, age 21 and East Newark resident Michael Granados, age 21, were arrested on various charges. Officers were dispatched to River Street and found two men in a shoving match. Officers were able to separate the two men and Granados allegedly continued to act disorderly and refuse officers’ orders and warnings. As officers attempted to place him under arrest Martins allegedly grabbed Granados’s arm and pulled him away from the officers. Both were placed under arrest. A search of Martins allegedly found a bag of a powdery substance suspected to be cocaine.

Christmas tree disposal information

In Hoboken, you may place your discarded Christmas tree at the curb on regular recycling nights (Mondays and Thursdays after 9 p.m.) for pickup on Tuesday and Friday. Trees will be picked up the next day as a special pickup after regular recycling pickup. Please remove all lights, ornaments, and stand from the tree. Do not place the tree in a plastic bag (trees are recycled). If you have questions or to report the location of a tree that has not been picked up by 5 p.m. the following day, please call 201-420-2277.

Hoboken PATH service affected as trains finally get Positive Train Control

PATH will be adjusting its weekday/weekend service slightly over the next two weeks at the Hoboken PATH station to accommodate federally mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) and other safety upgrades.
The following schedule will be in place for the 33rd Street line on Thursday, Jan. 5, and Friday, Jan. 6 from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m.:
• New York-bound trains to 33rd Street will not stop at Hoboken during this time. Riders should transfer at Newport for a shuttle train from the World Trade Center (WTC) to Hoboken, also making stops at Newport, Exchange Place, and World Trade Center. Customers can transfer at Newport to the 33rd Street train.
• New Jersey-bound trains traveling from 33rd Street to Journal Square via Hoboken will be operating normal weeknight service, and will be stopping at Hoboken.
The following weekend schedule will be in place on the Journal Square/33rd Street line this Sunday, Jan. 8 and overnight Monday, Jan. 9:
• From 3 a.m.-8 a.m. Sunday, PATH will not operate to or from Hoboken along the JSQ/33rd Street line. For service to Hoboken, riders are asked to transfer to the Hudson Bergen Light Rail at Newport. For service from Hoboken, riders should take the light rail to Newport and transfer to the PATH system. NJ Transit will be providing the light rail service and will cross-honor PATH riders.
• From 8 a.m. to 11:59 Sunday, PATH will not operate direct service to/from Hoboken. Riders going to Hoboken should transfer to the PATH “Special” train at Newport. For service from Hoboken, use the Special train running to Newport and transfer to the PATH system.
• From 12:01 a.m. until 5 a.m. Monday, New York-bound trains to 33rd Street will not stop at Hoboken. Riders can transfer at Newport for a WTC/Hoboken shuttle train to Hoboken. The shuttle train will run between Hoboken and the WTC, also making stops at Newport and Exchange Place.
The same weekend schedule will be in effect for Sunday, Jan. 15 and overnight Monday, Jan. 16.
For additional information regarding PATH service scheduled upgrades, please call 800 234-PATH/7284, or visit PATH online: http://www.panynj.gov/path

Man allegedly robbed in Hoboken during rush hour by six people

Six people were arrested between Dec. 15 and Dec 29 in connection with a robbery around 6:10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15 at Fifth Street and Marshall Drive.
Police responded to a report of robbery that evening and arrived to find the victim, who stated that he was assaulted and robbed. The victim was allegedly approached by the males when exiting a Marshall Drive building and they allegedly began to assault him immediately and take his belongings.
The victim suffered from several cuts and complained of pain, according to a police media release. He was transported to Hoboken University Medical Center and treated.
Detectives determined those involved and placed them under arrest on different dates. Some turned themselves in at police headquarters, according to the media release.
Curtis Brown, age 22, of Elizabeth was charged with robbery.
Josh Lessane, age 24, of Hoboken was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Frank Henderson age 21 of Hoboken was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Hoboken resident Edward Mongon, age 20, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
Julian Braxton age 22 of Hoboken was charged with Conspiracy to commit robbery.
Peter Fresse age 21 of Hoboken was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
All of the above defendants were additionally charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and endangering an injured victim.

Invitation to pop-up park planning meeting Jan. 19

The City of Hoboken will host a public meeting on Thursday Jan. 19 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to discuss and develop plans for the temporary “pop-up” park. The “pop-up” park will be on the newly acquired BASF site in Northwest Hoboken.
The meeting will take place at the Jubilee Center at 601 Jackson St.
The park could include potential amenities such as a “multisport field, game center, play equipment, and more,” according to a media release.
The meeting will also provide an overall update on the city’s resiliency efforts according to the release.

Police charge two people in Hoboken burglary

Officers were dispatched on a report of someone attempting to enter a vehicle in the early morning hours on Jan. 2. They arrived to find the vehicle unlocked and door open with the interior light on. The interior appeared to be in disarray.
Officers canvassed the area and found a man fitting the description inside a building. As they approached, they saw a woman allegedly attempting to open packages. Officers confirmed the packages didn’t belong to the defendants and were taken from a different address. It was also determined they were involved in the burglary of the vehicle and placed under arrest.
Dina Elbana, age 19, of Union City was charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft. Darius Rivera, age 20, of Hoboken was charged with two counts of burglary, two counts of theft, and an outstanding warrant.

Police and volunteer ambulance corp save overdose victim

Officers Dennis Figueroa Jr. and Sgt. Robert Fulton were dispatched to an address on Jackson Street on a possible overdose Thursday Jan. 5 at 8:30 a.m.
The officers arrive to find the 51 year-old male victim sitting in a chair unresponsive. According to a press release from the police, several family members found the victim and immediately called the police.
While on scene, it was believed that the man may ingested heroin which left the victim in that state.
The Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corp was also on scene and assisted the officers in administering a dose of Narcan to the victim.
Narcan is a prescription medicine used to block the effects of opiods and reverse an overdose.
As the victim began to regain consciousness he was transported to the Hoboken University Medical Center for further treatment and evaluation.
As of Thursday afternoon the victim was expected to recover fully.

Hoboken technology firm cited by NJBIZ

On Dec. 5 eMazzanti, a Hoboken-based IT consultant and managed service provider at 701 Grand, was named the 2016 NJBIZ Business of the Year in the 1-50 employees category.
According to a press release, nearly 300 people attended the NJBIZ awards dinner where the announcement was made.
eMazzanti was recognized for its ability to help clients become successful despite their economic conditions.
“This is a win for our customers and our partners who have helped us every step of the way,” stated Carl Mazzanti, CEO.
In addition to being named the Business of the Year, eMazzanti was recognized by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer with a proclamation highlighting the company’s long-term contributions to the community in September.

Opening reception for new museum exhibit

On Sunday Jan. 22 from 2 p.m. to 5p.m. the Hoboken Historical Museum will host an open reception for their latest exhibit “Hoboken People & Places, 1976-1994: Photographs by Michael Flanagan.”
The exhibit will feature dozens of black and white photographs of Hoboken in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
With his large-format Linhof camera set on a tripod, Flanagan documented his neighborhood Mom-and-Pop shops, the longtime Hobokenites and newcomers he grew to know during his two decades here, and the crumbling waterfront piers and streetscapes. They are at once the technically beautiful compositions of an accomplished photographer, and a haunting portrait of Hoboken on the verge of transformation.

Jersey City man arrested for alleged possession

Police arrested and charged Jersey City resident Andre Wallace, age 37, for receiving stolen property, possession of CDS Marijuana, possession of CDS paraphernalia, outstanding Hudson County Sheriff warrant, and hindering apprehension on Wednesday Jan. 3 at 11:47 a.m.
Police found a stolen vehicle parked in the area of 4th and Harrison Street.
The police saw Wallace allegedly enter the vehicle and conducted a motor vehicle stop.
Wallace was arrested for allegedly receiving stolen property and a search of him allegedly found marijuana and a suspected marijuana cigarette.
Wallace allegedly gave the officers a fake name adding the charge of hindering apprehension.

Bayonne: The Year in Review

Rory Pasquariello, Staff Writer
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Bayonne: The Year in Review

The Peninsula City is in a time of reckoning with its past, and planning for the future. Cranes and construction crews are regularly seen in Bayonne’s dense housing market. Financial uncertainty at the school district triggered unrest among parents and students in the spring, while the mayor’s race kicked off in the fall. Candid conversations have taken place about the city’s need for more mass transit options and parking solutions. A lot has happened in 2017 – here is a rundown.

Housing

The cost of housing in Bayonne has risen faster than inflation, and faster than wages over the last decade, according to U.S. Census data released in December.But the city has plenty of space to build more housing, and that’s exactly what it is encouraging developers to do, albeit through financial incentives sometimes unpopular with residents. The market price of homes for sale, meanwhile, continues to rise.
Bayonne revised its Master Plan in July for the first time since 2000. Master plans outline the long-term vision for a community’s built environment and guide decisions about land use while promoting quality of life.
The new Master Plan promotes contemporary urban planning principles, especially in the areas surrounding light rail stations, to create high-density, walkable, bike-able, and mixed-used development. The plan recommends the city establish “station area plans” for neighborhoods within a quarter mile of a light rail station as “transit villages.”
“Our assets are our charm and home life,” said Bayonne City Planner Suzanne Mack, who wrote the 2000 plan. “We’ve moved from being an industrial giant, an oil tank farm basically, into more of a bedroom community with a lot of community resources.” The plan reconciles residents’ differing views on where large developments should go and how big they should be.
It creates two tiers of zoning. “Catalyst” projects would allow for buildings between eight and ten stories, and require public open space, while “non-catalyst” projects would be between four and eight stories.
Catalyst projects within a four-block radius of the 22nd Street Light Rail station include 19 East, a 138-unit luxury rental building; Madison Hill on the former site of CJ Murphy; Skye Lofts South and Sky Lofts North, both on Avenue E combining for nearly 200 units; and a 180-unit Parkview Realty residential development.
On the former Military Ocean Terminal Base, multiple large residential developments are set to break ground after years of environmental remediation and financial planning. Those plans have even attracted a Costco to the area of Route 440 near the 34th Street Light Rail Station, in close proximity to residential developments on the base.
The area near South Cove Commons, directly south of the base, will also see development in the coming year, including a hotel, residential building, and mixed-use office space.
No developer is too big for the City of Bayonne. In September, the city joined hundreds of cities across the U.S. and Canada in responding to Amazon’s request for proposals for a location to build its second headquarters. Bayonne says the former Military Ocean Terminal Base would be a great location for the headquarters with its expanse of undeveloped,shovel-ready land facing the New York Harbor. Gov. Chris Christie officially recommended Newark with a $7 billion package of tax breaks for the retail giant, which ranks 26th in the world in revenue.

A new healthcare provider in town

In June 2017, Barnabas Health at Bayonne opened on 24th Street and Broadway. The three-story, 80,000- square-foot medical facility includes an imaging center, retail pharmacy, pediatric center, primary care services, women’s health services, physical therapy, laboratory drawing station, and emergency services. The ceremony featured the Bayonne High School marching band performing outside of the soon-to-be emergency entrance.
Bayonne already has a full-service hospital a few blocks away, so for some, the new medical facility seemed redundant. Last year, RWJ Barnabas applied for a waiver for its new Bayonne location to be designated as a satellite emergency department (SED), citing its growing volume of ER visits from Bayonne and southern Jersey City.

Transportation and infrastructure

The Bayonne Bridge and Exit 14A on the NJ Turnpike underwent massive construction projects in 2017. “Raise the Roadway,” which raised the navigational clearance of the bridge by 64 feet, was concurrent with deepening the channel.”
A crowd gathered along Dennis Collins Park on a cool September morning to watch one of the new behemoth container ships, the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, navigate the newly-deepened Kill Van Kull and pass under the newly-raised Bayonne Bridge. The $2.1 billion Main Navigation Channel Deepening Project, which started in 2004, deepened the harbor by 50 feet to allow for such container ships to access the terminals at Port Newark, GCT Bayonne, and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal.
The entire bridge project will not be completed until 2019, when the temporary two-lane road becomes a permanent four-lane road with a path accessible by bicycle and foot, as well as new piers, a new roadway deck, and new approach roads. The projected cost of $1.3 billion ballooned to $1.6 billion.
The “Interchange 14A Improvement Project” is slated for a 2018 completion. The project calls for increasing the toll plaza capacity from 11 to 13 lanes, extending the ramp from Interchange 14A westbound, expanding the Hudson County Extension to two lanes, and replacing the existing two-lane connector bridge with a new four-lane structure to Routes 440, Route 185, and Port Jersey Boulevard. A new flyover ramp is also being constructed from the interchange and Port Jersey Boulevard to Route 440 south. The existing traffic signal at East 53rd Street will be removed, and the new roundabout will maintain permanent access to the 14A Interchange.
The city has been pushing hard for a ferry on the former Military Ocean Terminal Base, an empty tract of land attracting a bevy of developers. In late February, city officials and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed to perform an impact study to determine future demand for a ferry slip on the base.
Local officials on both sides of the Kill Van Kull are onboard with the idea of constructing an aerial gondola over the Kill Van Kull from Elm Park in Staten Island to Bayonne. When the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) unveiled the winner of its international design contest in September of 2016, the concept was initially considered unrealistic. The private venture would cost more than $60 million.
The Master Plan also calls for a crosstownshuttle bus. While that proposal seems unlikely in the short term, a bike-share option has also been proposed. “Bayonne Bike Share” signs and stations of bicycles are popping up around town with maps indicating the locations of seven stations, which occupy the equivalent of one parking space. High-tech racks automatically lock the bikes’ front rims.

Reval

A citywide property reval was ordered by the Hudson County Board of Taxation in April of 2016. The Bayonne Tax Assessor’s Office is responsible for making the first new tax maps since the last reval in 1991. Revals are supposed to take place when assessed value of properties falls too far out of sync with true market values. When the city is finished creating new physical and digital maps, the process will be handed off to a contractor who will assess all 13,948 parcels of land in Bayonne across every zoning category: industrial, commercial, and residential. The reval can result in higher property tax bills for many homes.
Meanwhile, a federal tax bill signed by President Trump may depress or stagnate home values in high-tax states like New Jersey, while capping state and local tax deductions at $10,000, which could hurt Bayonne homeowners who itemize their taxes.

Politics

In January, a President who received 20 percent of the vote in Hudson County was sworn into office. In November, Democrat Phil Murphy was elected governor while carrying 63 percent of the vote in Bayonne. That same election saw surprising results at the Bayonne Board of Education (BBOED) where one incumbent and two new trustees were elected. The BBOED put added pressure on the city by levying a 4 percent local property tax in March after a $2 million budget deficit unearthed in November of 2016 triggered the board to take drastic measures. An audit of the district’s finances revealed in November of 2017 that the district does not have a deficit, but alleged improper practices by a former accountant made it look as if there were one. Now, the district is not underwater financially, but is operating with very low reserve funds, which can result in a budget deficit in the event of a financial emergency.
A combination of increased property taxes and cost of living, uncertainty at the BBOED, and a controversial strategy of attracting real estate development has created an active political climate not so different from the one in 2014 when James Davis won the mayoral race by a small margin. Voters will have the choice in May whether to stay the course with Davis.
In October, former NJ Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell announced his bid for Bayonne mayor. Three council candidates have joined his slate to challenge Davis and his slate of incumbent council members, all elected in 2014. Davis announced his bid for re-election in October. Two of the incumbent city council members have announced runs on Davis’s slate.
City Council President and Councilwoman-at-large Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski and Councilman-at-Large Juan Perez have announced bids for re-election. They will face O’Donnell’s slate of candidates for At-Large City Council, Daniel Ward, Director of the Social Studies and Library/Media Science Programs at the Bayonne School District, and Melissa Enriquez-Rada, a Bayonne real estate agent and president of the Rotary Club of Bayonne.
Kevin Kuhl, owner of the East Side bar, Kuhl’s Tavern, will run for Second Ward council seat, currently occupied by Councilman Sal Gullace. There is no indication that any of the three seated City Council members who have not announced a re-election run will not seek re-election. The remaining two O’Donnell candidates are expected to be announced in January.

‘Sexting’ even in Bayonne

In a year of shifting cultural attitudes toward patriarchy, Mayor James Davis was thrown into the center of a “sexting” scandal. At a May City Council meeting, Stacie Percella, a former city employee who worked on Davis’s mayoral campaign, accused Davis of allegedly sending her sexually explicit text messages both during the campaign and while she worked for the city, between 2013 and 2015.
No resignation followed, but an apology did. Damage to Davis’s political reputation will be measured in the 2018 mayoral election. Mayoral candidate Jason O’Donnell has criticized Davis’s character over the issue.

A racial divide

All eyes were on Bayonne in March when the Zoning Board voted down a proposal by Bayonne Muslims, a local Muslim organization, to build a mosque and community center on East 24th Street. The group, whichapplied for bulk variance relief to convert an unused warehouse on a dead-end street and was met with fervent opposition by some residents, citing concerns of increased traffic, less parking for residents, and a poor “fit” for the community. Despite the result, supporters of the Bayonne Muslim community came out in force to the meeting.
The issue has sown social divisions in the city since the proposal was first introduced in 2015, while Islamophobia across the country has spiked. Meanwhile, the Muslim community in Bayonne has been without a place of worship within the city since their last lease at St. Henry’s Church expired at the beginning of 2017.
Bayonne Muslims has since sued the city for discrimination in federal court, seeking approval to build a mosque and community center.

Open Space

Dennis Collins Park on First Street, one of Bayonne’s largest parks, underwent a large renovation. New playground equipment, exercise equipment, bean toss, a patio area for leisure and yoga, and solar charging stations will be installed.
The project also installed a new volleyball court, resurfaced two tennis courts, and renovated and relocated two dog parks. New playground equipment includes ADA-accessible swings, tot swings, a dual beam Kid Koaster, a standing rocker, and a Volta Inclusive Spinner.New exercise equipment includes ellipticals and steppers.
The long-term goal is to make most of the Bayonne shorefront accessible and walkable. City officials and the Port Authority have discussed the potential for a linear park underneath the Bayonne Bridge that would start at 5th Street and extend south to Dennis Collins Park and could include a walkway, bike path, parkland, playground, and other amenities. The walkway would extend north up Bayonne’s western shore to connect to 16th Street Park, Stephen R. Gregg Park, and Rutkowski Park.
Stephen R. Gregg Park got $3.7 million worth of waterfront ballfields. Also known as Hudson County Park, it has more than 100 acres of open space that includes ballfields, tennis courts, basketball courts, bocce courts, horseshoe pits, and a running track. Now it’s resurfaced two full-size soccer fields and two mini soccer fields with turf, and added two full-size softball fields, all with new landscaping and LED lighting (the same lighting used by the University of Arizona).
The park, which is maintained by the county, was improved using County Capital Funds.
A pond renovation in July and August beautified the northern-most section near Rutkowski Park. The manmade pond, which was filling up with muck and leaves, was drained to add a new sodium bentonite liner layered with sand to prevent water from leaking into the soil, as well as coir logs that allow plants to grow around the pond’s edge, which features a new walkway.
Development has opened the door to public-private spaces that will be included in some large residential developments. Meanwhile, the McDonald’s on Broadway will be pushed back to make room for a private-public plaza on the corner of West 25th Street.

Education

After years of underfunding, NJ Gov. Chris Christie and the state legislature agreed in June to a school funding formula that allocated Bayonne six percent more than what Christie originally called for, amounting to about $3.2 million.
Statewide, the new funding formula increased state funding by $125 million, with $25 million allocated to expand pre-k and kindergarten expansion. In November, the Bayonne school district expanded pre-k to dozens of students after it was awarded a Preschool Education Expansion Aid grant, part of the$25 million in earmarked funds from July’s state school funding agreement, from which Bayonne gained an additional $2.9 million in state aid.
The Bayonne School District is expanding pre-k this year to dozens of students after it was awarded a Preschool Education Expansion Aid (PEEA) grant of $770,982. The funds will go to providing all-day pre-k to 65 children who will be admitted through a lottery system.
State-certified pre-k teachers will lead classes in five schools in all parts of Bayonne. Henry E. Harris School, Lincoln Community School, Philip G. Vroom School, Washington Community School, and Midtown Community School will each host one class.
The city will maintain free half-day programs, which run in every elementary school. Last year, the district had 468 children in half-day pre-k. Nineteen kids in Bayonne are currently enrolled in the district’s full-day program at Nicholas Oresko Community School, which charges a fee. Those students will be guaranteed a spot in the new program.
With limited classroom space, the Bayonne Board of Education was considering using modular classrooms outside the main buildings, but decided against the plan for reasons of cost efficiency.

Entertainment

The city organized more entertainment than ever in 2017. Aside from festival staples like the Hometown Fair and Bergen Point Fall Festival, which saw tens of thousands of attendees, the Renaissance Festival ran for its second year in July, and the Urban Enterprise Zone sponsored a Music on Broadway series that featured live performances at dozens of locations along Broadway.
When a hurricane devastated eastern Texas in September, Bayonne pooled resources for a newly-named sister city, Baytown, Texas in a concert fundraiser called “Bayonne to Baytown,” which featured Tammy Blanchard, Chuck Wepner, and Mayor Davis, who wore a cowboy hat. Bergen Point also attracted a new festival at Dennis Collins Park, the Bridge Arts Festival, organized by the Bridge Art Gallery in Bergen Point.

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

SCOREBOARD

Jim Hague, Sports Columnist
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SCOREBOARD

When she was growing up in the proud and powerful athletic community known as St. Paul’s (Greenville) Parish in Jersey City, the then-Alice Schmidt never thought of herself as anything special. She just wanted to play basketball like the boys in the neighborhood – and that she most certainly did, every single chance she had.

And when the time came for the incredible woman known later in life as Alice DeFazio came to realize that her time on earth was coming to an end, she didn’t want any fuss, bother or worry that usually comes with a dying woman or man.

Alice didn’t want anyone to know about her illness and subsequent death sentence. She wanted to go quietly and peacefully with only close family present at her relatively new home in Florida. She certainly didn’t want the fanfare that she wholeheartedly deserved.

Even after I learned of Alice’s illness and rapid demise, I promised that I wouldn’t write a single word until she passed. I swore to secrecy, telling no one. I obliged to Alice’s wishes, because that’s what she wanted.

So basically Alice Schmidt DeFazio didn’t want special treatment in the early stages of her athletic life. And she didn’t want anything special in her waning days.

However, it’s everything in between that is utterly amazing and puts Alice truly in a class by herself in Hudson County girls’ and women’s basketball history.

Alice Schmidt DeFazio died last week, just a few days after she celebrated her 63 rd birthday. Pancreatic cancer was the winner of this battle, much like it was the victor over her beloved husband Bill DeFazio a decade ago. It’s almost unfathomable and inconceivable that both Alice and Bill died of the same kind of cancer at the same exact age just 10 years apart.

It was 10 years ago that Alice bravely and eloquently delivered the eulogy for her husband and now she’s gone as well, gone too soon, gone before she had a chance to enjoy her retirement and the golden years that were certain to follow.

Alice’s life was certainly one well lived. She was a basketball junkie who played the game flawlessly as a point guard at St. Anthony High School and later at Montclair State College, where she helped to lead Montclair State to the 1978 NCAA Final Four at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA.

It was a Montclair State team that featured All-American Carol Blazejowski, who now graces the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. “The Blaze” averaged an incredible 38 points per game that year, scoring 1,235 points in that year alone.

That team had a gigantic Hudson County influence, because the head coach was the legendary Maureen Wendelken of Hoboken and people like Pat Quilty of Jersey City, Pat Colasurdo of Bayonne and one of Alice’s best friends and teammates from high school, Cathy Meyers O’Callahan, also from the St. Paul’s (Greenville) neighborhood.

I personally know about the friendship and camaraderie shared between Alice and Cathy, because there were plenty of times I would play two-on-two basketball against the pairing of Alice and Cathy with my best friend John Rochford, who later played at St. Anthony. They wanted to play against us because we were fiercely competitive boys who wouldn’t back down to a challenge. We wanted to play against them because they had the same competitive drive and spirit that we had, only we were four years younger than they were. We were teenagers while they were already established as stars at Montclair State.

Those two-on-two tussles in St. Paul’s Courtyard were of epic proportions and went on for hours on end. People in the neighborhood loved watching the local “Battle of the Sexes,” long before Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King played tennis in the Houston Astrodome.

Roch and I didn’t want to be the ones who lost to girls, but in reality, these weren’t your average run-of-the-mill girls just having fun. Nope. Alice and Cathy were just as serious as we were, so it led to highly competitive regular showdowns. I think we helped them to become better players and I know facing Alice and Cathy made both Roch and I better hoopsters.

That’s how my friendship with Alice and Cathy began and remained strong through the years.

Alice enjoyed a great career at Montclair State, receiving recognition as one of the best college basketball point guards in the nation. She graduated holding the school’s all-time record for assists and steals. Her record of 630 assists still stands and she currently ranks second all-time in steals with 345.

Alice finished second in the Wade Trophy balloting to All-American Nancy Lieberman of Old Dominion as the top point guard in the country and she was drafted by the New York Stars of the old Women’s Basketball League, which just never caught on the way the WNBA became successful two decades later.

Still, Alice Schmidt was the first women’s basketball star from Jersey City who gained notoriety on a national level. She was a forerunner, a trailblazer to what has now become the explosion of women’s basketball in this country.

“She was a very good friend, a very loyal friend and a very supportive friend,” said Meyers O’Callahan, who had a fine coaching career at St. Anthony and later Dickinson. “We met in the third grade and she was always there for me. There were times we didn’t even have to say words, but we communicated, especially on the basketball court. We just connected in a lot of ways and we fed off each other. The bond we had was very strong.”

After her playing days were done, Alice moved on to become a coach on both the high school and collegiate levels.

Alice was the head coach at St. Dominic Academy and Marist, but had stint as the head coach at both her alma mater Montclair State and later at New Jersey City University, where she spent a total of 27 years, 14 of which were as the head women’s basketball coach and 11 as the first-ever female athletic director at the school. Alice remains the all-time leader in coaching victories at NJCU.

In that time period, Alice married Bill DeFazio, who remains the all-time leader in girls’ basketball coaching victories in Hudson County. In fact, when Bill was the head coach at St. Anthony and Alice was at SDA, the two would go head-to-head against each other at least twice a season, sometimes three times. Now that’s a happy marriage, especially since Bill won most of those showdowns, wearing his special blue underwear to coincide with SDA’s school colors. Yes, Billy, an extremely superstitious person, had all different color underwear to match the team’s color that he was playing that day.

Alice’s brother Tom Schmidt recalls the day that the family realized she was getting serious with DeFazio.

“I went to school with Billy,” Tom Schmidt said. “I knew that she was going to do well being with him. They’re both very competitive people. He was a major influence on her.”

Debbie DeFazio Campisano knew of Alice before Alice married Debbie’s brother.

“At first, I didn’t get along with Alice,” Campisano said. “My brother was just getting divorced and Alice was younger [10 years younger], so I didn’t know. I was like ‘Who is this girl?’ We got off to a rough start. But we developed a good relationship over the years.

When Alice was a coach at Montclair State, she was introduced to a hard-nosed player named Kim Barnes, who did her student teaching at the Academy of St. Aloysius when I was the head basketball coach.

Barnes wanted to become a coach, so she learned from Alice. She certainly didn’t learn anything from my ranting and throwing fits on the ASA bench.

Barnes moved on to become a college coach at NJIT, then Adelphi, then St. John’s and now has been at the University of Michigan for the last eight years, winning 20 or more games every single year. Twice, Barnes Arico has earned the Big East Coach of the Year and she added the Big 10 Coach of the Year to her resume in 2017.

“Alice was a powerful woman and role model,” said Barnes Arico, who is married to former Marist head football coach and athletic director Larry Arico. “The fact that we got to spend that one season together is something I will value for the rest of my life. She got to know my children well and this was the first loss of anyone they knew. She was really special to me. Without Alice, I’m not here.”

Another woman with coaching aspirations in the early 1990s was Sheila Wall Leonardo, who played point guard for Bill DeFazio at St. Anthony, then played at LaSalle University in Philadelphia. Wall was an assistant coach to Alice at both Montclair State and St. Dominic Academy.

“During that time, we became good friends,” said Wall Leonardo, who is married to former Marist head coach Mike Leonardo, the architect of the six straight HCIAA titles and seven in eight years. “We’ve just had this bond over the years. We became even closer after we started making our trips.”

The “trips” that Leonardo is referring to was the annual golf sojourn to a resort somewhere in the United States or someplace tropical, as long as the island resort had a golf course. Alice was a regular member at the new Skyway Golf Club on Route 440 South in Jersey City.

“We played golf as often as we could,” Wall Leonardo said. “We’d go all over the place to play. She was so competitive as a player. She worked so hard at the game. Alice was the magnet who brought us all together.”

“She organized these trips,” Campisano said. “She felt like she built up this camaraderie and she knew we would all get along terrifically. It didn’t matter how different we were. The one common thing we all had together was Alice. She’s the best gift my brother ever gave me.”

Needless to say, it was a life well lived and she’s someone who will be missed by a lot of people she touched in Hudson County and beyond, whether as a player, as a coach, as an administrator or as a friend. She was all of that to me.

Back in the 1970s, Alice helped to run the family business, Schmidt’s Corner on Old Bergen Road in my old neighborhood, an establishment that was truly the buy-all store in the neighborhood, from housing goods to the best luncheon sandwiches known to man. Every day, Schmidt’s offered the lunch sandwich “special,” for only 35 cents, which was the deli meat that they had the most of in the case. I prayed that it wouldn’t be liverwurst or olive loaf. Hell, I could get olive loaf in the St. Paul’s lunch program for free.

But if you were lucky enough to have a surplus of Virginia ham that day, for 55 cents you had a ham sandwich on a hard roll with a 16-ounce bottle of Pepsi and you felt like a king. Alice was always behind the counter with a smile and the daily “special.”

So I got to see a side of Alice outside of basketball. Then, when we became of age, the Wagon Wheel across Old Bergen on the corner of Bartholdi was the site for a few brews and a few more laughs.

In 1990, I organized an All-Star game that helped to raise money for the Jersey City Boarder Babies, the newborns who are brought into the world and basically abandoned. So we had the Hudson County Legends team facing off against the New York Giants, who had a charity basketball team back then.

Alice was part of the Legends team – and deservedly so. But former Giants linebacker and current NFL assistant Pepper Johnson didn’t think there was a place for Alice in the game and Johnson made a run at Alice, knocking her hard to the Yanitelli Center floor.

We all stopped for a second to see if Alice was going to get up after being trampled by a 6-foot-2, 250-pound linebacker. But true to her competitive spirit, Alice got up and continued playing. It was truly remarkable.

But that was Alice – right there in a nutshell. She wanted to play with the legends against the Giants, risking all kinds of health issues. But it was her competitive spirit and drive that kept her going.

Her closest friends all reminisced this week, even if there was no funeral service, no burial, no anything. It’s just the way Alice wanted it.

“She was an amazing woman,” Campisano said. “You knew she was in the room. She made us all feel so very special. It was like a once-in-a-lifetime relationship. It was my honor to call her my friend.”

“She had such a big heart,” Wall Leonardo said. “She constantly gave back to women’s causes. Kids were just generally drawn to her. This loss is so impactful. I’ve experienced a lot of loss in my family. And Alice and I were like family. We leaned on each other a lot.”

It seems as if heart is a prevailing theme here.

“She had a lot of heart,” her brother Tom said. “She cared about so many people. She had a great sense of humor and the ability to bust chops. She was the cement who kept our family together. She was very special to all of us. She was the center of our family, the one we all relied upon. She wanted to win at all costs, a lot like my Dad. Alice thought my Dad was the most competitive man and she got that from him.”

There’s another aspect of Alice that cannot be replicated. She had the most unique laugh. I once described Alice’s laugh as if Edith Bunker became an old cat and then Grandma in the rocking chair was under the cat’s tail. Can you hear that kind of noise in your head? Well that was Alice’s laugh.

“I’ll miss that laugh, that’s for sure,” Tom Schmidt said.

“Her smile and her laughter,” Meyers O’Callahan said. “It’s what I’ll miss.”

Others offered other memories.

“The joy she had,” Wall Leonardo said. “She lit up the room.”

“She would walk into a room and she changed the face of the room she just entered,” Barnes Arico said. “Alice always made sure you enjoyed that day.”

No stronger words than the ones that come from her closest friends.

“I idolized her,” Wall Leonardo said. “She was one of my mentors.”

“She truly wanted to be in control of her own destiny,” Meyers O’Callahan said. “As a player, as a coach, as an AD, she was a pioneer. She got her girls prepared for life. Whether it was in high school or college, she molded them into young women.”

We didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to our friend Alice Schmidt DeFazio when she passed away last week. We didn’t give her the tribute she deserved. We didn’t sit around, drinking a few and telling Alice stories and hearing that piercing shrill if she was there laughing along with us. But that’s the way she wanted it.

However, I would have served everyone who reads this column regularly a major injustice if I didn’t give my friend Alice her well deserved salute. Bravo, Alice, you were good. You set the tone for every girl athlete who followed you. You blazed the trail for aspiring coaches. You became the historic administrator that everyone admired. And you were part of the “First Family” of Hudson County girls’ basketball, knocking heads with your knucklehead husband.

There was only one Alice – and she went out the way she came in, with little or no fanfare. Funny, but those 30 years in between were too remarkable to omit or erase.

Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com. You can read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com, follow Jim on Twitter @ogsmar and listen to the Hudson County Sports podcast, with this week’s guest Dwayne Williams of Bayonne and the University of Iowa and the current head coach at Barringer High School in Newark. You can listen to all of the Hudson County Sports podcasts on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

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